Meguiars 3 step strength

[na850]

Just got Meguiars 3 step as a Christmas present, with some hand application pads. I want to take my detailing to the next level and get rid of the swirls, minor scratches, and oxidation thats on my car. I was wondering if hand detailing with megs 3 step would be powerful enough to achieve what i want.



Here's some pictures of my car. For what its worth the car does NOT have a clearcoat on it.

 

[Accumulator]

na850- Welcome to Autopia!



Lucky you, having a car with single stage ("ss") red in good condition. That'd be a pleasure to work on!



IMO, *no* the Deep Crystal step #1 Cleaner won't be enough to do the kind of correction you want. The step #2 Polish is a nonabrasive glaze-type product that will conceal a bit of the marring and isn't bad stuff to use on ss paint. The step #3 Wax is, IMO, mediocre at best.



Sorry to be so negative



Those products *will* make an improvement, don't get me wrong. Since you have them you might as well give 'em a shot. Pick a panel and go at it, using the step #1 Cleaner a few times; it is the product that'll do the most good. When you're tired of using the Cleaner, do an application of the step #2 Polish (buff it off before it dries completely). Then apply the wax and see what you think.



If you want to *really* take this to the next level, while working by hand, I recommend 1Z brand Paint Polish (sources: Welcome to Exceldetail! or Aloha & Welcome to Our Oasis for All Your Auto Detailing Supplies & Accessories ). It's one product that really works by hand and IMO/IME it'll give you the sort of results you're after.

 

[Frito Bandito]

Accumulator - If you keep posting about 1Z stuff I'm going to have to buy some and the last thing I need is another brand of polish sitting on the shelf!



na850 - The paint cleaner won't remove those swirls, especially by hand. The paint looks like it might have some very minor oxidation, though. I bet the paint cleaner will take care of that, it might take multiple applications........... I say give it a try, the Deep Crystal stuff isn't the best in the world but I bet it makes a huge difference. Take pictures when you're done!

 

[Egleone6]

na850- Welcome to Autopia!



Lucky you, having a car with single stage ("ss") red in good condition. That'd be a pleasure to work on!

What is referred to as Single Stage?



I have a red car tnat is getting lighter and lighter on the hood and only the hood.

 

[the other pc]

What is referred to as Single Stage?...

Paint that has color without clearcoat over it is single-stage.



Paint with a colored base coat that’s layered under a clear topcoat is two-stage.





PC.

 

[rothaus]

'

Just got Meguiars 3 step as a Christmas present, with some hand application pads. I want to take my detailing to the next level and get rid of the swirls, minor scratches, and oxidation thats on my car. I was wondering if hand detailing with megs 3 step would be powerful enough to achieve what i want.\r\n\r\nHere\'s some pictures of my car. For what its worth the car does NOT have a clearcoat on it.\r\n\r\n

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\r\n\r\nI used the 3 step from MG on a black car, and it did a nice job, however, it\'s 3 times the work :furious:\r\n\r\nBTW: I cannot see any pictures :think2'

 

[Egleone6]

Paint that has color without clearcoat over it is single-stage.



Paint with a colored base coat that’s layered under a clear topcoat is two-stage.





PC.

Sorry for my ignorance, but how can you tell?

 

[the other pc]

There are a few way to tell if paint is single stage or base/clear.



There will be paint codes listed on a plaque somewhere in the car, usually in a doorjamb or under the hood. You look up what the codes means in the manufacturer's reference manuals. (But that won’t tell all if any panels have been re-sprayed.)



The classic way to test a finish is to take a cloth or foam pad that is a contrasting color to the paint (i.e. a light colored towel for dark cars or a dark one for white) and polish the surface with a product that has some cutting ability. If you get pigment transfer it’s colored paint, if not it’s clear.



Pigment transfer is really obvious with black paint and a white towel but when checking light colors you may have to look very closely. I like to use Meguiar’s ScratchX for that test because it does cut but it will always leave the paint looking good. (Old fashion orange rubbing compound will tell you if it’s single stage but will haze the heck out of the finish.)



A car with miles on it is likely to have at least a few stone chips in the paint. If you look very closely at chips, perhaps with a magnifying glass, you can often see the edges of the paint layers and you should be able to spot if the top is clear layer or not.





PC.

 

[Egleone6]

Well I have a 2001 Pontiac Grand Prix. Color code is "Bright Red" Well I can see the color is fading a little, but only on the hood.

 

[Accumulator]

Well I have a 2001 Pontiac Grand Prix. Color code is "Bright Red" Well I can see the color is fading a little, but only on the hood.

I'd be very surprised if a '01 Pontiac had single stage paint from the factory. A couple of possible explanations:



Perhaps the hood was repainted with single stage at some point.



Perhaps the hood is basecoat/clearcoat but is fading anyhow. It does happen with reds, the basecoat fades due to sunlight/etc. even though the clearcoat is supposed to prevent/delay such things. This is most common when a panel has been either repainted or aggressively polished (which can thin the clear so much that it loses its protective abilities).