The big thing that worries me is whether or not i'm using too little of the compound.. Before I started using 105 I read that a little goes a LONG way, so maybe, just maybe, I am using too little in my work area.
When using 105 for cutting (or any of Meguiars compounds or polishes), it is critical to fully prime the entire face of your pad. Basically, you should see no yellow area on your yellow pad.
After priming, use 2-3 small dots (skittles sized) for each 16”x16” section. Be sure to blow out the pad with shop air or use a pad brush to gently clean the pad after each section. Pad cleaning is CRITICAL because the removed clearcoat will build-up in the pad, and will affect your level of cut and finish. M105 has a fairly short work time, so after your second pass, you may want to blow out the pad and spray a light mist of water onto the surface – then continue working.
In this particular case, I used a yellow cutting pad on the roof, and an orange light cutting pad on the rest of the panels. I used M105 with both.
Are the Megs pads better than these ones?
Generally speaking, for cutting, the MF discs do cut faster (have better leveling ability) and are easier to handle than stiff foam compounding pads. They do require more diligent cleaning due to microfibers’ tendency to hang onto residue/debris from the correction process.
Also, play around with the arm speed. Generally speaking, there are a few areas you need to pay attention to: 1) defect removal, 2) temperature of the surface, and 3) work time of the product. Your results in these three areas are going to depend on your polisher speed, size of work area, arm pressure, arm speed and number of passes. You will need to experiment with those five variables until you find a combination that delivers the results you need.
With that said, it is also entirely possible that this polisher/pad/product combo is inadequate for the type of paint and defects that you are working on. What kind of car is this? The Explorer?
