Menzerna 3000 Final Finish Polish: Tested And Reviewed
Menzerna 3000 is a tried and tested finishing polish, which is part of the standard polishing range from Menzerna. It’s intended to be used as the final step in a multi-stage polishing process. A finishing polish contains fine polishing abrasives. These can refine the work done by heavier cut compounds which can often leave the surface with a hazed appearance.
Menzerna 3000 has a cut rating of 3/10 and a gloss rating of 9/10 and should be used with a finishing pad. This cut rating is not enough to remove the majority of defects from paint but may serve to remove wash inflicted swirl marks, oxidisation and the aforementioned hazing. Menzerna 3000 contains no waxes, silicone, or fillers.
I tested this polish using a Vertool Forced Drive polisher with a Menzerna finishing foam pad. Before polishing always ensure the paint is clean and decontaminated, which involves removing tar and iron using dedicated chemicals and the use of a clay bar to remove embedded contaminants.
I first primed the pad with the product by spreading the product to cover all dry spots. Dry spots can cause the pad to stall on the paint, which can lead to hazing and poor results. With the pad primed I added 6 small drops of polish, roughly the size of a pea as shown below.
I then spread the polish over the section using the lowest speed setting, before increasing the speed to near maximum. I made four passes in a cross-hatching pattern before increasing the speed of the machine to the maximum for a final pass. By this stage, the polish had turned almost translucent, so this is a good indicator as to when to stop polishing.
Finish Achieved
The quality of finish left by 3000 is impressive. On the black paint I was testing, the metallic flakes really popped out under the inspection light. The swirl marks that were present on the panel had been removed successfully. I also tested this on a section that I had previously polished using Menzerna 1000. Due to the low refinement ability of that polish, the surface was hazy and quite dull. A polishing set of 3000 was enough to completely change the appearance of the panel, from what looked like grey to black.
How is This Polish Best Used?
This polish can be used to refine polishing work previously done by heavy cut compounds. This is their primary intended purpose, but they do also have a use of their own accord. This polish has shown it can remove light swirl marks that are present on the vast majority of cars. It could serve as an annual polish for the enthusiast detailer.
Any washing at all increases the chance of swirl marks being inflicted, even if safe wash procedures are followed. Using a heavy cut compound regularly will eventually burn through the clear coat and a costly respray will be required. This polish would work well as an annual reset for the paint, as it removes very little clear coat.
Residue
After four passed much of the polish had diminished and so wiping the residue was no challenge with a plush microfibre. This process is also helped by using a panel wipe.
What needs to follow this polish?
This is intended to be the final step in a detail before applying protection. While the other two finishing polishes do have slightly higher gloss ratings, the difference is slight and owning one of the finishing polishes makes the others obsolete in my view. Wiping down with a panel wipe and applying an LSP is the best option following this polish.
Value for Money
Menzerna 3000 is sold in 250 ml and 1000 ml bottles. Prices vary but are usually around £12 and £30 respectively. Bear in mind the 250 ml bottles can usually be bought as part of a set which may represent greater value.
I weighed how much polish I would need to correct a section roughly 40 cm x 40 cm. This came to 7 grams. It is hard to predict how much polish will be needed for a car, as every scenario is different, but assuming there are 25 ‘sections’ on a medium car, around 175 grams of polish would be needed. This polish has a density similar to that of water, so this also equates to 175 ml of polish. Based on the cost of a small bottle, this would cost around £8.40 or £5.25 for a larger bottle.
Level of Cut
This product is not designed to remove large amounts of clearcoat at a time. To confirm this, I took depth measurements before and after polishing to see what if any difference there was.
The results confirmed my expectations, as the average before polishing was 117 μm, while the average after testing was 116 μm (1 μ is equal to 1/1000th of a millimetre). On extremely soft paints slightly more may be removed but in general, this is a product with minimal cutting power.
Results
Not only can this product be used to remove polishing marks left by heavier compounds, but it can also remove swirl marks outright while leaving an excellent finish with good clarity and depth. The first photo below shows a 50/50 with the upper half having been polishing using HCC1000 alone, while the bottom half had been further refined using 3000.
The below photos demonstrate the ability of this polish to remove light swirl marks that may arise as a result of daily driving and washing.
Before
After
Does Menzerna 3000 remove swirl marks?
Menzerna 3000 is capable of removing very light swirl marks such as may be found on a well-cared-for vehicle. If a car has deeper swirls, as would be inflicted by an automatic car wash, this polish would not be enough to completely remove all the defects.
Does Menzerna 3000 contain wax?
No, Menzerna 3000 is free from waxes, fillers and silicon.
What is the difference between the Menzerna finishing polishes?
There is not a massive difference between the finishing range. 3000 has the lowest gloss, but this is still high at 9/10. 3800 has the lowest cut, rated at 2/10, whereas 3500 is the medium of the two, with cut 3/10 and gloss 10/10.
Menzerna 3000 – Final Thoughts
This polish has been standard in the Menzerna range for a good few years now, with performance and cost per use than justify its popularity. With the alternative products of Menzerna 3500 and Menzerna 3800 available, one does wonder where the use for 3000 comes in.
With 3500 offering the same level of cut but with added gloss, I would choose 3500 every time. That is not to say 3000 is not a good polish, because it is. I feel however that the existence of 3500 and 3800 make this product almost obsolete.
Jonathan has been a car fanatic since his dad got him hooked on the Ferrari F40. Whilst he has dreams of owning one someday, he's poured his life into being the best he can be when it comes to detailing. Whilst car detailing is just a hobby, the countless hours and money invested makes him a unique addition to the detailing industry, offering unbiased opinions and methods that often go against the trends.
