Cleaning Pads with the Flex 3401 and the Grit Guard Universal Pad Washer

[2003 GMC Denali]

I also like the idea of using an old Buffer or Drill to clean the Pads.

The idea of getting a Water and Soap Solution inside of my nice new Buffer doesn't appeal to me.

I see a Flex being used in the Pictures above... and is there any harm in using the nicest Buffing-Machine made, to splash around in a Water Bucket ?

[2003 GMC Denali]

I'll post this question in one other thread, OK ?

[belcherm58]

Pad Washer will pay for itself after a few uses. You can really extend the life of your pads by properly cleaning them. Mike used this pad washer this past Saturday while detailing the Bel Air and it made a huge difference in the amount of time it saved.

Gotta get a pad washer. It's on top of my to do list.

[Meghan]

May I see one of these Pad Washers all taken apart ?

If I had an AG Pail with 4 Grit Guards in it... all stacked up in it... and maybe a little chunk of Foam cut in a round shape, placed somewhere in the middle of all 4 Grit Guards to provide the springy feeling, could I duplicate the cleaning action of the AG Pad Washer ?

I will take pictures of the "guts" of it today for you, there is a spring load middle piece that is the key element to cleaning the pads.

I also like the idea of using an old Buffer or Drill to clean the Pads.

The idea of getting a Water and Soap Solution inside of my nice new Buffer doesn't appeal to me.

I see a Flex being used in the Pictures above... and is there any harm in using the nicest Buffing-Machine made, to splash around in a Water Bucket ?

I have never seen water splash up in this thing, water stays down in the bucket.

[Meghan]

A forum member was nice enough to post this link with photos.

http://www.gritguard.com/index.php/c.../id/7/image/8/

[Mike Phillips]

May I see one of these Pad Washers all taken apart ?

If I had an AG Pail with 4 Grit Guards in it... all stacked up in it... and maybe a little chunk of Foam cut in a round shape, placed somewhere in the middle of all 4 Grit Guards to provide the springy feeling, could I duplicate the cleaning action of the AG Pad Washer ?

Here's a cutaway view from the GritGuard.com website. There's a series of 4 spring loaded water pumps that pump water into the pad, wool or foam and flush out any residue as the pad spins over the grit guard grill.







There's a series of 4 spring loaded water pumps that pump water into the pad, wool or foam and flush out any residue as the pad spins over the grit guard grill.

[TurboToys]

thats a really good design.... someone took some time in creating that.

[Kilgore]

Question about rinsing pads after using the GG pad washer,

I have a new GG universal pad washer which I haven't used yet. I read all the info I could find on the threads here and watched some of the videos, it looks like it's gonna be great, I can’t wait to try it out. I hate washing pads by hand especially rinsing and wringing them out over and over until the cleaning solution is gone. I have used XMT pad cleaner and Micro-restore and so far I think the micro restore does a better job cleaning pads, by hand anyway. I got some DP pad rejuvenator when I bought the GGUPW and also have the small bottle of PRS that came with it so I plan to try each one to see what works best for me. So here’s the question. After cleaning the pad and spinning it dry in the GG, won’t there still be residue left from whatever cleaner you use? When you are done washing the pads, should you dump out the soap and refill the pad washer with clean, warm water and rinse them thoroughly with the same method used for cleaning, just without the soap? The last instruction for the DP cleaner says to “Rinse the pads thoroughly and lay them out to air dry.” It seems to me that just spinning the cleaning solution out would leave some residue in the foam pad and possibly mess up whatever product you use next or maybe even leave some smears or streaking. It’s kinda like doing your laundry and taking the clothes out before the rinse cycle and putting them in the dryer still full of soap? Maybe it’s not a big deal, just my OCD showing. I haven’t seen any mention of this in the GG threads I’ve read so far so I thought I’d get some opinions.
Thanks in advance,

[Mike Phillips]

So here’s the question. After cleaning the pad and spinning it dry in the GG, won’t there still be residue left from whatever cleaner you use?

Yes.

When you are done washing the pads, should you dump out the soap and refill the pad washer with clean, warm water and rinse them thoroughly with the same method used for cleaning, just without the soap?

You can if you want, sure will make your detailing project take a lot longer. Another option would be to have 2 Grit Guard Universal Pad Washers, one with cleaning solution and one with rinse water.

Me? I sling out the cleaning solution as best as I can, sometimes pat out any excess water using a clean, cotton towel and get back to work.

The last instruction for the DP cleaner says to “Rinse the pads thoroughly and lay them out to air dry.”

Those were probably written with hand washing in mind. It cold be those instructions were written before the GG was invented, hard to say, the Grit Guard Pat Wash was introduced in the spring of 2008 I believe, Doug Lamb sent me a beta unit when they were first working on them.

It seems to me that just spinning the cleaning solution out would leave some residue in the foam pad and possibly mess up whatever product you use next or maybe even leave some smears or streaking.

When you're using a pad washer it's usually for your heavies cutting or cleaning step as that's when you're using your most aggressive products and getting the heaviest build-up of compound or whatever it is you're cutting with and "removed paint". Cleaning this off the pad and then getting back to work isn't going to be that big of deal as far as the end results are concerned. Put it this way, I never worry about it. I'd rather use a pad wash and buff clean than not use the pad washer and clean my pads the other ways.

It’s kinda like doing your laundry and taking the clothes out before the rinse cycle and putting them in the dryer still full of soap?

Kind of but you're only supposed to use one scoop of the DP Pad Rejuvenator and sometimes I only use half a scoop. The DP Pad Rejuvenator is a citrus based product, actually feel kind of slimy to the touch. Again, it don't ever seem to affect my results and I'd rather clean my pad and remove all the icky build-up than buff without it.

Maybe it’s not a big deal, just my OCD showing.

I've been posting to discussion forums since they've been around and teaching classes since 1988 and I've always notices that a trend with online enthusiasts is to over-complicate things, not saying your doing this as you're asking great questions but in general, over-complication is a once in a while trend on detailing forums.

I haven’t seen any mention of this in the GG threads I’ve read so far so I thought I’d get some opinions.
Thanks in advance,

Could be you're the first to bring this topic up?

That's what so great about discussion forums, topics get discussed until a forum consensus is formed and everyone's happy.

[5.4 Shelby]

I bought one a while back on the VIP special. I need to try it out one of these days lol

If I see one on the VIP special again, I will have to pick one up. Looks slick.