PADS: Is there really a discernible difference between Rupes WHITE and YELLOW finishing ability?

[Freshjive44]

Is there really a need for the Rupes white pads? Has anyone used these after Rupes yellow and seen a real improvement in finishing ability? Would any of you think twice about forgoing the white pads and polish entirely and just finishing down with a yellow pad and a finishing polish? I am seeking a very jeweled-looking finish but don't want to take redundant steps. Thanks!

[custmsprty]

Just my opinion, but jeweled appearance will only happen with an additional step. And I would use a softer pad than a white Rupes for that step.

[Matt@Revive]

the Rupes yellow pad is my go to polishing pad. there have only been 2 or 3 times that i could not get a perfect finish with the yellow pad.

IMO the white pad is too soft to provide a good cut when polishing, but it will finish better on very soft paint like Porsche and Ferrari blacks

[Zubair]

The Rupes White is on par with the GG Boss Yellow Perfecting pads.
The Rupes Yellow is similar to LC Orange Light Cutting pads.
The LC Black pads and Carpro Gloss pads are softer than the Rupes White.

But back to the OP's question, I work on hard German paints 90% of the time and found no difference going from Rupes Yellow to White or any softer pad. The Yellow finished down superbly on the Porsches and Ferrari's I've detailed.

[Dylan@RUPES]

In general I finish with the yellow, for most paints and the goals I have it produces the results needed. I really only reach for the white when I'm dealing with finicky paint that the yellow doesn't finish clean on, I would honestly categorize it as a specialty pad that you won't use often, but you'll be happy you have when you need it.

[Matt@Revive]

i had to bust out the white pads last night. i was doing an AIO on a black Bentley and the yellow pad just would finish out right, hit it with the white pad to get rid of the slight about of haze left by the yellow pad.

[Mike Phillips]

I love the RUPES ultra soft white foam pads for final finishing, show car work and graphics.

I showcase them in my RUPES book too!


How to use the RUPES BigFoot Paint Polishing System
for Production Detailing and Show Car Detailing







When working on delicate glossy vinyl graphics it's the only way to go.... check out this old 2-door Chevy....

COPO Camaro - Flex vs Rupes - Carbon Fiber Hood Extreme Makeover


That's right... I only buffed out the hood. The rest of the car has swirls but hey... it's a RACE CAR! That means it has been used and abused and it's going to get used and abused even more into the future.

There's also lots of vinyl graphics all over the sides and flat black phantom vinyl graphics on the hood and down the sides of the car.

The hood however has a lot of exposed paint and as we all know the hood on a car tends to get the most attention so I carefully buffed it out to remove the swirls.



Here's the deal though...

I used the Rupes Bigfoot 21 on one half of the hood and the Flex 3401 on the other half of the hood.


Challenge: Try and guess which side of the hood I used the Rupes on and which side of the hood I used the Flex?


Here's before









Here's after....









Is it the tool? Or you?
One of the most common tool threads on this forum is on the topic of Rupes versus Flex or Flex versus Rupes.

Both tools have the potential to do amazing work, the true secret to maximizing their potential is you spending time behind the tool.




To clean and brighten the Ivan graphics a softly machine polished and then machine waxed the graphics using the Rupes Bigfoot 21 with the super ultra soft white foam polishing pad and the NEW & Improved Diamond Ultra Fine Polish.

[Mike Phillips]

Not only was the paint oxidized on this original 1978 Trans Am but the original Screaming Phoenix vinyl graphic was dull, stained and lifeless.

I carefully machine polished all of the paint around the edges of the graphic using a green RUPES pad on edge like I share in my how to book and then machine polished the entire car and the graphics with the white RUPES pad and White Diamond Ultra Soft Foam pads on the BigFoot 21.




Look how dark black the original single stage paint is and how vibrant the Screaming Phoenix is in this after pictures...




I think you can get superb results stopping at the yellow pad but for dark colors, smooth glossy vinyl graphics and show car work I'd finish out with white/white.

[Zubair]

The nice thing with the Rupes White pad is it isnt as soft or smooth as LC Black or CarPro Gloss pads. Even though its Rupes mildest pad it has some bite/cut in it to work abrasives and you can use Keramik Yellow with the White pads.

[Mike Phillips]

Also... stay tuned for the after pictures from tonight's RUPES Detailing Class at Autogeek.

The plan right now is to use Green/Green followed by White/White and then seal with the new RUPES P808


Pictures: RUPES Detailing Class at Autogeek - 1948 Chevy Fleetmaster Streetrod










Big class tonight too! We'll be using all the RUPES!