Meg's Deep Crystal question

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imported_Slik560

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Meg's Deep Crystal #1 question - good for refining polish?

I've been trying to get my SL ready for a national MB Club concours comming up on the 15th in Topeka, and I want to use something after I finish with Meg's #83 to "refine" the finish. I have a bottle of Deep Crystal #1(bought when it was still a 3-step product) and I was wondering if this would be an acceptable non-abrasive polish to use. My planned routine is as follows:

Using a Griot's orbital:
1. Megs #83 on a LC yellow pad (swirls are pretty bad, and this white single-stage MB paint is hard as a rock)
2. Deep Crystal #1 on a LC white pad
3. Meg's #7 glaze with a LC blue or red pad
4. NXT2.0 with a LC red or Black pad
5. I might top this with #26 - I can't decide.

I know I won't be able to find Meg's #80 locally, so I hope to use the Deep Crystal as an adequate substitute.

Any feedback (except the cruel, biting kind) is appreciated! :biggrin:


PS: The car has already been thoroughly cleaned & clayed. ;)
 
***Working from a distant memory. Which isn't a great thing ***

Isn't the Step 1 of the DC system the paint cleaner?

Have you used the #7 before? Prior to a show wouldn't be the time I would want to cut my teeth on that one. Further, I just don't know that combined with the NXT will deliver what you want. But I can't say as I've never tried that combo. In fact I'm still on NXT v.1.
 
The Step one Deep Crystal is indeed the paint cleaner. Pretty versitile stuff. I went ahead with my plan and used it after the #83 and used both a white and green pad. I just did not want to go straight from #83 to whatever LSP routine I choose.

I've used #7 before on this car, but by hand. It's tedious, but on this 22 yr old paint, the results were great. It brought out more depth. This time I might try the orbital to apply it, but you have to work such small areas to keep it from drying out, it may not make sense to do so. Last time, I topped it with NXT2.0. Terrific shine.

Right now all the polishing is done (took me several nights) and all of the previous glaze, sealant and wax has been removed. The choice I have to make is whether to bother with the #7 or just go straight to NXT 2.0.

BTW, thanks for responding.
 
M07 Show Car Glaze is a great product, really does put back missing oils in the paint.

Some folks use Meguiars M81 Hand Polish since it is more formulate for clearcoats and removal is easier.

I have tried both and I like M81 since its pretty easy to remove. But M07 has the most polishing oils out of all the pure polishes in Meguiars lineup.
 
I chickened out on applying the #7 by machine. I did the wax on/wax off thing: wipe on in one direction (no circles) then wipe off immediately. I worked very small areas at a time: about 2 sq. ft. The stuff works wonders for single stage paint like this, but if I was working with a clear coat, I would use a less labor-intense product. I topped the #7 with NXT2.0 after about 1/2 hour.

Even with a yellow cutting pad and #83, I only got about 60-70% correction. That old Benz white is hard as a rock. This may be as good as it gets.
 
It looks like the hard work is done so I apologize for not answering this post earlier.

Several years ago I remember reading on MOL that DC1 was a non abrasive cleaner that used chemicals to clean the paint. I believe this was ammended sometime later and it was revealed that DC1 did have very light abrasive powder that was designed to aid in the cleaning of the paint but it was not formulated for paint correction per say.

One of the benefits of using M83 is that it is a professional product that both cleans and polishes the paint hence the name: Dual Action Cleaner/Polish. This doesn't mean that applying DC1 after M83 will not improve the finish on some paints.

I would do a test spot of DC1 after polishing a section with M83 and compare it side by side with an area with just M83 to see if you can notice an improvement and to see of any improvement justifies the time spent. We are often our toughest judges and the best at determining what works best for us and our eyes.

M07 is one of my favorite products, and while a little more difficult to apply then some of Meguiar's other 'pure' polishes, the look is worth the effort IMO. I have never seen any improvement in looks when using it on a machine and think it is best enjoyed by hand.

Have you considered stepping up to the newer Meg's cleaner/polishes such as M105/M205 to help combat that rock hard paint and get you past the proverbiAl 60-70%?
 
Thanks for the feedback. Although it's somewhat hard to tell on a white car, the DC1 did seem to finish off the #83 just a little. I had concerns about the yellow pads that I was using. One of the LC yellows was definitely more coarse than the other. Same with the LC green pads I started to use for the DC1. Initially I thought that I was doing more harm than good. Not all pads are created equal, I guess. :out: I ended up using very soft pads for the DC1. It's a learning process. :banghead:

I had not tried the newer 105/205 products because everthing that I have read to date indicated that these are designed for clear-coated finishes. Although parts of this old dog have been repainted (a local detailing expert took his very cool paint gauge - with a wireless sensor unit, no less - all over the car and some areas had seen a little re-spray) the finish is still single stage #147 Arctic White. Pigmented with titanium oxide. Just slightly softer than diamonds on the Mohs scale of mineral hardness. :D

I have one wool pad and I'm still tempted to use it, as the #83 did not take out many of the deeper RIDS and other mysterious marks. However, a good application of #7 and two coats of NXT2.0 took care of that...at least for now. ;)

Thanks to all for all of the input.
 
I recently polished a single stage, original paint Ferrari using M105/M205 and found it to work amazingly well. I would wager on the hard paint of your Benz it would really be the ticket you are looking for. Both of these polishes feature highly refined and milled aluminum oxide abrasive grains.

As you noted not all pads are created equal. I have run into this when I used to order them from a different supplier. All of PAC's high gloss pads feature only the best Lake Country foams; we don't cut deals on discarded foams to keep costs down. Sorry you had to experience this first hand.
 
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