Thanks to all the suggestions on this thread, I've jumped in with a PC and some Lake County pads. After practicing on my Honda, I tried it out on the 996 with some good initial results. Now, I'm curious about how to care for the pads.

1. I ran one though the washing machine and it seemed to come out ok. Is this a good way to clean them? (woolite, warm water & med heat with no dryer sheet)
2. Should you only use 1 specific product on a pad, or can you change after washing?
3. About how many uses should you expect out of a pad before replacing?

Thanks,

 

after you wash your pads out good you should be able to use anything on them, however I still use Orange for SIP, White for PO85RD etc...

Can't really answer the uses before replacing, with the proper care pads can last a long time.

For me I see the cutting pads wearing a bit faster than the finishing pads.

Here is a good tool if you are using your pads a lot. If now running them under a sink with some warm water is just as good.

http://www.detailersdomain.com/index...ROD&ProdID=318

 

Phil,

What do you think about my pad? Is it dead? Here are some pictures that compare 2 (Meguiar's W8006) pads. The newer one was used twice while the older one is used approximately 4-5 times.


Relatively New Pad


Pad with the problem

THANKS!

 

the second one is getting there, it seems you hit some sharp areas like emblems etc...

 

Really? I'll be much more careful then. I only used this pad about 4-5 times and that's not so much compared to the 2 times I've used the other one.

The bad pad seems to build up product more quickly. It doesn't throw dried product but more of moist/solid product (play-doh consistency)

 

you can try using this to help from old product...my question is how much product are you using? a little goes a long way.

 

I put like a 1/4~1/3" ring approximately 1/2" from the pad's edge. Is that too much?

I tried putting 2-3 dime sized pea shaped product onto the pad and when I spread it around, it seems that I don't have product left. Looks like it's not enough.

How do you apply or how much? Does it apply to all polishes?

Thanks so much for your help Phil!! DD Rocks!

 

Order Meguiar's APC+ from autodetailingsolutions.com... dilute it 10 parts APC+ to 1 part water, or 15:1. After each use, spray the pad 3-5 times with the APC/water mixture, let it sit for 30 seconds, then just rinse out under warm water... I have pads that are anywhere from 1-3 years old, all washed/cleaned with that method and all look pretty much brand new, other than some foam deteriorating here and there, and a few stains, but that's to be expected.

 

Wow, that top pad picture is pretty much showing that it's dead.

 

Bri, you're not taking proper, or any, care for your pads... your new pad looks worse than a pad I've used 20 times for probably 20+ hours over the past year... I can post a couple photos if I'm not lazy later... you MUST clean them IMMEDIATELY after use, or polish will get dried up and stuck inside the foam... this can not only cause what you're seeing, premature wear in the pad, but also scratches later on when polishing. Clean them how I told you above, and also, as Phil said, use a brush like the one in the photo during detailing... I've gotten into the habit of brushing my pads out after every area is polished... so basically polish for 1-2 minutes, brush pad off, move on, etc. It depends a lot on what kind of panels you work on and with what kind of products, but your pads, especially the 8006 ones, should easily last 20-30 uses, if not more

 

Yea, the pads are suppose to wash as soon as possible other the polished with dried up, next time polishing, the old polish will make some marks on the surface.

 

+1 Ivan....the only suggestion I'd make is to switch from Meguiar's SoftBuff to Lake Country. I've found them to last a long time and withstand the Menzerna polishes better than the SoftBuff.

 

Moe I actually use both. I find that the 8006 Meg's pad is between white and orange of LC and 7006 is between yellow and orange, closer to yellow though. I just kinda fell into a rhythm with those 5 types, along with 9006 for finishing sometimes on softer paints, and they're all high quality from my experience. While 8006 might be the most versatile pad, in my opinion (in that it can finish down nicely with 106ff even on soft Porsche paint and still remove decent swirling with SIP or #83) I really wish Meg's would make the backing larger, like LC does, so backing plates don't eat into the foam too easily.

In any case, OP wash your damn pads haha