# Gtechniq p1 well over rated ???!!



## Westy77

Hi guys
Used gtechniq p1 today via machine after hearing all the reviews, disappointed !!! Anyone actually believe this is better than megs,autosmart etc???


----------



## DMH-01

What was your technique? Most problems with products come from user error.


----------



## SystemClenz

I'd be interested in hearing your method, I used it by hand today and got great results, tomorrows job will be by machine so I'll report then......


----------



## spursfan

MattWSM said:


> I'd be interested in hearing your method, I used it by hand today and got great results, tomorrows job will be by machine so I'll report then......


How do you mean Matt, did it remove swirls or just give a really good finish.
Interested to know as i am thinking of getting some myself..

Cheers....Kev


----------



## stangalang

It's not over rated, it's more re posted time and time again. The problem with dw is there are lots of people just posting what they have read with no idea if it's true. They are trying to be helpful and doing it for the right reasons, but it's still not first hand experience. P1 for me has suffered this being the "flavour of the month" with everyone wanting to use it

IMO, and I have been very honest about this it's no where near my favourite polish. It's great with wool when temperature is low, and works great on surbuf pads on the da, but it's too fussy on foam. Much prefer 205 for polishing and finishing. But as a "compound" it cuts hard, fast and finishes pretty good


----------



## SystemClenz

spursfan said:


> How do you mean Matt, did it remove swirls or just give a really good finish.
> Interested to know as i am thinking of getting some myself..
> 
> Cheers....Kev


Have a look at this - 



.


----------



## georgey2011

I was going to buy some of this P1 when i made an order at cleanyourcar at the weekend but just thought it was another over-hyped product and next month there will be another over hyped product to replace it.. after seeing that video ^ i was quite suprised !


----------



## spursfan

Thanks for that Matt, i have seen this video before, quite a few times actually, was just looking for someone other than Gtech, who have used it, really looking for hand use as shown in the video and was keen on getting your take on what it actually did for your car, like swirl removal or good shine on the bodywork.
My cars in pretty good nick now, not perfect by no means, few RDS's but no swirls to talk of, so getting my DA out for a random mark seems pointless if this stuff is as good as what it seems.

Cheers ...Kev


----------



## Westy77

Hi 
Wow didn't expect such response!
I used it with a da like I have with most products out there (not the latest hence why I tried gtechniq ) and my opinion is its over hyped , I've got much better sitting around in my valeting cupboard!
Stangaland- interesting about your wool comment as I am using foam ,maybe this makes a BIG difference? 
Thanks for your thoughts and suggestions everyone keep em coming!!!


----------



## Westy77

MattWSM said:


> I'd be interested in hearing your method, I used it by hand today and got great results, tomorrows job will be by machine so I'll report then......


Hi mate , let me know how you get on fella would like your feedback
Just did not cut the mustard for me!!!


----------



## Lowiepete

I'm not sure that P1 is over-rated, though I do believe it's over-priced! 
The one thing I do like is that you can turn it into quite a versatile cleaner
as well as a polish, just by diluting it with water. Even as someone with quite
gammy hands, I found it quite good at doing what's claimed.

Here's how I reviewed the product last year - See Post #138...

One thing I haven't done yet is to test it with these Serious Performance pads.
I've got a feeling that these in combination will work very well...

Regards,
Steve


----------



## svended

P1 may not be the best of the best when it comes to polishes, but it's a great al rounder and my 'go to' product. It does everything I need of it, one polish, three pads. Sure with a rotary and foam it does dry out which can be annoying, but a light 'sprize' with water makes it useable again as it's non diminishing. By hand it really is an awesome product.


----------



## Alzak

I have to say I'm not impressed with P1 as well is ok for swirls but nothing else ... still got nearly full bottle as looks like I use other products more often


----------



## great gonzo

I was not overly impressed with P1 not in the same league as the Menzerna range. I don't like the fact that you have to stop and squirt water on to the pad to keep it from drying out, it can dust as well. Might be just me tho as I like an oily polish like the Menzerna ones that you can work with out the fear of drying out and going dusty.


----------



## mystery1

http://www.detailingworld.co.uk/forum/showthread.php?t=222286


----------



## moosh

Wow another product ive felt drawn to buy because of all the love, im delighted there are two sides to this coin and thanks for the honest opinions.

I bought megs 105 & 205 after the love it recieved and was sorely dissapointed


----------



## Hercs74

I have used a whole 500ml bottle of P1 with some very excellent results.. All of which have been posted on DW..!!!

I've managed to remove all swirls and wet sanding done by p1500 with great results..!!!

This product definitely requires good preparation and technique in use.. 

It's great as an all rounder and for those learning 


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


----------



## Pezza4u

I love P1. Used it by hand on faded single stage paint and it came up a treat. Also via rotary on the same paint and on a mates car to remove some bad scratches, which it did the job perfectly. I much prefer it over the Menzerna polishes and when I had my DA I use the SSR range but haven't used these on the rotary yet so not sure how they would compare.


----------



## lowejackson

I do wonder sometimes if highly recommended products such as P1 increase the expectation to almost miracle levels.

I generally use other products but I do like P1 with wool and working by hand


----------



## sirkuk

I was impressed by P1. I used it by hand on my other half's car which was in a sorry state with swirls and nearside hedge inflicted scratches. Did a superb job. Scratches give and swirls were greatly improved. My arm was knackered by the time I finished but I've never managed to get so many imperfections out before by hand using any other products.

Sent from my GT-I9300 using Tapatalk


----------



## bmwman

Reserved on this polish although I had some amazing results via a DA and followed by DJ Lime prime!


----------



## Ninja59

I quite like P1 actually works well for me never really found an issue do not get me wrong though generally my go to is 203S for about 90% of the stuff i do as i just find it easier to work.


----------



## organisys

I've used P1 with a DA with a Hex Yellow pad.

Cut well, 2 sets was enough to get all but RDS out on 20 year old VW Clear. Pretty good trade of between working time and removal I'd say. Finish is good, but probs would beneft from finishing polish.


----------



## Westy77

Good feedback on this one hey!! Everyone to their opinion which is great otherwise it would be all to easy !!!
Think mine is going to gather dust tho....


----------



## spx

Made by us ...


----------



## country boy

I used it by hand and hated it,so dusty and quite difficult to remove.Much prefer Megs Ultimate Compound.


----------



## spursfan

spx said:


> GTechniq P1 application by Hand - Part 2 - Working P1 - YouTube
> 
> GTechniq P1 application by Hand - Part 3 - Finish - YouTube
> 
> Made by us ...


They are great videos which clearly show that P1 is very good stuff, very well made...thanks...

Kev


----------



## Dannbodge

I used P1 all day today to correct my vauxhall paint.
I have worked put that less is more on the pad and after a few panels just a spritz of water onto the pad does the same job as adding nore compound.

I used it on a green 3m pad and found it very dusty. Obviously the use of the 3m pad made loads of holograms but some P2 on a blue pad got rid of them


----------



## RedUntilDead

stangalang said:


> It's not over rated, it's more re posted time and time again. The problem with dw is there are lots of people just posting what they have read with no idea if it's true. They are trying to be helpful and doing it for the right reasons, but it's still not first hand experience. P1 for me has suffered this being the "flavour of the month" with everyone wanting to use it
> 
> IMO, and I have been very honest about this it's no where near my favourite polish. It's great with wool when temperature is low, and works great on surbuf pads on the da, but it's too fussy on foam. Much prefer 205 for polishing and finishing. But as a "compound" it cuts hard, fast and finishes pretty good


Great post, kind of reply you need when considering a new product:thumb:


----------



## deegan1979

I love the stuff, like many i read the hype amd bought it shortly after joining DW, then found it a pig to get the results i desired, didnt give up tho, scoured the forum and posted loads for advice, 4 months later and loads of practice and ive now got it sorted for use with my DA and foam pads. For me with anything heavier than swirls, u need a tough pad and patience, work it hard and long. not as good as results ive seen via rotary with wool but it does me just fine


----------



## gtechrob

it's a tricky one.

p1 is a very different polish. will it replace every single polish out on the market for every type of refinishing job on every single paint finish? no.

it's just a very different animal to most polish systems. it uses a very consistent and very tiny abrasive particle which means we can drop almost all the lubricants and fillers out of the polish and make it water instead of mineral oil based.

this gives you a lot of advantages and a few side effects that you wouldn't get with regular polishes.

the advantages are:


It starts working immediately
What you see is what you get - your finish will not drop back
Being water soluable it cleans up from trim leaving no staining
If used correctly with the correct pad system (we strongly recommend using our pad system particularly the wool pad which gives it cut) it can knock hours of a regular detail for a paint that is responding well to it
It is very safe to work with as used normally it generate hardly any heat
On the right paint it can give a good level of correction by hand without resorting to fillers

but, as I say, there are many things it won't do and things you need to play around with to get it to do.

for eg. if you are polishing up from flat sanding - it's going to be a lot slower than a good cutting compound. but having said that you can quicken your correction process by mixing a cutting compound with p1 which will give you less swirls from the cutting compound.

other tricks you can do wiht p1. you can use it to build up significant heat in an extremely hard clear coat (american clear coats can be exceptionally hard) wiht the finishing pad to remove swirls where you can get completely stumped using regular refinishing products.

see the p1 page and various youtubes for more info


----------



## lowejackson

gtechrob said:


> ...other tricks you can do wiht p1. you can use it to build up significant heat in an extremely hard clear coat (american clear coats can be exceptionally hard) wiht the finishing pad to remove swirls where you can get completely stumped using regular refinishing products.


Can you explain a little more. When you say 'build up significant heat' with a finishing pad is this via speed or pressure. Does this give greater cut than P1 on a polishing pad.


----------



## Herby

I tried it at the weekend by rotary and really didn't like the amount of mess it created so switched back to the menz polishes. I then decided to try a bit of p1 on an mf cloth on the smaller sections of the car and the finish was superb for a hand polish. Didn't require much effort either and instantly restored gloss and removed very light swirls. I can definitely see me using this for the more intricate parts of the car that I can't easily do by machine. Slightly Expensive for what it is though


----------



## Westy77

Hi gtechrob
As Lowejackson explain more on where the heat should be coming from ie speed or pressure, have bought a bonnet today and going to section it off and demo all options with the p1 myself then I will know personally wether this is as good as some off the videos ,reviews etc !
Thanks for throwing some ideas in.....


----------



## martyp

I hope it isn't, I just ordered the 500ml bottle of the stuff. Rather pricey for a polish but the fact it works that good by hand is worth it for me as my car has a lot of awkward areas, I do pretty much all the machine polishing with a 4" pad. 

The hand correction alone is just incredible (YouTube clip on Page 1) and with a DA I can see this leaving the paint looking perfect - especially since I only have light swirls. 

Going to get the C1+ and C1.5 kit too. This should keep me busy for a couple of days.


----------



## Westy77

Hey martyp
Good luck with it mate! Seems like everything - works for some and not others! Not for me but keep us posted and let me know what your results are


----------



## dooka

lowejackson said:


> Can you explain a little more. When you say 'build up significant heat' with a finishing pad is this via speed or pressure. Does this give greater cut than P1 on a polishing pad.


When you heat the paint enough, it becomes slightly soft [ it allows the paint to flow, not as in dripping down the side of the car], which allows for quicker correction or correction with a less abrasive pad and polish. Be careful though, as you can damage you paint easily and cook the carriers in the polish, which will lead to marring..

Edit:
skim read, and missed the polishing pad part, sorry..


----------



## Pezza4u

gtechrob said:


> [*]If used correctly with the correct pad system (we strongly recommend using our pad system particularly the wool pad which gives it cut) it can knock hours of a regular detail for a paint that is responding well to it


Rob, just wondering but do you use the wool pads on soft paints like Jap cars or the foam pad instead?


----------



## gtechrob

lowejackson said:


> Can you explain a little more. When you say 'build up significant heat' with a finishing pad is this via speed or pressure. Does this give greater cut than P1 on a polishing pad.


you run at a little higher than normal with our or equivelent finishing pad and get the paint hotter than you would normally. as mentioned above - this will flow the paint and give you a perfect finish.

but this is strictly only necessary for very very hard lacquers. 90% of lacquers out there will finish down perfectly using regular technique.


----------



## gtechrob

Pezza4u said:


> Rob, just wondering but do you use the wool pads on soft paints like Jap cars or the foam pad instead?


you could but wool will also work fine.


----------



## renton

ive been using this with mixed results to be honest.

1st time I used it I got some ok results, swilrs were reduced but not gone but the paint looked a lot better and the metallic was popping nicely.

used it last night and not sure if it was because it was hot or I used to much product but its made the panel I used it on look even worse than the rest of the car, you can see where ive been rubbin the opolish up and down on the panel.

Im going to try it tonight with a damp microfibre to see if that helps!


----------



## deegan1979

Dunno about everyone else but with regards to the splatter, i find if u spray the panel rather than the pad i get much less splatter


----------



## martyp

Westy77 said:


> Hey martyp
> Good luck with it mate! Seems like everything - works for some and not others! Not for me but keep us posted and let me know what your results are


Okay so like I said earlier I have some light swirls - my clear coat is rather hard though, RDSs take some going even with a rotary. This time I'm using the PC with a 4" Sonus SFX 2 (polishing) pad but I still expected some quick results considering how quick it seemed to work by hand in the videos.

I put the polish on the panel and spritz'd the new pad with CG QD spray. Worked in the polish, 1x speed 2, 3x speed 4, 5x speed 6, 1x speed 4. Now, the section was certainly glossier and slick but..... the swirls were still there unfortunately.

So, grabbed my trusty old bottle of Menzerna Power Finish (PO203S IIRC) repeated the above and job done.

I will give P1 a good try tomorrow by hand as there are a few (large :wall sections the machine can't do. Before I used ScratchX and I have no doubt P1 is going to make it lighter work. 2hrs of hand buffing is a killer.

Disclaimer: Perhaps if I changed my process I'd have got great results from P1 but as PO203S makes light work of it I just switched over as the Jeep is huge. Took me 3 hours to do half the hood and one side of it. :buffer:


----------



## lowejackson

gtechrob said:


> you run at a little higher than normal with our or equivelent finishing pad and get the paint hotter than you would normally. as mentioned above - this will flow the paint and give you a perfect finish.
> 
> but this is strictly only necessary for very very hard lacquers. 90% of lacquers out there will finish down perfectly using regular technique.


It sounds like a bonkers idea to me but it did work very well http://www.detailingworld.co.uk/forum/showthread.php?t=274735


----------



## SystemClenz

Heres my 50/50 from today, p1 on a 3M green, then yellow.

http://db.tt/HFLXiRrE


----------



## Buck

To answer the OP I think the problem with all polishes that are new/different and some members is that they (understandably) think they can get fantastic results by using it in the same way as their previous polish(es)...

P1 works differently to those that we are used to and my first experience of using it left me less than impressed. My second attempt left me more impressed and appreciating how to use it to better effect (both times using wool and a rotary)

I was also pleased with the improvements in finish when I used it by hand to remove a mark left on my door by a door being opened onto it.

All in all, P1 has a place in the detailing cupboard but isn't the miracle polish that some have intimated.


----------



## Dannbodge

I also find P1 works better on harder paints like BMW


----------

