Meguiar`s M205 Ultra Finishing Polish Review!

[Tim Lingor]

**Repost** I hope this is the correct forum. If not, Moderators please move to appropriate area. Thanks!

Hey Everyone,

Life is a conundrum; the more technologically advanced we become the better, right? Well if you visit car shows, many of the participants and on-lookers would beg to differ. Step back to the 1960?s and 1970?s when cars were simplistic and had a minimalist approach. Compared to modern cars, the creature comfort of the old 65? Mustangs or 57? Chevy?s, are extremely minimal. But after looking under the hood of a modern vehicle and recognizing that one needs a degree in computer engineering as well as a mechanic diploma just to work on it, one finds oneself longing for simpler times where changing an air filter did not mean messing with a mass air flow sensor! But there comes a time when science and modern technology does make a big difference!

Enter into the era of what Meguiar?s calls Super-Micro Abrasive Technology or SMAT?s. The SMAT are a non-diminishing abrasive which work as you work. Unlike diminishing abrasives which break down throughout the buffing process, the SMAT?s do not break down and continue to work during the buffing application process. The end result is a class leading finish with permanently removed swirls and marring.

Now Meguiar?s has come out with another tour de force: Meguiar?s *New* M205 Ultra Finishing Polish!

Meguiar?s *New* M205 Ultra Finishing Polish (M205 UFP) is a second step designed to follow Meguiar?s M105 Ultra Cut Compound. This VOC compliant formulation allows easy machine buffing, and even easier wipe off of residue. Moreover, it has a similar aggressiveness to Meguiar?s M80 Speed Glaze, but uses the SMAT?s which allows the M205 to leave an incredibly clear finish. If there is any micro-hazing created by the M105, the M205 will easily remove it, again making the finish crystal clear.

When I heard that Meguiar?s was coming out with a follow-up step after M105, I was intrigued! Knowing the success I have had with the M105, I just could not wait until I could my hands on some. Meguiar?s sent me a bottle that was pre-production in labeling only, but the contents were exactly the same as the production M205. Upon opening, I noticed that the M205 was white in color. It has the usual Meguiar?s compound smell, which is neither obtrusive nor overwhelming. Maybe I have been at this too long, but I actually enjoy the smell of Meguiar?s compounds and polishes! The white liquid is far thinner in consistency compared to M105 or D151 (which is very thick!). Though I use D151 a lot, my one issue is how hard it is to pour out of the gallon into a secondary bottle because it is so thick. Not so with the M205!

To preface, I decided to test the new M205 on my 2008 Ford Ranger (I still have my F250 V10 but I am using that for the testing of other products) that is in excellent condition. The truck had not been polished since October/November and has gone through a particularly nasty winter this year! Unfortunately, when winters are harsh, the roads are usually mucky leading to a profoundly dirty truck. Having a dirty truck parked outside is like a magnet to the ?wash me? taggers. Sadly, some young individuals decided to write in the dirt scratching the paint in many areas. As a result, I had to feather sand the deeper scratches and then do a rotary buff-out on the truck for about 8 hours. This was done only in certain areas, so the rest of the truck still needed to be detailed; hence, M205 was chosen for the job. Because most of the deeper ?wash me? marring was already removed with the M105 (this was after testing several compounds in order to use the least aggressive product necessary to do the job), the un-detailed areas had only minor marring and scratching from the winter, thereby making it a great test of M205?s SMAT ability!

My good friend Kevin Brown told me that ?M205 is the real deal!?, and I am here to say, he was not kidding! Meguiar?s M205 is an excellent light cleaner polish that leaves the paint crystal clear! After priming the pad with M205 (Using Kevin?s Method, I worked M205 by hand into each pad, priming it before using it) I first used it with the rotary and the W-8207 pad; the product provided enough work time to easily work into the surface as the product was not greasy or gummy. The paint came out crystal clear with a deep rich gloss! I would have finished the truck this way but I wanted to try it with the Dual Action Polisher (Meguiar?s G-110) as I am certain many people will use it this way.

With the W-8207 and W-9207 pads primed with M205, I proceeded to polish an 18? x 18? area with the G-110 set to speed 5. What I discovered is three fold. First, a little product goes a long way! Since M205 uses SMAT?s, I could keep buffing a lot longer than I normally would. However, if I buffed too long, it made the M205 a little more difficult to remove from the paint. Once I found the ?sweet spot?, there were absolutely no problems at all! Second, I discovered that different speeds and pressures made a big difference in how the M205 performed. The M205 seemed to like the higher speed as well it liked heavy downward pressure on the DA. You want to keep the G-110`s pad turning, but the pressure would be classified as moderate to heavy. From using the M105, I have discovered that the new SMAT?s seem to work best this way and the new M205 was no exception. Third, with the new SMAT?s the pads need to be cleaned often. I always clean my pads after every 2 panels regardless of compound, but with the M205, I found that cleaning the pads more often (after each panel) and more thoroughly, the M205 performed better. I would use a towel to ?clean on the fly? and I would use an air compressor to further clean the pads of any dried product. Once the pad was too saturated I switched to a clean pad.

Using either the rotary polisher or the DA polisher, the new M205 would remove light scratches and marring. It does have its limits being a finishing polish, but I was still amazed at what it could do! What impressed me most is how clear the paint finish looked afterwards! I used the M205 with the W-8207 Polishing Pad first and then went over the same area again with the M205 and the W-9207 Finishing Pad. After each buffing step, the finish got noticeably better and better!

In the end, I find it hard to find anything to I dislike about the M205! When I do reviews, I always post the good with the bad. But in this case, I did not find anything about the M205 that I disliked. The cost is a little steep, but with the way it performed, I find it more than worth it. I will post pictures below of the results as pictures will show you the resultant finish far better than I could ever describe it!


I use 3-4 different sizes of 3M masking tape.





Here I am priming the pads, aka the Kevin Brown way. What that means is that I am priming the pad with M205 instead of using M34 Final Inspection or another Quik Detailer. I want an even but thin coat of M205 to cover the entire pad. I want the product in the pores of the pad but not too much as that would saturate the pad, thereby reducing the pads effective cutting ability. With my hands, I work or massage the product into the pad and then proceed to buff the paint!





By this point all of the Rotary and DA polishing has been completed! The resultant finish looks like a mirror with a deep and rich clear gloss!!!








After completing the final steps and applying the Last Step Product (LSP), detailing the wheels and wheel wells, dressed the tires and trim, I pulled the truck outside into the sun. I am well known for insisting that people provide full sun photos in order to show just how clear and swirl free the paint finish really is. It is easy to take photos using the right light to hide swirls, but under the full sun, you can not hide anything! I single flaw will show in full sun! So does M205 work? You tell me...

This is about as full sun as you can get!








The paint looks wet!



























At the end of the day, after all of that hard work in making that paint look so good, it is best to drive and enjoy the vehicle!!!!



I hope this helps!


Cheers!

Tim

[imported_RootsRadical]

That looks great! Makes me want to purchase some of the Meguiar`s polish to try out even though I have a decent amount of my tried and true Menzerna polish left.

[Tuck91]

Awesome review Tim, Your truck looks great and you are a very skilled and talented detailer.

awesome work, awesome review, awesome looking truck!

[Old Pirate]

Great review Tim on the M205 and KBM way too, I missed my Ranger and when I saw yours it looks like the same one I had. Awesome shine on it!

[Greg Nichols]

I`m glad you got great results. I on the other hand do not, and have not on the last two details using 205/black. It looks great, until I do an full strenght IPA wipe down (91%) then the defects jump back. I do a second polishing, no improvement, same result. I`ve been brainstorming on this and cannot quite figure it out. If I go over it with Menzerna 203/black I don`t get defect return.

cheers,
GREG

[Tim Lingor]

I`m glad you got great results. I on the other hand do not, and have not on the last two details using 205/black. It looks great, until I do an full strenght IPA wipe down (91%) then the defects jump back. I do a second polishing, no improvement, same result. I`ve been brainstorming on this and cannot quite figure it out. If I go over it with Menzerna 203/black I don`t get defect return.

cheers,
GREG

Hi Greg,

Actually I have come across the same problem on a couple of paints as well. I always check with a IPA/W wipe down and in most cases, it is flawless. BUT, I too have had a couple of instances where M205 did not agree with the paint. I then had to switch to 3M Ultra Fina to buff out the paint. However, in most cases, M205 worked great!

I have found the biggest problem is that the new SMAT abrasives are very picky on the amount of downward force being applied to the DA. I tend to start and finish with quite a moderate amount of pressure. If you ease up at the end on some paints, you will get a haze.

The same goes for the constant cleaning of the pads. I always clean them after each panel and even use an air hose to really blow out the pad. When it is saturated or it stops working, switch to a clean pad. I tend to use way more pads per car with the new SMAT`s than with the usual diminishing abrasive type of product.

Try the moderate application pressure, and switch out to new pads more often and let`s see if that helps. If not, post back so that we can figure this out.

Tim

[Dave1]

Great information here Tim, thanks......

Question, since 151 and 205 both have non diminishing working agents, what is the difference between the two in your opinion and the difference finish wise.....?

[Greg Nichols]

Yes the technique for these new polishes takes a bit to learn I guess. My largest concern right now is that I BURN up pads more quickly using the KBM, so my cost per car goes up. I burned up a burg 2.0 pad doing half the car.

I will keep working on this process. I would say that the harder the paint, the easier it is to work with. The softer the harder.

Cheers,
GREG

[Tim Lingor]

Great information here Tim, thanks......

Question, since 151 and 205 both have non diminishing working agents, what is the difference between the two in your opinion and the difference finish wise.....?

Hi Dave,

M205 and D151 use a similar yet different SMAT`s. The D151 is far more aggressive than M205, placing D151 somewhere between M83 and Solo Cut & Polish Cream. Being that D151 is really a moderately aggressive all-in-one, they are quite dissimilar.

D151 will remove moderate marring and scratches and will polish down very nicely. However, with the rotary you may get a few holograms. Simply switching to the DA for the final pass usually eliminates that issue. BUT on some paints, D151 does not finish down well enough and may require another step down with a milder polish, like M205 to refine the finish even further.

M205 is pretty unique. I find that it can eliminate mild marring, but it has its limitations as it is a mild polish. In most cases, it does finish out better than M80 on most paints.

A combo that I have been using lately is using the D151 followed by M205. For moderate marring it works very well!

Tim

[imported_Luster]

I`ve used 105 and I`m thrilled with the results with my PC. The 205 is has been shipped and I should be seeing it in the mail any day. Can`t wait to use it based on your results!!!!

[imported_akimel]

I have found the biggest problem is that the new SMAT abrasives are very picky on the amount of downward force being applied to the DA. I tend to start and finish with quite a moderate amount of pressure. If you ease up at the end on some paints, you will get a haze.

This is a piece of advice I will need to remember. I may have caused hazing of my paint last week by lightening up on the pressure for the concluding passes. It appears that the non-diminishing abrasives is going to force all of us to learn some new techniques.

Al

[Dave1]

Hi Dave,

M205 and D151 use a similar yet different SMAT`s. The D151 is far more aggressive than M205, placing D151 somewhere between M83 and Solo Cut & Polish Cream. Being that D151 is really a moderately aggressive all-in-one, they are quite dissimilar.

D151 will remove moderate marring and scratches and will polish down very nicely. However, with the rotary you may get a few holograms. Simply switching to the DA for the final pass usually eliminates that issue. BUT on some paints, D151 does not finish down well enough and may require another step down with a milder polish, like M205 to refine the finish even further.

M205 is pretty unique. I find that it can eliminate mild marring, but it has its limitations as it is a mild polish. In most cases, it does finish out better than M80 on most paints.

A combo that I have been using lately is using the D151 followed by M205. For moderate marring it works very well!

Tim

Ok, thanks for the clarification........

[gmblack3]

Thanks for the great writeup Tim. Keeping the pressure at a moderate rate, using speed PC6 and changing out the pads more often is something that
I will try.

[Junebug]

Thanks to Weekend Warrior, I have samples of 203 and 205, so I did an experiment getting the cat scratches out of my hood. 2008 GTI, Black Magic Metallic, I used a PC and white LC pads (5.5"). I used the same technique with both - put a few circles of polish on the pad, spread on the paint with the PC off, hit the switch on #3 for one pass the hit #6, heavy pressure for a few pases then ease up and wipe clean, IPA wipe down. Results? they both worked well, Megs was a little greasier and worked longer, Menzerna dusted a bit. But they both worked well enough to go LSP ready after just one polishing step.

[Harleyguy]

Tim,Being new too this whole paint correction thing i want to thank you for the great write up`s without these write up`s us newbies wouldn`t have pray in hell figureing these things out