Menzerna 85RD as a Paint Cleaner?

[roman2e]

Depending on the finish, 85RD will work great as a "paint cleaner" in the sence that it can remove a very respectable amount of defects/swirls/micromarring at the same time creating an incredible amount of gloss. It's my go-to polish on soft paints like Porsche, Bentley & Rolls Royce, Toyota/Lexus & Rovers. I just tried using 85RD on a black Nissan GTR and it worked really well.




I think "NO cutting power" is a gross understatement. Next chance you get try it again and you might be really surprised. I believe on some paints, it would have no problem removing 2000 grit defects.



Make sure you do atleast 1-2 good alcohol wipe downs before applying Zaino. I've personally witnessed bonding problems with the oils that Menzerna leaves behind on the finish. I always do a Dawn wash and a couple wipedowns myself just to be on the safe side no matter what polish I use prior to sealing the paint.

NOTE: When you compare the WG FG 3.0 with the 85RD you can notice that the 85RD fills more “oily”.

Thanks! For the tip, because I did not know about the wipe down with alcohol after the polish, especially if I used a Paint Sealant like WG DGPS. Thanks, again for your reply it has been very helpful.

[David Fermani]

I'm curious.......you said you've witnessed bonding problems with the oils that Menzerna leaves behind.........how do you know when you have a bonding problem? What does that look like?

Zaino beads water like bee-bees bouncing off plexiglass. You can definately tell when the product has shedded off the surface. I've witnessed failure on both my wife's vehicle and a customer's. The water beaded normal after the 1st or 2nd wash and immediately took a huge nose dive there after. Both vehicles were polished with Menzerna and neither of the surfaces were cleaned of oil. If you talk to Sal Zaino he will specifically tell you that it's very important for his product to be applied to clean paint. I now know why. Countless others on various forums have witnessed similar problems. I've also been told by numerous sources that many polymer sealants should be applied to clean surfaces. Some polishes have ingredients that can interfere with the bonding process of certain sealants. I can elaborate if needed....

[jbnery6465]

Zaino beads water like bee-bees bouncing off plexiglass. You can definately tell when the product has shedded off the surface. I've witnessed failure on both my wife's vehicle and a customer's. The water beaded normal after the 1st or 2nd wash and immediately took a huge nose dive there after. Both vehicles were polished with Menzerna and neither of the surfaces were cleaned of oil. If you talk to Sal Zaino he will specifically tell you that it's very important for his product to be applied to clean paint. I now know why. Countless others on various forums have witnessed similar problems. I've also been told by numerous sources that many polymer sealants should be applied to clean surfaces. Some polishes have ingredients that can interfere with the bonding process of certain sealants. I can elaborate if needed....

Does Meg 205 have the same 'oily' finish as 85RD? I'm pretty sure a good wash and IPA wipedown should clean the paint after the final polish. Do you know if there is a performance/durability difference in the sealant (Z2 Pro) when its applied to paint wiped down with IPA vs paint prepped with ZAIO?

[mcpp66]

Zaino beads water like bee-bees bouncing off plexiglass. You can definately tell when the product has shedded off the surface. I've witnessed failure on both my wife's vehicle and a customer's. The water beaded normal after the 1st or 2nd wash and immediately took a huge nose dive there after. Both vehicles were polished with Menzerna and neither of the surfaces were cleaned of oil. If you talk to Sal Zaino he will specifically tell you that it's very important for his product to be applied to clean paint. I now know why. Countless others on various forums have witnessed similar problems. I've also been told by numerous sources that many polymer sealants should be applied to clean surfaces. Some polishes have ingredients that can interfere with the bonding process of certain sealants. I can elaborate if needed....

Basically, after polishing do an IPA wipe down on all polished areas (which should be done anyhow to visually inspect the results), then wash the car. The IPA wipe down will remove all of the oils of the polish and then the wash will remove any leftover polish residue leaving the paint surface clean so a sealant can be applied and left to bond properly to the surface.

[David Fermani]

Does Meg 205 have the same 'oily' finish as 85RD? I'm pretty sure a good wash and IPA wipedown should clean the paint after the final polish. Do you know if there is a performance/durability difference in the sealant (Z2 Pro) when its applied to paint wiped down with IPA vs paint prepped with ZAIO?

M205 oil is much thinner and easier to remove. I can't comment on ZAIO because I don't use it, but I'm sure either option will clear the finish well enought to promote proper bonding ofZ2.

mcpp66: Perfect revision!

[CEE DOG]

I use Ultima. In my case I am thinking after my wash, clay, polish, ipa for inspection, and jewel w PO85RD.... Instead of washing or another ipa I can just use the Ultima Paint Prep Plus before the sealant. This will clean the paint and prime for the sealant. Thoughts?

[porta]

I use Ultima. In my case I am thinking after my wash, clay, polish, ipa for inspection, and jewel w PO85RD.... Instead of washing or another ipa I can just use the Ultima Paint Prep Plus before the sealant. This will clean the paint and prime for the sealant. Thoughts?

The paint cleaner will handle the "polishing oils". But I always wash the car with a heavy alkalie and give it a proper IPA wipe down.

[housefull]

You got it!

If I'm using Meg 105(orange pad)/205(white pad) for paint correction, would using 205 with a gray pad yield the same results as jeweling with the 85RD? I just don't want to have too many products but need enough to do the paint correction.

[Matt S.]

No, it generally won't achieve the same results. However, many paints will behave quite differently. On some harder paints, you may not notice a difference between 205 and 85RD, while on softer paints, 205 can leave a light haze.