Product Plan for New DA Polisher: Need Input!

[Gachrid]

I'm a fan of sticking with the same product brand as much as possible. Believe it will have better results as the products are meant to work together right? Anyways, I'm buying myself my first DA Polisher (Meguiars G110v2) and wanted some input on my plan. My paint is in pretty good shape. I can't really see any swirls which makes me happy. I've tried looking at all angle with different light and don't find much at all. This is my normal "by hand" detail process:

1.Wash/Dry/Clay
2. Meguiar's Ultimate Polish
3. Meguiar's #7 Glaze
4. Meguiar's #26 High Tech Wax

I like this process and it's been good on my car so far. I've learned from this forum that most of my sweat was wasted since polishing and glazing don't do much by hand since the clear coat is strong. So since this is turned out well so far by hand I thought it would still be a good process for the G110. This was my plan for the G110:

1.Wash/Dry/Clay
2. Meguiar's Ultimate Polish (CCS 6.5 Coarse Green Cut/Polish Pad)
3. Meguiar's #7 Glaze (CCS 6.5 Grey Finishing Pad)
4. Meguiar's #26 High Tech Wax (CCS 6.5 Blue Finishing Pad)

I don't think it's necessary to use a compound at this point (although I do have Meguiar's Ultimate Compound already), but maybe I'm wrong. What do you guys think of this setup? I'm really just looking for a smooth finish with a quicker turnaround then using my hands.

[opie_7afe]

meguiars #7 has no defect removal its sole purpose is to hydrate paint, enhance gloss temporarily(they call it queen for a day) and will fill in defects, i would go with meguiars ultimate compound on orange pad, meguiars swirl-x on white pad and #26 if you want to stick to one brand, as a for profit detailer i use products from all different company's and so don't most detailers. find what works for you and your paint system. another option is optimum compound II and optimum polish II both are very good products as well. for pad choice go with 5.5" FLAT pads, CCS pads imo are a pointless pads, might be OK for waxing but id rather flats, flats offer more correctional ability. also, if your using diminishing abrasive correction products the fresh polish stays in the dimples and ruins the way the product is supposed to work as fresh product is being introduced so you wont get the best finish. however for a new guy i would stick with correction products you know are SMAT(super micro abrasive technology) i suggest this because you tell the product when its done working, and not the product telling you when its done working so its easier for a new guy. and like i said go with 5.5" pads because it will be easier for the DA to keep rotation going. another option(might be the best for you) is the DA microfiber system. works easy, results are great. for a wax mostly everyone will reccomend collinite 845, looks and durability wise it can surpass most of the high dollar waxes. hope this helps

[Gachrid]

meguiars #7 has no defect removal its sole purpose is to hydrate paint, enhance gloss temporarily(they call it queen for a day) and will fill in defects, i would go with meguiars ultimate compound on orange pad, meguiars swirl-x on white pad and #26 if you want to stick to one brand, as a for profit detailer i use products from all different company's and so don't most detailers. find what works for you and your paint system. another option is optimum compound II and optimum polish II both are very good products as well. for pad choice go with 5.5" FLAT pads, CCS pads imo are a pointless pads, might be OK for waxing but id rather flats, flats offer more correctional ability. also, if your using diminishing abrasive correction products the fresh polish stays in the dimples and ruins the way the product is supposed to work as fresh product is being introduced so you wont get the best finish. however for a new guy i would stick with correction products you know are SMAT(super micro abrasive technology) i suggest this because you tell the product when its done working, and not the product telling you when its done working so its easier for a new guy. and like i said go with 5.5" pads because it will be easier for the DA to keep rotation going. another option(might be the best for you) is the DA microfiber system. works easy, results are great. for a wax mostly everyone will reccomend collinite 845, looks and durability wise it can surpass most of the high dollar waxes. hope this helps
Well I wasn't thinking of using the ultimate compound because I was afraid it would but too much and with my lack of DA skill I didn't want to over do it. You said to follow with Swirl-X, does the ultimate compound leave marks? I thought Swirl-X was for really swirled paint.

What pads do you recommend? Just the basic flat Meguiar's pads to go with the G110?

[RTexasF]

The name Ultimate Compound is somewhat deceiving. It is nothing like the super heavy compounds of yesteryear and can even be used by hand. Whichever polish products you decide to use you can't predetermine what pad your going to use. That's why we do a trial area with the least aggressive combo to see if it will work and step up if needed.

Using a single brand for everything is fine and well but you are severely limiting yourself by doing so. Megs is a well respected line of products but they are not the end all for every type of product......read and broaden your scope.

[Infiniti]

Using a single brand for everything is fine and well but you are severely limiting yourself by doing so. Megs is a well respected line of products but they are not the end all for every type of product......read and broaden your scope.

Amen to this. Meguiars was a big factor getting me to take better care of my vehicles. Thanks to Autogeek and all the reading I did on all the other products I don't have any meguiars left but am looking in the Meguiars DA microfiber.

[Gachrid]

I understand that Meguiars is not the best product out there. But to be honest I'm looking for a good product that is easily accessible. I don't really want to have to order it online every time I need it. That's why I've always leaned toward Meguiars.

[opie_7afe]

imo some stuff you need to order and if you don't your missing out, but you will need a test spot to figure out what process to take, a lot of meguiars consumer line names make it seem like its harsher then t hey really are like swirl-x. swirl-x is slightly less aggressive then m205, to me ultimate polish seems to be about as aggressive as a paint cleanser. I'm betting you will need the ultimate compound if you haven't corrected it by machine before.the ultimate compound can leave hazing(very light swirls) on some paints. for pads i use and recommend lake country 5-1/2 inch FLAT orange(light compounding),white(polishing),gray(finishing) and a red pad(wax/sealant). as i said CCS pads offer less correctional ability and do not work well with diminishing abrasive correction products. and i do not recommend FOAM pads larger then a 5-1/2 inch diameter and height of 7/8ths inch. you do not want those bigger and thicker pads using a polisher with a free rotating spindle assembly(porter cable DA,griots DA, meguiars DA) i say this because those thicker and bigger pads will absorb the polishers motion and wont transfer to the paint and sort of just jiggle around offering very little correctional ability, you always want 15-20lbs of downward pressure and with the DA's i mentioned above if you don.t use pressure the pad will not rotate and that is what you want is pad rotation. you also need to remember its very hard to mess up paint using a DA so don't be worried about that! for future reference carquest/napa auto parts stock duragloss products which is another great line to use, they also stock meguiars and can some times find the great meguiars mirror glaze #16 wax(get it if you find it). for collinite/303 products you can go to west marine or marine stores and find it. can also go to the collinite web page and do a retailer search to find it local, don't be afraid to order online as a lot of products if your just a hobbyist you wont run out of for a long time and most products LESS is MORE. ill put it to you this way, with a 8oz bottle of optimum polish II I've polished 3 vehicles and other small projects here and there..there is a few products that should be in every car care enthusiast's cabinet one of them is meguiars m105/205, another is collinite 845, ultima tire and trim guard is another(trim only for me), optimum opti-bond(for tires) those are just some that should be in everyones arsenal.

[Gachrid]

Ok so I've thought about it and am thinking of some new stuff. I found a write-up on Collinite 845 and it seems like a great wax. I was thinking of trying pinnacle paintwork cleansing lotion for a polish. Guy who did the write-up said it was a great polish and did a great job when paired with the 845. So after reading his writeup I've been thinking of these products:

-Meguiars UC (LC 5.5X7/8" Hyrdotech Tangerine Pad)
-Pinnacle Paintwork Cleansing Lotion (LC 5.5x7/8" Hyrdo-tech Tangerine Pad)
-Collinite 845 (LC 5.5x7/8" Hydro-tech Crimson Pad)
-Wax

These products and pads were what the author used and recommended as a combo for great results.

Do you think the optimum polish II is a better choice then the pinnacle? I'd also like a recommendation for a wax (liquid or paste) to apply over the 845. Author used Wolfgang Fuzion but that's pricey. Just wanted another nice max to apply over the top. Author said that it makes an even crisper result.