How many pads do you use?

[Ekim716]

Hi guys, basically asking about how many polishing pads do you use for an entire correction for a small SUV or sedan? I don't have compressed air so I plan on buying a few orange foam and white foam pads. Also, How do you know when its time to put on a fresh pad during a correction? What should I be looking for? Generally, I hear "less is more" regarding the amount of polish applied to each pad.

Thanks

[shane@detailedreflections]

The number of pads we use varies based on how bad the car is. If we are really working polishes to get it to correct and finish down, we go through a lot more than if we are using a very fine polish just to level the clear or even use it like a “cleaner.”

 

We always plan between two and four pads per vehicle. Sometimes less. Sometimes more. 

 

Youll know it’s time to change the pad when it looks like it’s kind of caked over and you can’t see the open cells of the foam or that they are significantly smaller than when you started. Next time we have one, I’ll try to remember to take a photo. 

[mc2hill]

Excellent info Shane! (as usual).  In place of compressed air you can use a stiff brush or a terry cloth towel to clean the pads 'on the fly' (as opposed to cleaning them with APC/MFR&B and water).

[shane@detailedreflections]

18 minutes ago, mc2hill said:

Excellent info Shane! (as usual).  In place of compressed air you can use a stiff brush or a terry cloth towel to clean the pads 'on the fly' (as opposed to cleaning them with APC/MFR&B and water).

 

Good point about the compressed air or brush.  We will occasionally brush our pads out.  We don't usually use compressed air to clean them out (no real reason why, just not practice when we are working).  We also keep a fair number of pads on hand that we usually toss them into the dirty bucket and put on a new pad rather than fight to clean one in the middle of a job.  At the end of the day, we set up the pad washer and wash whatever pads we need. 

 

We are also very similar in the number of towels we go through on a job.  We use way more towels than you'd imagine.  Once they get dirty, or we don't feel they're working as well as they did when we started...it's off to the dirty bin for the day for them.  We don't even waste time if it's at all questionable.

[Chris@Adams]

18 hours ago, Ekim716 said:

Hi guys, basically asking about how many polishing pads do you use for an entire correction for a small SUV or sedan? I don't have compressed air so I plan on buying a few orange foam and white foam pads. Also, How do you know when its time to put on a fresh pad during a correction? What should I be looking for? Generally, I hear "less is more" regarding the amount of polish applied to each pad.

Thanks

Hey Mike,

You want to have a minimum of two of each pads, you may just use one depending on how bad your paint condition is. It's always nice to have a clean pad just incase you would happen to drop one. And yes less is more when it comes to product.

Have fun!

[GXPaycheck]

Heat kills pads. Using a second one gives the first time to cool.