Review: XMT 360... finally!

[WestEnd]

OK, My pic fiasco is over and the review is in.

My poor convertible, removable hard top hasn't been on the car practically since I got it but did endure a few car washes and has suffered some garage rash. This was all prior to my detailing obsession. Now despite living on a rack, in the corner and under cover, it’s been subjected to some abuse. It has been rubbed against and received many shoddy dirty towel washes over time. If I cleaned something in the garage and the top looked dirty, it got a wipe with that dirty towel?! I did prove however, that a bad wash technique produces a horrible looking finish. The top does have a new life this last year, it has made for a good test panel for the car.

So off we go, I stood it up against the wall and subjected it to XMT 360.

The products I used were:

-Ultima Waterless Wash Plus+, Ultima waterless car wash, waterless auto wash, spray wash
-XMT 360 corrects, cleans, and seals auto paint! XMT 360 is more than a cleaner wax, its a swirl remover, polish, and paint sealant in one.
-Meguiars Dual Action Polisher G110, meguiars g110 polisher, meguiars polisher,
-Lake Country Hydro-Tech 5 1/2 x 7/8 Inch Foam Pads , hydrotech foam pads for water-based polishes, lake country foam pads, buffing pads
-Lake Country Hydro-Tech 4 x 1.25 Inch Foam Pads, Hydro Tech Foam Buffing Pads, spot polishing pads, pads for water based polishes
-Cobra Deluxe Jr. 600 Microfiber Towel, 16 x 16 inches



I found Mike's article KISS Detail - Extreme Makeover - Toyota Highlander interesting and is what prompted me to buy the product in the beginning.

The top prep had a previous claying and was still in good shape as far as surface contaminants were concerned. It was washed down with UWW+ to remove any dust that had made its way under the cover. UWW+ is so silky feeling, I really like that product.

Let me point out that some of the pics below have M105 dust in them. I didn’t notice it until I got the pics on my computer. I was experimenting with those products on the other half. The top doesn’t have any rock chips or other chipped paint. So I apologize for the white specks.

I also wanted to see how regular masking tape would do. I must say don't, it is a mess and exactly what I expected. Although actual car tape was on the shelf, I was curious since I have never used it for this application. Below I will show some of the mess it left behind.

As far as the XMT 360 itself, the product goes on easily, no dusting with prolonged passes and didn’t seem to bog down the pad once it was at the end of the diminishing abrasives cycle. It also wipes off very easily and retains its great fruity type of smell. Another thing that I liked was how easy it was to work with the product consistency. It came out of the bottle like a nice lotion, not gummy thick like more abrasive polishes. It felt more like a thick sealant than a correcting polish.

A few before pics show the condition of the top. As you can see, it is an embarrassing mess. I’m not proud of how I let the car go in the earlier years but, without that I wouldn’t have found AG.










I didn’t expect these deeper scratches to come out because I could feel them with my nail. But, for what they were, you can see the results in comparison pics below. Oops, a little blurry but the only before I had for some reason. It always seems that I take a lot of pics and never have the one I want.




The pads were primed with XMT 360 and I went after the swirls. I started with the smaller thicker HT Tangerine 4 x 1.25 pad. I still prefer the 7/8” you can feel the machine on the surface better IMO.

With these smaller pads I ended up with pad marks that I didn't with larger pads or other products. So I don’t know if it is the thick pad or how XMT 360 reacts with the 4” HT’s cut. There aren’t thin 4” (that I know of) to compare. I know these are more for trim pieces but I wanted to see their performance on a flat surface. It could also be my technique with a small thick pad and an AIO. It seems I lose some control with this thicker pad, they seem too squishy. I also question with the increased cut of the smaller pad whether the work time of the 360 was reduced and my following section passes were not effective.

The AG store states that "Once the abrasives have broken down, XMT 360™ literally disappears as you polish. Not only does XMT 360™ combine three detailing steps, it eliminates buffing to save you even more time!" Once I changed pads to the 5 ½” the self induced marks came right out. But, I was also using fresh product too. I'm not sure which it was.


Here are the self-induced pad marks.






I was impressed with the XMT 360 for these deeper scratches. They were reduced with the 5 1/2" Cyan pad in about four section passes. They are obviously 50/50, two sets of scratches, corrected on the left side. My section was above this deep set of scratches and you can see the swirls just under that were not yet worked. It was obviously not removed or perfect and was more reduced later using WTSR 3.0, but not entirely. However, with an AIO I was very surprised.

Oh, and here is the masking tape mess as well.



Different angle.




Time for a snack:




Back to the fun…

I was noticing more induced markings. I needed to go back over this area with another application of XMT to get them out. The first round left behind different color patterns depending on the pass. I wont put it past a bad technique and I can accept that but, I didn't notice this result with M105/M205 or WTSR/WFG. So it may also be my lack of experience with a diminishing polish and AIO product. It was definitely different to work with. The timing of a diminishing product was a different feel for me. After doing another step of XMT 360, I was able to easily remove these shadowing marks. I tried using more product on different sections but I didn’t find much difference. I thought maybe it was absorbing more moisture and reducing the performance of the product. But, I don’t think that would have been an issue with this finish. This was not oxidized older paint that needed as much nourishment.

My conclusion on this, since I don’t get that with the other products I have used, is the diminishing nature. I need more experience with this type of product. The timing and the number of section passes seems a little more critical.

To find this mark if you need a little help, look at the left side of my sweatshirt (looking at the pic). From the left wrist, right elbow forming the top, fat side of the arrow to what looks like it is pointing to the pants pocket on the left side of the pic.




A few more befores and afters with different lighting. As you can see here, with this type of finish damage XMT 360 does a pretty good job but doesn't eliminate problems or make a show car finish.

Before


After


Before Cyan



After Cyan



Tangerine pad after vs the Cyan above



Finished





XMT 360 afters from a distance with different light.






Just for comparison, this is after XMT 360 and after WTSR 3.0 and WFG. Didn't quite get the same lighting but it was a big difference.

XMT 360



Wolfgang



Washing out the XMT 360 from the pads is a chore. I would say that this product really requires dedicated pads. They are very difficult to clean; I wanted them cleaner than I could get them, they remained splotchy. I used XMT Polishing Pad Cleaner for a soak and hand wash with Pinnacle Microfiber Rejuvinator for a machine wash and this was the result.

Here is new versus XMT 360 pad cleaned.




This makes sense though due to the AIO nature of the XMT 360. LSPs are much harder to remove from pads and it behaved just like a sealant. Here is a thread discussing the issue and as Mike points out XMT 360 problems removing from pad, what isn't hard to clean out of a pad? hahaha


Conclusion

To me, the results on this paint were a little less than desirable as far as needing to go back over it with a second step. But, I was being particular for the review and this is a garage queen so I scrutinize it much more.

I think it might be a great one step once the surface was in a condition that just needed light correction as the store implies: "XMT 360™ does what no mere cleaner wax can do; it removes light swirls and imperfections to leave the paint looking flawless. Ultra fine abrasives - so fine they are not perceptible by sight or touch - gently blend away fine blemishes and visibly smooth the paint. Light spider webbing and water spots vanish."

I also used it on a silver DD and I think the results were fantastic. With it not being black and me not being as picky with the final results, I have no plans to use anything else on that car from now on. It removed many swirls and imperfections that I would call more than "light" and putting more concentrated multi step procedures into that particular car is not worthwhile to me. I also can't comment on the durability yet. But, the beading looked great on the DD.

I think XMT 360 does exactly what it claims to do and does it well. If you are looking for a show car finish, there is no replacement for multi step processes. But, this is a fantastic alternative being quick and easy with good results for your everyday driving vehicles. Even given the slight shadowing I found on the black top, I would not have been concerned if it were my DD. It gives a nice shine with protection; durability still unknown.

I encourage input on my first venture into an AIO. But, lets not get into a missive that will get Meghan worked up haha. I would particularly like to hear your comments on the pad marks and uneven finish. What do you think created those? I am going with a diminishing product but don’t discount my technique either or a combination of the two.

In the end I am glad I got it on BOGO, much more to have on hand, I will be using it often.

Now off to clean up the trim and that masking tape... Blech!

Thanks for reading!

[TornadoRed]

Great review. Well worth the wait.

My opinion is if you need a cyan pad, an AIO is not the right product. XMT 360 has less cut than M205. However it is good to know it will take out some of those scratches. Just expect another step with a tangerine pad to take care of the marring from the cyan pad.

[A4 1.8tqm]

Great review, thanks for taking the time!

It looks like most of the after/finished shots still have some marring. Try working the product a bit longer and easing up on the pressure for the last pass or two. I agree with TornadoRed that if the surface needs a cyan pad, an AIO is not the right product for the job. I usually use XMT 360 with white or black LC pads and work it until there is all but nothing left to wipe off.

[WestEnd]

Thanks guys.

I agree with both of you. I wouldn't normally think of this product with the condition that this top was is. But, for the review I thought it would be a good test. I think it will be a great product for the top now that it has been corrected to maintain the condition.

There was marring left from the cyan, after Tangerine, which I should have posted, it was much better. But that was a second step and I felt my review was based on a one step process. But, I should have stated that earlier.

I am sure I didn't work the product as long as you do A4, again, maybe my lack of AIO experience, that may have helped the cyan marring. My pressure was basically enough to hold the machine at that angle on the last pass or two.

Thanks again for the comments. I have fun learning about all of this from you guys.