Okay, Here's What I'm Planning

H

Husker Z

New member
Basically a shade tree detailer and do some jobs for friends on the side, but our XC90 has some swirls and some hazing (from the dealers "detail on delivery" that I got). So, I have pretty much all the pads I need for my PC7424, but I think I need to get a little more aggressive polish. I'm thinking I need the M105 to finish off my little detail collection. My plan would be:

Dawn wash
Clay Bar
M105
Blackfire Polish
Blackfire Wet Diamond
Blackfire-Ice Over Fire
Every step gets either Z8 or Blackfire Deep Gloss Spray

I've asked about the M105 being too aggressive for an amateur like me, but from what I can tell, with the 7424 as long as I'm not doing anything stupid, I should be fine.

Please comment, criticize, suggest. I'm anxious to learn.
 
I've seen M105 give good results as a one-step finished product, but that's not usually the case. I've found that M205 is usually necessary to remove the hazing left by 105.
 
Luster said:
I've seen M105 give good results as a one-step finished product, but that's not usually the case. I've found that M205 is usually necessary to remove the hazing left by 105.
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I was wondering about that. What I was hoping I could do, just to save me some $$ this time around, is instead of using the m205, use the Blackfire Polish, which I already have. Would it work in lieu of the 205?

Thanks again guys.
 
Husker Z said:
I was wondering about that. What I was hoping I could do, just to save me some $$ this time around, is instead of using the m205, use the Blackfire Polish, which I already have. Would it work in lieu of the 205?

Thanks again guys.
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Will Blackfire Gloss Enhancing Polish remove the possible residual polishing marks caused by M105?

Perhaps, I will try to break this down. The first question we should ask is, "is Blackfire Gloss Enhancing Polish abrasive? Does it have the ability to remove paint defects?"

Blackfire Gloss Enhancing Polish is slightly abrasives, but it is not designed to do true paint correction. It is a 'gloss enhancing' polish that will remove very fine marring and create a gloss, as well as fill in very minor paint defects. It is designed to increase gloss vs. correct paint.

So the ability of Gloss Enhancing Polish to correct the marring left behind from the application of M105 is going to depend on the severity of marring from M105 as well as how the paint responds to being polish with GEP.

Here is the real cool news about M105: Because it features such an ultra refined abrasive, it is possible to create a near swirl free finish from just M105 alone (The KBM was originally taught to me only using M105, M205 had just hit the shelves)... Here is how...

(Follow these steps for both the polishing and finishing stages using M105)

Prior to application, prime the pad with M105. Kevin prefers a method of applying a couple of drops of M105 onto the surface and then massaging the polish into the pad with your thumbs, until it is lightly coated. Meguiar's recommends giving the pad a light mist of M34 Final Inspection. I prefer to do a hybrid. I will give the pad a very light mist of M34, then massage a small amount of product over the pad.

Prior to application of the primed pad, remove any excess polish by pressing a towel over the rotating pad.

A primed pad should feel slightly damp.

Polish in slow, over lapping passes across a section that is roughly 18" x 18". Move the machine around 2 inches per second, and use firm pressure. A first the fresh product will leave a noticeable film on the paint. After a couple of passes this film may disappear, this is OKAY.

You can polish with little to no visible film on the paint as long as the pad itself remains damp? How can you tell with out lighting the pad off of the paint?

Inspection Lights!!!! I highly recommend applying M105 in good lighting, such as under portable halogen lights, so you can examine the surface of the paint in 'real-time' and make adjustments on the fly.

If the pad starts to dry you will immediately see the paint's surface start to scour and you no to stop.

Work the section in good lighting, maintaining firm pressure on the pad, and keeping your eye on the surface. Stop polishing with M105 as soon as the defects are removed and wipe away the residue.

The other problem with M105 is that it is sensitive to contamination on the pad in the forum of the trace amounts of paint that you have removed when polishing. It is essential to keep the pad clean and switch to a fresh pad when the pad becomes saturated. I like to spin the pad against a towel after each section. As the pad becomes more and more saturated you will noticed that surface is no longer finishing to a perfect shine, and might start leaving behind micromarring. If this happens switch to a fresh pad and wash the one you just used.

Finally, do not reduce pressure as you near the end of your polishing application. As you are polishing (with a clean/fresh pad) you should be able to see the paint's surface (in good lighting) through the film of polish. You should be amazed at how the surface looks through the film (little to know surface marring). Once you achieve your results, stop. If you attempt to reduce pressure and 'jewel' the step you may find that you increase the surface marring of the paint.

So how does this all work together for you?


Apply M105, probably with an orange pad, using the guidelines above. If you keep the pad clean and polish under inspection lights, you should be able to remove most damage in one to two passes and finish to near LSP ready (or LSP ready).

In most cases you will have light surface marring left behind by the orange pad/M105. (I should note that I can finish the finicky paint on by Black HHR to near perfect with just M105 and an orange pad on a DA). You will probably work each pass for around a minute, perhaps two.

If there is surface marring, reapply M105 with a Lake Country Black pad using the same guidelines. I have see M105 rival or beat the finish left behind by M205 on occasion. Keep in mind on the initial pass(es) with the orange pad you might have found yourself working the sections for several minutes at a time to remove the deeper swirl marks; On the follow polishing with the Black Pad you will probably need less then 20-30 seconds as it will quickly remove any residual polishing marks. Again, do not over work the polish, just remove the haze and move on.

At this point the paint should be perfect or near perfect, and any ultra fine marring that may (but likely won't) exist should be easy to remove with the Gloss Enhancing Polish.

I hope I helped and feel free to ask any follow up questions!

Todd
 
Just a quick question for the TID/PAC gang. Depending on what Husker means by "Z8" between every step, is that a compatible formulation with BF? Just curious and want to confirm or deny if that is OK for him.
 
Puckman said:
Just a quick question for the TID/PAC gang. Depending on what Husker means by "Z8" between every step, is that a compatible formulation with BF? Just curious and want to confirm or deny if that is OK for him.
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Good question, I'm not sure about that either, that's just what I've always done in between steps.
 
Puckman said:
Just a quick question for the TID/PAC gang. Depending on what Husker means by "Z8" between every step, is that a compatible formulation with BF? Just curious and want to confirm or deny if that is OK for him.
Click to expand...

I use Z8 on occassion with Blackfire Midnight Sun. Keep in mind that Z8 is an active sealant, so you if you are applying a lot of layers of Wet Diamond with Z8 in between you can run into some chemical overload. Probably the worst that could happen is that you might get some streaking on the paint.

If it where me (just to be safe) I would save Z8 for after the final coat, just to prevent any possible streaking, and use something like Z6 between coats (if you stick with the Zaino line).

BFWD is super user friendly and will not have any problems with chemical bonding when applied over Z8.
 
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