Pad question

[Alex Haramic]

Getting a 6 pack of pads no heavy aggressive pads just polish pads and wax/sealant pads two polish pads two wax pads and two more final finishing pads. My question is can I do one car with one pad or do you guys put a new pad on half way through. If so why do you change to a new pad?

[Pureshine]

If you just doing a wax or sealant you can use 1 to 2 pads depends on car size. For your average size car yes 1 pad is fine. I put wax and sealant on by hand but thats just me I can get a better evan coverage by hand.

[Alex Haramic]

If you just doing a wax or sealant you can use 1 to 2 pads depends on car size. For your average size car yes 1 pad is fine. I put wax and sealant on by hand but thats just me I can get a better evan coverage by hand.

Ok I thought so I read some people constantly switch out pads what about polish pads get one pad use out of one car most my cars are typical size I have an chevy s10 that's like a toy truck and Monte Carlo, and a Chevy equinox

[Kevin Cullen]

I have a GMC Canyon and a Chev Equinox. I use two pads per step and clean on the fly after each panel. I may not have to use two pads but figure I may not be removing all paint particles with the cleaning on the fly method. I would only use one pad if I had a pad washer system (which is on my list).

If it is a large vehicle with oxidation I will use more pads.

[Alex Haramic]

I have a GMC Canyon and a Chev Equinox. I use two pads per step and clean on the fly after each panel. I may not have to use two pads but figure I may not be removing all paint particles with the cleaning on the fly method. I would only use one pad if I had a pad washer system (which is on my list).

If it is a large vehicle with oxidation I will use more pads.

What so mean cleaning on the fly what does the term mean? Thanks

[Kevin Cullen]

No one but Mike can answer this better.

www.autogeekonline.net/forum/how-articles/20135-how-clean-your-foam-pad-fly.html

[cardaddy]

Alex,

That's not as easily answered as asked. Polishing can be done with 2 or 3 pads, but you don't know WHICH pads until you have the paint system, polish, and pads in front of you.

As a ballpark work all pad the white LC pads do pretty good. They can do light compounding and polishing as well.

It's where you start moving on to finer finishing that the blue and/or black pads come into play. Depending on whether or not they are flat or CCS then you also have the green ones along that same area. Then of course you still have red and gold. (Although gold imho is about useless unless you're doing jewelling.)

The thing is if you are using a finishing pad for say spreading wax or sealant then you don't want to use that pad for anything else. Like for instance you don't want to try and wash M21 out of a pad and polish with it. :rolleyes: Those pads are going to be used for that chemical, period.

So yeah.... if you're looking at 6 pads you need to figure out what you need them for. Set aside the ones you want to do your LSP with. Then set aside the ones you want to polish with. I have more whites (in all sizes and all types, flats, CCS, etc.) than any others. But NONE of them get used for both compound and polish.

Use a marker and label them so you know what you use them with. Not saying you *can't* use different compounds, from different manufacturers, in the same pad. Just that I choose not to. (For instance I don't mix DAT and SMAT products in the same pad.)

If I had to say, I'd say 3 whites, 2 blues and 1 black just for polishing and finishing, (as a bare minimum). The ones that you might find out you DON'T need that many of, are probably yellows. Once you have the swirls gone you can get away without them for a long time.

By FAR.... the biggest problem with foam pads (or any pad on a DA for that manner) is building and retaining heat. Too much heat will destroy a pad, and the Velcro backing. They don't cool well either, so you have to keep swapping a warm one for a cool, CLEAN one while you're buffing. Polishing can be done with 2, (but 3~4 is easier). Compounding will take twice that, EASY! FWIW, cleaning on the fly only works so much and doesn't address the cooling. A pad cleaner will clean them better AND cool them better... but you then need to let it sit and dry for a spell. More pads is a lot cheaper than $130 for a pad cleaner btw. (That's a LOT more pads!) :xyxthumbs:

I know all this might not help a bit, sorry 'bout that. ;) But I look at it like pads are really not that expensive (at least the 5½'s) and it's just easier to have at least 3~4 of everything you plan on using. (Somehow I ended up with around 80 before I ever THOUGHT about getting paid to do detailing.) :laughing: And even more now!

(Disclaimer: Only referring to foam's here. MF pads will go a LOT farther but they need a CRAP LOAD more cleaning, with air. And still have to worry about heating up. Probably more so than foam pads.) And no.... they are NOT cheap like foam! :eek:

[Alex Haramic]

Alex,

That's not as easily answered as asked. Polishing can be done with 2 or 3 pads, but you don't know WHICH pads until you have the paint system, polish, and pads in front of you.

As a ballpark work all pad the white LC pads do pretty good. They can do light compounding and polishing as well.

It's where you start moving on to finer finishing that the blue and/or black pads come into play. Depending on whether or not they are flat or CCS then you also have the green ones along that same area. Then of course you still have red and gold. (Although gold imho is about useless unless you're doing jewelling.)

The thing is if you are using a finishing pad for say spreading wax or sealant then you don't want to use that pad for anything else. Like for instance you don't want to try and wash M21 out of a pad and polish with it. :rolleyes: Those pads are going to be used for that chemical, period.

So yeah.... if you're looking at 6 pads you need to figure out what you need them for. Set aside the ones you want to do your LSP with. Then set aside the ones you want to polish with. I have more whites (in all sizes and all types, flats, CCS, etc.) than any others. But NONE of them get used for both compound and polish.

Use a marker and label them so you know what you use them with. Not saying you *can't* use different compounds, from different manufacturers, in the same pad. Just that I choose not to. (For instance I don't mix DAT and SMAT products in the same pad.)

If I had to say, I'd say 3 whites, 2 blues and 1 black just for polishing and finishing, (as a bare minimum). The ones that you might find out you DON'T need that many of, are probably yellows. Once you have the swirls gone you can get away without them for a long time.

By FAR.... the biggest problem with foam pads (or any pad on a DA for that manner) is building and retaining heat. Too much heat will destroy a pad, and the Velcro backing. They don't cool well either, so you have to keep swapping a warm one for a cool, CLEAN one while you're buffing. Polishing can be done with 2, (but 3~4 is easier). Compounding will take twice that, EASY! FWIW, cleaning on the fly only works so much and doesn't address the cooling. A pad cleaner will clean them better AND cool them better... but you then need to let it sit and dry for a spell. More pads is a lot cheaper than $130 for a pad cleaner btw. (That's a LOT more pads!) :xyxthumbs:

I know all this might not help a bit, sorry 'bout that. ;) But I look at it like pads are really not that expensive (at least the 5½'s) and it's just easier to have at least 3~4 of everything you plan on using. (Somehow I ended up with around 80 before I ever THOUGHT about getting paid to do detailing.) :laughing: And even more now!

(Disclaimer: Only referring to foam's here. MF pads will go a LOT farther but they need a CRAP LOAD more cleaning, with air. And still have to worry about heating up. Probably more so than foam pads.) And no.... they are NOT cheap like foam! :eek:

Thanks for the advice I was going to purchase just LC flat pads the colors would be white green grey blue red one extra pad maybe another green or white one cleaners I would be using would be Meg's ultimate polish very little abrasives and I believe the white pad, green pad or maybe even the grey pad will do it on very light swirl marks since these pads have very little cut. Also for my wax would be using Meg's gold class and next 2.0 Meg's liquid waxes I want to try out pinnacle and also wolf gang. Next but I want to use the rest of my Meg's cleaners up before doing so my finishing pads I want to use pinnacle paint cleanser. Right now I have to understand and get the feel for the machine and pads I want to be able to practice and in the future know more about what pads to use....when I first try out the pads I'm going with the green pad or grey pad to try polish and see if I see any results if I don't I will step up to the next pad I would do a test spot of course. I have Meg's ultimate compound but like you said even the light cutting polishing pad could be used to apply a compound I don't need to use compound on the vehicle just a light swirl remover so I don't have to worry about using this product. So as of right now I'm going to experiment with the pads I would like to get more pads after I know which ones I will be using the most so I can use two or three pads on a vehicle so I don't have to worry about pads heating up fast first vehicle I'm going to try will be a small chevy s10 it's has blue paint on it and I will be able to see results better than trying it on my white Monte Carlo. When I do get the feel for the pads and machine I will be able to clean and reuse pads on my Monte Carlo.

[Alex Haramic]

Thanks for the advice I was going to purchase just LC flat pads the colors would be white green grey blue red one extra pad maybe another green or white one cleaners I would be using would be Meg's ultimate polish very little abrasives and I believe the white pad, green pad or maybe even the grey pad will do it on very light swirl marks since these pads have very little cut. Also for my wax would be using Meg's gold class and next 2.0 Meg's liquid waxes I want to try out pinnacle and also wolf gang. Next but I want to use the rest of my Meg's cleaners up before doing so my finishing pads I want to use pinnacle paint cleanser. Right now I have to understand and get the feel for the machine and pads I want to be able to practice and in the future know more about what pads to use....when I first try out the pads I'm going with the green pad or grey pad to try polish and see if I see any results if I don't I will step up to the next pad I would do a test spot of course. I have Meg's ultimate compound but like you said even the light cutting polishing pad could be used to apply a compound I don't need to use compound on the vehicle just a light swirl remover so I don't have to worry about using this product. So as of right now I'm going to experiment with the pads I would like to get more pads after I know which ones I will be using the most so I can use two or three pads on a vehicle so I don't have to worry about pads heating up fast first vehicle I'm going to try will be a small chevy s10 it's has blue paint on it and I will be able to see results better than trying it on my white Monte Carlo. When I do get the feel for the pads and machine I will be able to clean and reuse pads on my Monte Carlo.

Also have you ever tried out the LC hand pads?

[cardaddy]

Alex,

I've not tried any of the LC hand pads.

I'd still say just get at least 2 of 3 colors and go from there. I've said it before that I'd like to see AG offer a "Bakers Dozen" pad set (pick your own) as that'd offer enough pads to work with more than one vehicle and pretty much anything you would need to keep your garage happy. ;)

If I remember, the flats don't have green, (only the CCS does). Honestly I don't have a problem with CCS pads, and actually like them for their ability to get up to edges better.

With the Megs SMAT products they work well too with their design and the little 'pockets' holding just that extra amount of material that you can use as you play around with downward pressure.

Keep in mind about the green that it is REALLY soft! I use it for spreading M21 and the like actually. You may be really surprised at what pad(s) you end up needing. Megs Ultimate Compound really works more like a polish, especially with a soft pad. I've used it with the full cut yellow pads, and all the way to a blue pad. You would have never known it was the same product! :props: So.... NO.... I wouldn't rule out using it right away.

Like I said earlier, the white pad is very versatile. That being said, as the pads get softer they are SO close to one another the way they work with daily drivers. Sure, show car paint and single stage will show you things to the nth degree but honestly.... it's really easy to skip over a color once you get in the blue / green / black area, and may NEVER need anything softer than the black pads. (You may be surprised to find you need yellow much more than you need say red.) :dunno: The sad part is after you get your cars corrected with yellow you'll likely not need them again as long as you work to maintain the 'new' finish. ;)

[Alex Haramic]

Alex,

I've not tried any of the LC hand pads.

I'd still say just get at least 2 of 3 colors and go from there. I've said it before that I'd like to see AG offer a "Bakers Dozen" pad set (pick your own) as that'd offer enough pads to work with more than one vehicle and pretty much anything you would need to keep your garage happy. ;)

If I remember, the flats don't have green, (only the CCS does). Honestly I don't have a problem with CCS pads, and actually like them for their ability to get up to edges better.

With the Megs SMAT products they work well too with their design and the little 'pockets' holding just that extra amount of material that you can use as you play around with downward pressure.

Keep in mind about the green that it is REALLY soft! I use it for spreading M21 and the like actually. You may be really surprised at what pad(s) you end up needing. Megs Ultimate Compound really works more like a polish, especially with a soft pad. I've used it with the full cut yellow pads, and all the way to a blue pad. You would have never known it was the same product! :props: So.... NO.... I wouldn't rule out using it right away.

Like I said earlier, the white pad is very versatile. That being said, as the pads get softer they are SO close to one another the way they work with daily drivers. Sure, show car paint and single stage will show you things to the nth degree but honestly.... it's really easy to skip over a color once you get in the blue / green / black area, and may NEVER need anything softer than the black pads. (You may be surprised to find you need yellow much more than you need say red.) :dunno: The sad part is after you get your cars corrected with yellow you'll likely not need them again as long as you work to maintain the 'new' finish. ;)

Hey I really appreciate the advice and help was very detailed thanks I ll let you know how it goes when I buy them

[dorkiedoode]

I'm just starting out too. I ordered the 6 packs first. I got 2 white, 2 black, 1 orange, and one blue LC flat pad. Now I know I need more white pads so I can keep the pad cool by switching it out more. So I now have 5 white. That should take care of my polishing needs for now. Btw my paint is the soft one just in case youre wondering.