Are Maguiars M0916 #9 Swirl Remover and Meguiars M205 Ultra Finishing Polish the same thing? If not, how are they different? The price difference between the two is significant.

 

You can follow up your washes with some quick detailer or a spray on wax to add some protection. If you're taking the car through car washes, you'll want to bring your own shampoo as the ones they provide may strip off protection due to the harsh cleaners used. I'd recommend Optimum Car Wax for a good maintenance spray on wax.

I'm not too familiar with the #9 Swirl Remover but I am pretty positive they are not the same thing. The M205 is in the professional detailers series, a different animal from the consumer products offered in most stores. We offer an 8 oz version of the M205 for $9.49. You typically only use about 2 ounces each time you polish. My guess is #9 Swirl Remover is more similar to SwirlX or ScratchX, which is quite different than M205.

 

I've never used an orbital before but I'm going to have my friend help me use his. I have a black car with tons of swirls - it's 20 yrs old and needs some care.. What would you recommend I use to take them out? I'm thinking Meguiars M105 followed by M205 (or would you recommend others?) followed by NXT 2.0 wax (I already have the wax).

Thanks

 

Yea the M105 / M205 combo is a great place to start for first time buffer users. The biggest complaint people have is that the M105 dries up quickly, but keeping that in mind, you may want to work in smaller areas than you would normally (1'x1' or less). M205 is a lot easier to work with but the M105 is what does most of the grunt work removing deeper imperfections.

I'd recommend reading over these couple of articles:
Polishing with M105/M205
What pad to use with M105/M205
Surbuf Pad Review (works best w/ M105)

Also, I'd suggest going with 5.5" pads or smaller for optimal results, control and maneuverability.

Let me know if there's anything else I can help with.

 

[QUOTE=Detailed Image;5337912]You can follow up your washes with some quick detailer or a spray on wax to add some protection. If you're taking the car through car washes, you'll want to bring your own shampoo as the ones they provide may strip off protection due to the harsh cleaners used. I'd recommend Optimum Car Wax for a good maintenance spray on wax.

Can you clarify what you mean by bringing your own shampoo at a car wash? Do you mean a car wash that people clean their own cars or the ones that you drive through a machine?

Also, I just cleaned and waxed my wife's car this past weekend. It's just a Civic, but it took my over 3 hours to clay. It has been parked outside for 4 years and apparently was in pretty bad shape. Putting on the wax was easy and fast but I couldn't believe how long the clay took.

 

I was referring to the DIY bay's where you can pay a few bucks and get to use the hose, etc. Sometimes you can put in extra and they provide suds / shampoo. You don't really have any options in any other car wash that I know of.

It really depends on how thorough of a job you do and how contaminated the paint is. If the paint is how you described and you were meticulous with your work, it doesn't surprise me that it took 3 hours to clay. The thing is if you properly upkeep the vehicle and clay once or twice a year, next time around I'd estimate it takes an hour tops unless there's a ton of sap, tar, rail dust or other stubborn contamination on it. The more neglected a car is, the longer it takes to repair it and bring it back to life.

 

Thanks for the info. I keep the other cars pretty clean and have ignored this one all this time. Since I live in fog, cars parked outside tend to get real messed up so I spend more time on my infiniti than the honda. I think I could have spent another hour claying the car to get it perfect, but I'll try to do it within a year.

 

I recently bought some P21S polishing soap to clean my exhaust and am wondering if it would be okay to use on my volk wheels. I have heard that using a cleaner can cause stripping of the clear coat on them.

 

Once you start with that freshly clayed base it's much easier to keep it that way with a little bit of upkeep. Next time around should be significantly easier for you.

I wouldn't use it on the Volk's, simply use some automotive shampoo and water. If the wheels are very contaminated and you need a cleaner beyond the shampoo and water, you want to use a safe wheel cleaner to lift the brake dust and contamination off. I'd suggest the P21S Gel Wheel Cleaner, then after cleaning and removing everything, follow up with some Poorboy's World Wheel Sealant and simply maintain with soap and water. The problem with the Metal Polishing Soap is that it can easily create marring on the finish if you try to use it on a non clean surface and if the applicator pad has any contamination on it what-so-ever it will scratch the finish. Get a sheepskin wash mitt dedicated for just your wheels and try to keep up with it regularly so that everything comes off w/ just soap and water.

Hope that helps.

 

Should I use 303 on leather as well even after I already use a cleaner and conditioner on it? Or should I just leave it as is?

Also before I was using Turtle Wax F21 protectant for the vinyl. The biggest they sell are those 32 oz bottles I think and the pricing is only a bit lower than 303, but I'm wondering if you would know how to compare the two? The turtle wax protectant leaves a nicer shine.

 

303 is one of the strongest UV protectants available and has been proven so for years. If you are looking for shine, then 303 (and most quality products) are not for you. Almost every dressing we offer is a matte finish, very rarely a shine is involved. Shine means it can cause reflections, attract dust and dirt easier...

If you want to UV protect your leather, then you'd want to use 303 after cleaning and conditioning it, assuming the products you are using do not offer UV protection.

 

Ahh alright I see. And yeah I don't think the products that I'm using do provide UV protection. I'll make sure to apply 303 on my leather asap. Thanks!

 

Which pad do you guys recommend after using an orange pad w/M105? I am planning on using M205 polish.

Also what would you recommend as a final coating? Right now I use P21S Carnuba Wax but I have thought about buying a sealant. Should I wax then use a sealant or just a sealant?

 

Sounds good, I'd recommend applying it to a damp towel, then misting some 303 on it, then going over the leather and follow up with a dry towel to remove any traces of dampness. This will give you the most matte finish so you don't get anything on your clothes, etc.

If using the M205 next, I'd suggest either a White polishing pad or the Tangerine HydroTech pad. The tangerine pad would probably yield a slightly better finish, but isn't quite as durable as the white pad. Another option if you don't really have much marring to correct after the M105 is using a black pad, this would provide a deeper finish due to it being softer than the other pads, but won't correct as much. Here's a good read on pad selection with M105/M205. On soft paint, I'd probably opt for the tangerine pad (more versatile) or the black finishing pad.

Coming into the winter months, if you don't plan on reapplying the P21S every 4 - 6 weeks, then I'd highly recommend going with a sealant. I'd suggest Blackfire Wet Diamond if you're looking for one to try. Extremely easy to apply and remove, great durability, strong protection and a deep and wet finish.

If anything, you'd top the sealant with a coat of wax, you never want to apply a sealant over a wax. Reason being, the sealant wouldn't bond to the paint and you'd only get the durability of the wax underneath, which defeats the purpose of using the sealant altogether.

Hope this helps!

 

Depends on the color of your car or what ever you might prefer. Sealants last longer, but have a different type of look. Also if I remember correctly you aren't supposed to put a sealant on top of a wax. You can put a sealant on then wait a couple hours or so then put a wax on, but never the opposite way around. Don't think that helps the car in any way, but if you like the look of the wax better than the sealant.. then you can get the best of both worlds by applying a wax on top of a sealant.