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  • #1

    ultimate compound question

    new guy here.

    i know there are a lot of threads on ultimate compound but in all the threads i have saw none had what im looking for.

    yesterday i thought i would try and get the swirl marks out of my black challenger. i was the DA for my drill with the burgandy pad, primed the pad with detailer spray and applied 4 pea sized drops of compound. i was a little timid at first and i dont think i worked it in long enough, did not really seem to reduce swirls.

    My question is, when apply the compound do you apply until the product goes clear and if so how long to you keep working the product once it is clear?

    also after using the compound should i use a polish or am i good to go straight to wax?

    thx in advance
    Tags: None
  • #2
    Re: ultimate compound question

    First off, welcome to MOL!!

    When using Ultimate Compound (or any of our compounds for that matter) you do not want to get to a point of "dry buffing", or buffing until the product is virtually all gone. It should become a thin film on the surface before you wipe off. If you try to wipe off too soon, especially if you're over using the product, then wipe off can be difficult. If you buff until it's all gone, you run the risk of scouring the surface with the pad as you'll lose lubrication. As long as the product is wet on the surface, even just a thin film, you can continue to buff and continue to cut. Remember, UC uses the same non diminishing abrasives as found in M105.

    Whether or not you need to follow UC with a polish depends on a few factors: how the paint responds to the cutting step (whether any haze is present or not), and just how far you want to take the finish of the vehicle. Lighter colors usually don't benefit from a polish step as much as darker colors do so it's more common to skip polish on white, silver, gold, etc. Some non metallic black paint can be quite soft and reveal a haze when compounding. In those cases, the use of a finishing polish to remove the haze is generally called for prior to wax. You'll have to experiment a bit to see how your paint reacts to the liquid and pad combo, how much pressure it likes, etc.

    While a textbook scenario is to use the cutting pad with a compound to remove defects, followed by a polish with the polishing pad to refine the surface and add gloss, and finish with the finishing pad and wax/sealant to lock it all in, sometimes the car doesn't bother reading the textbook and it has a plan of its own!!! We were doing demonstrations with the MT300 on a black 2010 Camaro at Autorama in Detroit a week or so ago and it actually responded very well to Ultimate Compound on the cutting pad for defect removal, even though it hazed a bit. The crazy thing was, to remove the haze we found the best process was to clean the pad thoroughly, add just a couple very small drops of Ultimate Compound again, and give a quick pass with a lot of pressure. It sounds almost backwards, but it's what the paint liked and wanted so we weren't going to argue!!
    Michael Stoops
    Senior Global Product & Training Specialist | Meguiar's Inc.

    Remember, this hobby is supposed to be your therapy, not the reason you need therapy.

    Comment

    • #3
      Re: ultimate compound question

      Thx for the reply and advice.

      when the product went clear on me i could still feel it was there with my finger so i guess im doing it right, I was just a little worried if i should keep buffing once it went clear. Will more pressure on the pad help with removal of swirls or just light pressure and let the product do the rest?

      Comment

      • #4
        Re: ultimate compound question

        Originally posted by Dsotm View Post
        Will more pressure on the pad help with removal of swirls or just light pressure and let the product do the rest?
        Generally speaking you want some pressure down on the pad. How much, exactly, is for you to figure out depending on how the paint responds. You should really try to avoid leaning on the tool as much as possible (ie, don't go nuts with the pressure, but don't just use the weight of the tool, either) as this can lead to excess heat build up at the pad/backing plate interface. It won't be as extreme as you would get with a full sized DA polisher, but it can still get out of hand. Smooth, slow movements with enough pressure to noticeably compress the pad is a good starting point. Some paints like a lot of pressure, some don't.
        Michael Stoops
        Senior Global Product & Training Specialist | Meguiar's Inc.

        Remember, this hobby is supposed to be your therapy, not the reason you need therapy.

        Comment

        • #5
          Re: ultimate compound question

          Originally posted by Michael Stoops View Post
          Generally speaking you want some pressure down on the pad. How much, exactly, is for you to figure out depending on how the paint responds. You should really try to avoid leaning on the tool as much as possible (ie, don't go nuts with the pressure, but don't just use the weight of the tool, either) as this can lead to excess heat build up at the pad/backing plate interface. It won't be as extreme as you would get with a full sized DA polisher, but it can still get out of hand. Smooth, slow movements with enough pressure to noticeably compress the pad is a good starting point. Some paints like a lot of pressure, some don't.
          So slow movements at a low rpm or higher rpm? I was moving fairly quickly at 1800rpm.

          Comment

          • #6
            Re: ultimate compound question

            With our DA Power System you want to run your drill pretty much wide open, apply some fairly decent pressure (adjust as needed) and move slowly in very methodical, overlapping back and forth motions. Keep your work area small - no more than 2' x 2' - in order to give the product and pad time to work against the paint. If you're moving too quickly across the paint you won't accomplish much of anything with a DA style tool.
            Michael Stoops
            Senior Global Product & Training Specialist | Meguiar's Inc.

            Remember, this hobby is supposed to be your therapy, not the reason you need therapy.

            Comment

            • #7
              Re: ultimate compound question

              Thx.

              i don't think I got the results I was looking for cause I was moving to fast. I'll try again soon and try and post some before and after pics

              Comment

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