Hi-Temp Terminator II vs. S100

[CRXSi90]

Ok, this isn't really a review.



Friday, February 27 I tried out my Harbor Freight rotary with a LC 6.5" polishing pad and Hi-Temp Light Cut on my family's 1986 GMC Jimmy. It is red. Well, pink when oxidized, and orange when polished.



It was a so-so experience. I misted the pad with Black Magic QD and applied a bead of H-T L-C to the paint. Then I took it into the pad and started to buff. Fast forward a few minutes, and I found that after a few attempts and experiments, I was having trouble keeping product covering the paint. I think it might have been too cold.



Now I know why Mike Phillips refers to Meguiars' trade-secret rich polishing oils.



My solution was to spray the paint liberally with BM QD and get buffing. It kept the product liquid on the paint, and probably added some lubrication. After a few more passes and experiments, I finished up by lifting the buffer and letting it gently glide over the surface. This might have been a bad thing because there wasn't enough product and it might have induced some marring, aka buffer swirls.



I think my problem with H-T L-C is because of the temperature: somewhere between freezing and 40 degrees F, I'm guessing.



Also, I wasn't particularly impressed with the variable contact nature of the LC polishing pad. It seemed it was kinda hard to get product on other parts of the pad, and then to get them to contact the paint. It is possible and probable that the pads will grow on me the more I use them...I can see how the features would be useful.



Ok, you got through that. After all this buffing, I figured I'd put some protectant on it. I figured I'd like to try H-T Terminator II and S100. I applied Terminator II to the entire area I worked, twice. I was about to call it quits when I thought it'd be interesting to do some comparing. I applied S100 to an area that I had already applied Terminator II. I dunno if this is technically topping, but what the heck.



I wiped the S100 off with a MF and stood back to admire my work...Hey, I could see a line dividing S100 and Terminator II! To this point, I had convinced myself that all this difference in how products look was just a bunch of hoo-haw, or at least something that was too small for me to notice.



Here is the thing, though. When it got dark, I saw the reflection of the outdoor light on the house. The reflection wasn't as crisp as I though it would have been. I have a feeling that some oxidation might still be present. Therefore, any comments or conclusions drawn here are probably null and void. Still, I found it interesting.



Ok, so how was Terminator II? Well, it seemed pretty easy to use. The directions say to rub it in until it is barely visable. I guess I rubbed it until it was even and realitively thin. Before ordering, I called either Hi-Temp or TOL and asked about the product. They said it didn't have any cleaning capability and that another product should be used to prep the paint. Compared to S100, it did pick up more pigment. That is null and void because I was using an old cotton towel to apply Terminator II, and the black S100 applicator for S100. Would I have been able to see if S100 was cleaning? I'm thinking not to the extent that I did with Terminator II. The white towel could have been what was causing the paint to transfer also. I suspect the paint was still slightly oxidized, so anything probably would pick up paint.



Regardless, the product was easy to use, had a nice texture, and left a slick surface. Slicker than S100 after one day. I'll keep you updated on the durability if I don't go polishing that section of the hood again.



Oh, by the way, as the hoo-haw flying around here says, the carnuba was darker than the synthetic.



I'm starting to think it isn't hoo-haw after all.

 

[CRXSi90]

Yeah, I know, I know........

:showpics



32 bit color matters! You won't be able to see all the details unless you are in 32 bit or higher.

Look between the dots...the line is there so you can see which way the division is, but not to obstruct the view for these last two pictures.

The pictures speak for themselves, I think.

 

[CRXSi90]

I messed around a little more today. I washed the car like how I think a person would use QEW. I put some soap in a 1-gallon bucket, and filled with warm water. I used a wash mitt.



Did it work?

I guess the vehicle is clean [the parts I washed]. I didn’t see any new swirls. I didn’t notice any streaks. I felt pretty comfortable on this vehicle, but that might change entirely when I’m working on a vehicle that isn’t a beater.



After the wash, I observed the section where I had been comparing Hi-Temp Terminator and S100. I couldn’t visually see any difference between the S100 and Terminator as I had before. The paint felt smooth, but not slick. I guess it has been about 16 days since then. It’d be kinda disappointing if the protection isn’t still there. I guess I’ll wait until next time it rains to observe the beading. Also, any future results might not mean much, since I had rotary splatter pretty heavily on that area. I’ll get to that later. I couldn’t tell much about the water reaction because I wasn’t spraying water on.



See about the Hi-Temp Terminator VS. S100 test here: http://www.autopia.org/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=33570



That occupies the passenger’s side of the hood.



I’m buffing on the drivers side.



So it was above freezing when I started, but fell below by the time I got done. I think cool weather isn’t a really great condition for the products.



I started off by wet-sanding an area, just for kicks. I guess it was successful, I might have to practice a little more to get the technique right to keep it from making larger scratches. A few of those might have occurred.



Then I put my 6� B&S cutting pad on the rotary. I also took some Blue Magic polishing compound. It was a paste-type compound, so I rubbed a bit on the pad, and some on the paint, and then generously used Black Magic QD to act as the carrying agent and lubricant. I did this a few times. I started out at 1000 rpm, then 1400, and eventually ended up at 1800. What surprised me is that I thought I’d have better control at the lower speed. That may be true under some circumstances, but the higher speed seemed to make the pad just glide over the surface instead of stick. Now I know what people are talking about when they refer to a haze. The surface just looked hazy; not clear. I guess it might have not been quite so noticeable if I didn’t have a better surface to compare it to.



After this first compounding step, I wiped down the surface with a wet cloth. I figured that’d be better than wiping the compound with a dry cloth in this case. The same seems to be true for rotary sling.



Next, I exchanged the cutting pad for a polishing pad of the same make and style. I used Hi-Temp Light-Cut for this. Last time, I had a little trouble with this product. I learned this time that the QD I was spraying in really wasn’t my friend. The product WAS drying up to fast, but that is because the QD was drying. I eliminated that component, and had much better luck. I think the polishing oils in Light-Cut don’t evaporate like water, which is a good thing.



After this buffing, the surface really looked much more reflective. I washed the whole hood with the damp cloth again; the half that I worked on, and the half that had a ton of rotary splatter on it.

 

[CRXSi90]

Now for waxing! Meguiar’s Gold Class vs. Zymol Cleaner Wax



I figured I’d try these two because they seem to be competitors. They also don’t seem to be favorites around Autopia, so I figured I’d attempt to discover why.



I first applied GC because it calls for drying time. The Zymol C/W says that it should be wiped off before it dries completely, so my plan was this:

1. Apply GC

2. Apply Zymol

3. Remove Zymol

4. Remove GC



I went around applying GC, and thought it was going well. I kept an eye on my applicator: cotton diaper material. It seemed to be doing some light cleaning, but I’ve never seen no cleaning on a single stage paint. Besides, I was working it into the paint pretty well, so even the cotton could have been polishing the paint some. It went onto the paint really well, it seemed to cover well and apply smoothly.



Next, I grabbed the Zymol. I put some on the paint and started spreading it. The first thing I noticed is that I wasn’t able to work this into the paint in the same manner as the GC. It seemed to dry up or something, almost before I got done spreading it. I finally got the hang of it. It seems like you have to just rub it onto the paint, and get on with it.



Great, so far GC seems to be ahead in the ease of use department. Things are about to change.



Here is something that I don’t necessarily look at as a bad thing, but just interesting. Actually, it is pretty inconclusive. I looked at both applicators after applying. The GC was much more red than the Zymol one. Huh? Zymol says it is a cleaner/wax. GC doesn’t claim MUCH cleaning power. Here is what I attribute my results to: I worked the GC into the paint more, and actually waxed more area. Also, I used it over part of my test-bed comparing S100 and Terminator. I realize now that I’ve achieved better results on the side I’m working on now, and the section I did probably still had some oxidation and such on it.





Here is where the waxes are in the picture: Drivers-side-most part: Zymol

Next section that extends to the middle of the hood: GC

Passengers side rear: GC over the S100 and Hi-Temp test from about 2 weeks ago

Passengers side front: "nothing" or S100/hi-temp section from above.

 

[CRXSi90]

Ok, back to product removal…



I used an old cotton towel.



Zymol was first to be removed. I have to say it really came off pretty well. It just wiped right off the paint. I was pretty impressed. I also noticed that the surface was really pretty slick. I’m sure there has been slicker, but I was impressed.



I turned the towel and started buffing the GC section. Ugh, it seems pretty hard to remove in comparison to Zymol. No problem, of course…I kept going. Another thing I noticed is that the GC wasn’t as slick as the Zymol. I suppose it is possible that I put the GC on too thick…I was reading something Mosca said….his opinion was that GC is hard to buff off if it is applied too thick.



So I turned the towel and went around for a final buff. There we have it.

 

[CRXSi90]

How does it look? I’d have to say the GC is darker. Conversely, Zymol seems brighter. I don’t really know how they compare to other waxes yet.



So, final tally says this:



Meguars Gold Class:

Easier application

More difficult removal

Less slick

Darkening effect



Zymol Cleaner Wax:

Semi difficult application until you get the hang of it

Very easy removal

More slick surface

Less darkening effect…possibly more true paint color

 

[CRXSi90]

.

 

[CRXSi90]

On the parts where I put GC where I had previously been testing S100 and Terminator, the paint was darkened dramatically! I can really see the line between the untreated area and the treated one!

 

[CRXSi90]

I think I have some more messing around to do in the future. I don’t think the paint is to it’s maximum potential yet. I have a feeling that the paint may not have been all that great from the factory. It just doesn’t even resemble being smooth. There is orange-peel galore, and there are these places that look like dust disrupted the paint film when it was being applied. I think more wet sanding may help this, and since I seem to have been able to remove most of the sanding [except for some deeper scratches which might have been induced by the sanding] by compounding.



Reflection shot...

 

[CRXSi90]

I’ll be putting this in my journal as well as in a thread. I don’t think very many people know about the journals. Maybe this will draw some attention to them.



Thanks for reading. I know it is really long-winded, but I hope there is some new information there, not just the same old, same old.



Comments are appreciated.



One last comparison shot...