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From digest.v5.n51 Tue Jul 30 22:44:58 1996
From: Thomas Nast <tbn_at_eskimo.com>
Date: Tue, 30 Jul 1996 19:11:16 -0700 (PDT)
Subject: New Meguiar's products

Meguair's has some really terrific new products which those of you not addicted to Zymol might want to check out. These are the "Professional Line," and you won't see these in auto parts stores. Even auto body supply stores don't seem to carry some of them. I get mine at Exeter Garage in Seattle (206.622.9800).

The new products are based on different abrasives than the old product line, which used diatomaceous clays. The new ones use silica, giving them a white color instead of the reddish hue of yore. As before, the abrasives break down during use, so it is like using an ever-finer sandpaper on the finish, an approach which yields the most satisfying result with the least possible amount of work. Mechanically, I think the silica is finer than the clays were, but perhaps break down a bit more slowly.

The best new product is "Swirl Free Polish" (the new products do not have the traditional, confusing Meguiar's product number, but the mfg. number for a 32 oz. bottle is M-8232). Despite being called a "polish", this stuff actually also cleans (there is a tradition of misleading naming to respect, after all), and is *much* less aggressive than No. 2, which had been the first-line cleaner of choice. Used with tan "Finishing Pads" (W-9000), it seems to remove far less paint doing its job than did No. 2, and can be followed directly by Medallion with- out an intermediate polishing step. And, it's spatter is easier to clean up than is No. 2's. For those of us who keep our exteriors in pretty good shape, this is the best Meguiar's product to ever come along.

Swirl Free Polish's hand counterpart is called "Hand Polish" (mfg. no. M-8132). Use on ridges, edges and places that can't be reached with a polishing pad. It takes a lot of effort compared to machine polishing, so if deep cleaning is needed you might want to first try the DA Cleaner Polish (below) or No. 2 by hand, followed by Hand Polish.

For deep machine cleaning, try the new "Dual Action Cleaner Polish" (mfg. no. 8332). This product swirls a whole lot less than No. 2, in part because it is usually used with the Finishing Pad instead of the more aggressive yellow "Polishing" pad (W-1000) which was typically used with No. 2. If more aggressive cleaning is needed than DA Cleaner Polish with a Finishing Pad can provide, you can use it with a more aggressive pad, such as the maroon "Cutting Pad" (W-7000). In other words, try a more aggressive pad before going to a more aggressive compound (for example, No. 1 Machine Cleaner). Follow the DA Cleaner Polish with a Swirl Free Polish step. On a challenging car I recently detailed, which literally changed color as the dirt deep in the paint pores was cleaned out, the only places I resorted to No. 2 (with Polishing Pad) were rocker panels and an area that had been rubbed in a parking lot encounter (the latter requiring repeated sessions so as not to overheat the paint).

Kudos to Meguiar's for adopting a velcro attach scheme for the pads (excepting the small Polishing Pad (W-6000). This saves some time and considerable inconvenience.

The last new product you should have in your arsenal is "Overspray Clay." This clay is expensive (about $30), but one block should last a lifetime or two. Use it on stubborn raised imperfections in the paint (generally foreign matter that won't wash or gently polish off, such as overspray or tree sap). Simply spray on some No. 34 ("Final Inspection") as a lubricant, and slide the clay over the spot once or twice. The imperfection is removed with no damage to the paint!

So now a car's paint can be detailed with maybe four Meguiar's products in your inventory (plus pads) instead of the eight or so it took previously. It's a step in the right direction; I doubt we'll ever have one product that does it all (Zurtle Wax, anyone?).

Th.B. Nast
"I am not on the Meguiar's payroll, nor could they afford to hire me."

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