# Meguiars MF System and Auto Finesse vs Lupo GTI



## MidlandsCarCare (Feb 18, 2006)

This lovely example of a Lupo GTI belongs to the wife of my mate who owns the 5 door Golf GTI 'show car' which I detailed a few months ago (its won a few awards this season - congrats Al :thumb

The car itself is in generally very good condition for a 10 year old car, but the flat black paint had very obvious swirling and scratches (visible in natural daylight) and the car needed some protection.

Please note that the wheels are for sale and being replaced with original Lupo GTI wheels, which are being refurbed by A1 Wheels in Anthracite, which will be on the car after I have protected them, mid next week.

I actually started the car last weekend, but got rained off just before I started the correction process, but this meant I was able to play with the new Meguiars D300 and MF DA System, which I'd purchased last week from [email protected] (thanks Tim!).

I also took the opportunity to test out some more Auto Finesse products, so I'll add thoughts and comments on these too...

So, to start off, some befores...


P1050967 by RussZS, on Flickr


P1050968 by RussZS, on Flickr


P1050972 by RussZS, on Flickr


P1050973 by RussZS, on Flickr

As ever, I started with the wheels.

First off, I rinsed the wheels and arches with my Karcher X5.700:


P1050974 by RussZS, on Flickr


P1050975 by RussZS, on Flickr

Next up, I used Auto Finesse Imperial Wheel Cleaner and consciously worked quickly given the potentially delicate nature of the polished part of the wheels.


P1050976 by RussZS, on Flickr

Applied liberally - I like the way this product foams up, it's very easy to work with


P1050977 by RussZS, on Flickr

Worked with an Envy Brush and Wheel Woolies:


P1050978 by RussZS, on Flickr


P1050979 by RussZS, on Flickr

Tyres and Arches were dealt with via Autosmart G101 @ 4:1


P1050981 by RussZS, on Flickr


P1050983 by RussZS, on Flickr

Lots of dirt in the upper part of the arch:


P1050984 by RussZS, on Flickr


P1050985 by RussZS, on Flickr

Rinsed:


P1050986 by RussZS, on Flickr

Next I worked around the car with [email protected]:1 and dealt with the shuts, petrol cap, etc etc:


P1050987 by RussZS, on Flickr


P1050990 by RussZS, on Flickr


P1050991 by RussZS, on Flickr


P1050992 by RussZS, on Flickr


P1050993 by RussZS, on Flickr


P1050994 by RussZS, on Flickr


P1050995 by RussZS, on Flickr


P1050996 by RussZS, on Flickr


P1050998 by RussZS, on Flickr


P1060001 by RussZS, on Flickr


P1060004 by RussZS, on Flickr


P1060006 by RussZS, on Flickr


P1060007 by RussZS, on Flickr

Grill cleaned with Wheel Woolies and G101:


P1060008 by RussZS, on Flickr

Next, the whole car was rinsed, then washed with a lambswool wash mitt and Auto Finesse Lather. Lather has impressed me to the point where I have sold off all but one of my other shampoos - I love it that much! It cleans very well, foams up well, clings well and rinses very cleanly. Perfect shampoo for my personal taste:


P1060009 by RussZS, on Flickr

Car all washed - looking better already 


P1060010 by RussZS, on Flickr

I then clayed the car with BH Auto Clay Soft and Water with a dash of Lather as lube (which worked really well!)


P1060012 by RussZS, on Flickr


P1060013 by RussZS, on Flickr


P1060014 by RussZS, on Flickr

The Lupo was then rewashed, rinsed and dried with Uber Drying Towels:


P1060015 by RussZS, on Flickr

I then went round the car with my Aeolus 901 removing any trapped, excess water:


P1060016 by RussZS, on Flickr


P1060017 by RussZS, on Flickr

Straight away, the freshly cleaned car was beginning to show up the issues with the paintwork, in the bright Sun:


P1060021 by RussZS, on Flickr


P1060022 by RussZS, on Flickr


P1060024 by RussZS, on Flickr


P1060025 by RussZS, on Flickr

---------------------------------------------

At this point, I got rained off 

So, I returned again today, to pick up where I left off.

The car was still very clean, so I quickly cleaned the wheels, tyres and arches with G101.

I then got to try out one of my new products - Auto Finesse Citrus Power, which I used on the dead insects on the front of the car and the wing mirrors:


P1060115 by RussZS, on Flickr

No pics of it in action I'm afraid, but it was VERY effective at breaking the bugs down, which simply rinsed away with a quick blast from my pressure washer - it's a very promising product.

Dried again with an Uber Drying Towel:


P1060116 by RussZS, on Flickr

Few cheeky pics of my Golf with Al's...


P1060118 by RussZS, on Flickr


P1060119 by RussZS, on Flickr

(I really need those Xenons!!!)

I then assessed the paint on the car, to see what I had to play with.

I was getting generally healthy readings of 160 ish over most of the car:


P1060034 by RussZS, on Flickr

However, there was some evidence of paint on the rear NS wing:


P1060037 by RussZS, on Flickr


----------



## MidlandsCarCare (Feb 18, 2006)

As mentioned at the beginning of this write up, I took the opportunity to have a play with Meguiars new MF system on this car (after trying it on my own yesterday, of course!)

So a CYC DAS-6 Pro:


P1060176 by RussZS, on Flickr

Meguiars D300 Compound:


P1060177 by RussZS, on Flickr

and various cutting pads:


P1060178 by RussZS, on Flickr

Paint before...


P1060123 by RussZS, on Flickr

Now, after briefly having a play with Scholl S17 on a White SSP last time, and getting about 80% correction via Rotary, this surprised me....


P1060121 by RussZS, on Flickr

:doublesho:doublesho

That's without refining too...

After:


P1060122 by RussZS, on Flickr

Very, very impressive! I won't go into my thoughts on this system here, I'll do a specific review, but it's very impressive and certainly has its place, but I need to have more of a play to find a way to tackle RDS's, as a rotary is a lot more effective, at least based on my experience level, and you really do need to keep the pads clean and primed, or the performance drops off. I think coming from a rotary to this system is more of a sideways step, but its a great system for somebody looking to step up from a frustrating DA experience, to something which will cut a lot more effectively, but the system is quite fussy, so requires you to follow the instructions pretty much to the letter. I'd suggest buying a fair few pads too, as I was preferring to use a new one every panel or two, despite cleaning the pads with a Megs Triple Duty brush.

Anyway, some more correction pics:

Note the difference in colour (right side polished)


P1060132 by RussZS, on Flickr


P1060133 by RussZS, on Flickr

This is the resprayed panel:


P1060136 by RussZS, on Flickr

Deeper RDS remain:


P1060137 by RussZS, on Flickr

Roof before:


P1060138 by RussZS, on Flickr

After:


P1060140 by RussZS, on Flickr


P1060145 by RussZS, on Flickr


P1060146 by RussZS, on Flickr

Post polishing pics, no LSP at this stage...


P1060153 by RussZS, on Flickr


P1060155 by RussZS, on Flickr


P1060157 by RussZS, on Flickr


P1060161 by RussZS, on Flickr


P1060162 by RussZS, on Flickr

Boot before:

P1060164 by RussZS, on Flickr

After:


P1060165 by RussZS, on Flickr


P1060167 by RussZS, on Flickr


P1060173 by RussZS, on Flickr

Once I'd finished polishing, there was a fair bit of dust on the paintwork, so I decided to rinse it off. At this point, I was very impressed with the beading on the paintwork from the polishing stage


P1060181 by RussZS, on Flickr

Auto Finesse Triple was then used to cleanse the door shuts and sills:


P1060183 by RussZS, on Flickr

I finished up with Auto Finesse Crystal on the glass and Auto Finesse Gloss on the tyres.

I then used Auto Finesse Passion on the paint work. Like the other AF waxes, it smells lovely and was a pleasure to use. Some afters:


P1060184 by RussZS, on Flickr


P1060186 by RussZS, on Flickr


P1060189 by RussZS, on Flickr


P1060190 by RussZS, on Flickr


P1060191 by RussZS, on Flickr


P1060192 by RussZS, on Flickr


P1060193 by RussZS, on Flickr


P1060194 by RussZS, on Flickr


P1060195 by RussZS, on Flickr


P1060196 by RussZS, on Flickr


P1060198 by RussZS, on Flickr


P1060203 by RussZS, on Flickr

That's it for today!

However, I'm not quite finished, so when the wheels are back I need to go and seal them for Tash, and at the same time, I need to sort the plastic trim with Auto Finesse Revive, which I should hopefully have by mid next week. I also need to correct under the door handles and spend some time polishing the exhausts with wire wool (I'm all out!). I may also seal the glass with Carlack if there's time.

Cheers for letting me loose on your beloved Lupo Tash and enjoy Ed38! 

Thanks for reading!!

Russ.


----------



## puckacostello (Apr 1, 2010)

Great work! looks amazing after!  very impressed with the Megs MF System looks top notch! 

also the AF range looks great! got to get myself some products! 

car could do with some lows


----------



## MidlandsCarCare (Feb 18, 2006)

puckacostello said:


> Great work! looks amazing after!  very impressed with the Megs MF System looks top notch!
> 
> also the AF range looks great! got to get myself some products!
> 
> car could do with some lows


Lol, indeed! It's being lowered on springs very soon :thumb:


----------



## georgeandpeppa (May 25, 2009)

Very nice!! What did you think of Crystal? i know its only glass cleaner but i love it!


----------



## MidlandsCarCare (Feb 18, 2006)

georgeandpeppa said:


> Very nice!! What did you think of Crystal? i know its only glass cleaner but i love it!


Love it! Flashes off very quickly and seems to deal with water spots, which is rare for a glass cleaner without abrasives!


----------



## badman1972 (Jun 24, 2010)

Stunning work as ever mate, some great corrections and reflections, very impressive :thumb:


----------



## georgeandpeppa (May 25, 2009)

RussZS said:


> Love it! Flashes off very quickly and seems to deal with water spots, which is rare for a glass cleaner without abrasives!


Any other must haves from Auto Finnese?


----------



## MidlandsCarCare (Feb 18, 2006)

georgeandpeppa said:


> Any other must haves from Auto Finnese?


Lather without a doubt!

The rest of the range I'm testing out, but so far I'd buy Rejuvenate, Tripple, Soul and Spirit again. The clay is really nice too, perfect consistency 

Revive looks great too, which should be out next week.


----------



## georgeandpeppa (May 25, 2009)

More moey to spend lol,Whats Revive about?


----------



## MidlandsCarCare (Feb 18, 2006)

georgeandpeppa said:


> More moey to spend lol,Whats Revive about?


Plastic trim restorer - James put some pics on his Twitter and it looks superb if its lasts quite well.


----------



## rittz (Mar 1, 2011)

very nice work there and a little cool car:thumb:


----------



## andrewst500 (Nov 2, 2008)

lovely job Russ:thumb:


----------



## empsburna (Apr 5, 2006)

Good work son. Looking forward to the full review of the system.

More than happy for you to come and polish my van for me :thumb:


----------



## MidlandsCarCare (Feb 18, 2006)

Midlands Detailing said:


> Good work son. Looking forward to the full review of the system.
> 
> More than happy for you to come and polish my van for me :thumb:


Lol, cheers!!

I'll bring it round if you want a play with it. Very impressive system for a one hit wonder in a day.

However, DA vibrations aren't good... my hands are killing me! After using it for a good few hours, then switching to rotary, I had chronic pins and needles - very weird sensation.

I much prefer the smooth operation of a rotary.


----------



## Kotsos (May 7, 2011)

Stunning work there. 
Well done


----------



## empsburna (Apr 5, 2006)

RussZS said:


> Lol, cheers!!
> 
> I'll bring it round if you want a play with it. Very impressive system for a one hit wonder in a day.
> 
> ...


Sweet. I'l phone lunch in as a thank you.

Is that just the type of DA you are using? I know what you mean and I wonder if the flex or Porter Cable might be less 'buzzy'

Have you tried it with the side handle on it to reduce the vibration you feel holding the head (that sounded terrible didn't it  )


----------



## MidlandsCarCare (Feb 18, 2006)

Midlands Detailing said:


> Sweet. I'l phone lunch in as a thank you.
> 
> Is that just the type of DA you are using? I know what you mean and I wonder if the flex or Porter Cable might be less 'buzzy'
> 
> Have you tried it with the side handle on it to reduce the vibration you feel holding the head (that sounded terrible didn't it  )


Haha! I didn't get a side handle, just the 'hook' handle

It's not too bad tbh, just takes some getting used to again.

As for the DA, I think you have to be careful with some of the forced rotation ones, as they kill the pads prematurely. Megs also say the wrong backing plate lessens the life of the pads, but they would say that...


----------



## Rowan83 (Aug 21, 2007)

Stunning mirror like finish Russ!! Going to have to get one of those cutting pads :thumb:


----------



## R0B (Aug 27, 2010)

Very nice Russ,looks a million times better.


----------



## AaronGTi (Nov 2, 2010)

Absolutely awesome man! Im dying to try some of the AF range heard nothing but really good things. Well done again mate. 
Aaron


----------



## Dave KG (Feb 23, 2006)

Very nice, Russ and showing the capabilities of the MF system really well.. for deeper marks, we find that edging the pad is necessary - that is, heavier pressure with the pad edges along the scratch and move the DA more like a rotary backwards and forwards then flatten the pad and pressure to remvoe the general swirls and blend your correction.


----------



## MidlandsCarCare (Feb 18, 2006)

Dave KG said:


> Very nice, Russ and showing the capabilities of the MF system really well.. for deeper marks, we find that edging the pad is necessary - that is, heavier pressure with the pad edges along the scratch and move the DA more like a rotary backwards and forwards then flatten the pad and pressure to remvoe the general swirls and blend your correction.


Thanks Dave, I'll have to give that a try on my own car and see how I get on.

You really do need to coat the entire pad when priming don't you, or it leaves its own marks in the paint very easily.

Have you tried the 3" pads?

It's a great choice in place of heavy compounding with wool, on harder paints.

I think I'd prefer to use a rotary on most cars though, particularly medium-soft paints


----------



## E38_ross (May 10, 2010)

superb work. i'm intrigued by this MF system and may have to invest when i want to polish the car next as the DA is painfully slow, i'd love a decent rotary though....


----------



## Trip tdi (Sep 3, 2008)

Thats a cracking job you have done buddie, car looks dripping wet in the pictures, canlt beat a black car once it been fully detailed.

Did you use a da in the whole process, because thats some serious correction for a da.

Have a great week, thanks for posting, really enjoyed reading this thread.


----------



## yetizone (Jun 25, 2008)

Cracking turn around on a sweet little car - top work


----------



## MidlandsCarCare (Feb 18, 2006)

Trip tdi said:


> Thats a cracking job you have done buddie, car looks dripping wet in the pictures, canlt beat a black car once it been fully detailed.
> 
> Did you use a da in the whole process, because thats some serious correction for a da.
> 
> Have a great week, thanks for posting, really enjoyed reading this thread.


Thank you, you are always so very kind with your words, much appreciated 

Yes, it was DA for the entire process - the new Megs system is designed for 'better' correction via DA, which allows this level of cutting, without the 'risks' of a rotary


----------



## Soul Hudson (Jul 5, 2011)

Fantastic turn around fella looking stunning after your hard work. How did you find the auto finesse tire dressing?


----------



## MidlandsCarCare (Feb 18, 2006)

Soul Hudson said:


> Fantastic turn around fella looking stunning after your hard work. How did you find the auto finesse tire dressing?


It leaves a superb finish, very wet and glossy, perfect for my taste, but it doesn't seem massively durable. I need to have a play around with it and ask James how to get the best out of it.


----------



## Trip tdi (Sep 3, 2008)

RussZS said:


> Thank you, you are always so very kind with your words, much appreciated
> 
> Yes, it was DA for the entire process - the new Megs system is designed for 'better' correction via DA, which allows this level of cutting, without the 'risks' of a rotary


RussZs you have brighten my day with your words, i appreciate that.

One thing is Russ, i really enjoy reading your threads, so are spot on, clear pictures and the level of work acheived is mind blowing on here, your a great credit to DW, and thats a fact.

Mate thanks once again, and thanks for replying to my message back fast, spot on.

Have a great weekend enjoy :thumb:

Talk to you soon, takecare triptdi.


----------



## Soul Hudson (Jul 5, 2011)

Fantastic turn around fella looking stunning after your hard work. How did you find the auto finesse tire dressing?


----------



## MidlandsCarCare (Feb 18, 2006)

Trip tdi said:


> RussZs you have brighten my day with your words, i appreciate that.
> 
> One thing is Russ, i really enjoy reading your threads, so are spot on, clear pictures and the level of work acheived is mind blowing on here, your a great credit to DW, and thats a fact.
> 
> ...


Thanks, you too  :thumb:


----------



## evotuning (Oct 16, 2009)

Russ, can You compare Passion to Spirit, and to other waxes you used previously ?


----------



## MidlandsCarCare (Feb 18, 2006)

evotuning said:


> Russ, can You compare Passion to Spirit, and to other waxes you used previously ?


It's very difficult to at this stage, as I've only used it today for the first time!

It was very similar to Spirit to apply and remove, and it looks superb. I will keep an eye on durability and get updates from my mate and keep them posted in this thread.


----------



## Alan W (May 11, 2006)

Nice review, photos and great result on the baby dub Russ! :thumb:

Alan W


----------



## minimatt1967 (Aug 29, 2011)

Amazing finish, great depth and clarity, nice cars too, particularly the black Edition 30 GTi MK5 :thumb:


----------



## MidlandsCarCare (Feb 18, 2006)

minimatt1967 said:


> Amazing finish, great depth and clarity, nice cars too, particularly the black Edition 30 GTi MK5 :thumb:


Thanks, and good choice


----------



## caledonia (Sep 13, 2008)

Very nice transformation Russ, and great level of correction. As shown in the 50/50s
Now you have has a chance to work with the d300.
What are your thoughts on the compound and pads.


----------



## MidlandsCarCare (Feb 18, 2006)

caledonia said:


> Very nice transformation Russ, and great level of correction. As shown in the 50/50s
> Now you have has a chance to work with the d300.
> What are your thoughts on the compound and pads.


Hi Gordon,

Thank you 

I'm doing a write up on them after I do another car, ideally one with softer paint, but so far I'm very impressed, but not so keen on using DA machines for correction - I much prefer the smooth operation of a rotary.

However, the concept and technology is absolutely brilliant - here's hoping they release a modified rotary version...

Thanks,
Russ.


----------



## caledonia (Sep 13, 2008)

Soft paint should not be an issue. Regardless on what you sometime read on the forum. It has a non diminishing abrasiveness. So as long as you back off the pressure towards the end of your set it will finish down. No problems on really butter soft paint. Working on the Da pressure is only required to the level the defect dictates. So you can vary this quite considerably from set to set and increase the length of the set if needed.


----------



## MidlandsCarCare (Feb 18, 2006)

Thanks Gordon, and thanks all


----------



## Scrim-1- (Oct 8, 2008)

Looks fantastic Russ... Great work.


----------



## robtech (Jan 17, 2011)

love these cars,would happily sway my mk1 golf convertible for a good gti lupo.next car will be one.cracking job too.nice 1 dude


----------



## AygoGUMMY (Nov 21, 2010)

AutoFinesse products look very promising indeed, and the Lupo looks fantastic.


----------



## tonyy (Jul 26, 2008)

Looks amazing..


----------



## DMH-01 (Mar 29, 2011)

Cracking job there mate.


----------



## Waxamomo (Jun 18, 2008)

Great write up Russ :thumb:

Happy Birthday too........you old fart


----------



## MidlandsCarCare (Feb 18, 2006)

Cheers all, and thanks Chris


----------



## Ns1980 (Jun 29, 2011)

Awesome work!


----------



## wish wash (Aug 25, 2011)

Fantastic work


----------

