Good polish and compound combo other than Meguiar's

[PaulMys]

I have never had to follow up either FCC, or CC.

But to be fair, I have only had to use the FCC on a family member's and a friends vehicle.

One was horrible (work truck) and he didn't want it to be perfect. The other was a Swirl-O-Matic victim (with dark gray paint) and the FCC finished down like a polish.

[mwoywod]

You’re mostly right... Ideally you’d follow up the correcting creams with the perfecting cream or even the Boss finishing sealant, however while I’m a big fan of the Correcting Creams, I’m not as big on the other 2 creams. I do have them, but I prefer others.

And yes the Boss Correcting Creams usually do work very well as 1 step products, alot of times not even requiring a 2nd step. However if and when I do a 2nd step, it’s not the FCC followed by the CC. That’s overkill... My choice would be either 1 of the correcting creams followed by a finishing polish i.e. Megs M205.

Agreed. Perfecting cream and finishing sealant are fine but I reach for HD Polish+ before perfecting cream and HD Speed/Rupes Uno protect/blackfire 1-step before boss finishing sealant. Both products clearly have great abrasive technology but in my experience I don't think PC finishes much better than FCC or CC and Finishing Sealant just isn't as easy to remove as other AIO's on the market.

[C5Longhorn]

Crap, I just ordered Perfecting cream to try out. I have been a long time m205 user.

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[TheMidnightNarwhal]

You’re mostly right... Ideally you’d follow up the correcting creams with the perfecting cream or even the Boss finishing sealant, however while I’m a big fan of the Correcting Creams, I’m not as big on the other 2 creams. I do have them, but I prefer others.



For me personally it’s always Meguiars M205 that I reach for. IMO it just does everything better and I’ve always had good results with it.



And yes the Boss Correcting Creams usually do work very well as 1 step products, alot of times not even requiring a 2nd step. However if and when I do a 2nd step, it’s not the FCC followed by the CC. That’s overkill... My choice would be either 1 of the correcting creams followed by a finishing polish i.e. Megs M205.

Ok, would then just using fast correcting cream paired with perfecting cream be a good 2 step combo? I guess only one way to find out. I know you should always aim to remove the least you can while acheving the results you want but let's just say I had 2 bottles to go with.

I just want to know what to buy because I don't want to start polishing and then have to place another order. I'd like to get everything at once. My bumper is pretty bad I think on the bottom and I think that would def need a heavy cutting. Jus tnot 100% sure you know, hard to say how bad damage is without experience.

[TheMidnightNarwhal]

I have never had to follow up either FCC, or CC.

But to be fair, I have only had to use the FCC on a family member's and a friends vehicle.

One was horrible (work truck) and he didn't want it to be perfect. The other was a Swirl-O-Matic victim (with dark gray paint) and the FCC finished down like a polish.

Wow that's interesting. So the perfecting cream would really maybe be for a show room car or something or what? What is the point of it in the lineup then. I assume it helps with the mentality of achieving results with removing the less you can so you would try all from perfecting cream to the FCC.

But it's nice to know that you can polish with just one step. I think I might get a bottle of FCC and CC to keep in store to help with what I might encounter in future and present. I think my bumper would really need the FCC cream.

Regarding pads, I understand some foam pads are going to "cut" more but is that just meaning it's going to take more time working it in OR no matter how you work it in it will never cut past it's "level" and I will need to buy a better cut pad.

[Eldorado2k]

Ok, would then just using fast correcting cream paired with perfecting cream be a good 2 step combo?

Yea that’s definitely the the 2 bottles from that line that I’d choose if I were in your situation. With the mentality that if UC couldn’t quite get it all, then the FCC should. And any possible cleanup or further refining is where the Perfecting Cream would come in. Sounds like a plan. Now just make sure your pads are in order.

Regarding pads, I understand some foam pads are going to "cut" more but is that just meaning it's going to take more time working it in OR no matter how you work it in it will never cut past it's "level" and I will need to buy a better cut pad.

No, you don’t want to go in with the mentality that any normal polishing pad can eventually cut through moderate/severe defects. It’d be like you trying to chop down the tree in your backyard with a basic ax when you could’ve used a chainsaw.. Try using an ax and you’ll probably have a heat stroke.. Same way you’ll risk heating up your polishing pads trying to overwork them and your paint while not packing enough punch to begin with. If you’ve got moderate/severe defects then the only way to get things done right is by packing the gear. You’re getting the compound, now get the pads.

Get them on sale. 25% off happens quite often. They’ll be a good investment that can pay off with little effort in the long run. How many average Joes do you know with the proper tools and knowledge to polish a vehicle? Probably none.

[TheMidnightNarwhal]

Yea that’s definitely the the 2 bottles from that line that I’d choose if I were in your situation. With the mentality that if UC couldn’t quite get it all, then the FCC should. And any possible cleanup or further refining is where the Perfecting Cream would come in. Sounds like a plan. Now just make sure your pads are in order.



No, you don’t want to go in with the mentality that any normal polishing pad can eventually cut through moderate/severe defects. It’d be like you trying to chop down the tree in your backyard with a basic ax when you could’ve used a chainsaw.. Try using an ax and you’ll probably have a heat stroke.. Same way you’ll risk heating up your polishing pads trying to overwork them and your paint while not packing enough punch to begin with. If you’ve got moderate/severe defects then the only way to get things done right is by packing the gear. You’re getting the compound, now get the pads.

Get them on sale. 25% off happens quite often. They’ll be a good investment that can pay off with little effort in the long run. How many average Joes do you know with the proper tools and knowledge to polish a vehicle? Probably none.

Ok sounds good I'll pick up those 2 bottles.

As for pads, if we disregard the cheapo ones that came with the Presa, I have Chemical Guys 5.5 inch ones, one orange medium cut, green heavy polish, white medium polish (this one was given to me and is used) and a red ultra light finishing pad (really just to apply wax and sealants). Would you say those are fine. Like here is my gripe, I'm not a super noob in the auto detail subject nor polish I have a lot of theory but the place I lack some experience and information is pads. Let's take CG for example, which I know it isn't one of the best brands to use since they do a lot of "duplicate" products and gimmicks, but most other brands are like this to, they have 7 different pads. Wouldn't I be better off just getting the highest cutting compound one and the highest cutting polish one to pair with the 2 creams if hypothetically I had 100% clear coat level and didn't care about keeping some clear coat. Or am I seeing this wrong.

Again, I understand the point when you correct paint is to always go with the one that removes the less while providing the results you look for but just hypothetically I need an answer to this to expand my current thinking/knowledge on the subject. As someone with no experience, it's really hard to choose between heavy polish pad, medium polish pad or normal polish pad.

This is why I'm really into the Griot's garage section since they seem to have one pad per cream. That's really refreshing for once.

[Eldorado2k]

Ok sounds good I'll pick up those 2 bottles.

As for pads, if we disregard the cheapo ones that came with the Presa, I have Chemical Guys 5.5 inch ones, one orange medium cut, green heavy polish, white medium polish (this one was given to me and is used) and a red ultra light finishing pad (really just to apply wax and sealants). Would you say those are fine. Like here is my gripe, I'm not a super noob in the auto detail subject nor polish I have a lot of theory but the place I lack some experience and information is pads. Let's take CG for example, which I know it isn't one of the best brands to use since they do a lot of "duplicate" products and gimmicks, but most other brands are like this to, they have 7 different pads. Wouldn't I be better off just getting the highest cutting compound one and the highest cutting polish one to pair with the 2 creams if hypothetically I had 100% clear coat level and didn't care about keeping some clear coat. Or am I seeing this wrong.

Again, I understand the point when you correct paint is to always go with the one that removes the less while providing the results you look for but just hypothetically I need an answer to this to expand my current thinking/knowledge on the subject. As someone with no experience, it's really hard to choose between heavy polish pad, medium polish pad or normal polish pad.

This is why I'm really into the Griot's garage section since they seem to have one pad per cream. That's really refreshing for once.

That polisher you’re working with is a 8mm polisher? If that’s the case then personally I’d go with at the very least 4 Meguiars Microfiber Cutting Pads and for the compound I’d go with Megs D300.




Reason for the change is that IMO microfiber cutting pads offer not only a cleaner working experience but also a more effective cutting result than typical foam cutting pads. And the Megs microfiber pads and D300 were designed for use with 8mm polishers. IMO D300 pairs better than the Griots correcting creams do with those microfiber pads.

If the Presta polisher is a 15mm or 21mm long throw polisher then disregard that.^

CG has 7 pads? That’s way more thinking than needed... It’s no wonder you’re a bit confused with so many options of light/med/heavy polshing pads etc.

I don’t think of CG when it comes to pads.

Your current issue seems to be that you’ve only got 1 of each pad. That could very well lead to inconsistent results. Settle on at least 4 cutting pads and 4 polishing pads.

I hope that helps.

[C5Longhorn]

You also will need a good polish cat. Get one of those if you don't have one. Eldo has had one for a number of years and it really shows if you look at his Caddy's, etc.

I'm not in too much of a different situation than you. I'm only working on personal cars and use Griot's 6 in. and 3 in. polishers. For pads, I use Lake Country thin pros in 6.5 in. and 3.5 in. I've had good results with Orange pads when I need cut and white polishing pads for finishing. The nice thing is with just these 2 pad types I have quite a few options. For defect removal, I can first try m205 on a orange pad. If I need to get more aggressive I can then step to fast correcting cream on an orange pad. For finishing, I have been using a white pad with m205. I recently ordered Perfecting cream and will try that.

Rick

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[TheMidnightNarwhal]

That polisher you’re working with is a 8mm polisher? If that’s the case then personally I’d go with at the very least 4 Meguiars Microfiber Cutting Pads and for the compound I’d go with Megs D300.




Reason for the change is that IMO microfiber cutting pads offer not only a cleaner working experience but also a more effective cutting result than typical foam cutting pads. And the Megs microfiber pads and D300 were designed for use with 8mm polishers. IMO D300 pairs better than the Griots correcting creams do with those microfiber pads.

If the Presta polisher is a 15mm or 21mm long throw polisher then disregard that.^

CG has 7 pads? That’s way more thinking than needed... It’s no wonder you’re a bit confused with so many options of light/med/heavy polshing pads etc.

I don’t think of CG when it comes to pads.

Your current issue seems to be that you’ve only got 1 of each pad. That could very well lead to inconsistent results. Settle on at least 4 cutting pads and 4 polishing pads.

I hope that helps.

If you are talking about throw then yeah I think it's 8mm. I might switch to Griot' G9 though if I can sell but I don't know yet. If I get the Meguiar D300 and pads, would you follow that up with a product or just that?

Yeah I did do the car with 1 pad of each but would clean it with a brush, I assume that's not enough. Maybe it's just a question of having more pads. I might try to do my bumper again here with what I have and see if it comes out good. A bumper should only need to go through 1 pad right. Doing my bumper though is complicated with big pads almost feel like I'd need a 3" polisher.

Helps for sure!