Infor on #81 and #20 By Mike Phillips
Where to start?
I actually don't have much time today to post as I have to write Tech Bulletins for new products for a meeting tomorrow. I was asked via PM to visit and respond. Your request is honored.
But I will say this,
For some reason people tend to position the oils in Meguiar's products as "fillers".
And yes, part of what they do is to fill in hairline scratches so that your overall finish looks better. Isn't that part of what detailing is all about... making your paint look good?
This part however, is always left out when people post their opinions on Meguiar’s TS Oils, (Trade Secret oils), These oils, and there are multiple formula's for these oils, (it's not like out back behind the building there's a 55 gallon barrel full of some kind of oil that we draw from). The type/content/formula used depends upon what procedure a particular product is designed to perform.
These oils act as Lubricants. As a lubricant, they help to cushion/lessen any abrading effect the diminishing abrasives have. If you think about it for a moment, another way of saying this is, these oils hinder the cutting action. That is to say… these oils slow the cutting action down, or reduce the aggressiveness, or removes less material, etc. etc.
This buffering action provided by the lubrication characteristics of Meguiar’s TS oils helps to create a â€�Polishing-Effectâ€�. Thus Meguiar’s Compounds, Paint Cleaners, and Cleaner/Polishes are famous for the results they achieve… considering their abrasive products.
More so in the past, but still today, competitors abrasive products were/are basically grit and solvent. Grit and solvent compounds cut very fast, but they leave the finish scoured, dull and hazy.
Meguiar’s products, (all of them), are formulated in such a way that you, the USER, are always working forwards in the polishing process. That is to say, each product in each step actively brings your surface to a super smooth, crystal clear finish. With each step, you move forwards towards the goal of a flawless finish.
Other systems don’t always work this way and often depend on the last step product to clear-up and improve the finish to an acceptable standard.
Lubricating oils also help to keep temperatures lower when buffing by machine, at least lower compared to products with little, or now lubricating oils. Including oils for lubrication increases the cost of the final product, especially the type of oils used by Meguiar’s. Some companies use a petroleum distillate called, Mineral Oil. It is by far, one of the least costly lubricating oils.
Next, The TS Oils used by Meguiar’s are not merely fillers as some people like to position them, but are chosen for, and used for, their beauty characteristics.
Seems like a no-brainer, but hard for some people to comprehend.
Anyway, I asked the head chemist some specific questions about this beautification oil. While I cannot say publicly everything he told me, you can choose now to take my word for it… or not.
He told me the oil they use isn’t really an oil, but specifically, a component of the oil Meguiar’s extracts.
They use this component of the oil because it adds beauty. The theory, as well as practical application must work because for over 100 years, people have trusted this product for their finishes.
So I know there is an entire camp of people that have been educated to wash their paint with Dawn Dishwashing liquid, but this is working backwards, harmful to the paint, and in the big picture, totally unnecessary.
You can read more about Dawn and Oils here, the 16th post on this page.
But hey, like I always say, “Find something you like and use it often�. If you like Dawn for stripping, I mean washing your car’s finish, then use it.
If your intent is to get the surface really clean so that a polymer will protect it, in other words, if your looking for the most protection possible, then park the car in a garage.
If you want to drive the car and have it look as good as it possibly can, then worry less about getting the oils off, and more about polishing and waxing often using products that add both beauty and protection.
Make sense?
If it were me, and I were going to polish this black car with the goal of increasing it’s beauty and protecting it for the winter, I would, *
* Wash first to remove loose dirt with any quality car wash, I like #62 Car Wash and Shampoo Conditioner. Clay if need after washing using my wash water as the lube, then quickly washing clayed surface again while I have the hose, bucket and wash mitt out.
* Go over all paint panels using #83 Dual-Action Cleaner Polish with a W-8006 foam polishing pad on a Porter Cable Dual-Action polisher on the 5.5 setting working small sections thoroughly until the product is almost gone.
* Polish using #81 Hand Polish by hand or Machine.
* Apply a coat of #20 Polymer Sealant for a base. (my personal choice, not Meguiar’s official position).
* Apply a coat of either #26 or Medallion for protection and beauty.
As I contemplate, some of you will be either asking, or suggesting, the cleaners in #20 will remove the polishing oils in #81, I would ask you… to what degree?
My answer:
Not enough to make any difference in the world. At least not enough of a difference that would be noticeable to your eyes, and certainly not enough to prevent me following this procedure.
In the future, I would repeat everything above except instead of using #20 plus a second beauty wax, I would probably apply one coat of Lab Sample E when it becomes available.
Have to get back to work now.
__________________
Mike Phillips
Technical Training Specialist
Meguiar's Inc.
10-29-2003 06:15
