Correct pad with Prima amigo 3 inch and 5.5 inch

**12vwgti** · 09-20-2012, 07:36 PM

I am about to start my polishing with the Prima Amigo tommrrow, and have read a TON of threads on the correct pad to choose from, BUT there is never a consensus on what to use so I come to you the forums!

The car is a 2012 VW gti that has been washed and clayed, I want to use the amigo for its filling but also paint cleaning abilities/minor correction. Some say use the blue pads, some say the black and then there are the tangerine pad users. I am utilizing uber foam pads and have my pick from blue which lists it as a glaze/final polish, black which is glaze/wax/sealantand last but not least tangerine which is Med Polish. I am not trying to remove much clear as this isnt a correction just geting it winter preped, BUT i wanna clean the paint and remove any wax/sealant I still have after the washing and claying.

The tangerine pad seems like over kill as it saws Med polish BUT i fear if I use the blue it wont clean the paint since it is a final polish item. I am utilizing powerlock as my sealant step before some carnuba wax is put on top as a final stage. I am also trying to avoid buffer haze from a high density pad and not sure an orange pad will do this or not (this is my first time to the rodeo when it comes to DA polishers)

The 3 inch pads I have from griots are red and orange so one is for polish/one step sealant/glaze so i am thinking I will use the orange for the amigo since it falls under glaze, but ugh kinda lost and I just dont want this to turn into a nightmare. Any help or guidance would be great thanks guys.

**Belair** · 09-20-2012, 07:42 PM

Why not send a copy of this post to Nick @ Prima, he'd probably know exactly what to do.

**12vwgti** · 09-20-2012, 07:45 PM

E mail or private message? Never thought of that will look into that also. Thank you.

Figured that out, PM sent, in the mean time any other takers in case i dont hear back before I start, I would wait but have a time frame as work is back on for monday and I need to use the car, and will most likly utilize the blue pad worst case.

**Wheelzntoys** · 09-20-2012, 07:55 PM

I would use a black pad.

**SR99** · 09-20-2012, 07:58 PM

I'd go with the black uber (buff and shine) between the 2. Probably not that big a difference in the result though. I used the green uber (buff and shine) 5.5" with Amigo, followed by the euro red foam buff and shine with Epic.

By "tangerine" are you referering to the LC pad or the orange euro-foam buff and shine pad?

PS, have you read this thread (post #6)
Need tips on applying Amigo - North American Motoring

**12vwgti** · 09-20-2012, 08:14 PM

Originally Posted by SR99

I'd go with the black uber (buff and shine) between the 2. Probably not that big a difference in the result though. I used the green uber (buff and shine) 5.5" with Amigo, followed by the euro red foam buff and shine with Epic.

By "tangerine" are you referering to the LC pad or the orange euro-foam buff and shine pad?

PS, have you read this thread (post #6)
Need tips on applying Amigo - North American Motoring

Funny enough I did actually, they say use a white pad for moderate cleaning/filling (of course I dont have a white pad or I be all over this) and then the orange for heavy cleaning which I have, VW paint is considered hard so I know I would be ok, but I don;t wanna just burn off clear coat if I dont have to!

It's an orange pad from Uber. I used tangerine because others called it this color, is there a difference between orange and tangerine? Thanks for all the suggestions so far.

**SR99** · 09-20-2012, 08:28 PM

Originally Posted by 12vwgti

Funny enough I did actually, they say use a white pad for moderate cleaning/filling (of course I dont have a white pad or I be all over this) and then the orange for heavy cleaning which I have, VW paint is considered hard so I know I would be ok, but I don;t wanna just burn off clear coat if I dont have to!

It's an orange pad from Uber. I used tangerine because others called it this color, is there a difference between orange and tangerine? Thanks for all the suggestions so far.

Yep, post #3 in that thread (from Heather at Prima) tells everything you need to know about the different ways of using Amigo, except 1 thing:

the white pad referenced in that thread is an LC pad. The closest equivalent uber (buff and shine) pad is the green pad. I confirmed that in a thread I started here as well as an email to buff and shine.

The orange euro-foam uber (B&S) pad is more aggressive than the green (which is open cell polyester foam). Euro-foam is rated by density rather than pores per inch (ppi) but B&S told me that it is approximately equivalent to a 50 ppi pad. For comparison, the green B&S pad is 60 ppi (larger ppi = less aggressive in general). Amigo probably doesn't have enough abrasiveness to justify using the euro-foam orange pad (on a hard paint), and if you needed some level of correction besides very slight, you might start with something like Prima Finish (or Swirl), before Amigo.

I believe Heather at Prima posted that the black pads (which are about the same between LC and B&S) are too soft to activate the mild abrasive in Amigo, and you should go to the white LC (or green uber/B&S) or more aggressive, to activate the mild abrasive.

**12vwgti** · 09-20-2012, 09:11 PM

Originally Posted by SR99

Yep, post #3 in that thread (from Heather at Prima) tells everything you need to know about the different ways of using Amigo, except 1 thing:

the white pad referenced in that thread is an LC pad. The closest equivalent uber (buff and shine) pad is the green pad. I confirmed that in a thread I started here as well as an email to buff and shine.

The orange euro-foam uber (B&S) pad is more aggressive than the green (which is open cell polyester foam). Euro-foam is rated by density rather than pores per inch (ppi) but B&S told me that it is approximately equivalent to a 50 ppi pad. For comparison, the green B&S pad is 60 ppi (larger ppi = less aggressive in general). Amigo probably doesn't have enough abrasiveness to justify using the euro-foam orange pad (on a hard paint), and if you needed some level of correction besides very slight, you might start with something like Prima Finish (or Swirl), before Amigo.

I believe Heather at Prima posted that the black pads (which are about the same between LC and B&S) are too soft to activate the mild abrasive in Amigo, and you should go to the white LC (or green uber/B&S) or more aggressive, to activate the mild abrasive.

Oh I c, great info I have those pads (green ones) I will utlize them then! Thank you so much i was sitting here thinking to myself great Im stuck at a step and dont know what to do LOL. Wonderful info indeed!

**SR99** · 09-20-2012, 09:18 PM

12vwgti: since you don't have a green uber, but you have a car with hard paint, an additional question: how old is the layer of powerlock/carnuba you have on there now?

I'm not completely sure but I think powerlock takes a bit of effort to remove if it's a fairly fresh application. If it is fresh, and since you have hard paint but no uber green, the uber orange might be a better choice that the uber black, for removing the existing powerlock. Definitely start with a small area if you go that route, maybe the roof.

If, on the other hand, your layer of powerlock is pretty well expired, the black uber pad might work.

I think I'd wait for Nick@Prima to chime in, because I think you really have the 2 pads on either side of the best pad for what you want to do (the green), and I don't want to give you bad advice.

EDIT: our posts crossed in the ether. Since you have the green pad, ignore the above post.