Noob with a spinning foam thingy....

[EyesofThunder]

I am very new to polishing. I had a rotary eons ago and was deathly afraid of what I could do to paint so never used it on paint. Probably still have it (old Wen 7").

I received a Griot's 6" DA for Christmas and doing 2 cars and some other panels realized I was cleaning the pad wrong and have utterly destroyed it. No, don't clean it like a paint roller.... Wringing it out is bad....

But my 312k mile Lexus GS400 with Ultimate Compound and Ultimate Wax. It looks amazing so far. I have hand and drive through washed for years. I figured a drive through to get the salt off was safer than leaving it on. Maybe not.

My wife's car I did with the Griot's 3 in 1. I did both my son's heavily oxidized hoods with UC and amazed at the look, especially the 96 Red Subaru Outback. Red REALLY came alive.

So I need to learn a LOT, what pads, what compounds, what polishing pads, what polishes, etc.

Do I use foam? Microfiber or Wool pads for cutting or polishing or waxing? Seems no end to the products people use, and can't figure out why one uses different on each application.

Thanks!

[Nick Winn]

Re: Noob with a spinning foam thingy....

Welcome to Meguiar's Online & nice move getting a D/A Polisher for working on your cars. Meguiar's D/A Microfiber Cutting Disc, like our DMC5, provides more cut than say our DFC5 Soft Buff D/A Foam Cutting Disc. It's used a bit differently though. I'll link to some articles below you can reference for a good start:


D/A Polisher Basics with Meguiar's MT300

Using Meguiar's D/A Microfiber Correction System:
https://meguiarsonline.com/forums/showthread.php?47855

Meguiar's Soft Buff DA Foam Discs & Backing PlatesHope this helps & feel free to post further questions

[EyesofThunder]

Re: Noob with a spinning foam thingy....

Great article Nick! Wish I would have read that a couple weeks ago!

Do I need to prime a disc before using it?

What about mixing product on the disc (I only have 1 right now), going from UW to UC I figured no problem, but going from UC to UW I was taking it inside and rinsing it off and squeezing out the water till it came clear and then (bad!) wring it out. That disc is in the trash now, I did ruin it.

How do I clean a disc? It seems product would dry in it deep in the fibers and cause potential scratching on next use.

Thanks!

Welcome to Meguiar's Online & nice move getting a D/A Polisher for working on your cars. Meguiar's D/A Microfiber Cutting Disc, like our DMC5, provides more cut than say our DFC5 Soft Buff D/A Foam Cutting Disc. It's used a bit differently though. I'll link to some articles below you can reference for a good start:


D/A Polisher Basics with Meguiar's MT300

Using Meguiar's D/A Microfiber Correction System:
https://meguiarsonline.com/forums/showthread.php?47855

Meguiar's Soft Buff DA Foam Discs & Backing PlatesHope this helps & feel free to post further questions

[Nick Winn]

Re: Noob with a spinning foam thingy....

Great article Nick! Wish I would have read that a couple weeks ago!

Do I need to prime a disc before using it?

What about mixing product on the disc (I only have 1 right now), going from UW to UC I figured no problem, but going from UC to UW I was taking it inside and rinsing it off and squeezing out the water till it came clear and then (bad!) wring it out. That disc is in the trash now, I did ruin it.

How do I clean a disc? It seems product would dry in it deep in the fibers and cause potential scratching on next use.

Thanks!

Your Welcome!
Priming is recommended when using our D/A Microfiber Cutting/Finishing Discs. With our Soft Buff D/A Foam Discs, it is not required, and more of a preference.

We do not recommend cross contaminating your pads. It is recommended to clean them prior to using another product.

All of our pads can be machine washed with regular laundry detergent, in a washing machine. They can be dried in a dryer as well, on low heat. We do not recommend any fabric softeners or bleach.

Hope this helps!

[EyesofThunder]

Re: Noob with a spinning foam thingy....

I have Ultimate Compound and Ultimate Wax now. How does it compare to D300 and D301?

I'm still learning how to look at paint. My 98 Lexus GS400 has a look like the paint is almost wavy in some spots, looked at a 2019 Lexus IS300 in the showroom today and it was exactly the same. Not sure how to describe the look, but it isn't look like the paint was as smooth as I have seen.

Mine is Antique Bronze Mica, the car I was looking at was the ultrasonic blue mica. 21 years different in age, mine has some of the same "look". Mine hasn't been cared well for since I have had it, but UC made it look very very good.

[The Guz]

Re: Noob with a spinning foam thingy....

Get yourself a dedicated polish such as M205 or M210. You do not have to compound all the time.

A polish will refine the finish after compounding and impart gloss. It can also remove light to moderate defects.

[EyesofThunder]

Re: Noob with a spinning foam thingy....

Where is a good place to locally buy polishing discs? I haven't seen any except harbor freight. Not my first choice!