"I started detailing cars in college (25+ years ago) and have been detailing my cars ever since (both daily drivers and now a collection of cars). I used Zaino for all my cars and relied on Zaino Z5 to minimize scratches. It works but never as expected. On a whim, I bought Meguiar's Ultimate Compound (UC) and recently used it for the first time on a new purchase. . The paint job on this white Buick Reatta was original and shiny but you can see the thousands of fine scratches over its 22 years. As I do all my detailing old school (by hand), first I clayed the entire car. The end result when first claying a car is more satisfactory then just ignoring this very important process. Once clayed, I followed the instructions carefully on the UC (Ultimate Compound) bottle as this is an ABRASIVE!! But first I placed masking tape to divide the trunk's finish to better see what the end results would be. I put some product on a 100% cotton pad and with slight pressure as instructed, I went counter clockwise (or you can go clockwise) applying product; overlapping my applications. I went a minimum of four times over the same area before moving on. I let it dry (use the UC sparingly) to a haze and then buffed using a clean 100% cotton towel (make sure the towel is all cotton and not a cotton/poly mix or will can scratch the car). Truly I was impressed with how many swirls and fine scratches disappeared when compared to the side of the trunk that wasn't done. I reapplied product two more times using slight pressure (dry when at a haze and then repeat). When I was done, 95% of the swirls and scratches were gone AND the car had a nice shine. FWIW, I then finished off using the Zaino products that I've used for years and have never been happier with the end result - and the UC played a BIG part with how nice a shine the car has (its not easy getting a white car to shine). . Back to the UC, if you know how to use an orbiter, you will save yourself a lot of time. I prefer applying product by hand as I feel I have better control of the process; which can take time but well worth it. The key to using UC is applying the product 2..3..4 times using slight pressure, let it dry to a haze and then wipe off instead of one application and applying with heavy pressure (which can result in paint damage). Small steps will always give you better results. But don't over-use it as you can penetrate the clear coat. If you use UC on a dark color car, be extra cautious as dark paint is less forgiving the white (or silver). Also, once you're done with UC, you need to apply car wax or a polymer (whether Meguiar's, Zaino or ???). UC is a great product. I wish I knew of it years ago."
Meguiar's G17216 Ultimate Compound - 15.2 oz. (Compare Deals from $9.76)
"Since Meguiar's is known for high quality stuff, this is no exception. This is pretty amazing stuff. I have 3m marine grade rubbing compound and turtle wax polishing compound. I used the rubbing compound is great for getting really deep oxidation spots off and polishing compound was used for shining it up. It did a decent job but this stuff would probably eliminate all those runs in just a few simple applications. I used this stuff first on my headlights because they were a little oxidized and had little speckles of dirt or something on them. I just rubbed like a dime sized on a microfiber cloth onto the headlight and wow. After putting it on like wax, and kept going over and over it until it disappeared, this stuff is pretty amazing. I used my polishing compound on them before, and it cleaned it up a little, but nothing how clear and spotless that this Ultimate compound works. I then buffed it with the other side of the microfiber cloth and my headlights now look pretty brand new. They are crystal clear as they could possibly get. I used them on my dad's headlights and he said the same thing. They just really make the glass on the headlights perfect so you can see right through them. You know how when you clean your windows sometimes and people can't tell if they are up or down, this is what it looks like on the headlights. You can hardly tell there is a piece of plastic protecting them. Same thing with your tail lights as well. But anyways, since all it needed was one run to get everything off, I can't imagine what this stuff will do for the paint. I think my review is long enough to bore you, and I think you get the point that this is the stuff to get. Don't waste your money on other polishing compounds, trust me. You might want to get a good rubbing compound though. Even though this stuff is like rubbing compound and polishing compound, it goes on pretty thin and feels almost like polishing compound. Also, this stuff is very easy to work with, unlike my polishing and rubbing compounds. Those things took forever to rub in and had barely any shine. This stuff goes away and shines like crazy. Get this stuff, you won't be disappointed."
"I want to start off by saying that I purchase well over 100 items off of Amazon every year and have only posted a handfull of reviews. After using this product once I had to place a review. I have always owned black or dark colored vehicles so polishing is a must to keep that show room appearence. I have been detailing for almost 5 years and have done countless hours of research online with some good results. I use the Flex XC3401VRG Orbital Action Polisher with 6.5' Orange Light Cutting Pad- LAKE COUNTRY CCS TECHNOLOGY (6.5"inch) . I have used several other DA polishers but I have found that the Flex is by far the best and very user friendly even for the beginner. I know it's expensive but if you plan on owning a black or dark colored vehicle it's a must. No matter how careful you are detailing your auto it is impossible not to get swirl marks and surface scratches in the clear coat. That being said I am absolutly amazed at the preformance of the Meguiar's Ultimate Compound. I have used several other compounds including the Meguiar's M105 and M205 but nothing compairs to the ease of use and results of the Ultimate Compound. I got as good if not better results with one pass of the Ultimate Compound compaired to multiple passes with the M105 followed by the M205. Additionally it only takes a couple minutes to work this in with the Flex set at level 5 compaired to several minutes using other products. It is very important to follow the correct steps when polishing your auto starting with a very thorough hand washing then a clay bar cleaning, followed by polishing, a good sealant SYNTHETIC SEALANT -- 64 OZ. and finally a good carnauba wax P21S Concours Carnauba Wax . The sealant and wax are both a little pricy but well worth it plus the carnauba wax will last you for years (a little goes a long way). There are countless car care products on the market but hopefully this review will help you make your buying decision much easier. Please note I use several different Lake Country pads (white, gray, gold) depending on the product I am applying but the orange is a great all around cutting/polishing pad for this product. Good luck and enjoy the results. ps I also have used this product on my blue and white fiberglass Larson boat with equally amazing results. Years of oxidation and surface scratches were gone in minutes."
"I truly believe that Meguiars could get away with charging double the price and I would still pay for this great compound. But let's keep that between you and I. I primarily use this compound when I have minor to moderate swirls that do not require the use of a more aggressive compound such as the Meguiars Professional Compound M105. If you are an amateur and don't know much about polishing and want to play it safe then this is the compound that I would recommend. I will not cause swirls like the M105 as it is not nearly as abrasive. When used with a dual action polisher this product will yield incredible results as a stand-alone product. I also use this compound on clear plastics to remove LIGHT oxidization from headlights and finally this product also works quite well on some metals. I always follow up my polishes with a more gentle polish (why not, you're already doing it anyway) and I would recommend their ultimate polish in combination with the meguiars soft buff finishing pad and the final result is incredible depth and a brilliant smooth swirl free finish when done properly. Tips: I strongly advise first and most importantly a THOROUGH wash of all components to be polished followed by a contamination removal (clay barring) to remove imbedded contaminants prior to polishing. No sense taking the risk of doing more harm than good with your buffer and driving those contaminants deeper into the paint therefore creating more scratches and swirls than you are removing. ALWAYS follow up your polish with no less than a Carnuba wax or better yet a Sealant wax such as Meguiars NXT or better yet Meguiars professional polymer sealant."
"I bought this product, along with an orbital buffer...I never buffed a vehicle before this occasion. I had never even heard of cutting, compounds, different pads as it related to buffing...i seriously had no clue up until i began researching buffing, about a week prior to this review, what it even entailed...I read up on buffing from the professionals and decided to give it a try. My car's roof & hood were heavily oxidated with spots...I was considering painting it, but decided to buff it first. Used a wool bonnet on my buffer and ultimate compound...rubbed it in a while, stopped...wiped off the residue and inspected. I re-applied...repeating this step about three times...each time obtaining better results with each application. WOW!! It's a brand new car!! I had not even hoped it would look this good...my wife was very impressed as well. Since I was so impressed, I decided I would press my luck and attempt to get swirl scratch marks out of my other vehicle...WOW!!! This stuff is magic... The people who didn't have luck with this product...its because they messed up or didn't follow directions or are just plain idiots...this stuff is pretty much dummy proof, so I don't get why they had trouble. Its not wax, its a cutting compound. You can't let it dry... My Cadillacs look absolutely gorgeous after using this product...I cannot praise this enough... If a first time novice can do it with amazing results, you can too...I will use it on all of my other vehicles when & if the occasion presents itself... 10 stars out of 5..."
"I bought this product to remove oxidation and small scratches from my son's 1997 Honda Accord. I didn't expect miracles since the car is nearly 15 years old, although the product packaging does suggest it is miracles you will get. The truth is the following: you won't remove all the small scratches and have the car look like new, but you will remove the oxidation and renew the car's finish quite a bit. Be prepared to sweat. First, I suggest you get a soft cloth or sponge to wipe the compound on. Small circles as the product directions recommend. I did half the hood and half the roof first just the see the difference and it was quite apparent. The car is black and the surfaces I compounded looked much darker and richer. I removed the compound with a terry towel. Please keep this in mind, because if you try to remove the compound with a microfiber cloth, it will be nearly impossible, as you need the texture of the cloth or towel to help remove the compound. I complete the rest of the car in sections just as I detailed above. I was able to remove many slight scratches and nearly all of the oxidation. Afterwards, I polished the car, since I had just essentially removed the old finish. After a few years of washing and waxing (3 times a year for the wax) a car, and you'll likely have built up finish in some areas, though not all. That's one reason it's a good idea to use this product every year or 2 to bring it down to a base you can evenly polish again. End result: A nice shine on an old car and many, though not all, imperfections removed. It took about 2.5 hours to wash, compound and wax the car. But I feel it was worth it and makes my son's car--my old car--look well maintained, which is what I wanted."
"I reviewed every product out there,I know Meguiar's products, and, most importantly, i IKNOW AMAZON! The only suggestion I can give you about the product is-get in touch with your feminine side.Read the directions! (Sorry,guys-I'm guilty of it, too. Better now than to have your wife explain what an idiot you are for spending all that money on that car and you never take HER ANYWHERE! You don't owe me any money for that advice-just pass it on and it'll help us all.) This review is about Amazon. What can you say about a company that can sell you ANYTHING that's made in the whole round world, for less money than anybody,,lets you read reviews from people who acually OWN the product(good or bad), and has the best customer service I have ever encountered. I say GREAT! I bought a Kindle Fire HD from them a few years back and wanted a cover for it.. I found one in my local black box store and on amazon. I didn't want to spend $40 on one, but my Amazon rep turned me on to one of their other vendors and I found one for $3.45! It was thick,,luxurious, would let you read from any position, AND had magnets on each corner which serves to turn off the Kindle,saving your battery. Also,, buy a PRIME membership! Two day FREE shipping and more. I haver never reiewed a company in my life, but if you surf the web shopping- get off it! If you don't buy from Amazon,you didn't want to buy anything anyway. TIREKICKER! Seriously folks, buy something cheap the first time, just so you can experience the customer service. I have found items at Wal-Mart a few times that were cheaper, but I buy them from Amazon anyway-their level of service should be experienced by everybody. I am a loyal customer for life! I only wish they could put this review on their cover page so that everybody could see it. ,"
Meguiar's G17216 Ultimate Compound - 15.2 oz. (Compare Deals from $9.76)
