Advice 101

[RetroLL]

Ok...newbie to this forum and need some advice or assistance on the selection or step process in pad selection. I have always done my cars by hand and now purchased a DA and pads.

My cars are a Silver Ford Edge 2010 and a 2005 Legend Lime Mustang. both are in excellent condition and I have always polished then waxed. This time I know I polish, glaze and wax.

But I am challenged on how to select the right pad combination and in what order. I have White, Grey, Blue, Red, and Gold and I think I know the proper order...but is there a system you use to find the correct combination.

Looking for any input and appreciate your expert opinions.Feed back please

[LegacyGT]

You may want to consider a clay step in there as well.

Least agressive method is what you are going to hear most often, which means taking a test spot, and progressively stepping up the pad/polish aggressiveness until the defects you are trying to remove are actually removed. Then polish out the rest of the vehicle with this method. This can end up being a multi step process, example: Wolfgang TSR on white pad followed by Finishing glaze on Grey pad.

White is a pretty mild pad (if it is an LC pad) and I would personally start with that if you are trying to remove any slight defects or water spots. The grey pad is a finishing / glaze pad, the blue/red/gold are LSP/jeweling pads.

There are a lot of people here (myself included) that love to see pictures, and can give much better advice if we see what you are working with.

[RetroLL]

yes...clay step already done...
I was thinking white with polish, then gold to glaze and finish with red or blue to wax...does that make sense?

[Jhaight11]

blue red and gold are used for your final waxes or sealants as they have 0 cutting ability. they grey can sometimes be used for lighter polishes but its still a finishing pad with 0 cut. white is your only pad that has cutting ability but very little. very minor correction capability's.

im such a slow typer lol

[RetroLL]

I should note that my 05 Legend Lime Mustang has very minor fine scratches under bright light and my 10 Edge about the same. Do you suggest trying the white with polish to help eliminate these or start out with grey.

What is the primary difference/effect between red and gold...do I try both and see the outcome ? Does the color of the car make a difference in pad selection.

Sorry for all the questions...but looking to do it right and appreciate your input.

[Jhaight11]

white with light polish. and ive never got a gold pad before but reading the info about them they say they're the softest foam i guess. but red/blue are perfectly fine for any wax or sealent. and color of the car doesnt make a difference in pad selection, just the defects on certain colors show up more on different colors (i.e. black shows the most)

[RetroLL]

Thanks...then the test will be. White to polish, Gold to glaze and red or blue to wax for round one. If no minor correction needed, then start with grey to polish.

You all rock !!

[WRAPT C5Z06]

What kind of polish do you have?

[RetroLL]

Megs Ultimate Polish - awaiting delivery of Megs #205 Ultra.

[WRAPT C5Z06]

Megs Ultimate Polish
Good polish, but very little correction ability. If you use it with a grey pad, don't expect much correction at all. With a white pad, it will remove minor swirling/micro-marring. Give it a shot though. If it doesn't give you the results you want, pick up some Meg's Ultimate Compound from autozone. Use that with an orange or white pad, then follow with Ultimate polish with a white of grey pad. A glaze is unnecessary, IMO. Don't forget to clay before you polish.

Edit: Meg's 205 and Ultimate polish are going to be very close in cutting ability(Meg's 205 may have a bit more cut). UP has more polishing oils, that's the only big difference.

[RetroLL]

Clay is done....and IMO your opinion is better than mine ! Never tried the glaze before....was just gonna give it a shot to see the outcome.

Gonna hit it with a white pad and ultimate polish first and see how it all works out. Many thanks !!

[WRAPT C5Z06]

Clay is done....and IMO your opinion is better than mine ! Never tried the glaze before....was just gonna give it a shot to see the outcome.

Gonna hit it with a white pad and ultimate polish first and see how it all works out. Many thanks !!
Sounds good.

Glaze isn't a "bad" thing, I just feel it's meant for show cars that are never driven. Anyhow, give it a shot! What kind of glaze? What kind of polisher?

[RetroLL]

Just bought a Megs Da. The glaze I believe I ordered was Megs 205 but that is coming next week.

My 05 stang is not gonna be at BJ auction...but all the same it really only gets driven on perfect days or to shows. Never seen weather and sits inside all winter. I was looking for a little extra "pop" from the glaze.

[WRAPT C5Z06]

Just bought a Megs Da. The glaze I believe I ordered was Megs 205 but that is coming next week.

My 05 stang is not gonna be at BJ auction...but all the same it really only gets driven on perfect days or to shows. Never seen weather and sits inside all winter. I was looking for a little extra "pop" from the glaze.
Meg's 205 is not a glaze by any means. ;) It's a polish. If anything, you'll get more pop from ultimate polish because it contains more polishing oils.

[RetroLL]

I guess I actually did know that, but did not realize that the Ultimate was better overall. Looking forward to seeing the outcome with both products.