Any advice on Meguiars G220

[WPJ]

Hi all,

Ive been thinking of investing in a megs G220 but i am a bit worried about using it!, as i have never used a machine polisher before.
My car is a NHB EP3 and has a lot of swirl marks on it, (mostly caused by myself)! After looking up information about polishing online and have realised there is a lot more to cleaning your car than just attacking it with some polish and a piece of cloth!!
So im looking to get rid of these swirls that ive caused and understand that the car needs to be cleaned properly, clayed etc, but im unsure about what pads i should use for the g220 and the whole polishing process in general.

Here are the products im thinking of using as i already have the Meguiars 3 step system.

Meguiars clay
Meguiars Deep crystal paint cleaner
Meguiars Ultimate compound
Meguiars Deep crystal polish
Meguiars Deep crystal carnauba wax

What im unsure about is, do i apply all products with the machine? or does the paint cleaner and wax need to go on by hand? do i need to use the paint cleaner and the compound etc

My other problem is that i dont have a garage to put the car in and i would probably be doing this over the weekend out side my house. Im just thinking is it worth having a go my self or would it be better saving my money and taking the car to a pro?
I just dont want to spend alot of time and money just to find i have had no results or even worse, ruined my paint work!!

Any advice would be much appreciated

 

[Deeper Detail]

Hi mate.

The G220 is a good DA polisher, but there are cheaper ones on the market that do the same job, namely the DAS6 and DAS pro by kestrel.
It is a pretty safe way to do it yourself, but it will take time. A new edition to the market are the micro fibre pads that megs do, which get good correction via DA, but after testing, it does remove a fair bit of your clear coat too, some times more than via rotary, so be careful if you do choose these.

You apply the compound via machine (cutting pad to correct the paint) and you can use the paint cleanser via machine (with a soft pad), but also by hand if you like.

When you work out the cost of the G220, plus the pads and compound/polish you could get a good enhancement done to your car, but if you think you will use them again, then it's an investment.

I've only replied quickly as I'm supposed to be entertaining guests, but give me a shout if you want to discuss anything that your unsure about.

 

[WPJ]

Thanks for your reply,

since my last post i have bought the Kestrel DAS6 with the these Sonus pads:-

1x SFX-2 Enhance swirl removing pad
1x SFX-3 Final finish high gloss pad
1x SFX-4 Seal and protect final gloss pad

I have had a bit of practice with the machine on a spare bonnet i had in the shed and it isnt as hard as i thought it would be, Its just practice i think, still a bit nervous though when it comes to my car!!

Do you think that these pads will be fine to use on the honda paint? or is the first pad to hard? should i go straight for the second and third pads?

Another thing im unsure about is should i be working on, lets say the bonnet per wknd, or should i attempt the whole car?

Thanks again for your advice

 

[Deeper Detail]

Thanks for your reply,

since my last post i have bought the Kestrel DAS6 with the these Sonus pads:-

1x SFX-2 Enhance swirl removing pad
1x SFX-3 Final finish high gloss pad
1x SFX-4 Seal and protect final gloss pad

I have had a bit of practice with the machine on a spare bonnet i had in the shed and it isnt as hard as i thought it would be, Its just practice i think, still a bit nervous though when it comes to my car!!

Do you think that these pads will be fine to use on the honda paint? or is the first pad to hard? should i go straight for the second and third pads?

Another thing im unsure about is should i be working on, lets say the bonnet per wknd, or should i attempt the whole car?

Thanks again for your advice

As with all machining, you want the least aggressive polishing pad with a light polish and work up from there until you get the correction you want out of the combination, then work back down to enhance the finish afterwards. What polish are you using?

To be cautious, start with the SFX-3. Go careful on any edges, lips or ridges, as these are places where you could have thinner paint and will be easier to burn through. Though a da is pretty safe.

Take your time and enjoy it, rather than trying to do the car in a short space of time. It will take you longer to do a car with a da than with a rotary, so concentrate on, say, the 2 front wings, when your happy with the finish, move on to a different section.

 

[JMR]

Thanks for your reply,

since my last post i have bought the Kestrel DAS6 with the these Sonus pads:-

1x SFX-2 Enhance swirl removing pad
1x SFX-3 Final finish high gloss pad
1x SFX-4 Seal and protect final gloss pad

I have had a bit of practice with the machine on a spare bonnet i had in the shed and it isnt as hard as i thought it would be, Its just practice i think, still a bit nervous though when it comes to my car!!

Do you think that these pads will be fine to use on the honda paint? or is the first pad to hard? should i go straight for the second and third pads?

Another thing im unsure about is should i be working on, lets say the bonnet per wknd, or should i attempt the whole car?

Thanks again for your advice

I have a porter cable dual action polisher as well as a 3m rotary.
i use the sonus pads with the pc. they are pretty good to be honest and i get on with them really well.

the sfx 2 polishimg pad should be fine for your car, i have used this pad on my satin silver ep3 and tested paint thickness before and after machine polishing. Little clearcoat removal but enough to remove swirls and imperfections.

what polish are you using? nothing too harsh as my paint readings were btween 90 and 120microns depending on posiiton on the panel, i.e centre or edge

i used menzerna p203s iirc. dodo juice lime prime makes a nice job but not quite enough cut with the sfx2 i thought.

worth banging a layer of black hole on before waxing/sealing if you have any.

HTH

 

[WPJ]

As with all machining, you want the least aggressive polishing pad with a light polish and work up from there until you get the correction you want out of the combination, then work back down to enhance the finish afterwards. What polish are you using?

To be cautious, start with the SFX-3. Go careful on any edges, lips or ridges, as these are places where you could have thinner paint and will be easier to burn through. Though a da is pretty safe.

Take your time and enjoy it, rather than trying to do the car in a short space of time. It will take you longer to do a car with a da than with a rotary, so concentrate on, say, the 2 front wings, when your happy with the finish, move on to a different section.

I was planing on using the Megs Ultimate compound with the SFX-2 pad but am a bit woried with paint removal, The car's paint is pretty bad with alot of swirling, you can even see the light scratches in the clear coat without sunlight! From what i gather the ultimate compound is pretty aggressive but is ok providing you use the right pads

So would you say, use the ultimate compound with the SFX-3 rather than the SFX-2? and just see how it goes, Ive just never done it before and dont really whant to ball's it up!!

 

[JMR]

No, if the polish you use is too aggressive, irrespective of what pad you use, you will not get the gloss finish you will require.

As the Megs Ultimate uses micro abrasives you may get satisfactory results with the SFX3.
If not move up to the SFX2. Just keep the speed down and check your work often.

Surprising what good results you can get with Autoglym SRP on black which is very soft, worth getting a small bottle from Halfords for £6.
If its not up to the job then at least youve not knackered anything. AG SRP is quite mild.

 

[WPJ]

No, if the polish you use is too aggressive, irrespective of what pad you use, you will not get the gloss finish you will require.

As the Megs Ultimate uses micro abrasives you may get satisfactory results with the SFX3.
If not move up to the SFX2. Just keep the speed down and check your work often.



Surprising what good results you can get with Autoglym SRP on black which is very soft, worth getting a small bottle from Halfords for £6.
If its not up to the job then at least youve not knackered anything. AG SRP is quite mild.

Might as well give it a try for £6, if not ill give the sfx-3 a go with the megs ultimate and just take my time, probably just do the bonnet over the weekend and see how i get on.

Cheers mate

 

[Deeper Detail]

I was planing on using the Megs Ultimate compound with the SFX-2 pad but am a bit woried with paint removal, The car's paint is pretty bad with alot of swirling, you can even see the light scratches in the clear coat without sunlight! From what i gather the ultimate compound is pretty aggressive but is ok providing you use the right pads

So would you say, use the ultimate compound with the SFX-3 rather than the SFX-2? and just see how it goes, Ive just never done it before and dont really whant to ball's it up!!

Ultimate compound isn't that aggressive in the scheme of compounds, so unless you have all your body weight over the machine then I wouldn't worry too much.
To be safe, with you not doing any kind of correction before though, have a go with the -3 pad and ultimate compound, a small area 2' square or less and see how you get on (How many times you have to go over it to see a better result) If it takes lots of sets, then step up to the -2 pad. Usually you would have a number of different compounds and would step up on the compound first before, but.....

As JMR says, you can get good results with SRP, but beware it does contain some of the best fillers out there, so you can get a great finish, but after a couple of washes you may see a fall back as the fillers are washed away.

Correcting with a DA takes time, so as long as you aren't putting excessive pressure on the machine whilst your using it, I would recommend that you go with the ultimate compound to enhance the finish (-2 or -3 pad depending how you feel) and then further enhance what you have gained in finish with the SRP if you get any, with the -3 pad or the -4.....

I'm just trying to advise on what you have to work with, if I was using my own gear it would be scholl concepts S17+ and various pads and then finishing down with either 3M ultrafina or menzerna final finish on the softest pad known to man lol.

 

[JMR]

.... if I was using my own gear it would be scholl concepts S17+ and various pads and then finishing down with either 3M ultrafina or menzerna final finish on the softest pad known to man lol.

A lot of people over the past year have moved to Scholl. Is it really that good?
Like you, I like menz final finish, though my car's silver, so the benefit of the extra polishing stage never seems to bear much fruit.

 

[Deeper Detail]

A lot of people over the past year have moved to Scholl. Is it really that good?
Like you, I like menz final finish, though my car's silver, so the benefit of the extra polishing stage never seems to bear much fruit.

S17+ is really really good. if you use say wool, or a really aggressive pad it works like power gloss, but then with a good gloss to match when used with a with a finishing pad. Without any dust.

Though, the only ones I've really got to know is S17+ and S3 Gold......

Using the final finish on your car will gloss the finish up further, definitely.... No doubt.

 

[JMR]

Cheers dude.

I will get some. No dust. Paradise

 

[Deeper Detail]

Another good thing about it, is the short set time, 60-90 seconds, hence why you don't get to much dusting. If you do get excessive dusting, you have either used to much, or worked it to long.