Megs Ultimate Compound - Perfect Finish?

R

RickyMartinZ28

New member
This weekend we worked on a car with a Porter Cable 7424 with an LC Orange Pad with Meguiars Ultimate Compound... When finished with that combo there are no visible scratches, swirls, nothing...



It is possible to get a perfect finish with that combo? Or are we not seeing the rest? Seems like such an aggressive combo would leave some swirls...



I even followed up with a finishing polish and a LSP and nothing improved it...



Possible?
 
Well, since UC is the consumer version of M105, which many members say finishes down virtually LSP ready, I don't see why the UC, which is supposed to be a bit milder, wouldn't do so also.



Maybe I'm not as dicriminating as a lot of members, but depending on the car, the color, and the expectations, I have gotten good results with fairly aggressive pads and polishes without stepping down to finer pads/polishes.
 
It really depends on the paint. GM clear can sometimes be pretty hard and may require M205 to clear up any micro-marring. However, M105 does finish down nicely.
 
I haven't used Meguiar's Ultimate Compound, but I have used a fair amount of M105.



M105 looks like it finishes out nicely...until you get the lighting right (e.g., 3M SunGun in an otherwise dark room). Then you see all sorts of micromarring. Yeah...even on very hard clear. It's a *compound* and since it doesn't break down it can only finish out so well.



Different from something like 1Z Pasta Intensiv, which can leave a quite nice finish if you work it beyond the point where the abrasives break down.
 
Accumulator said:
M105 looks like it finishes out nicely...until you get the lighting right (e.g., 3M SunGun in an otherwise dark room). Then you see all sorts of micromarring. Yeah...even on very hard clear. It's a *compound* and since it doesn't break down it can only finish out so well.



Different from something like 1Z Pasta Intensiv, which can leave a quite nice finish if you work it beyond the point where the abrasives break down.
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Good info!
 
UC is a great product but should be followed up with an IPA wipedown because it has some type of waxy and oily base. Then follow with a good finishing polish for best results.
 
I used Meg's UC on a truck last week and got very, very good results. Also did not see much if any micromarring or hazing and went straight to an AIO (after IPA wipedown). Wrote a positive review in the "product reviews" section.
 
I just used 105 and UC today and there is no way I can say they are similar.

Was used on a heavily oxidized black Chevy S10. The UC didn't cut down the oxidation as good as the 105 did.



To the OP...I think because the Camaro was already in good condition you are seeing much better results than I did. Plus it being white, it may hide any marring that could be there.
 
I used it recently with an orange pad on my silver Audi and thought it finished off very nicely. I still went over it again with a black pad and 106FF to get the gloss up, but I didn't see any marring from it. This was using a Flex.
 
We may go back over it with something like SwirlX then...



Also, we actually got great results with just ColorX...Removed almost all the swirls with a finishing pad..... with some working ofcourse...
 
This talk about people *not* seeing micromarring has me thinking of a recent discussion I had with Mike Phillips where he was kinda :rolleyes: (in a friendly way) about how yours truly cares so much about how paint looks in unnaturally demanding lighting (i.e., my SunGun inspections).



If you don't see a problem, do you *have* a problem? And how hard should you go looking for a problem...look hard enough and you'll almost always find *something* you're not happy about ;)



swan said:
I just used 105 and UC today and there is no way I can say they are similar.
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How similar were they with regard to how they finished out?
 
Accumulator said:
How similar were they with regard to how they finished out?
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There was less marring with the UC but the paint was not as smooth as the 105 left it. I don't think the UC is a good choice for what I was working on but I wanted to try it as UC says on the bottle its for oxidation. Of course now I see people talking that some UC is thick. Mine is very watery and may be the reason why it didn't work well. I am hoping to find out whats what in the UC thread in the product discusion section.

I almost tried 3M rubbing compound but I was happy with the ease of 105.
 
I started with 3M compound and was getting a lot of hazing (i.e., making more work for myself), so I switched to the UC and finished in one less step.

I was also very surprised by how thin the UC was. I noted that in my review. First pass I used way too much, I had excess product slung everywhere.



Accumulator, your point is a good one. I've already been dissatisfied with a detail but had the customer absolutely thrilled with the finished result. Keep in mind that 99% of people do not "detail" their cars to our standards. This often holds true of "car nuts" I've found.
 
PSU 98 said:
... Keep in mind that 99% of people do not "detail" their cars to our standards. This often holds true of "car nuts" I've found.
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Very true. Last time I did a collector/show car for a pal in the Jag Club, I told him straight-off that I wasn't planning to get it as nice as my minivan.
 
I recently used UC with a white pad, and while i didnt take the time to view the paint from too many angles, or under different lighting, it did look very good. I followed up with ZPC, and it became noticeably clearer and more reflective.
 
I used UC with a PC 7424 and an orange Adam's pad on my Acura Legend and my Honda CR-V. The CR-V did require a couple passes because of heavy swirls and scratches, but I didn't have to finish with a less aggressive polish on either car. Overall, I was impressed with how well UC worked.
 
byalegend said:
I used UC with a PC 7424 and an orange Adam's pad on my Acura Legend and my Honda CR-V. The CR-V did require a couple passes because of heavy swirls and scratches, but I didn't have to finish with a less aggressive polish on either car. Overall, I was impressed with how well UC worked.
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Glad you're happy with how they turned out, and I don't want to sound like a [jerk], but I'd bet dollars to doughnuts that a final polishing would make them look even better.



I mean...even when a vehicle is basically *perfect* after numerous polishing steps, a final burnishing will improve it a little bit. I used to think that stuff like #80, 1Z PP, and 3M PI-III MG 05937 finished out OK too ;)
 
Accumulator said:
If you don't see a problem, do you *have* a problem? And how hard should you go looking for a problem...look hard enough and you'll almost always find *something* you're not happy about ;)
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I don't have a lot of time and I'm not as much of a perfectionist as others and I just get to the point where I say to myself that it looks really good but isn't perfect. However, I'm completely fine with that. I don't see a lot of my car's imperfections except when I wash it (e.g. A scuff I have on my bumper) so why get worked up about it? I haven't done a full polish in a year and I still think it looks great (although hard clear does help). I washed and waxed yesterday and everytime I've seen it in the parking lot today I've smiled.



Loosen up a bit, it helps. :)
 
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