Will Megs 83 remove light to med swirl marks when using a PC?
- Thread starter duffman
- Start date
Well i have a few cars i want to work on .. Not for profit
1 - green 96 Honda civic (my test car , its a mess)
2 - silver 01 dodge dakota (my truck, It has some swirls but they are very hard to see in normal lighting conditions.. but i know they are there haha
3 - Black 02 CRV, Light swirls
4 - Green 96 Accord, Light - med swirls ( another test car as it is only used to go to the city and back)
I have not purchaced anything yet, Looking to buy the PC with pads off this site for 200 bucks. and i need to get the polish.. I already have the Ktwins.. I picked Megs #83 because people on here seam to like it..
1 - green 96 Honda civic (my test car , its a mess)
2 - silver 01 dodge dakota (my truck, It has some swirls but they are very hard to see in normal lighting conditions.. but i know they are there haha
3 - Black 02 CRV, Light swirls
4 - Green 96 Accord, Light - med swirls ( another test car as it is only used to go to the city and back)
I have not purchaced anything yet, Looking to buy the PC with pads off this site for 200 bucks. and i need to get the polish.. I already have the Ktwins.. I picked Megs #83 because people on here seam to like it..
duffman - I'm in the same boat as you. I would also check on the brags forum because there are several guys who show what they used and the outcome. I have a black 99' Crv and it has swirls. I mostly will be using Meguiars #80 or light scratches but for some of the harder ones Poorboys 2.5 or even the #83 will get them out. Just make sure to go light first then go heavy.
Junebug
JAFO
Just a suggestion, but AutoGeek.Net has a deal on Optimum - see the kits section. Anyway, it's 239.99 and you get the PC, Optimum compound, polish and poli-seal, 3 MF towels and 5 pads and the backing plate. If you're starting out, it's not a bad deal. I'd pick up some Duragloss 105 and AW to top with and some DG wash, you could order that from AG too. Just to let you know, I have no connection, financial or otherwise to them, I've bought from them many times in the past and they were always good to deal with.
astaticwinter
New member
I've had good results with #83 on light to medium swirls. I use a PC, and Meguiar's pads...usually use the #83 with a polishing pad; if it's moderate swirls, I'll give it a whirl with #83 on a cutting pad lightly, they follow it up with #83 on the polishing pad.
When using #83, it's a good idea to finish off the area with #80 afterwards, as it's a finer cut polish, and will smooth out the surface even better. The #83 will cut pretty well, but with medium to heavy cut polish, it will leave a slight haze on the paint. You have to finish it off with a finer polish to get the optimum clarity in the paint. Also it's usually a good idea to top it off with either a pure polish to add some gloss and depth to it, even more so than the cutting polish.
Think of it like sandpaper. If you sand a piece of wood with say, 400 grit, it will remove a lot of the wood, and will leave the surface slightly rough. If you go over that with 800 grit, it will remove a lot less, but will smooth out the surface to a nice even plane. If you go over that with 2000 grit, you're not removing much at all, but really just finishing it off and making it as smooth as possible. Think of that as your three steps to polishing....medium cut, fine cut, and pure polish.
Hope some of this helps.
*EDIT*
Also, as mentioned previously, use the least agressive product to get the job done. Try to get the swirls out first with the fine polish. If they're very light, the #80 might just do the trick...no use to tackle the job with #83 first if the #80 will do just fine. You'll save yourself time, and won't have to remove any more clearcoat then needed.
When using #83, it's a good idea to finish off the area with #80 afterwards, as it's a finer cut polish, and will smooth out the surface even better. The #83 will cut pretty well, but with medium to heavy cut polish, it will leave a slight haze on the paint. You have to finish it off with a finer polish to get the optimum clarity in the paint. Also it's usually a good idea to top it off with either a pure polish to add some gloss and depth to it, even more so than the cutting polish.
Think of it like sandpaper. If you sand a piece of wood with say, 400 grit, it will remove a lot of the wood, and will leave the surface slightly rough. If you go over that with 800 grit, it will remove a lot less, but will smooth out the surface to a nice even plane. If you go over that with 2000 grit, you're not removing much at all, but really just finishing it off and making it as smooth as possible. Think of that as your three steps to polishing....medium cut, fine cut, and pure polish.
Hope some of this helps.
*EDIT*
Also, as mentioned previously, use the least agressive product to get the job done. Try to get the swirls out first with the fine polish. If they're very light, the #80 might just do the trick...no use to tackle the job with #83 first if the #80 will do just fine. You'll save yourself time, and won't have to remove any more clearcoat then needed.
Accumulator
Well-known member
Just a reminder that Meguiar's polishes, and especially the #80, leave "trade secret oils" ("TSO") behind. These can interfere with the bonding of some sealants, but using AIO before SG will prevent any problems with the Klasse twins. BUT..the AIO will clean away those TSO and that might uncover some light marring that was previously hidden; I've had this happen when using AIO-type products after #80 and it's why some people follow such polishes with an alcohol-wipe as part of their post-polishing inspection.
Hey if you think the optimum kit is good then i will go with that, i remember reading a few weeks ago that optimum was a good beginer polish.
question, Will these polishes be good to use before the Ktwins. And can someone explain what the difference is between KSG and a wax?
Heres the link to the site with the sale.
Optimum Porter Cable 7424 Kit Remove swirl marks and paint flaws
question, Will these polishes be good to use before the Ktwins. And can someone explain what the difference is between KSG and a wax?
Heres the link to the site with the sale.
Optimum Porter Cable 7424 Kit Remove swirl marks and paint flaws
imported_fishbonezken
New member
83 can cut pretty good, here's a picture , I gave it about 4-5 passes.
Half and half:
Before
After
M80 can remove light swirl marks, I use it for removing swirls marks that I get from regular washing.
M80 half and half :
Half and half:
Before
After
M80 can remove light swirl marks, I use it for removing swirls marks that I get from regular washing.
M80 half and half :
Optimum Polishes are very user friendly, have long working time, and are easy to remove.
However, on a single stage red Toyota that was in bad condition, I found that with a PC, that the Meg's 80, Optimum Polish and even Optimum Hyper Compound did all about the same on the surface even with cutting pads (Excel orange pads). However, the DACP, I think Megs # 83 made a noticable difference just with one pass. However, I HATE THIS PRODUCT as it is very tricky for me to use as it gums up the pad. For me on this particular car, I found it best not to go past 5 on the PC, try to keep the Pad clean, or replace the pad often. But for me, this product is a PITA, but on this particular car, single stage paint in bad shape, it was the best product that I had available.
If you are just starting out, the best recommendation I ever got was to get the optimum polishes, hyper compound and or speed glaze, but the most thing is to get a selection of pad choices. Meg. pads are good. Unfortunately they don't offer any cutting pads for PCs. NEVER use the burgundy pad on a PC unless you know what you are doing. Most detailers claim that will almost permantly marr the finish (although a very few like to use it) I suggest you get a value pack from someone like Excel (Patrick is a great guy) or LAke Country Pads maybe from Autogeek. Get a finishing pad for Wax, a light cut for polishing, and a compounding or cutting pad for getting tough swirls out or correction work. Also certain pads like certain backing plates, so talk with your rep and make sure you have the right plate. I use a 5" plate with my meg. polishing pads and I use a 6" backing plate with my Excel Pads.
(On a side note, the Meg. Burgundy pad is a great cutting pad for rotaries, but that is a whole different ball of wax than a PC)
There is no one perfect product, and talented detailers probably could make any product look good. Your orginal question was will Meg's 83 remove swirls with a PC.
YES, but it can be a PITA product. (I would have a couple of pad selections, and be prepared to clean them during the detail).
Good luck, and don't be surprised if your pad gets gummed up. It's not a fun product to learn on, but it a very effective product once you learn it, or tolerate it. And remember, it worked best for me not to go past 5 (I don't know why) to keep it from gumming up to bad.
However, on a single stage red Toyota that was in bad condition, I found that with a PC, that the Meg's 80, Optimum Polish and even Optimum Hyper Compound did all about the same on the surface even with cutting pads (Excel orange pads). However, the DACP, I think Megs # 83 made a noticable difference just with one pass. However, I HATE THIS PRODUCT as it is very tricky for me to use as it gums up the pad. For me on this particular car, I found it best not to go past 5 on the PC, try to keep the Pad clean, or replace the pad often. But for me, this product is a PITA, but on this particular car, single stage paint in bad shape, it was the best product that I had available.
If you are just starting out, the best recommendation I ever got was to get the optimum polishes, hyper compound and or speed glaze, but the most thing is to get a selection of pad choices. Meg. pads are good. Unfortunately they don't offer any cutting pads for PCs. NEVER use the burgundy pad on a PC unless you know what you are doing. Most detailers claim that will almost permantly marr the finish (although a very few like to use it) I suggest you get a value pack from someone like Excel (Patrick is a great guy) or LAke Country Pads maybe from Autogeek. Get a finishing pad for Wax, a light cut for polishing, and a compounding or cutting pad for getting tough swirls out or correction work. Also certain pads like certain backing plates, so talk with your rep and make sure you have the right plate. I use a 5" plate with my meg. polishing pads and I use a 6" backing plate with my Excel Pads.
(On a side note, the Meg. Burgundy pad is a great cutting pad for rotaries, but that is a whole different ball of wax than a PC)
There is no one perfect product, and talented detailers probably could make any product look good. Your orginal question was will Meg's 83 remove swirls with a PC.
YES, but it can be a PITA product. (I would have a couple of pad selections, and be prepared to clean them during the detail).
Good luck, and don't be surprised if your pad gets gummed up. It's not a fun product to learn on, but it a very effective product once you learn it, or tolerate it. And remember, it worked best for me not to go past 5 (I don't know why) to keep it from gumming up to bad.
Junebug
JAFO
Careful! you'll end up like us - crazy detailers!