Meguiars M101 Review -- Does it live up to the hype?

[ihaveacamaro]

Hey guys, this is a review on Meguiars M101.

If you haven't been living under a rock, you know that Meguiars M105 is considered one of the staples of any detailer's arsenal. From amateurs (like myself) to top notch pros, Meguiars M105 has come into almost everyone's hands.

Well, Meguiars has done it again and has topped M105 in every way I can think of... Welcome to the world of M101.

From the Autogeek website:

Meguiars M101 Foam Cut Compound is an ultra heavy cut compound that is designed to remove all types of paint defects including swirls, oxidation, sanding marks, scratches, and basically anything else that hinders the appearance of your paint. Unlike a traditional heavy cut compound, Meguiars M101 Foam Cut Compound is designed to be used with a foam cutting pad. This makes Meguiars M101 Foam Cut Compound incredibly easy to use while providing a finish that is typically expected from a polish and not a compound. Meguiars M101 Foam Cut Compound is body shop safe and is ideal for both the professional and the enthusiast.

Features:

• NO DUSTING!
• Long Working Time
• Quickly Removes Defects
• Designed for Foam Pads
• No fillers

How I applied it:

• Primed pad by covering entire pad in polish and working it in
• 3 drops as necessary after

Always begin with a clean AND clayed car. You can't polish a car that you have not clayed... if you polish something with above surface contaminants, then you can pick that contaminant up on the pad and drag it across the paint! Then you are doing what Mike Phillips like to call as "working backwards," via instilling swirls and scratches into the paint instead of taking them out.





Before I show you the action shots, know that I ONLY used M101, no finishing polish was used!





Anyways, let's get to the action shots (pictures have captions and explain themselves):

Perfect test subject! (I live near what you would call the hood lol... college kid budget :help

Boss status!!!

So my thoughts on it:

Every feature is spot on! I can't believe I'm saying this, but this thing cuts more than M105, and literally doesn't dust!? Say what, a Megs Compound that doesn't dust, yeah that's what I just said. Believe it!

Crazy cut and finishes to an LSP ready surface, I'm not normally this excited about a product, but this stuff can only be summarized by one word: AMAZING!







Once again, here's the before and after:

Conclusion:

This is the most fantastic compound I've ever had the pleasure to work with. Immediately, I knew how good this stuff was. Swirls and scratches literally looked like they were melting away. This is a premier compound for a premier price at $50 for 32 ounces....

So it live it up to the hype? You bet it!







Link:

Meguiars M101 Foam Cut Compound


P.S. I have M100 too and M100 doesn't even begin to compare to M101... using a DA. I don't have a rotary to test out the full capability of M100.

 

[Custom Care]

Nice, I just ordered a bottle of M101 and hope to put it through its paces at the end of the week.

 

[Todd@RUPES]

Having used a preproduction version of M101 3 years ago at SEMA, I was excited to get this in the US. The performance of M101 is outstanding. Excellent review

 

[Pats300zx]

Great review Roshan. I have heard nothing about great things about M101. It is definitely on my "to get" list.

 

[mjlinane]

Great review, Roshan. I have performed some impressive corrections with M101. Is seriously good stuff.

 

[Old Pirate]

TY for the write up on Meg's 101, I still have some of the first batch of M105 left and will be ordering this one soon.

 

[Bunky]

Thanks for the review! I would like to see a side by side with M105 and M101 to demonstrate cutting.

 

[Merlin]

Thanks for the review! I would like to see a side by side with M105 and M101 to demonstrate cutting.

IMHO cutting is only one part of the picture.

For me M105
Is finicky and flashes (dries out) quick.
It can be "revived with a mist of water
If you do this look out for the splatter!

M105 leaves a matte finish that needs M205
The M205 2nd step returns lost gloss & shine

Without an exact side-by-side M105 to M101
I'd say the cut is much better
I'd say the finish is much better
I'd say the cleanliness in MUCH better.

I'm done with M105...it's M101 for me!

 

[ihaveacamaro]

Got called out on not having close enough close-ups on another forum. Can't do anything about the shade since this isn't my car, but at least they are full on sun-shots. Here are some extra pictures:

 

[ihaveacamaro]

Nice, I just ordered a bottle of M101 and hope to put it through its paces at the end of the week.

Awesome! I think you'll really enjoy it!

Having used a preproduction version of M101 3 years ago at SEMA, I was excited to get this in the US. The performance of M101 is outstanding. Excellent review

It is outstanding! Thanks for looking!

Great review Roshan. I have heard nothing about great things about M101. It is definitely on my "to get" list.

You won't be disappointed. Thanks for looking!

Great review, Roshan. I have performed some impressive corrections with M101. Is seriously good stuff.

Thanks Mike! My only complaint is why does it have to be so expensive!?! If the gallon comes on AG (which Nick has confirmed it will), it should be a little less pricey per ounce. Add that with any discount like 20% off and it should be a good deal, all things considered.

TY for the write up on Meg's 101, I still have some of the first batch of M105 left and will be ordering this one soon.

Thanks for looking Angelo! I think you'll like it!

Thanks for the review! I would like to see a side by side with M105 and M101 to demonstrate cutting.

I'm going to see if I can do that, but let me sit on it. It may be a little while until I can get something that will be a good example to work on. Thanks for looking Al and thanks for the PM too!

 

[Addicted2Bling]

Great review man. Makes me wonder what that guy did to deserve that!

 

[ihaveacamaro]

Great review man. Makes me wonder what that guy did to deserve that!

Thanks, appreciate it!

He actually bought it like that, apparently the last owner's ex put her name (I believe Tiyo or toyo lol) into the car.

The entire thing spelled out:

"Toyo (Tiyo) is the sh1t!!!"


Not the brightest ex girlfriend to key a car and put her name on her work...

 

[camaro2ssblack]

^^OMG that is funny but not really.

 

[polisher]

superb info.. thanks

 

[BobbyG]

An Outstanding Review Roshan...:bigups

1. I'm curious, what year, make, and model of the car you worked on?
2. Was the damage self inflicted for the test or was it vandalism?
3. Was that factory paint?
4. Was the vandal caught and hung by his...ummm....fingers?

I'm also curious to see how the new Meguiar's M101 performs in a head to head test such as this with Meguiar's M105..:bigups

 

[dd1101]

Hmm I need better Pics.....




......

 

[RZJZA80]

Wow, even with 105 I haven't needed 6 passes to remove the worst damage on hard paint, what paint was on this particular car? Now that's some hard paint

 

[tropicsteve]

ahhh yes, the new megs gold standard. good review !

 

[RTexasF]

Well written and proof positive that this is an excellent product without the drawbacks normally associated with a heavy duty compound. Well done and thank you.

 

[ihaveacamaro]

An Outstanding Review Roshan...:bigups

1. I'm curious, what year, make, and model of the car you worked on?
2. Was the damage self inflicted for the test or was it vandalism?
3. Was that factory paint?
4. Was the vandal caught and hung by his...ummm....fingers?

I'm also curious to see how the new Meguiar's M101 performs in a head to head test such as this with Meguiar's M105..:bigups

Thank you Bobby!

To answer:

1. 1984 Oldsmobile Cutlass Supreme
2. Vandalism occured prior to the current owner buying this car
3. Nope, definitely a repaint... had clear on it though
4. Well let's just say that the vandal made it very obvious who she is