anyone else have a little trouble with the 105 205 combo?

[Accumulator]

I used the M105-M205 combo today on my '95 F-150. I see what everyone means about the 105 flashing so quickly! I was using a Flex 3401 with LC orange flat pads and I had very little working time; it did remove alot of swirls and minor scratches though. Pain in the a$$ to remove....

Only offering advice as the Flex 3401/LC flat orange is what I've done most of my M105 work with...



Assuming you're primed the pads properly/thoroughly, try working smaller areas. It's kinda funny how small I end up making my areas of operation, I mean, for a ~6" pad I'm sure not covering much ground, but I find the M105 mighty user-friendly so maybe that has something to do with it.



Also, a little spritz of #34 before buffing off the M105 residue has all sorts of benefits, including making it buff off even easier.

 

[Hey Moe!]

A few random thoughts of mine, and I hope they are timely. I've recently been fooling around with the "megs twins" and PO85RD, using my son's car, a friend's black Toyota Avalon, and my everyday Focus.



I wouldn't use #105 myself without a bottle of #34 nearby. With #34, I don't curse while polishing. Thank goodness the local NAPA store carries #34.



#205 is less fussy, and I do like it. My Focus had minimal marring, and #205 took care of that.



I did use an LC tangerine pad with the #205, and I liked it a bunch. Hmmm, I still own a Griot's orange pad. Might want to try it, too.



Just for giggles, I did part of the Focus with PO85RD after the #205. In most cases, you wouldn't need to do that, but if you really want to push the envelope, it helps, IMHO. I haven't taken a polisher to the 1-series since I got it, so I've got my eye on that project this week.



Gee, every time I think I have enough stuff, I end trying more stuff.



Hope this helps. I'm no genius, though I do own a well-used PC.

 

[Accumulator]

A few random thoughts of mine, and I hope they are timely. ..



I wouldn't use #105 myself without a bottle of #34 nearby. With #34, I don't curse while polishing...

Glad that works for you.

I did use an LC tangerine pad with the #205, and I liked it a bunch. Hmmm, I still own a Griot's orange pad. Might want to try it, too.

I'd *love* to hear how you think those two pads compare!

Just for giggles, I did part of the Focus with PO85RD after the #205. In most cases, you wouldn't need to do that, but if you really want to push the envelope, it helps, IMHO

.



Yeah...there's still a little to be gained after what the M205 leaves.

I haven't taken a polisher to the 1-series since I got it, so I've got my eye on that project this week.

Hope you're enjoying that Bimmer! You're officially retired now, right?

 

[Rob Tomlin]

Well, working via DA (Flex 3401 and PC/4"), the 106 I used on the M3 sure *did* make for better gloss than the M205. Enough so that I went back and redid the whole [expletive] car even though the soon-to-be-new owner probably wouldn't have noticed



I mean...I was pretty prejudiced against the 106 (whichever version my Flackfire stuff is ) after that 106FF filler issue on the Yukon, and I only reached for it when I got that bad gallon of M205 and needed to finish with *something* that'd work well on hard clear. I simply never expected to suddenly be confronted with irrefutable proof that hey, this (newer) Menzerna stuff really *is* something else. Heh heh, I wasn't just an impartial tester, I was negatively predisposed!

That's pretty high praise then for the Menz 106.

 

[Accumulator]

That's pretty high praise then for the Menz 106.

Yep, still surprises me that *I* am the guy posting that. I'd be *MUCH* happier if the Meg's M205 finished out fine enough on its own. I actually can't help but think "coulda/woulds/shoulda" when I look at the (finished via m205) Yukon!

 

[SuperBee364]

Yep, still surprises me that *I* am the guy posting that. I'd be *MUCH* happier if the Meg's M205 finished out fine enough on its own. I actually can't help but think "coulda/woulds/shoulda" when I look at the (finished via m205) Yukon!

Same here, Accumulator. It comes *so close*, but 205 just doesn't quite leave the jeweled look. Yeah, it's "good enough" for most clients, and it's just wonderful that a two step process like 105/205 produces the results that it does, but to really go for max looks, a third, dedicated jeweling step is still needed.



Overall, I'm still liking the M105 followed by UF combo better than 105/205. It usually takes two applications of UF to completely clean up after 105, but it's so fast and easy to use that you can just about do two applications of UF for every one application of 205, and UF finishes down *noticeably* better than 205 does.



The only real drawback to doing 105/UF is that you need to make sure that *all* defects are gone before you do the UF step(s). With 105/205, if you find something on your post 105 inspection, you can usually just make a mental note of it, and give it an extra bit of love with 205 to get it out. With the 105/UF combo, you gotta stick with the 105 until you have *all* the correction done. And, of course, you lose the convenience/ease of doing your final step with a DA, *but* (and this is a big but(t) ) UF with a rotary is probably *THE* easiest thing in the world to do.

 

[Rob Tomlin]

SuperBee, not to get too far off topic, but can you give me your opinion on the differences between Menz 106 and UF?



I am tempted to try UF, but I still have so much 106 left and I have been so happy with it that I don't know if I can justify it.:think:

 

[Hey Moe!]

Accumulator-Yes, I've been retired since June. I still have my summer tennis-pro job, and my college refereeing, but I have no problem finding time to work on the cars.



The 128 is a really fun car to drive. Enough power to be quick, and a nice-handling car. I go out of my way to drive the winding back roads around here. And, a great dealer experience, though I drove a few extra hours to get that.



I promise to get a digital camera soon and post, before it goes into storage 12/1 for three months.



Thanks for asking!



PS-Which model M3 are you selling? Hope it finds a proper home.

 

[Accumulator]

Accumulator-Yes, I've been retired since June...The 128 is a really fun car to drive....



PS-Which model M3 are you selling? Hope it finds a proper home.

Glad to hear retirement and the BMW are both agreeing with you :xyxthumbs



I'm selling a '97 sedan (automatic, probably one reason why I'm not in love with it), Byzanz/black. Somebody's gonna get a bargain as I spent a fortune getting it mechanically 110%; needs about ~$2K in cosmetics to be almost like new. A dealer pal of mine is gonna move it for me.

 

[SuperBee364]

SuperBee, not to get too far off topic, but can you give me your opinion on the differences between Menz 106 and UF?



I am tempted to try UF, but I still have so much 106 left and I have been so happy with it that I don't know if I can justify it.:think:

Heya Rob, sure...



IMO, 106 has a bit more cut than UF, and both finish down just about the same as far as gloss, with the nod going to the UF. The big differences are in ease of use and ability to finish down holo free on even the softest paints, both of which are UF's forte. UF is also much faster to use. If you really want to sit and jewel it, you can get a pretty darn sweet finish from 106 (even better than UF if you're working on a hard paint), but overall, I'll take UF over 106 any day. It works on *everything* you could throw at it, hard or soft. And did I mention it's really easy to use?

 

[Rob Tomlin]

Heya Rob, sure...



IMO, 106 has a bit more cut than UF, and both finish down just about the same as far as gloss, with the nod going to the UF. The big differences are in ease of use and ability to finish down holo free on even the softest paints, both of which are UF's forte. UF is also much faster to use. If you really want to sit and jewel it, you can get a pretty darn sweet finish from 106 (even better than UF if you're working on a hard paint), but overall, I'll take UF over 106 any day. It works on *everything* you could throw at it, hard or soft. And did I mention it's really easy to use?

Cool, thanks for the response. I will probably wait to try UF when my current supply of 106 runs empty.

 

[Leadfootluke]

Just did Cyan/105 Tangerine/205 tonight.



Very easy to use. About 55* in the garage. Primed the pads, 3 pea sized dots. Split the hood into eighths and went at it. Working the 105 until it was translucent stating with firm pressure and finishing with almost no pressure on the last passes. Same with the 205.



Very impressed with the results from the little work put into it. Hopefully those conditions continue to yield easy usage.

 

[SuperBee364]

Just did Cyan/105 Tangerine/205 tonight.



Very easy to use. About 55* in the garage. Primed the pads, 3 pea sized dots. Split the hood into eighths and went at it. Working the 105 until it was translucent stating with firm pressure and finishing with almost no pressure on the last passes. Same with the 205.



Very impressed with the results from the little work put into it. Hopefully those conditions continue to yield easy usage.

Even though you followed the directions to the letter, there are some different opinions on whether or not you should lighten the pressure on the last few passes. With a rotary, I do it just like you did. However, guys like gmblack3a have said that if you're using 205 with a DA, you should keep the same firm pressure all the way til you're done. I just did the wife's Sequoia using a PC, and did the firm pressure til done routine. It finished out quite nicely.

 

[dennn]

Heh heh, I've been slammed for suggesting that *UC and M105 on orange LC pads* don't finish out well enough to leave things ready-to-wax

I was literally harassed by a Meguiar's associate for saying such things as PlastX headlight repair kit not finishing to to the headlights full potential, which many people here agree.

And I gotta agree with you about the M205 "holos". A lot of what I was seeing as holos from 205 were, in fact, "substances" (not gonna use the "filling" word) left behind by 205. There were some holos, yes, but the 205 does leave behind a whitish residue that, when very little of it remains on the paint, can give you major holo effects.

I can attest to that. I was freaked out at first when my DA + #205 + Gray finishing pad was creating some faint holograms.



Notice that M205 is effectively called "Ultra Finishing Polish" ?



To my limited knowledge, Meguiar's uses the word "Polish" to refer to glazes or polishing oil. This explains M205's high oil content.

Even though you followed the directions to the letter, there are some different opinions on whether or not you should lighten the pressure on the last few passes. With a rotary, I do it just like you did. However, guys like gmblack3a have said that if you're using 205 with a DA, you should keep the same firm pressure all the way til you're done. I just did the wife's Sequoia using a PC, and did the firm pressure til done routine. It finished out quite nicely.

I usually lighten up the rotary in the last few passes along with lower machine speed at 900rpm. Honestly, the difference is hard to notice, even on a black car with medium-hardness paint. That seems to be a characteristic of the non-diminishing abrasives. I think continually working in M205 can be counterproductive. Because the abrasives do not diminish, the longer you work it in (even at lower speeds) you are diminishing the polishing oils while the abrasives remain the same size. That can undo all the corrections previously performed.

 

[Leadfootluke]

Good to know. I'll try that when I do my first panel. Just tested a small area last night.

 

[Accumulator]

.. guys like gmblack3a have said that if you're using 205 with a DA, you should keep the same firm pressure all the way til you're done. I just did the wife's Sequoia using a PC, and did the firm pressure til done routine. It finished out quite nicely.

Same here, pressure on all the passes.

I was freaked out at first when my DA + #205 + Gray finishing pad was creating some faint holograms.

Probably a perfect example of the oils leavng psuedo-holograms.

To my limited knowledge, Meguiar's uses the word "Polish" to refer to glazes or polishing oil...

Oh, just get me going on the "inventive" ways that Meguiar's uses various words

 

[Leadfootluke]

Thought I would bump this yet again [Very helpful thread]



Low humidity, 65* in the garage.



I did my hood today, no pictures [sorry!]. KBM of priming the 4" cyan pad on my 7424xp polisher with M105, followed by a quick spreading of the product on speed 3 on the area [tried to keep it small]. At speed 6, Firm Pressure on the first 4+ passes and then lighter pressure on the finishing passes. The product came off extremely easy. Followed with KBM primed 4" Tangerine with M205, spread on speed 3, and then speed 6 with firm pressure throughout the passes. Wiped down when finished [also easy]. When the hood was completed, wiped down with 50% IPA. Then wiped the hood with Klasse AIO before applying the LSP. I will have daylight to view the full results tomorrow.



Any advice or correction to my procedures before I continue on to the next panel?



Also, after wiping down and checking the results of the M105/cyan, can I continue to make effective passes with the M105 to further the results, or is there a point where M105 cannot cut any further [maybe the point that I don't want it to cut any further]?



Thanks!

 

[Accumulator]

Any advice or correction to my procedures before I continue on to the next panel?

While I'd be hesitant to change what seems to be working....



I wouldn't spread the M105. Not at all. It tends to flash off too quickly whenever I do that, limiting the effective working time.

Also, after wiping down and checking the results of the M105/cyan, can I continue to make effective passes with the M105 to further the results, or is there a point where M105 cannot cut any further [maybe the point that I don't want it to cut any further]?

It will always cut, but once the oils/etc. dry/flash things'll get problematic.



Even when you buff it off it will still cut! (Yeah, that's a warning )



So you can just keep re-M105ing an area until you cut all the way down to primer



But IMO the best way to do it is to stop and clean/reprime/reload the pad frequently.



Reactivating the dried-up M105 with distilled water or QD so it can keep cutting can lead to problems...so yeah, I'm mentioning it, but I'm also repeating my "don't try this at home, kids!" caveat.

 

[Leadfootluke]

Sounds good. I'll post up my results in a bit.



Thank you!

 

[Cholleman]

While I'd be hesitant to change what seems to be working....



I wouldn't spread the M105. Not at all. It tends to flash off too quickly whenever I do that, limiting the effective working time.







It will always cut, but once the oils/etc. dry/flash things'll get problematic.



Even when you buff it off it will still cut! (Yeah, that's a warning )



So you can just keep re-M105ing an area until you cut all the way down to primer



But IMO the best way to do it is to stop and clean/reprime/reload the pad frequently.



Reactivating the dried-up M105 with distilled water or QD so it can keep cutting can lead to problems...so yeah, I'm mentioning it, but I'm also repeating my "don't try this at home, kids!" caveat.

so when polishing with 105, does it become translucent and that's a good reference for wiping off the excess and checking work, or do you just stop after a certain number of passes?