THSCC Forums

What would you recommend for a polish between the M105 and SF4500?

Once again, thanks for your feedback!

This one is a favorite of mine:

http://www.detailersdomain.com/Menzerna ... p_218.html

Very versatile. You can use it with different pads to achieve differing amounts of cut. I like Malco UFC better, but both are very effective, and I'm not sure where you can get the Malco stuff online. The menzerna stuff might be better with a DA anyway.

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Karl S.
2014 Baby, 2014 House, 2013 Ford Focus ST, 2013 BMW 328i, 1994 Mercedes E320
(Insert passive aggressive signature line here)

For applying sealant/wax, should I use a jeweling pad as well?

So far the shopping list is:
Meguiar's M105
Menzerna SF2500
Menzerna SF4500
Menzerna Power Lock
Uber 6.5" 5 pack: 2 Yellow, 1 Green, 1 Blue, 1 Black
Lake Country Gold pad(s)
Pad brush (using a denture brush)
Chemical Guy's Microfiber

Thanks for the help!

I think that with the Uber blue, you probably don't need to bother with the Lake Country gold. They perform the same function. The Uber blue is an outstanding jeweling pad.

I know a lot of people like to apply LSP by machine, but I don't bother. It's always felt like I'm dragging the polisher around with me to do something I can do nearly as quickly by hand. The other thing is, there are small areas that you just can't access with a polisher. The back side of a mirror housing, or parts of a bumper, those sorts of areas. So you're gonna be doing some of it by hand anyway.

These things are my favorite for applying LSP:

http://www.detailersdomain.com/Uber-Yel ... p_209.html

But I buy them at Majestic in Raleigh. Bought 6 at a time, they're cheap enough that you can throw them away when you're finished, or if you drop one on the ground.

For an even more cost effective option, assuming you wash your car with foam sponges, as the sponges deteriorate, you can cut them up into pieces and use the pieces as applicators. After all, if they're soft enough for you to wash with, they're soft enough to wax with. I also cut up old ones and use them to apply tire dressing, or "demote" them for use in my wheel washing bucket.

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Karl S.
2014 Baby, 2014 House, 2013 Ford Focus ST, 2013 BMW 328i, 1994 Mercedes E320
(Insert passive aggressive signature line here)

Just an FYI that Majestic (Raleigh) is also selling Menzerna products in store.

Alright, so revising my shopping cart a bit and to make sure that I'm not trying the impossible...

M105: Use an Uber Yellow
SF2500: Use an Uber Green
SF4500: Use an Uber Blue

And then apply sealant/wax by hand.

Thanks for the heads up on Majestic, Karl and Scott. I need to see how the math comes out because I can get 10% off in the store, but pay 7% tax, or see how much Detailer's Domain charges for shipping.

That's a good catch by Scott, I'd forgotten that Majestic is stocking Menzerna stuff now.



DD has a flat rate shipping rate of something like $9 or so, and you get to free shipping when you cross $100. Those numbers are made up but it's something like that, I can't find it on their site.

DD also sponsors a large number of forums, and there's always a 10% coupon code. You can use "Facebook" among many others.

Phil Yiu is the guy who owns Detailer's Domain, and I really like him. He spent 20 minutes on the phone with me, many years ago, talking me through my first foray into using Menzerna polishes, since their naming conventions can be so hard to follow. And he still details for a living. So I feel like the stuff he's got on his website has been tested, and works well.

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Karl S.
2014 Baby, 2014 House, 2013 Ford Focus ST, 2013 BMW 328i, 1994 Mercedes E320
(Insert passive aggressive signature line here)

So now I understand why people say that trying to cut with a DA is a waste of time. Also, M105 was dusty as hell and Mazda was pretty selective as to what was single stage versus clearcoat.

The test subject was Dustin's old NB Miata, and because it's so late and it's a black car, I don't have any before/after. Definitely turned it into a 10 footer though, it was a 50 footer at 50mph before.

The paint on Hashim's car was pretty bad, but I think we hit the right amount of effort for how crap the paint is. It's a 2000 Mazda Miata with about the past 5-6 years of it's life being a track beater. Fun fact: if it's metal, it has a clearcoat, plastics are single stage!

Products used:
Meguiars M105
Menzerna PF2500
Menzerna PF4500 (only on the hood, we couldn't see shit because it was like 10pm)
Menzerna Power Lock sealant


Before:






After:

Nice work Andrew!

Looks like the DA worked plenty well to me. No, they're not as powerful as a rotary, but they're much more user friendly. FWIW, when I break out my old DA, I always run it at its highest speed, and I use a fair amount of pressure.

As to m105, I know that a lot of people mist the panel with water after the polish has dried up. Gives it a bit more working time, and might cut down on the dust too.

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Karl S.
2014 Baby, 2014 House, 2013 Ford Focus ST, 2013 BMW 328i, 1994 Mercedes E320
(Insert passive aggressive signature line here)

Finally got around to doing the 2 right before Snowpocolypse 2014... and then all of the roads were salted. First time taking it out of the garage since MLK Jr weekend in natural light. It's dusty, I need to clean the glass, and I need to clean the interior. I'm glad that I got the car done right before this week of nonstop rain that we're going to get.

Fresh coat of wax is great protection from road grime. Great job!

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Steve Carter
1972 Datsun 240Z-- resto pics at http://picasaweb.google.com/srcartermd
2007 GPW Honda S2000-- STR 86

I have a project of my own now, and since I don't have any go fast parts to put on it yet, I started cleaning it up. This car has single-stage black paint on it. It's ruining all my pads, but is pretty easy to fix. This is a 50/50 shot after one pass:


Scratches and correction by krshultz, on Flickr

Foamed wool, Menzerna FG400, rotary polisher at about 1500rpm. Lots of holograms to remove, but it's coming up nicely. I think this will end up being a very pretty car once I'm done with it.

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Karl S.
2014 Baby, 2014 House, 2013 Ford Focus ST, 2013 BMW 328i, 1994 Mercedes E320
(Insert passive aggressive signature line here)

It continues

excellent work!

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Rodney

'08 Bullitt mustang, CAM 7
Autox VP '09-'10, President '11-'12, interim President 2nd half of ‘14
proud recipient of the Bowie Grey service award '12
Now just a guy driving a mustang....