# Best 1 Step polish?



## pharmed (Feb 11, 2013)

Ideally I want a 1 step polish with built in LSP. I have Yellow and Blue 3M waffle pads...

The car is a BMW 6 Series.

On my list are either:

Scholl A15+/S17+

Or... shall I go with a 2 step like megs 105/205 with no lsp?

Btw - Newbie alert so go easy :newbie:


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## AllenF (Aug 20, 2012)

You gonna be lucky to do that with one product due to the nature of them being different.
A compound cuts an lsp bonds with the paint dont get fooled by things called fillers ( like srp) you think you have cut them out but really you have just filled them in with silicon ( do a test take a can of silcon dash spray and spray a bit on one LITTLE area voila its gone........ Until you wash it then there all back again)
Better going the 105-205 lsp route mate cut them out properly to start with. Do it right do it once
Oh and you might want to look at some stronger pads too depending on how bad it is


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## Junior Bear (Sep 2, 2008)

If you dont beed dedicated correction then An AIO is what your after by the sounds of it


Dodo juice need for speed
Autofinesse tripple
Britemax AIO
ZAIO


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## Mirror Finish Details (Aug 21, 2008)

If it's not too swirly I have good results with school a15 on a yellow pad. Just take your time. If its swirly then scholl s2 is designed for tough German clear with a wool pad is great.


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## pharmed (Feb 11, 2013)

To be honest the swirls are not bad at all, light to medium if that. 

I probably am looking for an AIO

How do the aforementioned compare to say... scholl A15+


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## Junior Bear (Sep 2, 2008)

They have lsp in them


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## pharmed (Feb 11, 2013)

I thought the scholl did too?


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## DJ X-Ray (Sep 2, 2012)

Tbh if it ain't too bad i'd use the 205 with a finishing pad,then once jewelled to what i'd call perfection i'd apply a wax/sealant,,failing that, these two are decent- Werkstatt Prime
Klasse AIO.


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## ronwash (Mar 26, 2011)

A15,i dont use it alot,but if you like a very good aio,its very good.
if theres no real paint defects,go for s20 blue,stunning flexibale polish.


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## Franzpan (Mar 2, 2009)

Meguiars paint reconditioning cream is pretty gpood on a medium cut pad.


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## Black.MB (Aug 22, 2012)

If you are not working with AIO product always get wax/sealant after polish.
I've never worked on 6 series, but all other BMWs I've worked on so far had relatively hard clear coat.
If you want a quick solution with nice results, go with Menz FG400 on DA. It is labelled as one step polish. Corrects fast and with DA and proper technique finishes down LSP ready. Then just wax/seal after. If you had less cut in mind, you can't go wrong with Menz PO203s or Meg's Ultimate compound:thumb:


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## D.Taylor R26 (Feb 5, 2012)

Id be surprised if A15 removed many of the swirls. You'd get better results using S3 then A15 to refine and protect.


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## pharmed (Feb 11, 2013)

Black.MB said:


> If you are not working with AIO product always get wax/sealant after polish.
> I've never worked on 6 series, but all other BMWs I've worked on so far had relatively hard clear coat.
> If you want a quick solution with nice results, go with Menz FG400 on DA. It is labelled as one step polish. Corrects fast and with DA and proper technique finishes down LSP ready. Then just wax/seal after. If you had less cut in mind, you can't go wrong with Menz PO203s or Meg's Ultimate compound:thumb:


I'm using a rotary and have Megs ultimate polish in my armory so might add the ultimate compound to it too

Will FG400 work with a rotary?


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## Porta (Jan 3, 2007)

pharmed said:


> I'm using a rotary and have Megs ultimate polish in my armory so might add the ultimate compound to it too
> 
> Will FG400 work with a rotary?


FG400 works ace with a rotary. But remember even it this product finishes of nicely - for being a compound - it's still a compound.

EDIT

If you are going to do a one step "correction" then I would go for Menzerna Power finish, PO203S. If you are going for a AIO route, then
Scholl Concepts A15 is a good product. But remember AIO are always compromising. IE they don't correct as much as a polish and they don't protect 
as much as a dedicated LSP (wax, sealant or coating).


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## Black.MB (Aug 22, 2012)

FG400 will work prerfectly with a rotary. But it needs some practice with it to finish down lsp ready. As above, if you're working with rotary get PO203s, it cuts less and finishes down nice. Ultimate compound is SMAT product. This means the abrasives don't break down like Menz, but stay the same size all the time. This allows you finishing the set whenever you want (classic DAT compounds require full break down for a nice finish). This may make the product more "beginner friendly"


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## pharmed (Feb 11, 2013)

Black.MB said:


> FG400 will work prerfectly with a rotary. But it needs some practice with it to finish down lsp ready. As above, if you're working with rotary get PO203s, it cuts less and finishes down nice. Ultimate compound is SMAT product. This means the abrasives don't break down like Menz, but stay the same size all the time. This allows you finishing the set whenever you want (classic DAT compounds require full break down for a nice finish). This may make the product more "beginner friendly"


I am a beginner, so think I should stick to the ultimate compound/ultimate polish combo?

(or am I being a wuss?!)


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## seanl (Feb 17, 2012)

I'm a relative beginner, and I'm doing a Merc E320 at the moment for a work colleague. I only have 3M pads too, and have 3M FC+, Scholl S17+, and Menz 203s as far as compounds/ medium to heavy cut polishes go. With the Merc having really hard paint too, I settled for the 3M yellow pad with the Menz 203s. The paint is in quite a bad state with lots of swirls and medium to heavy RDS's. The FCP+ obviously cut best but left a lot of marring, the S17+ just didn't seem to have enough bite, and the 203s (which incidentally this is the first time I've tried it) offered a decent amount of cut, yet left a good finish too! Its not removed 100% of the swirls, but probably 85-90% of them, as well as rounding off most of the RDS's so they are less noticable. The Deep Metallic Blue has come up very well indeed as well. I'm only doing afternoons on it, and still have the bumpers, lower doors, and smaller areas I need to do with the spot pads, but hopefully should have that done tomorrow. Once all is done (hopefully by friday a'noon) I'll bang up some pics in the showroom if you've not decided by then?


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## pharmed (Feb 11, 2013)

Seanl - Yes please!

Menz 203s has been mentioned a few times in this thread. Looks like a stong candidate


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## seanl (Feb 17, 2012)

No worries bud, I'll get a 50/50 up too so it'll give you an idea as to what its capable of. :thumb:


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## pharmed (Feb 11, 2013)

Thanks! Appreciated. Seems well priced too


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## -Raven- (Aug 26, 2010)

Menz 203s used to be my one step go to polish, but I'm finding I just use Megs ultimate compound or 205 depending on the paint. Much nicer to work with these SMAT polishes IMO.


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## Black.MB (Aug 22, 2012)

pharmed said:


> I am a beginner, so think I should stick to the ultimate compound/ultimate polish combo?
> 
> (or am I being a wuss?!)


No worries mate:thumb: Both, PO203s and Meg's UC are great products, you can hardly go wrong here. If I were you, I'd stick to Meg's UC. That's because it has the same level of cut all over the set (I think you'll learn polishing the easiest way):thumb:
Be careful with rotary if you're not experienced. Avoid polishing the edges and keep it on lower speeds:thumb:


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## seanl (Feb 17, 2012)

Alright bud, I've got a couple of pics for you, but they're camera phone pics so a bit crappy sorry, but you get the idea. In regard to the above, they may know more than me tbf, but I'm just a bit cautious with regard to non-diminishing abrasives as they are constantly cutting, and in my head, as they aren't breaking down you don't get the level of refinement as you do with a DAT polish. May be complete rubbish, but thats my thinking anyway.

Anyway onto the 203s, as I said its the first time I've worked with it. I'm not usually one to jump on the "in vogue" product, as it seems to be atm with everyone raving about Menz polishes, but I thought I may as well give it a go. I'm running low on the S17+ and Megs UC as it happens (which I find quite dusty). This is one of the things I really liked about the 203s. Its nice and oily, so very easy to work and doesn't drag at all causing machine induced marring. I really enjoyed using it and was very happy with the results.

Before


















After


















Hope this helps mate. :thumb:


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## pharmed (Feb 11, 2013)

Big improvement but still some swirls? Or maybe its just the pics. 

Sorry to ask ... but do you have any before/afters on a bigger panel?


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## seanl (Feb 17, 2012)

Yeah there are some, it wasnt the best place to do it tbh but I had nowhere else left! Its the door pilars and is a kinda plastic wrap if you know what I mean, so did it really quickly for fear of too much heat build up. I did all the larger panels yesterday though unfortunately, so just had the spot pads out today sorry! I didnt get any before pics of the car either unfortunately. Its up to you though mate, just go with a 250ml tub of whatever you decide to begin with and see how u get on. Gonna have to take the plunge at some stage! lol


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## pharmed (Feb 11, 2013)

Yep! I know im seeking a lot of pre-approval/guidance/spoon feeding but I just want to make sure that from the start I get the best chance at finding the best products for me.

At the end of the day I can understand its all trial and error with personal preference/technique playing a huge factor!


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## seanl (Feb 17, 2012)

Yeah I understand mate, seems like a huge step making those initial buys, and having confidence in your own ability to achieve decent results! I still look at the pro detailing threads and wonder why I'm not able to achieve the level of finish they seem to get. I have seen quite a few enhancement rather than correction threads recently though, and with single stage I suppose I'm not a million miles away on some, and given the limited number of polishes I have and the understanding (or lack of) of what works with which type of paints, I'm happy with the progress I'm making. It's still early days though!


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## pharmed (Feb 11, 2013)

Thanks for the advise


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## LostHighway (Sep 23, 2011)

For an AIO I prefer Duragloss 501. Don't be put off by the packaging that makes it look like it is only for marine applications, it is widely used for automotive detailing. I haven't used the new BriteMax AIO or Scholl Concepts A15 but I prefer Duragloss 501 to AF Tripple, Klasse and DJ Need for Speed. Werkstatt Prime Strong would probably be my second choice.


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## Porta (Jan 3, 2007)

LostHighway said:


> For an AIO I prefer Duragloss 501. Don't be put off by the packaging that makes it look like it is only for marine applications, it is widely used for automotive detailing. I haven't used the new BriteMax AIO or Scholl Concepts A15 but I prefer Duragloss 501 to AF Tripple, Klasse and DJ Need for Speed. Werkstatt Prime Strong would probably be my second choice.


#501 is a awesome AIO but not very common in Europe though.


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## SevenW (Sep 19, 2008)

I recently did a Porsche Cayenne, using Scholl S17 on a white sandwich pad. 1 step and got great results. The owner was very happy, the trick is spritzing the sandwich pad with water.


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## pharmed (Feb 11, 2013)

LostHighway said:


> For an AIO I prefer Duragloss 501. Don't be put off by the packaging that makes it look like it is only for marine applications, it is widely used for automotive detailing. I haven't used the new BriteMax AIO or Scholl Concepts A15 but I prefer Duragloss 501 to AF Tripple, Klasse and DJ Need for Speed. Werkstatt Prime Strong would probably be my second choice.


Where can you buy Duragloss 501 in the UK?


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## LostHighway (Sep 23, 2011)

pharmed said:


> Where can you buy Duragloss 501 in the UK?


My mistake, as per Porta, apparently you can't but you ought to lean on Shinearama, Serious Performance and whoever else retails or imports Duragloss to bring it over. IMO 501 is one of their best products.

In my original post I forgot about Optimum GPS which I don't like quite as well as Duragloss 501 but it is still a much better than average AIO. 501 and GPS both have a small amount of cut, as opposed to just chemical cleaners and filling action, and depending on the pad will polish out light swirls provided it isn't super hard paint.

If you need more correction you'll probably have to step up to something like Scholl S17+ or Menzerna SF4000 or PF2500 that does not not contain any sealant.


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## Spoony (May 28, 2007)

You can buy 501 in the UK....


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## pharmed (Feb 11, 2013)

Would duragloss 501 still be ok on a BMW? (Hard paint?)

I'll try get some shots up of the paintwork tomorrow.


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## acrebo (Jul 30, 2006)

SevenW said:


> I recently did a Porsche Cayenne, using Scholl S17 on a white sandwich pad. 1 step and got great results. The owner was very happy, the trick is spritzing the sandwich pad with water.


I'm going to be using this combination soon; could you elaborate on the 'spritzing'? In between passes / after applying polish / before refining...?


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## Subc (May 30, 2008)

501 in stock with importer UK, excellent product as is most of their range


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## hmsilset (Dec 28, 2010)

The favorite one step polish her in Norway is: Scholl S17 and swissvax or scholll finishing pad(black waffle).Spread produckt on low rpm, then 1200-1800 rpm with medium or hard press and finish with 600-1200rpm and almost no pressure. My first try with this combo on hard vw paint.

http://www.detailersclub.no/forum/topic/14038-s-s65-proever-en-kjapp-en-stegs-paa-sliten-polo/


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## acrebo (Jul 30, 2006)

Very impressive for a finishing pad!


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## lowejackson (Feb 23, 2006)

LostHighway said:


> ...In my original post I forgot about Optimum GPS which I don't like quite as well as Duragloss 501 but it is still a much better than average AIO.....


Is there anything specific about GPS you are not keen on or is it simply Duragloss is a better product


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## pharmed (Feb 11, 2013)

Still confused over the best thing to use with 3m blue/yellow pads!


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## LostHighway (Sep 23, 2011)

lowejackson said:


> Is there anything specific about GPS you are not keen on or is it simply Duragloss is a better product


To be honest it is probably a matter of familiarity as much as anything. I haven't tried a really controlled A-B comparison between the two but my sense is that GPS may have slightly more cut (they both seem to have some mild abrasives and with the right pad I can definitely do some light swirl correction) but I think 501 may have a more durable LSP. 501 is almost unique among the AIOs that I've tried in that the protection will hold up without adding an additional LSP on top for a fairly long time. When I'm really looking for sealant durability I do the 501/601/105 sequence which is extremely durable for traditional sealants as opposed to coatings. 
Duragloss 501 and Optimum GPS are both really great AIOs. Whether either of them will correct enough for the OP on hard paint is a question I can't answer.


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## lowejackson (Feb 23, 2006)

LostHighway said:


> To be honest it is probably a matter of familiarity as much as anything. I haven't tried a really controlled A-B comparison between the two but my sense is that GPS may have slightly more cut (they both seem to have some mild abrasives and with the right pad I can definitely do some light swirl correction) but I think 501 may have a more durable LSP. 501 is almost unique among the AIOs that I've tried in that the protection will hold up without adding an additional LSP on top for a fairly long time. When I'm really looking for sealant durability I do the 501/601/105 sequence which is extremely durable for traditional sealants as opposed to coatings.
> Duragloss 501 and Optimum GPS are both really great AIOs. Whether either of them will correct enough for the OP on hard paint is a question I can't answer.


Thank you for your views :thumb:


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