I use Deep Crystal System Step2 Polish. What I experienced is the real pain in a butt to remove this thing. Usually I endup with smudges circular which I have to remove by wiping them out with a Quick Detailer.

What is the easiest way to apply and remove this stuff. How much to put it on and how soon to remove it? I went to the Meguiar's clinic but that didn't help me much. Any advice will be appreciated.

MikeB

mikeb,
I'm not first-hand familiar with using the deep crystal stuff. I've always stuck to Meguiar's Mirror Glaze #7. I've tried Zymol, 3M, Mothers, etc but still found that for a polish...the #7 is still the best. Never had a problem removing #7 though. Just use a terry to get most of it in a quick-wipe fashion. Then come back with a diaper style cloth and get the last 10% or so. Speaking of which, I have noticed that on most polishes/waxes/swirl removers/etc the two step removal system outlined above works best. (unless whatever you are removing comes off super-easy) Hit the high spots with a 100% cotton terry, then come back for a final perfection run with the diaper cloth. This method also helps if you have applied too much product.

Hope this helps...Lee

PS you can also spray a bit of clean water onto an area that is streaking. (then buff off) That has been known to help on occasion as well.

What condition is your paint in?
If you have lots of oxidation, you may have to use a rubbing compound to get rid of the dead paint.

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Bill Wood - Webmaster
MercedesShop.com, LLC

Lee,

What is the best method to apply polish? For example, when working on a hood should I apply polish to the whole hood and then start removing or rather should I work at one section at the time?

Bill,

The car was repainted maybe a year ago so the paint is in very good condition.

MikeB

Another application-related question: when first applying the #7, or #26 for that matter, it seems that quite a bit of it soaks into the cloth. Is it ok to use a damp cloth for applying #7 and #26 or is there a better way? Also, when using a buffer, is there any harm in dampening the terry cloth pad? Just wondering.

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Robert W. Roe
1984 300SD 166,077 miles

Since the paint is that new, DO NOT use rubbing compound. Try using Meguiar's #7 polish and apply to a section at a time and immediately remove. I usually divide the car into 5 sections...roof, hood, trunk, left side, right side. Do one section at a time.

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Bill Wood - Webmaster
MercedesShop.com, LLC

Most cotton covered foam, or pure foam, applicators soak up a bit of any product when you first use them. Just apply the product and use. Do not wet the applicator unless you plan on detailing for exercise. Since the paint is new the most I'd use is #9 by hand. Apply to one section at a time. Depending on how bad the paint is you will want to have smaller sections. On a car with relatively good/loved/cared for paint Bill's summary of sections is spot on. If it is a bit more on the rough side, you may want to split the roof and hood into halves. The horizontal surfaces usually are worse so the sides should still be easy enough. I usually divide the sides into upper/lower as the lower usually takes more abuse. I've not noticed any gain from using an orbital with #7 or any of the waxes. It helps a little bit with #9 but you can never really go wrong with manual. You may also want to search the Shop Forum archives (be sure to search from the beginning not just last 30 days or whatever) and see what turns up.

Hope this helps...Lee