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Menzerna S203 or PO106FA?

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Old 01-11-2009, 04:56 AM
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Menzerna S203 or PO106FA?

My family has different car color. White, blue and black. I do not want to do 2-step polish. I heard S203 is good, but it will give a bur finish. PO106FA sounds good for dark color car, but does it has enough cutting power on it's own?
 
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Old 01-11-2009, 08:33 AM
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Personally, if you're going for a 1 step polish, Menzerna PO203S is the better option IMO. The small amount of micro marring or slight haze that could be left behind from more aggressive polishes is easier to deal with than seeing swirls and other imperfections. Granted, you probably won't get a perfect finish out of 1 coat of any polish, but you're better off removing more imperfections than having a slightly glossier finish IMO. With the proper technique, you can finish down PO203S quite fine, just shy of PO106FF and remove more imperfections. Will you be applying the polish with a buffer? If so, consider a green or white lake country pad when using the 203S.

Hope this helps.

George
 
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Old 01-11-2009, 05:36 PM
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106FA has less cut than 203. I've use it a couple times on light colored cars. Works pretty good, if the imperfestions are light. I would still use a 2nd step on darker colors. like your black and blue cars.
 
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Old 01-11-2009, 09:24 PM
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Originally Posted by loudog2
106FA has less cut than 203. I've use it a couple times on light colored cars. Works pretty good, if the imperfestions are light. I would still use a 2nd step on darker colors. like your black and blue cars.
What would be the second step if I start with 106FA?

How bad is the marring/haze if i just use 203 + white pad for dark color car? I actually don't know what it looks like.

Detailed imagine, what's the black pad for? The package i order came with white and black pads
 

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Old 01-11-2009, 10:09 PM
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What products do you have right now? The gray pad is a finishing pad. Say you use the power finish 203 with a white pad. You could then use 106FA or 85RD with the gray pad to jewel the paint up after the 203. If you used a orange pad with the 203, then the 106FA with a gray pad, you would notice the difference.

Try the 203 with the green pad(in-between the white and gray). If that doesn't work try it with the white pad.
 
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Old 01-12-2009, 01:49 AM
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How bad is the marring/haze if i just use 203 + white pad for dark color car? I actually don't know what it looks like.
 
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Old 01-12-2009, 07:38 AM
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Originally Posted by kenempireex
How bad is the marring/haze if i just use 203 + white pad for dark color car? I actually don't know what it looks like.
The 203 does a good job as a one step. If you use the 106 after that, on a gray pad. You will be taking that paint to the next level. You can go to autopia.org or autogeekonline.net for other tips. Dark colors need more work. I'm just saying if your going to do it, do it right. All you need on the white car is the 203, unless the visible defects don't come out.
 
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Old 01-12-2009, 05:10 PM
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Originally Posted by kenempireex
What would be the second step if I start with 106FA?

How bad is the marring/haze if i just use 203 + white pad for dark color car? I actually don't know what it looks like.

Detailed imagine, what's the black pad for? The package i order came with white and black pads
Chances are if you work the PO203S the light marring you will have left behind won't be that noticeable with a white pad. It's when you start using the more aggressive pads for more cut where the micro-marring really shines through. It looks like micro-swirls on the paint, but from a few feet back you wouldn't notice it at all, especially after you protect it with some sealant or glaze. You'd probably need the proper lighting (which you'll want to have to get the most out of polishing) to even see the micro-marring. You're certainly going to yield way more gloss and depth out of the paint from a polished surface with micro-marring compared to an unpolished surface with swirls.

Black pad would be used for applying a finishing polish finer than PO203S or applying a glaze or sealant. Blue pads are pretty much in the same boat as far as what they are used for, but I always will apply a sealant with a blue pad.

loudog2 - the green pads from Lake Country we sell are between a white pad and an orange pad, so more cutting than white.

George
 
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Old 01-12-2009, 05:29 PM
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I've used 203 on a couple cars and could not see any marring at all. All cars are different though. I would bet you have no probs using it as a one step. I love it for that reason.
 
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Old 01-12-2009, 08:10 PM
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If your goal is true correction, do an isopropyl alcohol wipedown to ensure the level of correction are to your standards. If you still see defects after the wipedown, do another pass.
 
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Old 01-12-2009, 09:00 PM
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Originally Posted by Detailed Image
loudog2 - the green pads from Lake Country we sell are between a white pad and an orange pad, so more cutting than white.

George
I tried the green LC pads from Autogeek. They are between the gray and the white. I know there are 2 different versions of the LC green pad. I should've specified.
 
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Old 01-13-2009, 07:59 AM
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Originally Posted by loudog2
I tried the green LC pads from Autogeek. They are between the gray and the white. I know there are 2 different versions of the LC green pad. I should've specified.
Good point, I forgot about those. I just didn't want to confuse the OP if he ordered some green pads from us.

Cheers,

George
 
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Old 01-13-2009, 10:56 AM
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Great info. I am going to place my order tonight. After polishing, can we use water to raise the dust off? Or do we need soap? Alcohol?

And is sealant necessary? I will put wax for sure.
 
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Old 01-13-2009, 01:57 PM
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After polishing I always wash the car to get the dust off. Espeacially in the stuff stuck inbetween the door , trunk and hood. A sealant is not necessary, but it is an added protection. Most sealants last longer than waxes. A lot of people like the look of a sealant over carnubas. It's all a matter of opinoin. I use sealants under my wax in the winter for added protection up here in chicago. In California you can get away with a nice carnuba.
 
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