Meguiars D300 with foam pads

B

baseball07

New member
Hi, I am a newbie and thinking of doing my first detail job using Meguiars D300, I have read great things about this product. I was wondering, however, if anyone has used this with foam cutting pads and a different backing plate than sold with the Microfiber Correction System. Also, how is the D301 for a sealant? Would it be better to use another polish after the D300, I heard good things about HD polish, followed by wax/sealant of choice (was going to wax with NXT since I already have it)?
 
baseball07 said:
Hi, I am a newbie and thinking of doing my first detail job using Meguiars D300, I have read great things about this product. I was wondering, however, if anyone has used this with foam cutting pads and a different backing plate than sold with the Microfiber Correction System. Also, how is the D301 for a sealant? Would it be better to use another polish after the D300, I heard good things about HD polish, followed by wax/sealant of choice (was going to wax with NXT since I already have it)?
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Hello,

Welcome to the forum!

I have used the D300 with the Lake Country Orange cutting foam pad before to remove sanding marks easily. Despite the cutting power, the finish this combo leaves is also nice, with very little marring or haze etc.

Here is the link to the review. Pics heavy:
http://www.autopiaforums.com/forums/detailing-product-reviews/41190-meguiars-da-power-system.html

D301 is a light cleaning "wax" that is designed to work with D300 as a 2-step system. D301 is able to remove the slight imperfections leave behind by D300, giving the user a mirror finish and leave behind a layer of protection.
Some people like to follow D300 by a polish, not a cleaner wax type of product. I have seen people using M205, PO85RD, Ultrafina and so on. You are fine with that.

I have HD UNO 4 but I do not have HD Polish. I assume HD Polish is very close to other quality polishes on the market. Just like many things in the world, no wrong choice it is about personal preferences.
 
Great, thanks for the helpful information. I think I will be trying the D300 with the orange pad. Any recommendations on which pad to apply the 301?. I'll save my NXT for wax jobs in between my full detailing.
 
In answering your question "which pad to use", it depends.

If the paint is clear and all defects are gone then maybe the black pad. If there are residual defects such as micro marring or haze then you could consider the white pad.

I strongly recommend you do a test spot first. The polish and pad combinations are dependent to the paint condition. If your car is swirl out, then an even more aggressive approach is in order. There is no such thing as a Perfect Process that Works on All Paint Systems. By performing a test spot, you are essentially defining a process that will work for your situation.
 
Slightly off topic but thought I might bring this up to (potentially) save you money.

I forgot the name, but if you use NXT a lot, there's actually a professional version of it that you can get by the gallon. Higher price naturally, but much lower price per ounce than buying bottles of NXT.

And Meguiars themselves have confirmed it's the exact same formula, just with different scents.

If you get the gallon, you save in the long run :) but if you don't use it enough, stick with the NXT as it is a waste of money if you have a gallon of spray wax just sitting lol
 
A lot of spot on (and perfect) responses on this thread. Thanks for making AF so great everybody! :autopia::bigups:yourrock
 
Thank you for all the great responses. Thanks for the tip on the M21, I am getting low on my NXT so I will consider that purchase. When the weather gets nicer and I get closer to starting my job, I will take some pictures to get some feedback on products to use.

My car is a 2006 BMW, almost 120,000 miles on it, and never received any compound/polish job to my knowledge (2nd owner, I am almost positive the guy before me didn't detail). It has been through a couple of dealer "complementary" washes so there are some pretty good swirl marks/marring from that, and from every day east coast winter wear and tear, but overall the paint is in real good shape. Considering all this I feel it is time for a full detail job with a DA to restore the paint to a high gloss.

After some readings, for my compound I am considering Megs. Ultimate Compound over 105 and D300, since the paint isn't really in terrible shape I will go with the least agressive of the compounding products. Following that I was considering the 205 or Ultimate Polish, topped with NXT. My plan is to first wash/clay then hit it with the 205 or Ultimate Polish to determine if it actually needs the compound. My guess is that it will considering all the wear the car has seen without a detail to date. I will update with some pictures before I start.

Is there a good polish/sealant combo to follow UC with so I can do this in 2 rather than 3 steps? Would the 301 follow the UC well or is that formulated to follow the D300?
 
D300 works well with foam, especially H20 pads, but it truly shines with MF pads, IMO. D301 is good and works well, and very easy to use, but I wish it had better durability.
 
RZJZA80 said:
D300 works well with foam, especially H20 pads, but it truly shines with MF pads, IMO. D301 is good and works well, and very easy to use, but I wish it had better durability.
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I am in agreement. D300 with MF is amazing. For a bit more bit, I like to add a drop or 2 of M105.

Here is an example.

D300 and M105 with MF cutting pad
Menzerna SF4000 (PO106FA) with white pads

Follow by
CG Blacklight and Jetseal

Before

Before_Trunk_Swirls.png


Before_trunk3.jpg



After

After_Trunk_1.JPG


After_Trunk_reflect.jpg


To OP.....

I hope you don't have the infamous Jet Black. I have a BMW Jet Black and Yes...... it is a full time job.
 
Pics look good. No I have a dark metallic blue color. Not quite as bad a jet black but it is difficult nonetheless. My paint is not as bad as your pictures though, would the D300 be too much then?

I was also considering Wolfgang Total Swirl Remover 3.0 followed by the Finishing Glaze.
 
baseball07 said:
Pics look good. No I have a dark metallic blue color. Not quite as bad a jet black but it is difficult nonetheless. My paint is not as bad as your pictures though, would the D300 be too much then?
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no. not necessary. Its the combination of the polish, pad, and the actions of the machine that determine the aggressiveness of an approach. A change in any of the stated factors will move the aggressiveness scale up or down.

Its hard to tell you where on the scale you should start without seeing the car. In general (in order of aggressiveness).... Wool, MF cutting, Foam. Your technique pay a big role in this as well so you should study up especially if you are starting out. There are many great Detailers on this forum (I am not claiming that I am one of them). These guys/gals would be able to make any products work through their experiences and skills.

Do your test spot. Start with the least aggressive that you think will get the job done and work your way up if necessary. If you are new to this then you may find yourself doing many test spots on your car. It will be slow going at first but its the best way to learn.

Here is a tip for you. Start a journal on your work. Write down everything you tried plus the corresponding end results. In time, you will have a better understanding on how everything works together and be able to formulate your own process.

Good luck and have fun.
 
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