New Guy questions: Mirror glaze or ultimate compound

[Robalo]

I have a neglected 2004 Sienna. Tried Ultimate compound, did not seem to touch the surface....looks like someone took very very fine steel wool to the paint.
Tried mirror glaze 205...nothing, then 105, this actually brought up the color. I then went over the panel again with 205...better still. Now were do I go?
Do I use ultimate compound or is my surface ready for wax? I have Carnuba plus Paste wax or Blackfire. I'm using a Porter and Cable 7824 machine with smart pads.
I guess I'm trying to determine how agressive the ultimate compound is, comparing it to 105 and 205. Mequires does not seem to give you this info
on all the products, especially the non-pro stuff. I'm neither right now. Note I also have Mirror glaze Swirl remover and Fine-cut Cleaner if needed.
I will also be doing our 1 year old Toyota Highlander for the first time. Any recommendations on what steps to take? I've seen mentioned in the
forum an Ultimate polish. Am I overloading myself on product? My 2 vehicles have different histories. Thanks Much.

[davey g-force]

Re: New Guy questions: Mirror glaze or ultimate compound

So are you happy with the result you got before you move onto waxing?

If so, then yes, you're ready to wax.

BTW, order of aggressiveness of the products above (from least to most) is M205, UC, M105. So in your case, you would go:

1. M105
2. M205
3. Wax
4. Wax again (optional)

Sounds like you threw in an extra (out of sequence) M205 step in there, but no harm done.

[Wukin2k2]

Re: New Guy questions: Mirror glaze or ultimate compound

I assume that very very fine steel wool marks are sanding mark. Although PC with some aggressive pad can remove it,but it will take some efforts. Can you tell what kind of pads you currently have? We may able give you some combo for the solution.

[Murr1525]

Re: New Guy questions: Mirror glaze or ultimate compound

For the van:

How does it look after the 105/205? Is it as good as you want? You can certainly move onto waxing, or you can go back with another cleaning step to improve things further. Its just up to you based on what you want, how it looks, etc.

For the SUV:

The same products are fine to go with. You would want to do a test spot with #205, and see if it helps. If not better, then a test spot with the UC. If not better, then #105. After the stronger cleaner, a pass with the #205 to finish up before wax would be good.

[Michael Stoops]

Re: New Guy questions: Mirror glaze or ultimate compound

Ultimate Compound has a lot more cut than M205, and even more than M09 Swirl Remover 2.0 and M02 Fine Cut Cleaner. UC is derived from M105 and utilizes the same type of microabrasives but in a formulation that is much more user friendly on a DA. Speaking of the DA, we assume you have the Porter Cable 7424 dual action polisher and not the Porter Cable 7828 rotary, right (there is no PC 7824 model number)? You mention using Smart pads (Lake Country CCS as they're more commonly referred to) but you don't specify which pad you used with which liquid, and that can have a huge impact on the results of your paint correction work. Can you clarify that for us, please? Further, speed settings on the tool, amount of pressure used down on the pad, how slowly you move the tool over the paint, and how large an area you buff at once all have a big impact on your results.

The way you described the paint on the Sienna sure sounds like it was in really bad shape and, depending on how exactly you were using Ultimate Compound on it, it may not have been quite enough to get the job done. But we find that in the vast majority of case, UC is more than up to the challenge, even on pretty badly neglected paint. But, not all paints are the same so we can never guarantee that you'll get a specific result with any product. Still, when starting out on your Highlander, we'd do a test spot with UC and a polishing pad first rather than just jumping in with M105. On the Sienna, though, if stepping up to M105 did the job, and a follow up with M205 refined the finish even more, especially if it did so to your satisfaction, then you should be ready for wax and call it a day.

If you can clarify some of our questions above, however, we can give you some more pointed guidance and help you better achieve your goals.

[Robalo]

Re: New Guy questions: Mirror glaze or ultimate compound

Great input! Yes you are correct I have the 7424 XP Porter and cable, I looked last night.
On the Sienna, bad hazy paint. First CCS White Polishing Foam Pad with Ultimate Compound.
I let the machine do the work, about 6 passes, with minimal results. Same pad with M105, noticeable
results and then CCS Gray Finishing Pad with M205. I can see great improvement, before treatment
I had a oval patch about 4inches across that looked like a polished finish, while all around this
spot was the hazy fine scratchy finish. The M105 and M205 did the trick where the Ultimate compound did very little. As per the videos I did not place a lot of pressure on the tool and let the pad do the work
with multiple passes. I was afraid to damage the paint/clearcoat.
The Sienna is stored outside on the Oregon coast, so we have salt air. Plus all the winter rain causes
green slime and mildew growth.
Is the Ultimate Compound more aggressive than M205, but less than M105….were does it fall?
What pad should I be using with my products? Note my waxes are Mequires Gold Classic Carnauba Plus
and Blackfire ( is this a wax or some sort of polymer? Better than Carnauba?)
These are CCS pads I have from the most aggressive first:
Orange light cutting
White Polishing
Gray Finishing
Blue Finessing
Red Ultrasoft
Wouldn’t the Ultimate Compound be too harsh on the 1 year old Highlander. This may
have gotten answered in the previous question about harshness as compared to M205.

Thanks Much
BIll

[Michael Stoops]

Re: New Guy questions: Mirror glaze or ultimate compound

Don't be afraid to put some decent pressure down on the pad, Bill, as it will make things go much faster and still be completely safe. Letting the weight of the tool alone come down on the pad is going to really slow down the process. Give this a try: use Ultimate Compound on the orange light cutting pad, set the tool to speed 5, and use enough downward pressure to stop the pad from rotating, then ease up just enough to get it slowly rotating again. Work an area no larger than about 2' x 2', using slow, overlapping passes. Do this side to side, then up and down, then repeat both directions. Stop and wipe off the product. You should see some pretty dramatic results this way with UC, and it is still totally safe with no risk of burning through your clear. Follow that with a lighter working of Ultimate Polish on the gray finishing pad at speed 4 with only moderate pressure, then wax the whole vehicle with your wax of choice using either the blue or red pad.

Since you have both Blackfire Wet Diamond and Gold Class Carnauba Plus, you might even want to give this a shot: after doing all the defect removal process, apply a thin coat of Blackfire with the blue pad, let it dry and then wipe off. BFWD will dry very quickly and remove very easily. Then give it several hours to fully cure, and apply a thin coat of Gold Class Carnauba Plus with the red pad. Let it dry and then wipe off. This will give you a good base of synthetic polymer in the BFWD and a nice warm, rich looking carnauba on top. You don't have to use both, either/or will suffice.