Review: Meguiar's DA Microfiber Buffing Pads!!!

David Fermani

Forza Auto Salon
Recently I was chosen to be one of the lucky 28 people in the US to test out and evaluate the new Meguiars DA Microfiber Correction System (MFCS). So far, after experimenting on nearly 12 vehicles I can honestly say that this is one hell of a system to say the least. Even though it’s designed and marketed to remove moderate surface defects, I’ve been quite successful being able to fully correct much heavier problems by altering my techniques through a multitude of ways. For well over 20 years I’ve been a 100% rotary user, but after discovering the famous Kevin Brown Method (KBM) and discussing the extreme potential of the Dual Action Polisher with Kevin Brown himself, I’ve found my rotary mostly just collecting dust these days. Up until the time the MFCS was given to me I’ve had no other alternative but to utilize conventional foam pads for DA correction. I’ve even privately tested experimental foam with leading pad manufacturers to help extend the parameters foam could be pushed. Surprisingly after several dozens of hours testing these pads, I’ve come to the conclusion that the Meg’s MF pads are unparallel to any foam that I’ve used thus far by means of both the correction and finishing power it offers coupled with Meg’s non-diminishing liquids. Not only can this system effortlessly cut through defects on butter soft clears, but after using it on 7 rock hard BMW & Mercedes finishes it can also get the job done on them too with a little more creative effort. It seems that the harder the clear, the better the pad can finish out actually. Especially with the utilization of the true KBM method for finishing which utilizes slower machine speeds coupled with a cleanly prepped pad?



I must say that to secure the full potential of the system, it is imperative to incorporate the constant use of compressed air to keep the pads fresh. By doing this it insures that the surface contact is as “clean” as possible. By this I mean free of dust (spent product) as well as abraded paint. If this isn’t done, there is a much higher likelihood that the congested pad elements could not only produce unneeded micromarring, but weaken the cutting power of the system. By also keeping the pad clean, you also reduce the past requirement to constantly swap out for fresh pads. Now, with these MF pads you are able to use only 1 single pad for an entire car. That’s right; no more need to constantly keep changing out pads for a fresh one. These pads clean incredibly well with a few puffs of compressed air. Brushing can also get the job done, but it only removes the topical debris and not all the rest at the base of the fibers which could eventually lead to overload. After priming of the pad, only 2-3 pea sized drops of liquid are needed for rewetting to keep continued clean cutting.



As far as cutting pads are concerned, these MF pads last a long time. After 10 cars my initial test cutting pads barely showed any signs of wear or weakening. Amazing! Plus, little to no pressure is needed for these pads to give the full effect of correction. This may ultimately lead to much greater longevity of pads. These pads also bring new life to Meg’s M105 as work times are almost infinitely extended. Buffing for several minutes isn’t a problem when speeds are slightly reduced too. Doing so actually has little if any effect on lighter correction applications or concentrated defect removal as Meg’s considers this a slow-down-to-work-faster approach. No product buildup skidding and semi-hardening onto the paint as a result of overworking either. Product easily wipes off the surface too. Almost too good to be true but it is. I encourage everyone to try this system to see for yourself the new power of the DA polisher the Meguiars way. I'd like to thank Meguiar's, Jason Rose & Kevin Brown for allowing me the opportunity to be a part of this incrredible product development.






Some pics of the system:

MF003.jpg




MF004.jpg






Here’s a few Before & Afters:



Tesla(soft) after D301 & D301:



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DSC_0881.jpg




DSC_0883.jpg




DSC_0882.jpg








Mercedes CL63(hard) after DAMF & M105:



077.jpg




078.jpg




082.jpg




088.jpg




092.jpg




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David Fermani- Thanks for posting that. I'm following the intro of this system with great interest and appreciate your take on it.



That was interesting about the use of those pads with M105 too.
 
Accumulator said:
David Fermani- Thanks for posting that. I'm following the intro of this system with great interest and appreciate your take on it.



That was interesting about the use of those pads with M105 too.



Thanks Accumulator. The pads are working great and you should definately add them to your must haves. I did an 08 Audi A4 (Black) and did a complete 2 step in 8 hours. Used M105/MF >> 85RD/MF and it looked great.



sal329 said:
Thank you Dave for the review I really want to try this new system. Did you notice any filling? Any haze especially on softer paint?



Thanks Sal. Nope, no filling as of yet. Yes, you can get some hazing on softer paint and from poor technique. I like keeping the pad clean because I'm finding dust and caking of the pad can hinder not only the cut, but the finishing potential. All in all, this system/pads are awsome.
 
David Fermani said:
Thanks Accumulator. The pads are working great and you should definately add them to your must haves. I did an 08 Audi A4 (Black) and did a complete 2 step in 8 hours. Used M105/MF >> 85RD/MF and it looked great..



OK, copy that, I'll keep an eye out for when they're shipping. I *did* just now (finally!) buy some 85RD at least!



I'm also thinking about trying the MF cutting pad with Optimum HC, maybe doing any really serious work via rotary/rocks-in-a-bottle first. Not that I'm actually planning to do any serious correction if I can avoid it, but I'm still looking for another dog-hauler and, well... you know the kind of [crap] I end up buying :o
 
Hey David - how are you using the D301? Just as recommended... prime pad, 2-3 dots, light pressure, 3-4 passes @ 3800ish opm?



I'm doing this and on soft black paint I am getting significant micromarring. :x (more so than D300 in most cases). I am sure I am doing something wrong, just want to check since finishing with FPII sort of defeats the purpose.
 
gtpaul said:
Great! Something else I have to buy now! thanks alot!





lol!



Thanks for the great write up.



Thanks Paul!



mongo said:
Nice review excelent job per usual David.



Thanks mongo! You're too kind.



Accumulator said:
OK, copy that, I'll keep an eye out for when they're shipping. I *did* just now (finally!) buy some 85RD at least!



I'm also thinking about trying the MF cutting pad with Optimum HC, maybe doing any really serious work via rotary/rocks-in-a-bottle first. Not that I'm actually planning to do any serious correction if I can avoid it, but I'm still looking for another dog-hauler and, well... you know the kind of [crap] I end up buying :o



You gotta try the OHC/MF combo. You'll be pleasantly surprised how similar it is to M105.



Picus said:
Hey David - how are you using the D301? Just as recommended... prime pad, 2-3 dots, light pressure, 3-4 passes @ 3800ish opm?



I'm doing this and on soft black paint I am getting significant micromarring. :x (more so than D300 in most cases). I am sure I am doing something wrong, just want to check since finishing with FPII sort of defeats the purpose.



Hi Kevin - I'm doing it kinda different actually. Well, most of the time atleast. I actually prefer using M105 over D300 for most corrections.



Prime>3-4 dots>3-4 passes @ full spead w/moderate to firm pressure using very slow machine movement

**Blow with compressed air**

3-4 more dots>3-4 passes @ speed 4-5 w/easy pressure using very slow machine movement

**Blow with compressed air**

>>>then I'll either:

Spray a little ONR (at QD dilution) on the panel and rework the polish for a couple more passes on speed 4-5(slow)

<or>

Finish down at speed 4 with moderate pressure for 1-2 passes with very slow machine movement



**The reason for excessive marring is usually from a loaded up pad or not fully priming it. Or/And just stupid soft clear. I still tend to finish with 85rd in most cases to dial in the final finish.
 
David Fermani said:
... I still tend to finish with 85rd in most cases to dial in the final finish.



Got some the other day. Hoping it works out as well as your other recommendations all have!
 
David Fermani said:
Hi Kevin - I'm doing it kinda different actually. Well, most of the time atleast. I actually prefer using M105 over D300 for most corrections.



Prime>3-4 dots>3-4 passes @ full spead w/moderate to firm pressure using very slow machine movement

**Blow with compressed air**

3-4 more dots>3-4 passes @ speed 4-5 w/easy pressure using very slow machine movement

**Blow with compressed air**

>>>then I'll either:

Spray a little ONR (at QD dilution) on the panel and rework the polish for a couple more passes on speed 4-5(slow)

<or>

Finish down at speed 4 with moderate pressure for 1-2 passes with very slow machine movement



**The reason for excessive marring is usually from a loaded up pad or not fully priming it. Or/And just stupid soft clear. I still tend to finish with 85rd in most cases to dial in the final finish.



OK cool, I am not crazy then. :) I'm priming the pad well, and have been using compressed air between passes, but I wasn't doing the whole pyramid thing you're doing because I figured the idea with this stuff was that we wouldn't have to. :D



I did a black Lexus today, super soft of course, tried D301 again on blue foam, black foam, high speed, low speed, high pressure, low pressure... just no luck. I will try the compressing/slower lighter passes though.



Looks like I'll be finishing with FPII/8rd until the end of time!
 
Picus said:
I did a black Lexus today, super soft of course, tried D301 again on blue foam, black foam, high speed, low speed, high pressure, low pressure... just no luck.



Are you using the Micro Fiber pads or traditional foam? My compressor regiment is more relaxed with those.
 
David Fermani said:
Are you using the Micro Fiber pads or traditional foam? My compressor regiment is more relaxed with those.



Both. I've tried it with the microfiber pads, tried with black LC foam (flat and concave), blue flat LC foam, white flat LC foam, orange concave LC foam, surfbuf (for fun :p)... on anything but medium to hard paint I find the D301 is leaving marring, sometimes more than D300 (which I absolutely love, fwiw). Maybe I am just spoiled by 8rd/fpii/106fa.



I still haven't tried your idea with the full speed/medium speed/low speed thing. I have a black BMW tomorrow so I'll play with it a bit.
 
Yeah, I gotcha on that. Using D301 and even the MF finishing pads on soft paint can be dissappointing at times. Nothing beats Menzerna for finishing!! Good thing is I haven't met a surface yet that didn't finish perfect with 85rd. And it should remove the hazing caused from M105/D300. The only real time you need to go with an intermediate step is when using SurBufs or a rotary for the initial correction step.
 
After all the positive reviews Im going to have to try these out. Just ordering the 5 inch pads to use with 105. Is the backing plate neccesary? I have a cousins car I want to do in the next 10 days before a customers car but the backing plate is out of stock right now.



Note: I did find the backing plate at detailed image but Ive read about their shady practices and they are like $2-4 more expensive for everything I wanted compared to autogeek
 
David, were you using the 5" or 6" pads?



Im still very new and have only done 5 cars at this point. Im testing this on my cousin's 2003 G35 in teal blue. It should be a great car/color to really promote my abilities and generate some word of mouth. Next is a red G8 GXP in two weeks.
 
neighborsenvy said:
After all the positive reviews Im going to have to try these out. Just ordering the 5 inch pads to use with 105. Is the backing plate neccesary? I have a cousins car I want to do in the next 10 days before a customers car but the backing plate is out of stock right now.



Note: I did find the backing plate at detailed image but Ive read about their shady practices and they are like $2-4 more expensive for everything I wanted compared to autogeek



Detailed image has shady practices? :x Man, I am out of the loop. NM, read it, disregard, don't want to stir the pot, whatever pot their was. Seemed pretty innocuous to me. :x I'd still use em.



On topic; thanks for the help David. I figured I was doing something wrong, turns out I'm not and was just too optimistic! :)
 
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