Pad vs Cream - Moving up the Aggressive Scale

[olfac87]

Many people have said start the least aggressive when paint correcting, do a test panel and work your way up if necessary. If you do need to go up in aggressiveness, is there a rule of thumb on whether you should change your pad first or your cream/product? For example, if I start with LC White Foam and GG Perfecting Cream and don't see the result I want, should I go up to LC Orange Foam with Perfecting or stay LC White and go to GG Correcting Cream? Or change both pad and cream?

Thank you.

[Mike Phillips]

I always find this a tough question to answer easily.

A lot depends on the paint, is it hard or soft and the depth of the defects you're trying to remove.

Tool choice is a huge factor also as well as technique.

I guess is all things were equal, I would try a more aggressive pad first and then go from there. The good news is, there are so many pad options, tool options and also product options.

[2black1s]

I agree with Mike on this one.

I will also add that as you gain experience you will be able to look at the paint condition and then make a pretty good determination of a good starting point.

Here's a comment I made in another thread after inspecting the paint that illustrates my starting point for that particular vehicle...

"And no "light polish" test spot was required... It was more like how many compounding steps will I need".

[olfac87]

Thank you both. Looking forward to when that experience comes. I have two paint jobs that are fairly new and I am hoping take to the polish stage, and two others a bit older although lovingly maintained, albeit in need of a good correction. I will follow your advice.

[DUBL0WS6]

Rule of thumb is that a finishing polish has very little cut. Even with a small cell orange pad the cut will be light. A correcting polish and an orange pad is a good place to start with a swirled paint finish. If it has light micromarring a finishing polish might do the trick.

I find the micro fiber pads cut faster than aggressive foams.

[olfac87]

Rule of thumb is that a finishing polish has very little cut. Even with a small cell orange pad the cut will be light. A correcting polish and an orange pad is a good place to start with a swirled paint finish. If it has light micromarring a finishing polish might do the trick.

I find the micro fiber pads cut faster than aggressive foams.

Thank you. I don't own any mf pads yet so I will see how it goes with the foam and polish/correcting creams.

[PaulMys]

Thank you. I don't own any mf pads yet so I will see how it goes with the foam and polish/correcting creams.

I'm not a fan of MF pads at all.

As said above, I would try the next most aggressive pad first.

It's easier (to me) to do that instead of breaking out another liquid.

But only you can determine what works the best for you.

[dgage]

Dang. I keep going against PaulMys today as I like MF pads but I don’t have the experience Paul has so I’d lean towards his advice, but I do like the Meguiars Fine and Cutting MF pads.

[PaulMys]

Dang. I keep going against PaulMys today as I like MF pads but I don’t have the experience Paul has so I’d lean towards his advice, but I do like the Meguiars Fine and Cutting MF pads.

LOL.

Dude, this is what makes this forum the best.

Different strokes for different folks as they say.