how long does polishing pads last?

[enoch7fa]

I was watching and learning on utube and someone said something and talked about some i have yet to see anywhere.  They were polishing and orange paint correcting a suv and said that they will need at least 2 pads maybe 3 to do a large suv.  Is this true? this how long they last? and how do you know when the pad is used up? will it look different? will it shrink? get flatter? and will a suv where out more than one pad?  good lord everyone is selling stuff but no one talks about this.  i am a rookie getting started and bout a lot of stuff think the amount of pads i have will last me a while if i take care of them.   but if i get lets say 2 cars done on a Saturday with my orange or white pad on both cars will it be almost gone? what if someone pays me to do a large Yukon will one pad be enough?  sheesh no one talks bout this. everyone ready to sell but not tell you this stuff.  help the rookie out!!!!! do i need to stock up on pads????

The Man

The myth

The legend

The rookie

 

[Mariner]

When they say 2-3 pads they merely mean that over time they become caked with polish and aren’t as effective, or perhaps they’re overheating. By having extra pads you can change them on the fly without having to clean them or let them cool down.

[shane@detailedreflections]

5 hours ago, enoch7fa said:

I was watching and learning on utube and someone said something and talked about some i have yet to see anywhere.  They were polishing and orange paint correcting a suv and said that they will need at least 2 pads maybe 3 to do a large suv.  Is this true? this how long they last? and how do you know when the pad is used up? will it look different? will it shrink? get flatter? and will a suv where out more than one pad?  good lord everyone is selling stuff but no one talks about this.  i am a rookie getting started and bout a lot of stuff think the amount of pads i have will last me a while if i take care of them.   but if i get lets say 2 cars done on a Saturday with my orange or white pad on both cars will it be almost gone? what if someone pays me to do a large Yukon will one pad be enough?  sheesh no one talks bout this. everyone ready to sell but not tell you this stuff.  help the rookie out!!!!! do i need to stock up on pads????

The Man

The myth

The legend

The rookie

 

A few things come to mind reading your post. First, welcome to the addiction. Second, there’s still a ton to learn. Third, don’t worry about taking anybody’s money to correct paint...yet. 

It sounds like you’ve made a good investment into your car detailing. Congratulations on that. With time you will learn what products can help improve your process and which ones you don’t really need. 

There is a ton of information regarding pads out there. Different types of pads. What they’re used for and how to care for each. Pads will last you some time as long as you take care of them. Brush and blow them out. Clean them with APC and hot water. We actually have a Grit Guard Pad Cleaner. It does shorten their life slightly, but we go through our share of pads. Some jobs will be kind to pads. Others won’t. It depends on the vehicle, it’s edges and how well you decontaminate the surface before taking a polisher to it. All of that being said, pads are consumable and a cost of doing business. 

Which brings me to the last point. It sounds like you’re worried about if people pay you to do work. From your post, it doesn’t sound like you’re “there” yet. By that, I mean it sounds like you don’t have much experience. You’re an admitted rookie. There is a risk you take when you work on someone else’s vehicle for money. So much so that we measure the paint on every vehicle we touch with a polisher. Your post makes it sound as though you’re yet to complete a paint polish or correction on tour own yet. Use your own vehicles as test cases to learn. From there move on to helping a friend. Get some experience under your belt bedore you start taking money for your work. In fact, we won’t test products or processes on a client vehicle.  We will always use one of our own vehicles and I’m in the process of obtaining a panel from another vehicle that we can keep in the shop as a test/demo piece  I don’t want to “learn” something new on someone else’s vehicle.  When it goes sideways, I’m on the hook to repair it immediately and at that point my reputation is tarnished.

Also as you’re starting out, I don’t think you’ll be polishing/correcting two vehicles in a day.  A full paint correction can take days of polishing.  Even polishing will take a fair number of hours.  On a ceramic coating installation we did recently, it took two of us five hours to polish the vehicle.  So if only one of us were working, that vehicle needed ten hours of polishing.  Paint polishing/correction is a slow and tedious process.

I don’t say that to discourage you, but rather to encourage you. There’s plenty of work out there to be had. You just have to set yourself up for success first. Part of that is a strong knowledge of the process. This includes all of it from setup to cleanup so that you can run a successful business as a side gig or a full time thing. In my opinion, worry about learning the process now before even considering “if someone pays me.” Now get out there and start to play with vehicles and learn.  Ask questions.  You’ll know when the time is right to start charging for your work.

 

[enoch7fa]

Shane i get everything you say.  all true, i have been doing my friends and family cars since i started going into this.  most for free.  washing , wax, wheel detail, etc, etc,  i get paid now.  got neighborhood business starting this is a pretty nice hood so i my do alright.  the polishing is something i haven't done for pay yet.  after practicing on family cars they don't seem to mind.  i see " good lord i need to work on that" they see " Boy!!! that looks fantastic!!!  lolol  hope they don't start watching utube.   but i want to me  a honest detailer and do a premium job specially in this neighborhood. so don't worry i am still practicing. but when i hear or see someone tell me something i am not sure about if they are telling the truth i gotta ask.  all the folk at adams specially Dan and Bianca must be tired of me by now.  so don't worry not getting in over my head but i just wanted to make sure the information i get if right.  my first real polishing job was on my own car.  it sat in the back yard collecting dust and dirt for months it was looking real bad people were asking was i going to sell it.  it is a 2008 Cadillac SRX.  i did it on purpose.  it was spotted with Los Angeles, California pollution if you live here you know that your car is dusted over with stuff 5 minutes after you detail it. tree sap, bird droppings, construction junk from neighbors.  For advertisement sake i drove that sucker out of the back and i can only call it a resurrection.  after the polish and a layer of buttery wax ( was going to seal it  but man the car won that fight) i learned a lot specially bout, ok ill admit it, SLING GOOD LORD IN HEAVEN EVERY TIME I THINK I HAD IT DOWN PACT SLING, i must have rubbed that car in couple hours more than all the cars i have washed put together getting sling off of it lolol, i looked like i was a orange spotted alien.  I had already decided unless it is family i want touch a blue pad or microfiber if it is that bad i will walk away.  for now.  so i am not getting in over my head learned that from guys on utube.   any way thanks again shane.

[shane@detailedreflections]

Sounds like you have a plan. Keep learning and I hope you are as successful as you wish to be. 

Edited November 25, 2017 by shane@detailedreflections