M105 vs OHC via Makita w/ 4" PFW

Finally got a chance to use the M105 that I've had for some time. For a newbie I've had a difficult road so far, both cars that I play with the most '05 Taurus and '03 Corolla have rather hard paint. Sooo... everything I've tried to date via UDM and Makita hasn't had much of a dent regarding the removal of swirls in the '03 Corolla's finish.

So I tried the following for giggles to see what works best/fastest at removing the swirls.

All tests were using a Makita 9227c via PFW 4" pad
- OHC and M105 @ 2 passes.

The M105 took out most of the swirls in those 2 passes as compared to the OHC. The M105 in my experience today appeared to flash rather quickly. (Keep in my my first experiences involved the Optimum line that works forever). I spritzed the surface, and/or pad with distilled water and went at it again if needed with the M105, 1-2 passes.

I love the working time of the Optimum product, but much rather have the correcting capability of M105.

What other pads are there that are more aggressive than the PFW that I could use to remove the RIDS?

Also, I had to use isopropyl alcohol to remove any access M105 left on the paint as nothing else would make it come off, is this normal?

 

You could probably move up to a larger pad with the PFW or get a true wool pad if you want more cut with your makita..but if the rids are too deep i would just leave them alone or you could try wetsanding them out

The way i like to use M105 might be different than others...i literally work it till it disappears on the paint. With its unigrit abrasives you are actually not breaking the product down, so that is the working time discrepancy you are seeing vs HC. Think of it as a little safety buffer because with sharp small abrasives, if you continued to work the product for the time you do HC, it would jsut cut and cut and cut...see where im going with this? The early flash point is built so you dont take off all your paint...or another way that is catching popularity is to use the unigrit abrasives and can spritz some water on the panel and continue buffing...you kinda cut as deep as you need to, to get all the imperfections worth chasing out in the one compounding step. This is how i do it anyway, others may have a better approach

 

You need to step up to a full wool pad if the rids are that bad. You can remove the 105 several different ways, rubbing with your finger, using the polish itself with a microfiber, water or the way you described.

 

What other wool pads would you recommend? (i.e. full wool, etc...) I also have the larger 6.5" PFW and was afraid to put some pressure down, risk of heating up the paint (did this with foam and now a little apprehensive, although when using the 4" pad I noticed that there was minimal heat if any.

I'm still learning!

 

The great thing about the PFW versus say a foam pad is that the heat is kept to more of a minimum. Im not saying it wont get hot, but im saying it will stay cooler. I was playing around like i always do and set out on my roommate's car with M95 and an orange pad, i could barely even touch the paint after, it was that hot. With PFW, you get more cut than an orange pad, without all the heat. If i were in the market for wool pads (which im not) but i would probably pick up the offerings of Meguiars.

 

That was my experience exactly, orange pad & M105. Hence I tried the PFW and was pleasantly surprised. I'll look @ the Meguiar's line

 

Good luck sir, please let us know

 

I used the exact combo you used n I faced the exact problem you faced. haha. But I clear the excess m105 with m80 instead of the isopropyl alcohol.

 

Ordered some wool pads to play with one of these weekends....

Meguiar's Solo 7" Wool WWHC7 Heavy Cutting Pad
Meguiar's Solo 7" Wool WWLC7 Light Cutting Pad
Meguiar's 8" Cut N' Shine W4000 Wool Pad

 

d00d, you don't mess around...I like it! :thumb:

 

Great job!! Grab the bull by the horns haha

 

That's how I roll :gidiup:

Now that I've started seeing real results, not just filling in the swirls I want to learn to do it right. That paint on the '03 Corolla's are hard.