3M PI-III MG vs Meguiars #80
- Thread starter jmarkwood
- Start date
Accumulator
Well-known member
I use both products with a polishing pad, though some use the MG with a finishing pad for a final buff.
IMO they are very similar. I can't discern any real difference in abrasiveness, but if I had to I pick one over the other I'd say that the #80 is, initially, a bit more aggressive. Both break down to a ready-to-wax finish on most paints.
I prefer the MG for use by rotary as the #80 by rotary seems to break down a bit fast and gum up the pad a little. IMO the #80 is best by PC/Cylco/hand while the MG works with any machine or by hand.
I also prefer the MG for jobs where I'll be going over the panels numerous times with the same product. The MG just seems more suited to this whereas the #80 works great as a one-pass product. Perhaps the difference is in what they do/don't leave behind.
The #80 seems to leave more behind. Not so much fillers, but probably just the (very light) protection that's still new-paint-safe. The MG doesn't seem to leave much, if anything behind except its own residue.
The MG *will* occasionally leave a residue that's hard to buff off, usually when used over KSG or other LSPs that are still in good condition. Not a real problem if you use AIO for a cleanup, and it doesn't happen very often, but such things haven't happened for me at all with the #80 which always wipes off easily and cleanly.
Bottom line- I have both; If you only want one, you'll have to find which one works best for you.
IMO they are very similar. I can't discern any real difference in abrasiveness, but if I had to I pick one over the other I'd say that the #80 is, initially, a bit more aggressive. Both break down to a ready-to-wax finish on most paints.
I prefer the MG for use by rotary as the #80 by rotary seems to break down a bit fast and gum up the pad a little. IMO the #80 is best by PC/Cylco/hand while the MG works with any machine or by hand.
I also prefer the MG for jobs where I'll be going over the panels numerous times with the same product. The MG just seems more suited to this whereas the #80 works great as a one-pass product. Perhaps the difference is in what they do/don't leave behind.
The #80 seems to leave more behind. Not so much fillers, but probably just the (very light) protection that's still new-paint-safe. The MG doesn't seem to leave much, if anything behind except its own residue.
The MG *will* occasionally leave a residue that's hard to buff off, usually when used over KSG or other LSPs that are still in good condition. Not a real problem if you use AIO for a cleanup, and it doesn't happen very often, but such things haven't happened for me at all with the #80 which always wipes off easily and cleanly.
Bottom line- I have both; If you only want one, you'll have to find which one works best for you.
Bill D
Hooked For Life
Accumulator,
Which one, if any,do you think has the edge in polishing Audi paint?
Which one, if any,do you think has the edge in polishing Audi paint?
Accumulator
Well-known member
Bill D- I guess the MG because you can use it by rotary 
Neither one really has the cut for Audi clear. I used the #80 by Cyclo (green pads) on Accumulatorette's A8 and it did what you've so often experienced- it shined it up nice and rounded the marring a little, but it didn't really remove much of it at all. The MG wouldn't have either, of course. For what products of this aggressiveness do, it's a toss-up between the two, with maybe a *slight* edge going to the #80.
Neither one really has the cut for Audi clear. I used the #80 by Cyclo (green pads) on Accumulatorette's A8 and it did what you've so often experienced- it shined it up nice and rounded the marring a little, but it didn't really remove much of it at all. The MG wouldn't have either, of course. For what products of this aggressiveness do, it's a toss-up between the two, with maybe a *slight* edge going to the #80.