Noob Question, Sorry...

[TheGuyWho]

So I borrowed a Meguiars G100 polisher from a buddy, and this is the first time ive used a polisher like this. When I got it from him it had 2 orange pads, 2 yellow pads, and a black. I have no idea what kind of pads they are. I borrowed it to detail 4 of my cars, but now I need some new pads (I think?) Im down to only one yellow pad and one black pad. He had told me to use the orange pads for compound and/or polish, yellow for wax, and didnt say anything about the black.
To try and shorten this up I went online here to try and buy some more pads and the "Meguiars" pads are "Yellow, Burgundy, Black" I read the information on them, but Im confused on what to actually buy. If Black is a "finishing" pad, does that mean wax or something else? The Burgundy pads were for "cutting" so is that for compound/swirl remover? Yellow said it was a "polishing" pad, which is self explanatory in its description, however my buddy said to use the yellow pads for wax. Should I buy 2 of each in order to finish two more cars? Or what? Was going to place an order right now, but I guess ill wait until tomorrow…
Thanks for the help.

[TheGuyWho]

Secondary question…

Can you reuse pads? When should I switch them out?
Thanks.

[slickooz]

So I borrowed a Meguiars G100 polisher from a buddy, and this is the first time ive used a polisher like this. When I got it from him it had 2 orange pads, 2 yellow pads, and a black. I have no idea what kind of pads they are. I borrowed it to detail 4 of my cars, but now I need some new pads (I think?) Im down to only one yellow pad and one black pad. He had told me to use the orange pads for compound and/or polish, yellow for wax, and didnt say anything about the black.
To try and shorten this up I went online here to try and buy some more pads and the "Meguiars" pads are "Yellow, Burgundy, Black" I read the information on them, but Im confused on what to actually buy. If Black is a "finishing" pad, does that mean wax or something else? The Burgundy pads were for "cutting" so is that for compound/swirl remover? Yellow said it was a "polishing" pad, which is self explanatory in its description, however my buddy said to use the yellow pads for wax. Should I buy 2 of each in order to finish two more cars? Or what? Was going to place an order right now, but I guess ill wait until tomorrow…
Thanks for the help.

Use burgundy pads with compound
Yellow for polish
Black for wax

You can try different combos until you find the right cut for the car. Since you 2+ cars I would recommend at least 3 of each.



Secondary question…

Can you reuse pads? When should I switch them out?
Thanks.

Yes you can reuse the pads while working on the car. You can clean the pad on the fly, or get a universal pad cleaner. If you feel that the pad is losing it cutting power you should either clean it or swap it for another pad.

Hope this helps.

[tuscarora dave]

Another thing to realize is that different manufacturers have different color schemes for there pads so if you order other than Meguiars make sure you read the description of the pads first. An example of this is that Meguiar's yellow pad is a polishing pad and Lake Country's yellow pad is a cutting pad.

[dougaross]

Mike Phillips has written articles on how to clean pads (http://www.autogeekonline.net/forum/how-articles/20135-how-clean-your-foam-pad-fly-when-using-porter-cable-style-da-polisher.html) on the fly.

[BobbyG]

Another thing to realize is that different manufacturers have different color schemes for there pads so if you order other than Meguiars make sure you read the description of the pads first. An example of this is that Meguiar's yellow pad is a polishing pad and Lake Country's yellow pad is a cutting pad.

Dave makes a very good point! Check the manufactures recommendation before ordering..

[TheGuyWho]

Thanks guys!!

[Bates Detailing]

Another thing to realize is that different manufacturers have different color schemes for there pads so if you order other than Meguiars make sure you read the description of the pads first. An example of this is that Meguiar's yellow pad is a polishing pad and Lake Country's yellow pad is a cutting pad.


Dave makes a very good point! Check the manufactures recommendation before ordering..


I was wondering what these guys were talking about!!! I use yellow pads to cut..... was scared when people were saying to use them to polish - thought maybe he was about to make a big mistake there lol. I've been using yellow pads for years to cut (I prefer wool though) and never knew there were yellow out there for polishing..... seems like sticking to one brand is a must or confusion and set in and waste alot of time back tracking and correcting you own work.

[TheGuyWho]

Mike Phillips has written articles on how to clean pads (http://www.autogeekonline.net/forum/how-articles/20135-how-clean-your-foam-pad-fly-when-using-porter-cable-style-da-polisher.html) on the fly.

WOW! Was that helpful!!! I really appreciate that.
I had tried using the search engine here, but I don't know if I wasn't using the right words or searching in the right place, or what, but I couldn't find what I needed… THAT was exactly what I needed to read. :xyxthumbs:

[TheGuyWho]

I was wondering what these guys were talking about!!! I use yellow pads to cut..... was scared when people were saying to use them to polish - thought maybe he was about to make a big mistake there lol. I've been using yellow pads for years to cut (I prefer wool though) and never knew there were yellow out there for polishing..... seems like sticking to one brand is a must or confusion and set in and waste alot of time back tracking and correcting you own work.

Just to make sure Im not doing it completely wrong… How do you tell what pad "should" be used for which type of product. Are cutting pads softer or harder. For example: The orange pads I have are a bit stiffer than the yellow pads, and obviously the black pad. I was told I could compound or polish with the orange, polish with the yellow or wax with the yellow… Kinda confused now. I mean the car turned out fine, but that car I just did was a car I dont even like. Haha. Now Im about to start on my BMW and Expedition (which I do like). Last thing I want to do is make those worse…

[Bates Detailing]

Just to make sure Im not doing it completely wrong… How do you tell what pad "should" be used for which type of product. Are cutting pads softer or harder. For example: The orange pads I have are a bit stiffer than the yellow pads, and obviously the black pad. I was told I could compound or polish with the orange, polish with the yellow or wax with the yellow… Kinda confused now. I mean the car turned out fine, but that car I just did was a car I dont even like. Haha. Now Im about to start on my BMW and Expedition (which I do like). Last thing I want to do is make those worse…

The harder pads are the more aggressive pads which are used for cutting with compounds... the softer the pad gets , the less aggressive product you use..... I use black pads for finishing with a polish. I Prefer using wools pads to cut with, and I go through quite a few black pads. For any one step polish I just use the black pad - very little if any cutting ability with the black pad.

[Kristopher1129]

You can reuse pads quite a few times as long as you clean them up. The compound pads tend to need to be replaced first. But the wax pads can go a while. I have the burgundy, and black meguiars pad. Burgundy for compound, black for wax or sealant. :dblthumb2: