How to use the Meguiar's Microfiber DA Correction System

[Mike Phillips]

How to use the Meguiar's Microfiber DA Correction System


Next up... we'll see how the class does using the Meguiar's Microfiber DA Correction System to remove the swirls and scratches out of a 2008 Cadillac with factory black basecoat/clearcoat paint.


Here's the system our students get to learn how to use in entirety...




Here's our victim... a trashed 2008 Cadillac CTS. Looks good in the shade huh?




Doesn't look as good in full sun...






Here's what the paint looks like in the studio under the florescent lights...




A clean approach
One of the benefits to the D300 and the D301 is you don't have to tape and cover everything off.

That said I have my students for 2 days so I like to share as many tips and techniques as possible and that includes the Beach Towel Tip to cover the wiper arms and the plastic surrounding the wiper arms common to new cars.

They can use this technique to cover these areas and avoid getting splatter on everywhere no matter what product line they're using, they can make this decision, my job is to just show the technique.




The Beach Towel Tip does come in hand for anytime you're using a rotary buffer to reduce clean-up of the windshield, fresh air grills, wipers and plastic around the wipers.




New to machine polishing
Since some of the people attending this class have never worked by machine before including a Meguiar's G110v2 Dual Action Polisher, one of the things I like to do is to show them in a very dramatic way how safe they actually are for your car's paint by turning the polisher on and then,

Holding the pad against my hand...



Actually holding the pad with my hand with the tool turned on...



Pressing it against my hand in the same way it would be pressed against paint - point being it's a completely safe tool even for a beginner.



After centering and placing the pad onto the matching backing plate, the next thing you want to do is prime your pad.




Apply some product directly to the face of the pad and then spread it over the face and work it in well to the microscopic fibers that make microfiber what it is...





You know your students are paying close attention to any topic with pictures like these...





After priming the pad and thoroughly working the D300 Correction Compound over and into the fibers then add 3 small drops of product to the face of the pad and you're ready to start removing swirls and scratches.




Speed Setting 4
Meguiar's recommends 4800 OPM's for removing defects and on the Meguiar's G110v2 you would put the speed setting on the 4 on the variable dial.




Hold the pad flat to the surface, this is done best by using your forward hand to apply pressure directly over the top of the head of the polisher.




Make slow overlapping passes
Then make slow, overlapping passes working a small section of paint at one time. a two foot squared section is usually too large to tackle at one time, especially for a finish with as many swirls and scratches as this Cadillac had, so use good judgment and divide each panel up into smaller sections and then work one section at a time.

When you finish with one section, inspect your results and if the results look good move onto a new section and overlap a little into the previous section.




Inspect Results
After demonstrating how slow to move the polisher over the surface, the size of a section to tackle at one time and what "Section Passes" are and how to do them we turned the polisher off and inspected the results from the compounding step.



RIDS = Random Isolated Deeper Scratches - Not to worry...
In this picture I'm pointing out a random, deeper isolated scratch still remaining while pointing out the millions of swirls and scratches in the paint before we started are now completely removed. No matter what car you buff out you will always tend to have a few deeper scratches that remain and after removing the thousands of scratches that were surrounding them these remaining deeper scratches will tend to stick out like a Sore Thumb.





Second Step - D301 Finishing Wax
Although the results look great there is some light hazing which is really easy to see on black colored cars, but that's okay because the first step is the aggressive compounding step, the next step refines the results from the compounding step to produce a clear, swirl-free finish.




Finishing out...
For the D301 Finishing Wax you don't need to move as slow, use as much speed or as much downward pressure. The Finishing Wax offers light cleaning ability, just enough to remove any haze left by the D300 Correction Compound while leaving a layer of protection behind on the finish. So this step should go a lot quicker and you can tend to tackle a larger section. For speed setting, for the Meguiar's G110v2 set the variable speed dial to the 3 setting.



Inspect your results
For your Test Spot, like we're doing here, it's a good idea to re-inspect your results after working the D301 Finishing Wax. The paint should look clear and reflective with excellent gloss and shine.



If everything looks good then you've proven your system and you're ready to buff out the rest of the car simply by duplicating this same process over each panel. Normally you would start at the top and work your way down. Divide larger panels into smaller sections and overlap a little into the previous section when buffing out a new section.




Here's Audry removing swirls and scratches out of the passenger side fender using the D300 Correction Compound




Here's Erik removing swirls and scratches out of the hood, note how he places his hand inside the D-Handle to position his hand directly onto the head of the polisher.

[Mike Phillips]

Before

Swirls in full sun





Here's what the paint looks like in the studio under the florescent lights...





After

[Eandras]

I don't know if this has been asked can the Microfiber system as it is now be used with a flex 3401? If it can what modifications to technique need to changed. Pressure, speed of machine, speed of arm movement, and finally number passes.

Ed

[Mike@DedicatedPerfection]

I know Meguiars has a 6 inch pad kit for the flex. I would like to know what speeds as well to be used.

Also which Lake Country MF pads for the Flex? The thin D/A style or thick rotory style?

[Mike Phillips]

Here's a short video I took of the Cadillac before the owner picked it up. My next detailing boot camp class is January 26th and 27th and we'll be showing the Meguiar's Microfiber DA Correction System on another trashed, black car.


[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6ZCXHqj7-Xc&hd=1]Meguiar's DA Microfiber System at Mike Phillips Detailing Boot Camp Class - YouTube[/video]



On Autogeek.net

The Complete DA Microfiber Correction System

[Mike Phillips]

Going through the pictures from my last boot camp class and found two more that show the before condition...






Ouch!

Kind of hurts your eyes to look at...

[Mike Phillips]

I don't know if this has been asked can the Microfiber system as it is now be used with a flex 3401?

Yes. Meguiar's stated that they did field testing with their Microfiber DA System with the Flex 3401

If it can what modifications to technique need to changed. Pressure, speed of machine, speed of arm movement, and finally number passes.

Ed

Pressure: The weight of the machine is around 6 pounds, so for doing correction work wit the cutting pad after taking in the weight of the machine into consideration, just a little more downward pressure to maintain the pad flat to the surface. You don't want to overdue the pressure as this will increase heat.



Speed of machine: I'm not sure if Meguiar's has an official recommendation specific to this tool but with the Meguiar's G110v2 they recommend 4800 OPM. That's a tool that has a free spinning drive mechanism and this is a forced rotation tool so it's very much comparing apples to oranges. Big picture? It's easier to control the pad in the higher range for correction work than the lower range so try the 4 setting.


Speed of arm movement: Still going to be slow. If you move the polisher too fast over the paint it is basically skimming over the surface, not forcing abrasives to take bites out to remove defects.

Number of passes: Variable that does not have a pat answer. Thinks like top coat hardness, depth of defects, number of defects, type of defects etc.



Good questions Ed...

[Mike Phillips]

I know Meguiars has a 6 inch pad kit for the flex. I would like to know what speeds as well to be used.

See my above answer to Ed. Keep in mind Meguiar's optimized their microfiber pads for the G110v2 or PC style of tools. (Free floating spindle assembly, that is not direct drive).

Also which Lake Country MF pads for the Flex? The thin D/A style or thick rotary style?

I personally find the thicker pads to buff easier over the surface with compounds and polishes with the Flex 3401. The cushion or give provided by the thicker foam seems to be the key.

[RTexasF]

Mike,

If there is no access to compressed air to "fluff" the MF pads often what is your preferred method? And how often? Take that Caddy hood, how many times did you have to renew the pad for 1/2 of the hood? With a foam pad you can get a feel for when it's time to put that pad down and get a fresh one. How about the MF pads.... will a single MF pad do an entire car the size of the Caddy?

Very good article and pictures, thank you. The results tell the whole story, just magnificent.

[Eandras]

Yes. Meguiar's stated that they did field testing with their Microfiber DA System with the Flex 3401





Pressure: The weight of the machine is around 6 pounds, so for doing correction work wit the cutting pad after taking in the weight of the machine into consideration, just a little more downward pressure to maintain the pad flat to the surface. You don't want to overdue the pressure as this will increase heat.



Speed of machine: I'm not sure if Meguiar's has an official recommendation specific to this tool but with the Meguiar's G110v2 they recommend 4800 OPM. That's a tool that has a free spinning drive mechanism and this is a forced rotation tool so it's very much comparing apples to oranges. Big picture? It's easier to control the pad in the higher range for correction work than the lower range so try the 4 setting.


Speed of arm movement: Still going to be slow. If you move the polisher too fast over the paint it is basically skimming over the surface, not forcing abrasives to take bites out to remove defects.

Number of passes: Variable that does not have a pat answer. Thinks like top coat hardness, depth of defects, number of defects, type of defects etc.



Good questions Ed...

Mike,

Thanks for the response. I am going to try the McGuiars DA Microfiber system on a friends car in a few weeks. I don't detail for a living ( I buy parts for a defense contractor that are on the nuclear reactors on Navy Ships and Submarines) so I'm always looking for improvements in the way I detail cars. If I do a test spot like I normally do by taking a 16" x 16" square and do my 1" per second and only put pressure to keep the pads flat I should be good. I also mark the 4 sides of the box with one inch tick marks on the tape so I can maintain mynsped. Once I get the technique for the correction. I just move the flex to the other side of tne line. This will help me create muscle memory so I keep the 1" per second movement.


I will try to make a video of the DA system with a flex 3401.

Ed

Keep on