Carpro Denim Orange Peel Pads

**Bart7** · 04-01-2013, 05:56 PM

This is my first post on this forum (actually, it’s my first post on any forum). I recently had an experience with the Carpro Denim Orange Peel Pad that I felt compelled to share. First, a little background – I own a 1970 SS Chevelle that is in great shape. The previous owner restored the car from the ground up including a very nice 2-stage paint job. With the help of my PC 7424 and a lot of experimenting plus great tips from all of you, I was able to achieve a really nice high gloss shine. Although I received many compliments on the car’s paint, there was some orange peel that was bothering me since I purchased the car 5 years ago. I will say, the orange peel was much more noticeable on a cloudy day and virtually non-existent in the sun. I brought the car to several auto shops and much to my surprise, no one wanted to touch it saying that the paint was perfect. I convinced myself to leave the car alone until I started reading about the Carpro pads. Last week I dove into the project, right on my prized Chevelle – hey, what the heck!

Here’s what I used:

PC 7424 (never touched a rotary in my life – that’s next!)
Meguiars 105
Yellow LC Pad
Orange LC Pad
2 Carpro Denim Pads
2500 and 3000 Unigrit sand paper for a few stubborn spots
Meguiars Fine Cut Cleaner
Mequiars # 7 Glaze
Meguiars NXT Wax

As I mentioned the paint was in really good shape despite the orange peel. However, there were a few spots on the lower half of the car that were really bad. For those, I used the 2500 then the 3000 Unigrit to cut down as much as possible. I removed the sanding marks and brought the shine back using the M105 and the Yellow Pad. While the results were not perfect, I knew the denim pads would continue to cut the clear.

At this point it was time to use the new pads. I followed the instructions that Todd Helme posted on Autopia which were very helpful. I really had no idea how thick my clear coat was but I put faith in the fact that the PC was far less aggressive that a rotary. That thinking also helped me set my expectations on the low side. Within minutes, I started to see the results and let me say that it was quite exciting. One pad, with frequent cleaning, lasted about 2 panels. At that point it needed to be fully washed. Eight hours later, I completed all the side panels and went over them again with the Fine Cut Cleaner and the Orange Pad. The next day was reserved for the glaze and the final wax. The following are a few before and after photos and I must say I am very happy with the results. I’m sure a rotary could have made it even better but overall, it was well worth the time and effort.

Before