Lake country smart pad problem

[BrandonS]

I was compounding with my flex 3401 and orange lake country smart pad. I was using uber compound. My usual combo and never have problems. I don't know how to describe other than saying the back of the pad exploded. It left stuff on the Velcro backing plate that does not come off easy. Anybody have any advice. I am out pad and a backing plate at this point. I don't know how to fix the backing plate. Maybe some night I can use tweezers and try and remove the stuff while watching tv or something. It will take a while.

[Paul A.]

Sorry to hear that. What were the operating specifics when this happened? Machine speed, pressure applied, surface conditions etc.

[Dr_Pain]

Need to contact Lake Country (I think I saw David posting not too long ago). They are a very responsive and responsible company. They will make it right (if it was indeed a product failure)

David.Patterson@LakeCountryMfg.com

[BrandonS]

Need to contact Lake Country (I think I saw David posting not too long ago). They are a very responsive and responsible company. They will make it right (if it was indeed a product failure)

David.Patterson@LakeCountryMfg.com

Thanks for the info.

[Klasse Act]

Met David at our Chicagoland Detail Day, stand up guy, I'm sure he'll handle this right away for you once you contact him!

Sent from my SPH-M930 using AG Online

[BrandonS]

I have been emailing back and forth with David. hopefully we can get this figured out. He wants me to send in the backing plate which is more work than it is worth but maybe the R and D department wants to see it. I have never had this problem with the flat pads. I am more pissed about the backing plate only being good enough to use for sealing or very light polishing now that the Velcro sucks. Has anyone ever tried to replace the Velcro? I just ordered a new backing plate so I can send out the old one.

[TuxedoTaurus]

Has anyone ever tried to replace the Velcro?

Check Lowes in the section where the wool pads and sanding disks are. There is a hook and loop replacement kit made by Gator(I believe is the name) that I used once. It worked really well and held up on a stiff BP. I have never used it on a flexible BP. I even used the fix to compound some spots on a boat and it is still good to go to this day.

[Kamakaz1961]

Man sorry to see that. I am hoping you can get a resolution to this. I have not experienced any negative issues with Lake Country Pads. I think they are top notch.

I never have seen this before and I have the Flex 3401 VRG. I guess it was an anomaly. Please post the results when you find out.

[David at LC Pads]

Need to contact Lake Country (I think I saw David posting not too long ago). They are a very responsive and responsible company. They will make it right (if it was indeed a product failure)

David.Patterson@LakeCountryMfg.com


Met David at our Chicagoland Detail Day, stand up guy, I'm sure he'll handle this right away for you once you contact him!

Sent from my SPH-M930 using AG Online

Thanks for chiming in. Sometimes I simply do not see posts, and I am thankful for you guys helping the OP!

Thanks for the kind words as well Roger!

We'll get it taken care of. This is an issue that I honestly haven't seen before...

[Kamakaz1961]

Thanks for chiming in. Sometimes I simply do not see posts, and I am thankful for you guys helping the OP!

Thanks for the kind words as well Roger!

We'll get it taken care of. This is an issue that I honestly haven't seen before...


Wow! That was a fast response!! IMO Lake Country Pads are the Best and I have tried a couple of brands (I will not mention them) and I have 95% Lake Country Pads and the Flex Backing Plates too. Keep up the awesome products and works.

IMO this is just an anomaly and it will get resolved quickly thanks to you guys :dblthumb2:

[allenk4]

Matching the correct backing plate to pads is not always as straight forward as it seems.

Just because the BP holds the pad, does not mean it is the correct pairing.

Various manufacturers alter the length and curvature of the hooks as well as the depth and structure of the loop to match the pads they are intended for.

This can be seen most dramatically when looking at Rotary Pads and BP's versus those intended for a DA.

I think Mike Phillips has some pics in one of his threads.

[BrandonS]

Thanks for all the replies guys. I will definitely check out the Velcro BP repair kit from lowes . It is worth a try to salvage a 30-40 dollar BP. I think this may be a case that this pad is not ideal on a flex BP. I have not had a single complaint about my other lake country pads. I love the flat pads and am looking forward to trying the hybrid pads. I need to send David some better pics and we will go from there. I ended up just ordering a new BP as I don't want to be without.

How many cars is the average life expectancy for a compounding pad assuming it is cleaned and not damaged by misuse?

[BrandonS]

Check Lowes in the section where the wool pads and sanding disks are. There is a hook and loop replacement kit made by Gator(I believe is the name) that I used once. It worked really well and held up on a stiff BP. I have never used it on a flexible BP. I even used the fix to compound some spots on a boat and it is still good to go to this day.

Thanks, I will go to lowes tomorrow.

[David at LC Pads]

Brandon,

I would say its tough to say how many cars you can get out of a pad.
I'm sure others will chime in and give you an idea of how long they last for each person.

Many variables contribute to that. Many are technique and pressure, as they can change the life expectancy quite a bit.

The other is how many pads do you use while polishing? Do you use multiple pads, or do you clean them often and frequently throughout the whole vehicle? Some people choose to use multiple pads to avoid cleaning on the fly a lot, and will do full cleaning of the pads once the job is complete.

Compounding pads usually don't last as long, due to the nature that they are used for. Generally polishing and finishing is a much more gentile procedure.

I'm glad you are happy with our products, and we should get you taken care of quickly here.