Brillo pad

S

siperwrx

New member
Hey there Autopians,

So I'm going to detail a 2007 BMW 335 (dark blue) this weekend. The biggest concern is that there are about 9 spots that the customer used a brillo pad to attempt to remove bird bomb stains. Needless to say, they are dull scratch spots. I'm planning on using some Menzerna Powergloss with a PC, since its designed to remove 1500 grit sandpaper marks, is it safe to say that it will take care of the brillo pad marks as well?
 
Depends on how deep they are an how much clear you have to take off to level those areas. They will definitely look better, but hard to say if they will be gone without seeing/feeling them.
 
If a compound doesn't take care of it then 2000-4000 grit wet sanding should.



Since Brillo pads have different "grits" then it's really tough to say what would work.
 
integritydetail said:
Depends on how deep they are an how much clear you have to take off to level those areas. They will definitely look better, but hard to say if they will be gone without seeing/feeling them.
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I agree.... but my guess is the marring is not too deep and you'll be able to improve greatly.



Good luck. :buffing:
 
If my 1996 Lexus had enough clearcoat after a polishing of heavy brillo pad scratches then I'm sure an 07 BMW would be fine. I did 100% removal too. Lets just say I never let my sister's wash my car again....



Before:

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After:

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Awesome, that actually is very similar to how the marks look. I'll take pics this weekend and let you know if Menzerna do the job.
 
UPDATE: So I finished the car, Menzerna worked great on the brillo marks. Most were confined to the hook except for one on the roof. I followed the Menz Powergloss with Megs Mirror glaze and then some 100% P21S. I would have done a proper 3 stage but I was paid primarily to get the marring out. The only thing is that I went through two pads to do it. Both were LC CSS pads from Autogeek, one was the yellow cutting pad, the other was orange. Any ideas how this happened? Too much pressure? Too much product? BTW: the pictures aren't the best because I was in a time crunch, I haven't figured out how to get those great paint shots, and I don't have halogens.



BEFORE:

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AFTER:

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PADS:

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You need to clean these pads to remove the spent product before applying more product to the pad.





The pads look like a combination of excess product, lack of cleaning, and too much pressure.



That being said, I have not seen a pad crumble like that. But, the way the damaged parts are centered, it looks like the location for the backing plate. So, there was too much pressure.
 
These were brand new pads when I started. The yellow pad started crumbling like that after working on the hood alone. I'm confused also because the instructions say to dispense a 6 inch line across the sections I'm working on. I would usually work each section for 2-5 minutes (more on the brillo marks). So how would it be excess build up if I'm following the directions? Am I supposed to clean the pad after every section I work on?
 
Yes, you need to clean the pad atleast after every two sections (14x14").



To clean the pad, get a clean microfiber and the PC with the pad mounted. Now, firmly press the microfiber against the pad and turn the machine on for a few seconds (15 seconds) or until the pad is clean to your satisfaction.



The amount of product used on the pad depends on the product. For some products, you need to make an X on the pad with product. With others, a few pea sized drops will do.
 
Wow, I honestly never knew that out of all my time scouting Autopia. Would it also help is I used a few spritzes of QD in between sections?



BTW: Thanks eyezack!
 
I would contact Autogeek about those. That shouldn't of happened at all with new pads. Cleaning them or not cleaning them after a couple of sections.



If all you did was keep them on the painted surface and didn't catch any trim, then those are defective pads.



You only need top spritz them with QD before their first use on each car.
 
I already contacted Autogeek and they said they would replace them if I provided pictures. I spritzed the orange pad during use in hopes that it would prevent the disintegration like what happened with the yellow pad.
 
That pad disentergrated due to excessive product in the pad and high speed and pressure on the pad. I had a similar experience when using OHC and OP via UDM w/ a green/orange and white pad. I was using the machine mostly @ speed 6 and the pad was slowly collapsing in the center underneath the backing plate.



I would recommend that the pad(s) be cleaned after every panel in a citrus based solution, i.e. snappy or the DP PAd cleaning product. At the last AutoGeek spring gathering a purchased a Grit Guard Universal Pad Washer and have been using it on every panel and it works beautifully!!! Ever since using the pad washer I've been able to use a single pad on my vehicle numerous times without any noticeable wear....



Just making a suggestion as I've had a similar experience.
 
Wow ... how hard are you pressing?

You have obvious, directional stretch/tearing marks on the pad. And those pads are pretty caked with product.

Everyone's got their own technique, but you shouldn't be pressing down that much at all. A couple (to-several) pounds (+/-) or so of pressure is more than enough.

The lines (left-to-right) visible on the hood are another sign of pressing too hard, even after the pad started to break-down and disintegrate. (Although there may be a lot of other reasons for that too ...).



Follow the advice of how much product to use in the above posts and of course clean the pads often. Some advice I hope comes across positively ... don't buff as if you're taking a grinder to a rusted piece of sheet-metal, instead, pretend the car is made of window panes and if you press too hard, you'll break it. Firm steady pressure is all that's required.



Hope this helps.
 
That's a great analogy. I've been asking around, trying to understand what is "medium pressure" vs "hard pressure". I definitely was trying to take a grinder to a rusted piece of sheet metal. I think it is bundled into my frustrations with my UDM. I'm about make the jump to rotary, I just need more performance. Part of the reason i was pressing so hard was that it took the brillo marks out faster.
 
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