fertzguy said:
What type of 6.5 inch pads do you guys recommend for a new pc user. Flat , variable contact , or curved edge.
I have a Z4 and the curved edge pads look useful for getting around all the creases, curves and tight places but dont look very good for large flat areas such as the hood.
The curved edge cutting pad look diffulcult to use flat on these type of surfaces.
Conversely the flat pads look tought to use on all the curves and creases.
Are the variable contact the way to go as a in between to easily cover the flat areas and be able to transition over the curves easy.
By the way my paint only has very minor swirls and micro marring so I am just looking at the milder polishing pad such as the Lake Country White or maybe have to go to the Orange.
Welcome aboard! :wavey
First, you'll need more than one pad. You will need a white, orange or yellow pad to use with a stronger polish (I use Menzerna IP) for removing defects. Then you'll need a different white pad for the final polish (I use Menzerna FPII), and a black or red pad to apply glazes and LSP (I use Zaino Z5 and Z2Pro).
For a newbie (and a lot of other folks), the Lake Country variable contact or Constant Pressure pads are the way to go. The LC Constant Pressure pads are variable contact pads (have a polish pocket in the center), but have a blue "constant pressure" foam backing.
I find the Constant Pressure pads to work well on flat surfaces and they reduce polish sling.
There as several good vendors and I'm sure other folks can recommend others, but I prefer
www.properautocare.com. They sell LC Constant Pressure pads in two sizes - 6" and 7.5". I've have both sizes and have been very happy with them.
The 7.5" pads are built differently and better than the 6" (and 6.5") size, but they require a little more technique. Frankly, after one car, I graduated to the 7.5" size. Normally I'd recommend the 6" pads to a newbie, but with the Z4's angles and curves, the 7.5" size might work better for you.
One big caution - not all backing plates fit all pads. Therefore, I'd strongly recommend a buying a kit from whichever vendor you choose to go with. The kit should include a flexible backing plate and several pads to ensure that the backing plate and pads are matched properly.
Info on the 6" Constant Pressure pads and kit:
http://www.properautocare.com/hi612infopaa.html
http://www.properautocare.com/hipadkitwive.html
Innfo on the 7.5" Constant Pressure pads and kit:
http://www.properautocare.com/ad712inhipa.html
http://www.properautocare.com/ad712inhipad.html
Two advantages of the the pad kits I've mentioned above - 1) they can also be purchased without a backing plate and 2) the backing plate for the 6" also fits the 7.5" pads. So you can buy a kit with the backing plate now and get a different size without the backing plate later. That's what I did - I started with the 6" kit with backing plate and then bought the 7.5" without backing plate.
In any case, check out the info in the links above. They should answer some of your questions about pads. Also, here is some good information about using a PC and pads to remove paint defects:
http://www.properautocare.com/remswiruspor.html
http://www.properautocare.com/porcabpolac.html (links at bottom of page)
Best of luck,
Dan.
