*Meguiars #M8401*

T

Turbonator

New member
does anyone know for certain if i could use Klasse, Zaino, or Autoglym Super Resin Polish on gel-coated fiberglass? the lid on my truck bed is looking pretty dingy and i'd like to find some (easy)way to restore it somewhat and give it a little protection. problem is if i put any kind of paste or liquid wax on it, it seems to just soak right in. then i can't even buff it off. i've tried to QD it in the past with little or no results. i had originally intended to paint it, but it just never happened. i'm not overly concerned with it, but if ya'll know of something that can help i appreciate it.
 
I don't recall seeing the color or brand of the cover.



It is oxidized, could be due to age or the use of a cheaper gel with excessive sytrene in the content.



It will be necessary to use a high speed rotary buffer and a cutting pad, with a compound to to remove this oxidation. Then, you will need to polish it with the same machine,using a lambs wool pad and a polish. This removes the cut marks and swirls made by the cutting pad and compound.



This must be done "evenly" to the surface or you will see shades/white looking in the surface later.



Then, once you are sure all the oxidation is removed, apply your choice of sealant.



Or, you could do as suggested, just keep applying a dressing all the time and let it further degrade.



I would go the cut/polish route and do it right, will then last a long time and all you will need to do is reapply the sealant every 4 to 6 months.







:up
 
thanks waxman for the info. i printed out and will definitely be ordering some 303 soon. thanks again for the quick response.
 
Very little true gel coated or other fiberglas parts used on Vettes anymore, more TPO, and other composite material, plus with a Vette, one applies the protectant product to a base/clear that is applied over the part.



What he is fighting is sort of like your boat, with one big exception, the gel on his cover is not 16 to 20 mil thick like your boat.



It is not as good a grade of gel, either.



These covers are like toppers for pickups, made cheap, with cheap materials, and if you don't stay on top of the maintance of them, they loss the small amount of dense gel in a short time.



Once he would get the oxidation off and apply regularly a product like your beloved Zanio, it would stay in great shape for years.



:up
 
Ron - I have an ATV with plastic??? fenders/body panels. These fenders have seen lots of work in the woods around my property and have many scratches and surface damage to them. Even the deepest scratch, though dull in colour, shows the red colour at the bottom of the scratch so it appears the fenders are red throughout its structure as opposed to just colour on the surface - are these fenders gel coat and if not can the same corrective measures that you suggest on the gel coat be used on these fenders. I tried Meg cutting materails using foam pads on the rotary with no real success - left an abrased surface - dull in colour - but maybe with the wool pad is what I should use to finish up to get the shine back. What 'd think. MTS
 
I can not recall the exact name for that plastic, but it is a plastic, not a composite or gel-coated fiberglas.



It, as you notice is very flexible. If you were to break a peice,it can be broken, you would notice that the center of the material, moving out to less than about a mil from the outer surface, it is very porus.



This lack of density in the material allows the needed flexibility.



It is possible to wet sand the material to remove deep scratches and then polish the sanding marks out. However, then you into the porus, less dense portion of the material and can not get a high shine. This is because the dense portion that created the shine or gloss is gone.



It will always be a bit dull in it's natural state, applying a sealant or wax will brighten it a bit, but won't hold the shine or gloss.



If you do the wet sanding, use a sanding block and 1000 to start, then move to 1500.



The buffer must not be over 1000 rpm and you have to becareful to not work an area for more than a couple of seconds or it will get to hot and start to deform or even melt the plastic.



You do the first part with a cutting pad and a clearcoat compound and then switch the pad on the rotary buffer to a lambs wool,(foam just creates too much heat too quickly to use on this material), and with the lambs wool and a polish, finish up the polishing.



Then, it will be a little dull, but will look better than the deep scratches.



Go ahead and apply a sealant, will help some, and will make the unit clean up quicker.



:cool:
 
You know the material - it is very flexible and yes from what I see from the scratches it is colour throughout. At least with the information you have given me I at least know what to expect in terms of reestablishing to the original shine. If worst comes to worst I could leave the surface, which is red, a flat satin sheen - just like street rodders use to do way back when they black primered their machines and then polished - could look `retro' cool out in the woods. Thanks again Ron always enjoy reading your posts. MTS
 
I wet sanded some gel coat ending with 2000 grit then used Perfect-It 3 MG on a foam cutting pad and it came out really nice. Followed that up with 3 coats of Z3 and it looked awesome.


Ribbon.jpg
 
Morning/
I was talkin' to a Body Shop guy the other day and told him I ran out of my *GlipTone Synthetic Compound*. He says to me to try the:Megs/Compound Power Cleaner #8401.He said it's very good for:Scratches/Sanding Marks/Imperfections/Etc.He said it won't "Scour" [?] the Paint.
He said it's easy to use,and I would be Happy w/the Results...I told him I'd consider it,and it comes in a Gallon Bottle.
Do you guys think this Megs Compound would be a good thing for me,and is he being honest about it? Just some thoughts from you guys on it.I have two cars and they do not get the kind of time they should get.So I pay the price down the road,with,Scratches[Some are bad sometimes when she takes the Eclipse to the Car Wash/:mad:]/Acid Rain/Bug Stains/Etc.
Thanx for your Time/Help/Info & Response.Take Care.
Best Regards/
Raymond
 
*MustangGT/25YRS* said:
Morning/
I was talkin' to a Body Shop guy the other day and told him I ran out of my *GlipTone Synthetic Compound*. He says to me to try the:Megs/Compound Power Cleaner #8401.He said it's very good for:Scratches/Sanding Marks/Imperfections/Etc.He said it won't "Scour" [?] the Paint.
He said it's easy to use,and I would be Happy w/the Results...I told him I'd consider it,and it comes in a Gallon Bottle.
Do you guys think this Megs Compound would be a good thing for me,and is he being honest about it? Just some thoughts from you guys on it.I have two cars and they do not get the kind of time they should get.So I pay the price down the road,with,Scratches[Some are bad sometimes when she takes the Eclipse to the Car Wash/:mad:]/Acid Rain/Bug Stains/Etc.
Thanx for your Time/Help/Info & Response.Take Care.
Best Regards/
Raymond
Click to expand...

As far as the older Meguiar's compounds I really liked M84 over M85 as it was very 'wet' and stayed wet for a long time. It seems to have a lot of fill in the product because of the oils. The surface left behind appears nice but a quick alcohol wipedown often reveals a surface that is fairy scoured.

I would reall consider moving up to Meguiar's newer compounds, M105 Ultra Cut or M95 Speed Cut. M95 is like M84 on steriods, producing a more aggressive cut and a truly nicer finish. M105... well, it's a total game changer.
 
I used 84 for polishing headlight lenses, worked better than some of the products that claim to be for lenses only. But, Todd's right about moving up to 105!
 
*;O]*/Thank You

I'd like to *Thank You* both for your Time/Help and
Knowledge to Respond.I'm glad I didn't jump on getting it/:o
Wow...what a Big Mistake that would've been.Take Care.
Best Regards/
Raymond
 
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