Using just 4" pads?

[Ty07allstar]

I'm thinking of getting the GG 3" DA with CCS 4" pads and am wondering if it will not be worth the smaller size to do a whole car with. Would I be better just getting the PC with the 5" plate and use the 5.5" pads and do the parts I can't get with the DA with my hand?

[FinalTouchAuto]

I would start with 5" plate and 5.5" pads. 4" pads would take forever to do an entire vehicle.

Right now I strictly am using 6.5" pads and find that I get enough correction with m105 and speed 6 on the PC, but once I kill these pads I'll probably be moving down to 5.5" pads.

[Mister B]

If you have to pick one, I would get the larger PC. I would not want to polish an entire car with 4" pads.

You can always buy a 3" or 3.5" backing plate and change out the 5" backing plate on the PC for the times that you want to use the smaller 4" pads. That is what I did.

[Ty07allstar]

Thanks for the replies. I think I'll just get the PC with the 5" backing plate then later on I'll get the 3" backing plate.

[dublifecrisis]

I thought the GG 3" was only for 3" inch pads? I've been missing a lot of good discussion around here.

I use a PC with about an even split of 4" pads and 5.5" pads. I never use anything larger than the 5.5 but I do wish I had the GG 3" for tighter places. I've done a couple cars using nothing but 4" pads (multiple passes too) for polishing but then move up to 5.5" for finishing/LSP.

To your question, IMO a PC with 2 backing plates (3.5" and 5") and the ability to go from one size to another is the way to go.

[Mike Phillips]

I'm thinking of getting the GG 3" DA with CCS 4" pads and am wondering if it will not be worth the smaller size to do a whole car with. Would I be better just getting the PC with the 5" plate and use the 5.5" pads and do the parts I can't get with the DA with my hand?

As FinalTouchAuto states, trying to do an entire car with just 4" pads would take longer than most people would like to invest time-wise. They are handy for thin panels to stay between body lines, to get around tight areas or for really curving panels.

From this thread,

1994 Porsche Detailed for "Operation Comfort" Modeled by Brittany from Stuart, Florida


Wolfgang Total Swirl Remover




I used the 4" pad around the B-piller, around the windows, the front and rear bumpers and some of the other curvy, tight areas.





To work on the paint under the whale tail, I used the Griot's Garage 3" Mini Polisher...




The paint around the louvers and the louvers were the most difficult areas to work on and while the paint was greatly improved in this area there are still deeper scratches remaining that can be removed but will require more time to work out carefully by hand or machine...





If I work on this car again in the future I'll either have the owner check into having the black grill removed or I'll have to do it myself so that there's no risk of causing any damage to the grill or getting splatter on it from multiple machine polishing steps...

Most of the time when I look at areas like this detailed before me I find spatter or the other guy's wax...



Polishing and sealing were both done with the red finishing/waxing pads offered by Griot's Garage for their 3" Mini Polisher.

I thought the GG 3" was only for 3" inch pads? I've been missing a lot of good discussion around here.

It is. It's not going to be effective with any larger size foam pads. A person might be able to do some correction work using a 4" SurBuf pad.

The Griot's 3" Mini Polisher can do some pretty amazing work but it does require using good technique...

Griot's Garage 3" Mini Polisher - Extreme Demo - Warning!


Without further ado...
The polisher on the left is the first generation, the polisher on the right is the new Generation II Griot's Garage 3" Mini Polisher. I chose the Wolfgang Twins because they are both very wet products and you need hyper-lubricity to help aid in pad rotation when removing below surface defects, or in other words to remove a little paint.

Meguiar's #2000 Nikken Finishing Papers were used to give me an extreme test section and I used the Griot's Garage foam polishing and waxing pads for sanding mark removal and final polishing.

Not pictured is the Detailers Pride Max Wax which I applied after polishing






One section of the test hood was thoroughly wet-sanded using Nikken #2000 Finishing Papers


(More pictures in the article)





In the thread below you can find some detailed pictures of DA Polishers with 3.5" backing plates and 4" pads...

3.5" Backing Plates and 4" Spot Repair Pads on DA Polishers

Here's the 3" Griot's Polishing Pad inside the groove of a 1964 Ford Falcon - Be careful because of the mass of the polisher poised over a tiny pad it's kind of "tippy".

[christian900se]

The smaller the pad on a DA buffer such as a PC, the more cut you will get. It will not be a huge difference between say a 5.5" pad and a 4" pad but the smaller ones will cut a bit more. That said, I think it is best to use both and see which one is most comfortable. I personally prefer using smaller pads such as a 4" when I do rotary work but for the most part, 5.5" pads will offer a good amount of control and will enable you to polish more quickly without the penalties of the larger 6.5" pads slowing down the PC or making the buffer harder to control.

[jsgntulok]

I did a friend's Lexux RX 330 today using my PC with 4" Edge pads and Meguiar's 83. Final coat was Wolfgang Deep Gloss Sealant. The car looks stunning as it sits in the garage tonight, letting these polymer molecules do their thing on the dark green paint. The RX has had rough live during it's 95,000 miles - both bumpers are in sad shape and front of hood marked with lots of stone chips. Tomorrow I start on the interior and try to eliminate the odor of many years of cosmetics. The owner is a very nice lady, but the scents she uses seem to have permeated every pore of the car's interior. At least she doesn't smoke.

[TLMitchell]

Thanks for the replies. I think I'll just get the PC with the 5" backing plate then later on I'll get the 3" backing plate.

Good choice. I've used 4" pads on the 3" GG DA and about the only usefulness is to spread wax or sealant with a blue or gray pad. Tough enough to get much correction with a 3" pad, the 4" just stops when you exert the necessary pressure.

TL