Bought myself some Meguiar's Ultimate Compound for Christmas and WOW. Used my polisher/buffer and did the entire car. After I buffed and wiped down with a microfiber towel took my finger and got a squeak like I was rubbing across some glass.

I cannot find any swirls or lines on the hood. Took out 95% of the same on the tailgate. With the vert, there are more than on a hardtop as when you open and close the top your finger nails do a job where the tailgate meets the fabric top.

Waxed it up and I am one very happy person.

 

That's awesome! UC always has a place in my detailing bag, nowadays I use it primarily to clean up the door sills, engine compartment, and random items that I can't hit with my polisher. Did you follow up with polish or go straight to wax?

I'm one of those who go all out OCD when I detail. I can easily spend an entire day on the paint alone, longer if it's rougher.....then another whole day on the engine, interior, and trim!

There's nothing like having a spit shined ride.

 

I really like it. The smat abrasives really work well with a random orbital. As an over the counter item, it's tough to beat. I find that if I use a white lake country polishing pad with little cut, I really don't need to follow up with a milder polish.

 

I'm going to try UC on hard water spots that's baked on my sons black BMW. I've tried Rupes Quarz and we still have a lot of hard water spots to be seen so it might be a losing proposition but I won't know till I try.

 

Meguiar's makes a hard water spot removal compound. I used it combined with Ultimate Compound with pretty good results.

Also, get one of Meguiar's wool cutting pads. That is the difference maker. You can get it at Wally World. As much as I hate going there

 

thanks for the advice. Learning how to use the da too, so... . I learned the pad has to rotate with some pressure, not having a direct drive da so to say I found by coincidence using a previously washed, still wet pad to do a better faster job of it, but the splatters, Yikes!

The water spots been baked on the vehicle for over a year and thinking it really needs to be wet sanded some to get it all out of the paint. Oh well

what is the product# for the Meg's Hard Water Spot Compound Remover ?

 

here you go - http://www.autogeek.net/meguiars-wat...t-remover.html

 

Thanks! for the info. Think I got it going with a coarse foam pad and Meg's UC. Will have to go repolish some panels with the new technique.

 

If you use ultimate, follow up with # 205 ultra finish polish. If you go that far then also use # 7 showcar glaze and finish with # 26 hitech yellow wax. All Mequiars. Of course there are other makes of products out there that depending on who you talk with are the best thing since sliced bread. The type of pads are also important if you are using a buffer/polish tool.

It sometimes get to the point that a person spends so much time detailing the car they don't want to drive it and mess the thing up. I like a detailed car but I like driving the car more.

 

wondering if UC has any grit to it? Unless the grit has settled to the bottom of the bottle sitting on Walmart's shelf it seems to be a liquid/chemical type of compound. I've not looked under detailers light to find scratches/swirls from the use of UC and waxed it up. Gets shinny smooth

Yeah, I could imagine the steps to get a showroom finish

 

I am thinking that if you really take the time and have all the right products along with correct procedures you produce something better than the showroom finish.

 

These should help. I own my own detail business and have had these on my shops wall for years.

 

^^^ Good info for a newbie. Thanks!

 

Glad I could help

 

Mini Vinnie and anyone else, do you recommend UC or Hard Water Spot Compound Remover over chemically-based water spot removers?

I have a couple of old, baked-on water spots on the hood of my car that I'd love to eliminate. I've tried some mild polishes and paint prep potions i have on hand without much luck so am ready to try something else, but I'm skittish about using abrasives to get the job done as the paint is otherwise perfect (and I'm just a wimp). ;-)

Meguiar's has a product that claims to use only safe chemical neutralization to lift out old water spots (http://www.meguiars.com/en/marine/pr...-spot-remover/) and Chemical Guys and others have similar products. Any idea whether these work, or should I save time and $ and go right to the Hard Water Spot Compound and/or UC? (If it matters, I apply all products by hand, super bad arthritis in fingers makes using a DA too difficult.)

Paul S., did you have any luck?

 

If your water spot has been there for a while, I think you'll potentially need both the water spot remover to pull up the mineral deposit and then the UC since the paint will probably be etched.

UC is a prett safe product to use and very versatile. I like having it in my arsenal.

 

I used MX7 water spot remover then polished using UC with a 4" da(took me days to do the whole car), thought I had conquered the water spots but after waxing the finished panel the water spots showed up the next day to my amazement. At that point I knew what I was going to end with. Mind you I don't have the expertise or the tools at hand as a detailer would and that being my 1st stab at detailing. Guess my next step would have been the sandpaper trip and I wasn't about to experiment on a bmw.

Maybe if I had a flex 3401 direct drive to use with Meg's UC I would have had a better outcome. But in all honesty I could have paid more attention to the polish work using a detailing light at different angles to see if any remnants of the water spots still being there but I swear I thought it was polished out.

I assume every job is slightly different due to severity of the damage and products/tools available at hand.

 

Not sure where you're located but send me a pm and you're more than welcome to use my DA and chemicals, otherwise I'll try and recommend a local shop and see where you can go to have it professionally removed.

 

mahalo for the offer but the East Coast is a far ways off, lol. In all honesty my son's bmw got repo'd after my detailing and rear brake redo. The repo guy told me he passed by for days and seeing the car on jackstands he allowed me time to complete the jobs, although unknowingly on my part. Figures

 

Thanks guys, good feedback.

I've got just a couple of water spots, and not too noticeable at that , but I'd like to get rid of them if I can.

I'm going to order both the UC and some good water spot remover (probably stick w/Meguiar's brand on that, too) and see how it goes.

 

Given your location it might be a bit tough to just stop by with your car. Better yet? I'll pack up a suitcase and come visit with polisher in tow.

Sorry to hear about the repo process. That's a shame that you did the extra work and spent the cash with for no reason. Hopefully your son is alright as well. Not fun going through a repo of a car.

 

NJ Mini that would have been nice of you to do so,lol. It's starting to heat up here which would make one sweat beer having a go at it. On to my windshield work, the MX-7 water spot remover for glass worked well on my weather beaten windshield, hand applied at that. I've come to think I may not have correctly applied the Carpro Ceriglass polish, some say to spray water although it'll sling. No wonder why applying it with the da it dried up quickly. But even if that I believe MX-7 for glass is the better choice to remove water marks on the windshield. Used the Right way, Ceriglass may kill 2 birds with one stone so to say, tackling scratches and water marks with one product, idk. Never thought I'd come across that many chips in my windshield

 

I'm looking for your sage advice. Since I lost my wife I have not detailed her 2006S hatchback for about four years. Before, I detailed it about once per year. I drug out my kit and learned most all my pads have crumbled, and my polish (Amigo) and Wax (Epic) are dried up in bad shape. My clay was usable but don't have much so need clay also. So I'm asking for your advice on:
1 Polish using a PC orbital and which pad
2 Wax and which pad (synthetic, conventional, ceramic)?
3 And where to source these

Since I don't drive this much, keep it inside and under a cover, I would like something that will last a decent time. Saving it for my granddaughter. I'm 73 and trying to stay alive long enough to teacher her to drive it. haha
Thanks very much.