Finally had a nice weekend to play with the Makita on my daily driver, '05 Taurus. Overall the paint was in great condition, but there were some RIDS and I wanted to bring the shine up a notch and try to "jeweling". I went over most of the car with a LC CCS white pad and Optimum Polish. Result looks great. When I got to the hood, considering it takes a lot of abuse, I decided to try the Optimum Compound with an orange pad. It was already darker by the time I got to the hood, so I had the exterior lights on and this is where I noticed the difference. In the daylight the rest of the car looked great, nice reflection, shine, etc.... I had a great reference point as there was a lamp above the car which I could see reflecting off of the bottom of the good. After one pass with the orange CCS pad and Optimum Compound, I had the perfect (looked so to me )finish as the lamp that was perfectly reflected on the hood, like a crystal clear mirror. Only issue I had was that at times the compound would clump up and discard little rolls of product. My running speeds were 1-2 to spread the product and ramped it up to 3 to break down, then back down a couple clicks with no pressure passes. While running at speed 3 I was applying medium pressure to get the correction that was needed. Applied 2 coats of CG's M-Seal by hand for my LSP. *** I am assuming that: regarding the product clumping a) I may have been using too much product b) too large of an area being worked (i.e. I worked the hood in 2 halves, rather than 4 smaller areas) c)?? (Fill in here) BTW: As a newb, I was surprised that a rather moderatly aggressive approach was able to bring out a perfect reflection and shine, LSP ready for sure. Safe to assume the paint is rather hard? I'm learning :getdown
Looks great. Love the hood.:applause2: Tell, us more about the M-Seal. Easy to use, easy to take off?
My experience with M-Seal has been very favorable, especially for the application and removal process. Sometimes I will apply it by machine, UDM with a red CCS pad and othertimes by hand with a red CCS applicator pad. Both applications are easy, however I think I've been applying it by hand a little thicker though It comes off very easily. Effort to remove the product off of the surface is very minimal. My only other comparison is P21S 100%, to which M-Seal has proven easier to wipe off. IME, I have found that once M-Seal has thoroughly cured, the surface is very smooth. To get to this point takes some time, either overnight or up to 30 minutes or so when in the sun. The paint surface feels smoother/slicker after a coat of M-Seal to whereas P21S 100% feels softer, rather than smoother/slicker. Klasse SG is the 1st sealant that I have had experience with. M-Seal is the 2nd, and I like it. I've read a lot of reviews on the various sealants out there and must say that on light colored silver metallic paints, and the Ariona Beige on the Taurus, the look in person is amazing. The M-Seal really brings out the metallic flake in the paint and does have some micro-filling properties. It's so easy to apply and remove that the longevity IME is decent enough. I'd say a good 2 months if not a little more of good/solid beading, if the surface was cleaned thoroughly before hand (i.e. Klasse AIO) This is the key to making this sealant work. In a nutshell, would I buy another gallon once this one runs out? High possibility, due to the looks, and how easy it is to apply and remove. I have ordered a bottle of CG's VertuaBond to see if it helps longevity at all. And the price/performance value is not bad, comparing that the next step up is JetSeal, and it's MUCH more expensive. I am curious how M-Seal compares to FS-Seal, if anyone has had any experience with it?
I have not used M-Seal, but can tell you about FS Sealant. FS Sealant has the advantage of curing almost instantly, when other sealants require 12-24 hours for curing. Very easy on-off and it last around 3-4 months in year round tropical weather sitting outside 24/7. Carnauba usually last around a month or slightly more/less. If you have more nicer weather, it can last you up to 6 months. Joey
Looks good! Nice work! I may have to try the Optimum Compound/Polish one of these days. I have to burn through a gallon of the 1Z Proline stuff first. Should be able to by the end of next year
The new versions of OP/OC have a little more cut, but still keep the same features as of working time and almost zero dusting.
