Meguiar's Ultimate Polish Review: Gloss in a Bottle, Not Correction
Our Verdict
A finishing polish and pre-wax glaze in one, and very good at both jobs. It erases compounding haze and towel marks and adds real depth on dark paint, for less than ten dollars. Just don't expect it to remove swirls, and strip its oils before a ceramic coating.
Ultimate Polish is the second half of Meguiar's consumer correction system, and the half people misunderstand. It is not a weaker Ultimate Compound. It is a finishing polish with a glaze built in: ultra-fine abrasives to remove the micro-marring the compound leaves behind, plus conditioning oils that feed into the clear coat and make dark paint look wetter than it has any right to.
What it actually does
Run it after Ultimate Compound on a soft finishing pad and the faint haze that shows up under a flashlight disappears. On a car that has never been compounded but just looks flat and tired, it lifts the gloss enough that owners assume it corrected something. It didn't — the swirls are still there under the oils — but the car looks better for a few weeks, which is exactly what a glaze is for.
The oils are the asterisk. They wash out over a month or two, taking the extra gloss with them, and they interfere with the bonding of ceramic coatings and some sealants. If you're going to coat the car, wipe it down with an IPA or panel prep spray after polishing. If you're going to wax it, go straight ahead; wax and glaze have coexisted happily for decades.
In use
It spreads thin, stays workable for ages and wipes off with almost no effort. By hand it is genuinely useful for removing towel marks after a compound spot repair. On a DA at speed three or four with a finishing pad it is the easiest polishing step you'll ever do — there's no way to burn through, no dusting, no sling.
Who should buy it
Anyone who owns Ultimate Compound and wonders why the paint still looks slightly hazy in the sun. Anyone with a dark car who wants a cheap gloss boost before a show. If you want a finishing polish with no fillers for coating prep, Griot's BOSS Perfecting Cream is the cleaner choice. Our polish and compound guide lays out the difference.
Pros
- Erases compounding haze and fine towel marks
- Adds noticeable depth and wet gloss on dark colors
- Forgiving by hand or machine
- Very cheap for 16 oz
Cons
- Almost no cut; won't touch real swirls
- Conditioning oils must be wiped down before coating
- Gloss fades once oils wash out unless waxed over