Ultimate Compound vs M105

[CamarosRus]

Re: Ultimate Compound vs M105

New forum member here. Amatuer detailer working on my own driver, 2006 MAZDA 6i, Glacier Silver.

I have previously Clay Bar'd and polished with Menzerna Super Finish and Lakes Country Blue 6.5" Pad on a P.C.
7424XP

Under artificial light I am still seeing fine scratch lines, even after repeated passes (with the Menzerna Super Finish)

[BTW....all my products have been purchased from www.detailedimage.com]

Upon the recommendation from DI, I purchased M105 and a L.C. Orange 6.5 pad. (which I havent used yet)

After reading this thread and others in the Meg's forum, I'm now fearful the M105 might be too agressive ????

I evidently need to learn how to prime the new orange pad and limit the amount of M105. My goal was to eliminate all of the fine scratch lines I was still seeing in this Silver paint, or is that expecting too much from daily driver MAZDA 6 ????

As I already own the product I am planning to use the MENZERNA Super Finish and White pad (similar to M205) after the M105

And to make things worse I already pulled the trigger on BLACKFIRE Wet Diamond PolyCharger Sealer......

Yes the Detailed Image does have a great web site and markets well to us inept amatuers !!!!!

Chuck Sharin
Chuck's Automotive
Renton,WA

[jaymz]

Re: Ultimate Compound vs M105

New forum member here. Amatuer detailer working on my own driver, 2006 MAZDA 6i, Glacier Silver.

I have previously Clay Bar'd and polished with Menzerna Super Finish and Lakes Country Blue 6.5" Pad on a P.C.
7424XP

Under artificial light I am still seeing fine scratch lines, even after repeated passes (with the Menzerna Super Finish)

[BTW....all my products have been purchased from www.detailedimage.com]

Upon the recommendation from DI, I purchased M105 and a L.C. Orange 6.5 pad. (which I havent used yet)

After reading this thread and others in the Meg's forum, I'm now fearful the M105 might be too agressive ????

I evidently need to learn how to prime the new orange pad and limit the amount of M105. My goal was to eliminate all of the fine scratch lines I was still seeing in this Silver paint, or is that expecting too much from daily driver MAZDA 6 ????

As I already own the product I am planning to use the MENZERNA Super Finish and White pad (similar to M205) after the M105

And to make things worse I already pulled the trigger on BLACKFIRE Wet Diamond PolyCharger Sealer......

Yes the Detailed Image does have a great web site and markets well to us inept amatuers !!!!!

Chuck Sharin
Chuck's Automotive
Renton,WA

I doubt you'll have any "overagressiveness" issues with #105 and the orange pad if you watch the down-pressure you apply to the DA and frequently check your work. Now, a yellow pad might be too much, but I think the orange will work just fine.

Jim

[Murr1525]

Re: Ultimate Compound vs M105

It is really just a matter of UC being a bit more user friendly with a DA.

[Michael Stoops]

Re: Ultimate Compound vs M105

People have this natural tendency to reach for the biggest hammer they can find because they believe it will get the job done faster. M105 is the single most aggressive product we make - it is designed primarily for use with a rotary buffer and either a wool pad or very aggressive foam pad to remove sanding marks as heavy as 1000 grit in fresh paint. It was slightly tweaked in order to make it a bit more user friendly, and that was in response to so many people requesting that we do so. But we could only go so far with that and still keep M105 performing properly for it's intended use.

If you're using M205 or something with similar cutting ability, the next logical step up is not necessarily M105 - there are plenty of products between these two. If you're a novice to DA buffing, even with all the great things that have been written about it (and it really is pretty fantastic stuff), M105 is probably not the best choice. M105 can be kind of finicky on a DA and it's learning curve can be fairly steep when used on that tool. If you've read all the basic intro to DA articles, watched a bunch of YouTube videos of people using a DA, etc and then jump in with M105 you may end up being a bit frustrated. If you have older paint that's a bit dried out, M105 can become even trickier to deal with (although that does not sound like the case here).

Ultimate Compound is derived from M105 and is waaaaay more user friendly on a DA - much longer buffing cycle, much less dust, and generally a far easier wipe off. Add to that the fact that you can pick it up almost anywhere for around $10 (WalMart, practically any auto parts store, Target, etc) instead of seeking out a PBE store or ordering it online, and we don't see why people shy away from it. It's also more aggressive than M80 and M83, which so very many people used to use to great effect for routine swirl removal.

Too often people seem to looking for a product that will get the job done for them rather than really concentrating on refining their technique. We've seen many comments about how it's almost impossible to keep a pad rotating on the DA when encountering tight body contours on a vehicle, but with a bit of a technique adjustment this really shouldn't be a problem. And technique on the DA is critical to achieving the desired result. The "best pad", the "best liquid" can't and won't get the job done on their own.

[CamarosRus]

Re: Ultimate Compound vs M105

OK, so I bought a 15oz bottle of U.C. from my local Wal-Mart in Renton,WA.

Already read through an older U.C. thread elsewhere on this site. Can't yet find a recomendation
for what color Lakes Country Pad to use (2006 MAZDA 6i) with my P.C.7424XP.

I'll continue reading, but education on pad color and U.C. application would be appreciated

Chuck Sharin
Renton,WA

[dtuna42]

Re: Ultimate Compound vs M105

I love Ultimate Compound. I just did a fairly beat up black Hyundai and it came out great. I took some before pics, but it rained here in South Jersey (again...), which delayed me from finishing until dark, so I never got any after pics. If I can get to the car again for some pictures, I think they will really show how great UC works...

[Michael Stoops]

Re: Ultimate Compound vs M105

We would normally recommend using UC on our yellow W8xxx series pads with the DA set to speed 5, moderate pressure, and slow arm movements making overlapping strokes over an area no larger than 2' x 2'.

Lake Country's white polishing pad is pretty close to our yellow pad in aggressiveness, with their orange (tangerine) pad being a bit more aggressive. Their cyan pad is another step up yet on many paints it still leaves a nice finish. We would suggest starting with either the white or orange pad on your car, doing a test spot first, of course.

You may find this thread a useful resource for comparison purposes in the future.