Proper handling of Meguiar's Microfiber Pads

[Michael Stoops]

As many of you are well aware, and frustratingly so, we have had some issues surrounding the delamination of our microfiber pads. This has prompted some people to think that any time a pad fails it's down to a manufacturing defect, but that isn't always the case. More on that in a moment, but first let's quickly review the proper care and feeding of these pads:

We have always stated that this system was tuned to 4800 opm on a DA for cutting and that this speed should not be exceeded. If you need additional cut, either increase the pressure, slow down the arm speed, shrink the size of the work area, or some combo of the three, but do NOT increase the tool speed. The GG6" and Meguiar's G110v2 are definitely more powerful than the PC7424XP so that tool you might run at speed 5, but definitely not on the others. Another point about the pressure being used: you can maintain pad spin even with extreme pressure on these pads, much more pressure than you could use with foam before rotation ceases. But that doesn't mean you should lean on the pad every time you buff. You will raise heat levels at the backing plate/pad interface as the hook and loop material becomes subjected to ever increasing stress created by high pressure and high speeds. And heat is a very bad thing, almost always created by being overly aggressive with the pads. High speeds and very high pressure will also escalate that heat pretty quickly, especially if you're using a backing plate other than the recommended Meguiar's W67DA. This is due to the additional heat generated by a mismatched hook & loop - that hook & loop being thrown around on a DA is a nasty, brutal environment.

Further, very regular cleaning of the pads is critical, and that means after every section you buff. Not every panel, not every three or four sections or just because the fibers are matting down. After every section you buff the pads must be blown out with compressed air or brushed with a brush. This isn't just to fluff the fibers up again but to remove both product and paint residue from the fibers. Microfiber is great at hanging on to stuff, and if this product and paint residue is allowed to build up you will not only comprise your cutting ability but also run the risk of developing a relatively large deposit that could create pigtails in the paint.

All of this is much less critical with the finishing discs because they aren't being used (or at least should not be used) as aggressively as the cutting discs are. At speed 3 on a DA (3800 opm) and just light to moderate pressure with fairly quick arm speed, you're putting virtually no stress on these pads at all.

OK, back to the known failure issues with our microfiber pads. Rest assured that should you have any failure caused by a manufacturing defect we will gladly replace the pads at no charge. The first line of defense is always the retailer from whom you purchased the pads, but if you can't get satisfaction from them then by all means call our Customer Care Center and they'll take care of you. And about that "manufacturing defect"..... not all pad failures are due to a manufacturing defect. Sometimes it's flat out abuse. This image of 3" pads shows some that were sent back to us for warranty replacement due to the pads delaminating, but this is not a manufacturing defect. The fact that the foam is ripped to shreds tells us that these have been repeatedly yanked off the backing plate, and possibly even off a mismatched backing plate, putting undo stress on the foam to the point that it has been torn apart. It is even quite possible that these were run at very high speed with a lot of pressure and the heat generated over a length of time compromised the integrity of the foam. But that is not, and should not be, "normal use".


From day one with this system we have urged a bit of caution when removing the pads from the backing plate. Our recommendation has always been to get your fingers between the pad and backing plate, as shown in the image below, to remove the pads. If you're using a mismatched backing plate that has a death grip on these pads (think the backing plate on the Rupes tools - yikes!!!!) then this becomes even more critical.

Don't do this.....


Do this.

[Evan.J]

Very very informative Mike. This should be a sticky as this topic of pad failure come up a lot and would be great for those with any question about the proper use and cleaning of the pads.

[Mike Phillips]

Nice article and good information Mike...

Also, something I've seen over time when it comes to the hook-n-look attachment system is that the hooks wear out over time. The hooks stretch and loose attachment strength.

When you're using a brand new backing plate and a brand new pad, attachment strength is at it's greatest and for this reason you want to be even more careful when removing and swapping out pads.


And I'll second you on the attachment strength of the Rupes backing plates. So Mike's tips apply to ANY backing plate and pad system.

[Porsche Pilot]

Great info Mike & Mike. Thanks for posting!


Sent via telepathy.

[6supersport7]

I will third the Rupes backing plates. They made sure pads would never fly off of it. I try and take extra precaution whenever removing any type of pads off the Rupes. I have only ever messed up one Megs MF disk and I knew it was clearly my fault right away. I was using way to much pressure and speed for a 3 inch pad.

[FUNX650]

Thanks Mike S. & Mike P.!!

TO WIT:
"One can't 'pad' the ugly truth"...



Bob

[Mike Phillips]

Thanks Mike S. & Mike P.!!

TO WIT:
"One can't 'pad' the ugly truth"...



Bob

That's bad Bob....

[statusdetailing]

I'll admit i've had trouble with these pads. Ive even gone on rants about them. That said, the performance of this product outweighs the faults. If the steps that you mentioned are followed these things actually hold up quite well...definitely not rock solid but im willing to make some compromises for the outstanding performance.

Like you mentioned, compressed air is the trick. I'd like to ad that they should be cleaned in cool water, preferrably no detergent. Never put them in a washer or dryer.

[BlackHawk1]

I'm about ready to get a Rupes backing plate... the idea of the pad sticking like glue sounds good to me after my experience. I uploaded 2 videos to Youtube showing my situation. I used the products as recommend, didn't exceed OPM's, used air to clean *very* frequently as recommend, etc. I don't know what else I could have done, but I am having issues and it is frustrating. Issues with new pads and new backing plates to boot... one being the 3" pad and 3" BP that was *NEVER* used. Figure that out. I don't have separation issues, but adhesion issues. The 5" pad was sticking just fine to the Meguiar's recommended BP (I bought the 5" kit) until about 3/4 of the way through a job on a Nissan 300ZX convertible. Then the pad started to come off after just a few passes. I grabbed another 5" unused pad and it won't stick to the BP as it should. Could a BP go bad this quickly?! And the 3" BP and 3" pads... *never used* ever and look at the video of how they don't want to stick. My confidence in the products is not good. I simply can't spend this kind of money and have products go bad this quickly...


3" pad video: 3pad - YouTube

5" pad video: 5pad - YouTube

[R4IDER]

hey baclhwak i got the same issues as you with new pads and bp and machine... these pads dont stick with the bp and start to go to one side till they wana come off, they wont last more than 2'3 section passes