Frustrated with DACP

Slickery said:
Uh, ok. I paid 20 bucks for 32 ounces at Autogeek, that's not "boutique"? I guess I should have spent $25 on a 128 ounces of bulk compound. I'd bet that cheap bulk stuff works betta than this stuff.





You do know that a gallon of #83 is only $31, right? Cheaper at some places too.

Though I do agree #83 is difficult to work with. Dumped it a LONG time ago in favor of other polishes.
 
Hey, Slickery, if you don't want it, I'd also be glad to pay for shipping and have you send it over to me. I'm in need of a good polish to use with my PC. If sixtymustang doesn't want it, I'll pay for the shipping.
 
I never had a problem with #83 with either the PC or the rotary. The key is using the poduct sparingly doing a small section at a time with the correct speed. Too much product, it will gum up.. to fast.. it dries to quickly.



In other words.. less is more.. more or less!
 
Wriggles + Sand = DACP

I used it very sparingly, much less than any other polish I used. I wonder if it was a bad batch, but since other respected people are saying it's a difficult product, than maybe DACP just isn't for me or them.
 
I've used DACP with a PC, and it really is a royal PITA until you get a hang of its learning curve. For me, on a single stage heavily oxidized red Toyota paint, it was by far the best product to use with an Excel Propel Orange Cutting Pad over other products like Megs Speed Glaze, Optimum Polish (old formula), Optimum Hyper Compound and even Poor Boys Sr2.5.



But I hate this product and hardly ever use it. It gums up real easy. Try to keep the pad clean and/or replace the pad often.



I found if I kept the PC at or below speed 5 it did not gum as much or as often.



This DACP can and will wear you down doing a car the first time you use, you are definitely not the first person to experience this problem.



I switched to the Optimum Polishes because they are much user friendly. However, the DACP is a good product when some other products will not get the job done (for whatever reason).



Don't quote me on this, but I believe the majority of Polishes and/or compounds from most commercial companies are made for rotaries and not PCs. Why you ask, because body shops almost exclusively use rotaries. The boutiques companies may go after the PC market. However, as many of you know and have found out, the polishes seem to be interchangeable for the finer polishes and are interchangeable for both the PC and rotary. IE Megs Speed Glaze, DACP and Optimum Polish and Hyper Compound. (But I think originally these polishes (?) where designed for rotaries).



There's really never a reason to bad mouth a company publicly (or their whole line of products) without first asking for help about how to use a product. Some of the very best detailers in So Cal use Megs products almost exclusively (Superior Shine) and get paid very well for their services. But bashing people for their difficulty in using a product is also not appropriate. I think the consensus from most people is that DACP is a difficult product to use, many detailers probably even give up on Megs. because of this one product, (I know this is when I tried Optimum Products), but this does not mean it is a bad product when it is used correctly by a trained technician (on the right car with PATIENCE) and experience.



I am trying to learn how to use a rotary, and hoping this will be a good product to use. But I fear, I will probably stick to the Optimum line because they will be easier to use for a beginner. It does not mean the Meg. products are bad. Just means I need to learn them if I want to use them bad enough.



Like many on here have already said, use the products that you like, (and don't use the ones you don't).



From this thread you can see, there are some fans of DACP and many who hate DACP. To be honest I am definitely neutral. It would definitely not be the first bottle I would pick to Polish a car (PC or rotary) but I would not be afraid to use it again.
 
I've only used DACP via PC but it is one of the easier polishes I have used. Less is more and work it until it breaks down and begins to clear. If it is taking a long time to clear out, use less. Once you get the hang of it, DACP is pretty easy to use but it does dust a little. I've seen Mike Phillips use it as well, both when I was out in Irving a few years ago and again when he was in Dallas. I didn't see how much he put on the pad though, so I can't give you an idea of how much to use per section via rotary.



I'd swap you some Optimum Compound or Hyper Compound but I have a nearly full gallon of DACP already.
 
DACP with the PC has always worked very well for me. But I tried it on the rotary and, for me at least, it was not easy to work with. It gummed up and was very difficult to remove. I still use it if I'm using the PC. But for rotary work I find the Optimum polishes much easier to work with.
 
I have used a lot of megs products off and on in the past 15 years including DACP, and I think they are just ok polishes. One can get good results, but they do not break down proper and does dust quite a bit and can bind up a pad fast if the finish is beat. The others have a quite of bit oils in them. It's bad enough fighting with some cars finishes, but to have to fight with a polish and then the finish is frustrating. They are not user friendly for a new person at all let alone a pro like myself. The day I switched to Presta polishes and compounds I then realized that megs were not anything special at all. Presta was easy to use, the gloss was thick and deep, and the finish was left bright and clear.



Megs always had a cloudy finish and I noticed the polish broke down and embeded itself into the paint. Very finicky on some paints. I know most wouldsay to follow up with #80 or a glaze to bring the gloss back, but to me that is not a true finish.
 
Meguiar's polishes was the first stuff I bought just because we all know of the Meguiar's brand. I also hated DACP because of how much it gummed up, but more importantly was how much it dusted.



After using other products, I'm starting to realize how many of the Meguiar's products I have are just okay, but nothing special. It's not like their products don't work. They do, they're just not great. I don't feel ripped off but it has helped me be a better consumer because next time I know I will be spending my money elsewhere. Unless there was awesome deal I couldn't pass up, I would never purchase DACP again.
 
I don't get why some of you say that Meg's polishes does not break down properly. For me they break down very well, and finish down nicely (I'm using a rotary). I have primarily used #80 and #84, so I can't really talk about #83, but I like #80 very much as a versatile polish. For a compund, even though I like OHC better than #84 for it's longer work time, I find that #84 breaks down much finer.
 
Zet said:
I don't get why some of you say that Meg's polishes does not break down properly-I have primarily used #80 and #84, so I can't really talk about #83,



With all do respect this thread isn't about #80 or #84, it's about DACP. At 9 people have hinted that the polish is a pain. A couple people like it, and that's cool for them, but it's good to see I'm not alone on this.
 
rydawg said:
I noticed the polish broke down and embeded itself into the paint. Very finicky on some paints.



Funny you mention that. I did the touchup paint, wetsand, polish with #83 and I had some white flakes that wouldn't come out



It's a good product. It will get the job done, but it does have a copule issues..ease of use (I've not had any real problems with it personally) and dusting.



Reminds me.. I have a still shrink wrapped bottle in the basement.. I should do a spring cleaning in the trading post
 
2 weeks ago, I washed clayed our white 2003 Buick Century, polished slowly with #83, followed with #7 and finished with Collinite 476. For a rank amateur such as myself, it turned out pretty good. The following week I parked in a an unbelievably tight garage space and scratched the drivers side rear door and wheel well surround on a column. I thought it was toast but yesterday I got out the PC and the #83. In 5 minutes the scratch and paint transfer were gone. It looked pristine and is one of the few times I have felt like a clear winner in the detailing wars. So....I like #83!
 
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