*Review* Meguiar’s D151 Paint Reconditioning Cream

[2hotford]

*

*Note* I would like to thank Meghan and Autogeek for allowing me to post this review using pictures that have the MOL watermark. Originally posted April 2008.

Hey everyone,

Though I am a little late to the Meguiar's D151 Paint Reconditioning Cream party, I wanted to post a review of D151 after having tested it on several surfaces. Moreover, I wanted to thoroughly evaluate it so that I could make specific comments rather than speculate on its performance.

Meguiar’s D151 Paint Reconditioning Cream is a strong cleaner, polish and wax all-in-one type of product. My test sample has a very distinguished smell to it. I think it smells like cherries or perhaps almond paste. Either way it has a pleasant smell that is not powerful or overwhelming, which is a good thing as this will be a product that will be used often by many detailers and enthusiasts alike. The product uses a unique and an Advanced Unigrit Technology for fast and level cutting of the paint’s surface. It can be applied by Rotary, by Dual Action Polishers and by Hand. The level of aggressiveness places it somewhere between Meguiar’s M83 Dual Action Cleaner Polish and Meguiar’s Solo Cut and Polish Cream. In other words, it has the ability to remove fairly deep swirls and scratches, can be used by various application methods and provides protection! And, as you will see below, can be used on many surfaces for a truly “all-in-one” performance!

I had a detail to complete that I thought would be typical for the use of a product like this. The car was a 2004 Toyota Corolla which had very hard paint. Since being a daily driver, the car had moderate swirling and several deep scratches. Since I had only a small sample, I used the new D151 on the hood and on the trunk of the car only as well as on the headlights and side mirrors. I used both the Rotary and the G-110 Dual Action Polisher for swirl removal using W-8006 Polishing Pads and a Solo Light Cut Wool Pad (on the rotary only) for the deeper scratches. The rest of the car was completed using my normal detailing process: Rotary compounding and polishing; DA final finishing.

The first thing I noticed when using the D151 that it is fairly thick, with a similar consistency to Solo Cut and Polish Cream. In fact, when looking through the translucent bottle, I could see small air bubbles indicating that the product had a thicker consistency. I found that it had substantially more cut when using it with the Rotary polisher which is to be expected. The product finished down very nicely and had an average amount of working time. I finished the sections using the D151 with the G-110. I then did an isopropyl alcohol wipe down just to see if anything remained. The swirls were completely removed. Any product that contains a wax with the intended purpose of leaving something on the finish for protection will have a very slight filling capability. BUT I wanted to see if the Unigrit Technology was actually removing the swirls, and indeed it was.

Before Picture...the whole car had the same amount of swirl all over




Detailing with D151 and the G-110 Dual Action Polisher









AFTER....











The reason I know that Corolla paint so well is that I have a little more experience from owning a silver Corolla Sport seen here in the background.




I also wanted to see where else on the car I could try the new D151. It is obvious that an all-in-one product will be used by detailers for handling other issues. But since it is rated more aggressive than M83, I was curious to see how fine it would finish down. Since the paint was so hard, finishing it down to an ultra fine level was easy; but what about on not so hard of surfaces? The car’s headlights, and black plastic mirrors were very swirled due again to the fact it is a daily driver. But since I felt many people who buy a product like D151 would probably want to use one product that could do many tasks, I gave it a try. I believe the results speak for themselves! The lights and the mirrors turned out awesome!

Headlights BEFORE



During....





Headlights AFTER!





Mirrors BEFORE and AFTER 50/50:




Meguiar’s D151 Paint Reconditioning Cream will definitely be a product that I will be using...a lot. I could especially see its value if you are doing an all-in-one detail where time is an issue, but where you also want perfection in the paint. When this product becomes available, I will order a few gallons of it as it has now been added to my ever growing list of excellent detailing products!

Tim

[mrGolfRider]

aww man, I thought I was going to learn something, I liked this post alot, many many months ago over at MOL...still a great write up though!!

[2hotford]

aww man, I thought I was going to learn something, I liked this post alot, many many months ago over at MOL...still a great write up though!!

LOLOL Yeah yeah.. Yep, that was April 2008!

I was asked if I could post it here as many people here do not visit MOL, and because it is such a good product, it would be shame if people here did not see anything about it.

Hopefully, I will be able to do other reviews of other products not seen on MOL.

Tim

[santov]

Thanks for the great review. I can't wait until Monday when my new Flex and gallon of D151 arrives! I'm planning on topping the D151 with a wax, although I can't decide which one.

Did you top with a wax? In the review you said you used 50/50 alcho to test see that the swirls were gone, how was the resistance of the rest of the hood and trunk?

[07ImpalaSS]

Nice...

[2hotford]

Thanks for the great review. I can't wait until Monday when my new Flex and gallon of D151 arrives! I'm planning on topping the D151 with a wax, although I can't decide which one.

Did you top with a wax? In the review you said you used 50/50 alcho to test see that the swirls were gone, how was the resistance of the rest of the hood and trunk?

If I remember correctly, I believe I followed it with M21. I did test it as a wax without topping it on another vehicle and while it lasted a decent amount of time, I prefer to top it with M21 or M20 for longer lasting protection.

I am not sure what you mean by resistance? If you mean did the swirls return where I did not use an alcohol wipe down, then no, they too were gone.

HOWEVER, you should do a wipe down with alcohol or glass cleaner as while mine were gone, I did have a few show up on another vehicle after using D151 that required a lighter compound to remove. So I would suggest to always check an area with alcohol and if everything is flawless, then make sure you replicate that procedure for the entire car.

Tim

[nissanz350]

Nice job, cleaning it up!

[Hisside]

Since I am new to this forum, this write-up is new info for me. This info is super helpful since I have been look for a mutli prupose product.
Question...M20 and M21, what are they? Brand? I figure it is wax just not familiar with it. Thanks!!
Great info!

[akimel]

Question...M20 and M21, what are they? Brand? I figure it is wax just not familiar with it.

M20 and M21 are both made by Meguiar's.

M20 Polymer Sealant is a mild cleaner wax composed of synthetic and natural ingredients. Some consider M20 to be the most durable of Meguiar's waxes/sealants (excluding M16). It leaves a clear and glossy finish. It can either be used by itself or can be topped with a wax/sealant of one's choice.

M21 Synthetic Sealant 2.0 is a 100% synthetic sealant that includes Meguiar's hydrophobic polymer technology. It is very similar to NXT 2.0. Most people would say, I believe, that the look bestowed by M21 is virtually indistinguishable from the look bestowed by NXT; but others insist they can see a subtle difference.

I'm sure Tim can provide a better explanation between the two products.

[AeroCleanse]

M20 and M21 are both made by Meguiar's.

M20 Polymer Sealant is a mild cleaner wax composed of synthetic and natural ingredients. Some consider M20 to be the most durable of Meguiar's waxes/sealants (excluding M16). It leaves a clear and glossy finish. It can either be used by itself or can be topped with a wax/sealant of one's choice.

M21 Synthetic Sealant 2.0 is a 100% synthetic sealant that includes Meguiar's hydrophobic polymer technology. It is very similar to NXT 2.0. Most people would say, I believe, that the look bestowed by M21 is virtually indistinguishable from the look bestowed by NXT; but others insist they can see a subtle difference.

I'm sure Tim can provide a better explanation between the two products.

M20 doesn't seem to get as much "press" as M21 does. I have NXT Tech Wax 2.0 and its ok. I might look at M20 for a sealant next time.