M105 & M205 Technique with Griots Buffer

J

JJH

New member
Hello Todd,

I have long been a fan of your articles and write ups that you do here on Autopia and they have proven to be an excellent resource to me. I oftentimes find myself referencing them multiple times when I'm right in the middle of a detail.

With that said, I am in the middle of a detail with my first time ever using M105 & M205. I have Uber foam pads and a Griots newer generation 6 inch dual action buffer. The Uber pad line comes in yellow(extreme cut) orange(light cut/polish) green (polish) and black (finish). I have multiple of each.

The car that I am polishing is a 2007 Acura TL type-s in nighthawk black pearl. From what I have read on multiple sites and forums, Acuras/Hondas have traditionally soft paint. I don't have a meter, so I can't confirm this myself. The paint is in pretty terrible condition, covered in swirls.

I did a few panels and sections today and wasn't too pleased with my work. I started off with M105/yellow pad and finished with M205/green pad. The results were okay, but nothing astonishing as many of the cars that I have seen you post on here.

I pose a few questions for you and hope that you will be able to offer me some advice. Oftentimes in your articles, you give a speed to use for a buffer but don't say what buffer you are talking about. Since the GG is a pretty strong buffer, what speeds do you suggest that I use for the M105 and M205?

You mention that it only takes you 20-30 seconds to complete a panel, how is this possible? How many passes do you do with these products? I'm talking specifically about the M205 write up that you did. I know that 2 inches per second is the general rule of thumb.

Any other tidbits of advice you would like to specifically offer with these products? The dusting is TERRIBLE! I get one panel done, and when I move onto the next panel the panel that I previously did is covered in dust.
 
for compounding set the GG at 5, about 2-3 for waxing
I think the 105 is a bit much esp with yellow - I would try Meg UC with a white or grey pad.....I think you are cutting too much.

I also detail and own 3 hondas, the paint is not overly soft if you keep moving...for a panel like the trunk top, I use the UC once across and then another pass up and down and buff it off....pressure is light on the GG - just slightly pushing down...
 
glen e said:
for compounding set the GG at 5, about 2-3 for waxing
I think the 105 is a bit much esp with yellow - I would try Meg UC with a white or grey pad.....I think you are cutting too much.

I also detail and own 3 hondas, the paint is not overly soft if you keep moving...for a panel like the trunk top, I use the UC once across and then another pass up and down and buff it off....pressure is light on the GG - just slightly pushing down...
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So you only do two passes for compounding? I'm having to make 3-5 passes with GG @ speed 4 with 105/yellow pad just to make a dent.
 
If the paint you are working on is really soft then M105 and a yellow pad is to aggressive. I would start with the least aggressive combo first like the M205 on the green pad. If that works follow up with the 205 and black pad. If not enough cut on the 205/green go to 205/orange and so on until you get the correction your looking for. Are you priming your pads? Try adjusting your machine speed, pressure, product amount,working time and working area. There are so many different factors you just have to play around with what you have.
 
JJH said:
Hello Todd,

I have long been a fan of your articles and write ups that you do here on Autopia and they have proven to be an excellent resource to me. I oftentimes find myself referencing them multiple times when I'm right in the middle of a detail.

With that said, I am in the middle of a detail with my first time ever using M105 & M205. I have Uber foam pads and a Griots newer generation 6 inch dual action buffer. The Uber pad line comes in yellow(extreme cut) orange(light cut/polish) green (polish) and black (finish). I have multiple of each.

The car that I am polishing is a 2007 Acura TL type-s in nighthawk black pearl. From what I have read on multiple sites and forums, Acuras/Hondas have traditionally soft paint. I don't have a meter, so I can't confirm this myself. The paint is in pretty terrible condition, covered in swirls.

I did a few panels and sections today and wasn't too pleased with my work. I started off with M105/yellow pad and finished with M205/green pad. The results were okay, but nothing astonishing as many of the cars that I have seen you post on here.

I pose a few questions for you and hope that you will be able to offer me some advice. Oftentimes in your articles, you give a speed to use for a buffer but don't say what buffer you are talking about. Since the GG is a pretty strong buffer, what speeds do you suggest that I use for the M105 and M205?

You mention that it only takes you 20-30 seconds to complete a panel, how is this possible? How many passes do you do with these products? I'm talking specifically about the M205 write up that you did. I know that 2 inches per second is the general rule of thumb.

Any other tidbits of advice you would like to specifically offer with these products? The dusting is TERRIBLE! I get one panel done, and when I move onto the next panel the panel that I previously did is covered in dust.
Click to expand...

Here are some (hopefully) helpful threads...

http://www.autopiaforums.com/forums...acheive-flawless-finish-m205-da-polisher.html

http://www.autopiaforums.com/forums...nishing-meguiars-m105-ultra-cut-compound.html


I have long been a fan of your articles and write ups that you do here on Autopia and they have proven to be an excellent resource to me. I oftentimes find myself referencing them multiple times when I'm right in the middle of a detail.
Click to expand...


Thank you very much for the compliment. It is really the best one you could pay me!

With that said, I am in the middle of a detail with my first time ever using M105 & M205. I have Uber foam pads and a Griots newer generation 6 inch dual action buffer. The Uber pad line comes in yellow(extreme cut) orange(light cut/polish) green (polish) and black (finish). I have multiple of each.

The car that I am polishing is a 2007 Acura TL type-s in nighthawk black pearl. From what I have read on multiple sites and forums, Acuras/Hondas have traditionally soft paint. I don't have a meter, so I can't confirm this myself. The paint is in pretty terrible condition, covered in swirls.

I did a few panels and sections today and wasn't too pleased with my work. I started off with M105/yellow pad and finished with M205/green pad. The results were okay, but nothing astonishing as many of the cars that I have seen you post on here.
Click to expand...


http://www.autopiaforums.com/forums/auto-detailing-101/39592-question-answered-help-how-hard-soft-my-paint.html


If the paint is "soft" it may be easy to remove light swirl marks but it likely has deeper marks that require aggressive polishing (should you decide to chase after those).

While I do aim for very good results, some paints are just too trashed to get looking great. While we repair damage we cannot control the extent of the damage before we receive them.

I pose a few questions for you and hope that you will be able to offer me some advice. Oftentimes in your articles, you give a speed to use for a buffer but don't say what buffer you are talking about. Since the GG is a pretty strong buffer, what speeds do you suggest that I use for the M105 and M205?
Click to expand...

I treat the polishers fairly the same. Whether it is the Griot's, Meg's, or Porter Cable. Ultimately I let the results I am receiving dictate the actual process. If I need more correction I will adapt by switching to a more aggressive method. If I am trying improve the quality of finish then I will alter the techniques that way.

You mention that it only takes you 20-30 seconds to complete a panel, how is this possible? How many passes do you do with these products? I'm talking specifically about the M205 write up that you did. I know that 2 inches per second is the general rule of thumb.
Click to expand...

For M205 I suggest keeping the work time as short as possible for the best finish. If the paint only needs just a touch of clean up, then 20-30 seconds (2 passes) is all you need.

However if the paint is in bad shape and I am using M105, it may take many passes (until M105 starts to loose cut) to get the finish I want.
 
Here are some (hopefully) helpful threads...

http://www.autopiaforums.com/forums...acheive-flawless-finish-m205-da-polisher.html

http://www.autopiaforums.com/forums...nishing-meguiars-m105-ultra-cut-compound.html[/COLOR]

Awesome! Both great resources. I can never learn enough about this stuff.



Thank you very much for the compliment. It is really the best one you could pay me!


Seriously, really appreciate all the time that you put into helping other people out with such a skilled service.

http://www.autopiaforums.com/forums/auto-detailing-101/39592-question-answered-help-how-hard-soft-my-paint.html


If the paint is "soft" it may be easy to remove light swirl marks but it likely has deeper marks that require aggressive polishing (should you decide to chase after those).

While I do aim for very good results, some paints are just too trashed to get looking great. While we repair damage we cannot control the extent of the damage before we receive them.

The paint is only in pretty bad condition in certain areas. The car has 140k miles so it's to be expected. Majority highway miles though because it's only a 5 year old car. The front is so bad that I'm getting the entire front clip repainted. Only have to worry about detailing from the front doors and back.

I treat the polishers fairly the same. Whether it is the Griot's, Meg's, or Porter Cable. Ultimately I let the results I am receiving dictate the actual process. If I need more correction I will adapt by switching to a more aggressive method. If I am trying improve the quality of finish then I will alter the techniques that way.

I figured this was the answer I was going to get :D It's just always talked about that the Griots has much more "ability" than the Porter Cable so I assume that extra potential damage comes out of that as well and more care should be had.

For M205 I suggest keeping the work time as short as possible for the best finish. If the paint only needs just a touch of clean up, then 20-30 seconds (2 passes) is all you need.

However if the paint is in bad shape and I am using M105, it may take many passes (until M105 starts to loose cut) to get the finish I want.

This is helpful. I have a question though. Since I'm just touching up with the M205, what speed should I use for those two passes? Before, I was just doing 4-5 passes with m105/speed 5/yellow cutting pad and following with 2 passes of M205/speed 5/black pad and the doing two more passes with the same variables but on speed 2.5-3. Since you are suggesting that I only do two passes, what speed do you suggest I use? I wish I had an eye to be able to tell what is the best I can get the paint to look. I just know that it looks 10xs better than it did before. Black paint seems to do the best in showing the results.

The trunk lid really scares me. It's definitely in the worst condition of any paint on the car so I know I have to be aggressive, I just don't know how aggressive I can be because I don't want to eat away the clear coat. I'm not sure how I should judge if the damage is just beyond repair.

Thanks again Todd, and everyone else!:yourrock
 
If unsure do several steps with a less aggressive method instead of being overly aggressive with the first try. This way you minimize risk of damaging the paint and you can stop when you think the result is good enough for you without hammering the paint too much.
 
I figured this was the answer I was going to get It's just always talked about that the Griots has much more "ability" than the Porter Cable so I assume that extra potential damage comes out of that as well and more care should be had.
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The Griot's has more power, particularly when run wide open. This power usually translates into the ability to get the job done faster (less time required for the same amount of cutting action). All of the new DA polishers are capable of removing paint defects.


This is helpful. I have a question though. Since I'm just touching up with the M205, what speed should I use for those two passes? Before, I was just doing 4-5 passes with m105/speed 5/yellow cutting pad and following with 2 passes of M205/speed 5/black pad and the doing two more passes with the same variables but on speed 2.5-3. Since you are suggesting that I only do two passes, what speed do you suggest I use? I wish I had an eye to be able to tell what is the best I can get the paint to look. I just know that it looks 10xs better than it did before. Black paint seems to do the best in showing the results.

The trunk lid really scares me. It's definitely in the worst condition of any paint on the car so I know I have to be aggressive, I just don't know how aggressive I can be because I don't want to eat away the clear coat. I'm not sure how I should judge if the damage is just beyond repair.
Click to expand...

Black paint is the best for showing results (or lack of results) although the same principles apply. Maximum shine is simply a factor of getting the paint as microscopically level as possible.

With M205 (if you are just touching up minor micro-marring from M105) tends to work best around speed 4.5-5. Keep the work time short. As soon as the micro-marring is removed from M105 then your done. On most paints this only takes one to two passes over the section.

The only way I know to judge (guess) if the damage is beyond repair is with a lot of experience, which is why some of the pro's on here are able to take cars to such high levels. When starting out with polishing I would recommend a much more systematic approach. Limit your cutting applications to two per area. If you have some defects remaining then it is easier (on the wallet) to live with them instead of getting a respray.

While limiting yourself to two cutting applications per section is likely FAR on the side of caution it helps to ensure maximum clear coat thickness (taking into account that we have no real way to know how many times, and to what degree, the paint has been polished before).



Thanks again Todd, and everyone else
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I am sure I speak for our excellent forum members when I say that you are welcome. :rockon
 
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