imported_doug
New member
Prelude: I have promised a review of this stuff for a while. Took me a while to find the product, and I really wanted to test it on the black Porsche, which, for one reason or another, hasn't been convenient lately. However I had some free time today, so I decided to give it a go on my anthracite M5. Now while I'm waiting for the Gold Class wax to cure, here goes:
A word about color: Anthracite is a metallic gun metal gray. All metallic paints scatter light more than non-metallic paints, making it much more difficult to see swirls. (This is a good thing, unless you WANT to see them! You guys with silver metallic cars have the best color for hiding imperfections. You don't know what you're missing!
) The bad news is that doing this test on my anthracite car made it very hard for me to discern small differences between this product and others.
I applied the product with a polishing (medium) pad and the PC orbital. I started with the orbital on 4-5, however by the end I ran it wide-open (#6) - I can see no disadvantage to this - just more work in less time. I used the "work it until it is as dry as you can get, firm pressure to start, diminishing pressure as it dries" technique.
I also applied some 3M SMR (dark finish) next to it using the same technique. In terms of swirl mark reduction, they appear to be about the same. I think the SM2.0 leaves a higher lustre, but that was close too. Applied with this technique, BOTH products were a breeze to buff out, but the edge went to the SM 2.0 here. One swipe with the MF wipe - and it looked great with no trace of residue or oils.
I think the SM2.0 is very, very similar (if not identical?) to Scratch-X, (I will ask Meguiar's and find out) which I also tried.
None of these products removes heavier swirls. I still have plenty of scratches I can see under perfect lighting. In a few areas, I went to work first with Finesse-IT II white. This most definitely got rid of more swirls. As proof of the difference between black and anthracite, though, I couldn't see any of the haze Finesse-IT left - but I know it is there because I could see it so clearly on the black car. I followed it up with SM 2.0 anyway.
Conclusion: initial report is good. It is certainly a big improvement over Meguiar's original SMR, which I didn't care for much. At a minimum this is a second source for a 3M SMR-like product - maybe one day it will be easier to find. I THINK it leaves a slightly better gloss, and it is the easiest product to buff out I've used. (The Finesse-IT II, by the way, creates HUGE friction when you try to buff it out. I used some detail spray to lubricate the MF wipe - this really helped. )
I will post again when I do a black car. A friend is bringing his badly swirled black Ferrari 360 Modena over next week for some TLC - I may get to that before the Porsche. And I get to drive it!!! Can't wait.
A word about color: Anthracite is a metallic gun metal gray. All metallic paints scatter light more than non-metallic paints, making it much more difficult to see swirls. (This is a good thing, unless you WANT to see them! You guys with silver metallic cars have the best color for hiding imperfections. You don't know what you're missing!
) The bad news is that doing this test on my anthracite car made it very hard for me to discern small differences between this product and others. I applied the product with a polishing (medium) pad and the PC orbital. I started with the orbital on 4-5, however by the end I ran it wide-open (#6) - I can see no disadvantage to this - just more work in less time. I used the "work it until it is as dry as you can get, firm pressure to start, diminishing pressure as it dries" technique.
I also applied some 3M SMR (dark finish) next to it using the same technique. In terms of swirl mark reduction, they appear to be about the same. I think the SM2.0 leaves a higher lustre, but that was close too. Applied with this technique, BOTH products were a breeze to buff out, but the edge went to the SM 2.0 here. One swipe with the MF wipe - and it looked great with no trace of residue or oils.
I think the SM2.0 is very, very similar (if not identical?) to Scratch-X, (I will ask Meguiar's and find out) which I also tried.
None of these products removes heavier swirls. I still have plenty of scratches I can see under perfect lighting. In a few areas, I went to work first with Finesse-IT II white. This most definitely got rid of more swirls. As proof of the difference between black and anthracite, though, I couldn't see any of the haze Finesse-IT left - but I know it is there because I could see it so clearly on the black car. I followed it up with SM 2.0 anyway.
Conclusion: initial report is good. It is certainly a big improvement over Meguiar's original SMR, which I didn't care for much. At a minimum this is a second source for a 3M SMR-like product - maybe one day it will be easier to find. I THINK it leaves a slightly better gloss, and it is the easiest product to buff out I've used. (The Finesse-IT II, by the way, creates HUGE friction when you try to buff it out. I used some detail spray to lubricate the MF wipe - this really helped. )
I will post again when I do a black car. A friend is bringing his badly swirled black Ferrari 360 Modena over next week for some TLC - I may get to that before the Porsche. And I get to drive it!!! Can't wait.
