Finally detailed my new DD!

vettefan67

New member
I believe most people out there use the CMA PC pads (made by Lake Country) with the Velcro hook & loop fasteners, and that's great!

However, I'm interested in hearing from the rest of you who use a different pad besides the Lake Country ones. Meguiar's? 3M? Which pads do you use and how would you compare them from others you have used? Tips?

I just got a PC last week and will be buying most, if not all, of my pads and backing plate locally. FinishMaster carries Meguiar's pads for about $11, and also have a velcro backing plate for $18.
 
I have CMAs and Meguiars, Am favoring Meguires for a few reasons.

1. Colors...The colors of the pads from CMA and Meguires are different, for the cutting pad and the polishing Pad...For my Makita i have CMA's.

2. Meguires just feel better and i have less splatter.....I think my issue is techniqic, proper pad with proper solution for problem area.
 
Thanks for the info guys! I have a couple more questions:



Which Meguiar's pad would you compare to the CMA yellow cutting pad? Meguiar's makes a red cutting pad and a yellow cut/polishing pad, don't they? Is the red too harsh? I'll be buying pads tomorrow I think...



Thanks a lot!



Justin
 
The Meguiars W8006 is a good all round pad. Can be used for cutting, paint cleaning and polishing. I apply wax by hand but it is OK for that as well.
 
I have used:





<ul>

[*]Griot's red buffing: DON'T LIKE ( bottoms out easily, leaves too much foam behind)

[*]Lake Country Yellow Cutting: LIKE

[*]Lake Country White Polishing: LIKE

[*]Lake Country Black/Gray Buffing: SO-SO (good for liquid wax application)

[*]Meguiar's Soft-Buff Polishing Pad LIKE Maybe a little gentler than LC white

[*]Meguiar's Soft-Buff Buffing Pad LIKE A LOT softest, best for super-gentle work. I use the Ultimate Bonnett over this for buffing. considerably softer than LC black.

[/list]



Can't comment on the Meguiar's Red cutting pad. Haven't tried one. I did mistakenly order some of the Meguiar's polishing pads that come pre-glued to a red vinyl backing plate (i.e., not velcro) - didn't like them and they separated from the backing plates prematurely. Also haven't tried Griot's orange polishing pad.
 
I must be the only one using te 3M pads.



They're 6" black waffle style. I'm traveling at the moment and don;t have the part #, but it's their DA glazing pad.



It's very soft, and ideal for glazes, final waxes, etc. There's not much cutting ability to it, but it works very well for my needs.
 
My 2c's

Meguires Pads have been through a war, from 3m's and meguires fine cut , 3m's and meguires swirl products and cleaners. Meguires seems to stand out better. Cleaning , reusing. i have no scientific data, just usage over time. I Clean them with dawn and water, air dry. I am going to purchase a spir...This may be just for my wool....and see if that helps clean. because of the time it takes to dry I have stocked up on these pads.
 
<blockquote class='ipsBlockquote' >

<em class='bbc'>Originally posted by JeffBruce [/i]
<strong class='bbc'>I do not know of Meguiars red pads....the maroon or purple cutting pads have work fine for me
jeff [/b]</blockquote>
Yeah, Jeff - that's the one I meant. I didn't even know they had a cutting pad. Do you like it?

I was originally drawn to the anti-spatter, compound distribution claim for the inverted, terraced design of the LC pads. And I still think that is somewhat valid and cool. But I haven't had that much touble with these issues with Meguiar's pads. Also, the flatter nature of the meguiars pads means you can distribute compounds with less pressure - so for stuff that really doesn't need pressure like Klasse SG, liquid waxes, etc - I like them a bit better. Both work well though for sure.

<blockquote class='ipsBlockquote' >

<em class='bbc'>Originally posted by Spiroh [/i]
<strong class='bbc'>So these pads that you guys mention will work with the velcro kit?[/b]
</blockquote>
Spiroh - yes, all these pads come velcro-backed.
 
Ive been hearing a lot about people talking of how great the results are when using a porter cable, so i might as well buy one too.. I see that CMA sells one, however being that there is a Home Depot nearby, can anyone recommend a good one, or various good ones in case they dont have one?



What brands, and models would you recommend?
 
I have used the Meguiars yellow and the 3M Glazing(Waffle). I really prefer the Meguiars. They seem to work the product in a lot better. The 3M pads ended up getting hard on the outside edges of the pad from the polish drying up and caking there. I would recommend the Meguiars pads.
 
Has anyone had any problems with backing plates (any)? I am able to order the Meguiar's plate locally but they say it is for a 6.5" pad, not a 6". I can also get the Porter-Cable brand velcro backing plate for $20-ish locally . . . I'm tempted to just order it and pads from CMA if I do not like the RightLook pads / backing plate I'm checking out today.

How long do these things last? I wasn't impressed with the plates I saw but I have no experience with these things.

Thanks for the info everyone!

Justin
 
I recently picked up a 2010 Mazda3 to replace my aging, abused and neglected 96 Honda Civic. It came from a dealer about 2 hours away, and I requested they deliver it as-is. So I received the car in a fairly dirty state, and over the next 3 weeks either weather or other details kept me from taking care of my own car. X_X

So today is the first time I've EVER seen this car clean, and it was worth the wait! The Celestial Blue Mica is a pretty interesting color, it changes with the light, but not like chameleon paint(thank God). I like it, but it isn't exactly the manliest color. So after adding some window tint and a set of TSW Nurburgrings, the car looks a lot better in my eyes and I no longer have to pretend it's my wife's car.:D

Process:
ONR wash
Megs clay
Flex M205/white and GG6 M205/HT Tangerine (I was only going for a quick one-step due to time, but the car was in great shape overall and this step knocked out 85-90% of the swirls. Yay!)
CG Ez-creme glaze on black pad. (I've never noticed much benefit in the looks department using this, but the increased slickness is nice.)
Collinite 845, will add another layer after the next wash

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My two babies tucked away for the night.
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My friend Matt came by to pick up the factory MZ3 wheels and helped me out from the claying step til the end. Afterwards, we threw the wheels on his Mazda6, which he's cleaning up tomorrow.

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Thanks for looking.
 
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