Stock PC pad not meant to go full speed? *pics*

M

MongooseGA

New member
Just got my PC today from lowes and i was eager to try it out. not to mention i got some new products from thinksnow last week i was itching to try.



i only have the one pad for now, so i took out some ssr2 and hit up the passenger side of our '46 plymouths hood. worked pretty well. there are still some scratches that might come out with a more aggrssive pad.



anyway.



i put the pad in some warm water with dawn, as i've read on here many times.



take the pad out about 30 minuteslater, gently squeeze the soap/water out and rinse it really well.



take the pad and PC outside to spin-dry it on speed 6. it goes out from 3-5. after 5.5 all hell broke loose (well, not really hell, more like the pad). the outer edge of the pad literally ripped off and flew a good 30 feet into my neighbors yard. any ideas on what i did wrong?



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that happened when drying the pad.......after cleaning it right......not while you were using it....i usually don't dry my pads that way......i just leave them out.......but with regular pads i don't think it'd be a problem.....obviously the pad that comes with it isn't up to the task of spin drying....learn something new every day....
 
Were you spinning the pad without having it on a surface? I think that's a "no-no". I usually cover my pads with a MF towel and leave them out to dry (so dust doesn't get attached as it's drying). But then again, a lot of people say the pad that comes with it is crap. I've never even used mine!
 
Spin drying mine on three, I knew I would cause some damage if i sped it up any, so I stopped there. Six on a surface seems about the breaking point for pads, so spinning them on free air would certainly do that.
 
well, maybe my mistakes will help other autopians in the future.



i could have sworn i had read somewhere that you could just spin-dry 'em on six.



i thought you werent supposed to spin em in the air because it would splatter product... now we know its more like, splatter foam into your neighbor's lawn. :mad:



guess i'll be making a purchase from autopia real soon...



sonus pads here i come.
 
i think it's just the pad wasn't made to be spin dryed like that. most advice about spin drying pads are for the ones used with the velcro backing plate. i had one of those white pads that came with the PC and it started to fall apart on me after using a few times to polish a hood.



yeah, order some Sonus pad or something similar. much better than that stock white on. :)
 
I regularly spin dry my pads on 5 and 6 and never have any problems. The fault really lies with the quality of the pad that is originally bundled with the polisher. Order yourself some nice Lake Country pads and you'll notice a huge difference. The pads I have are almost 2 years old and I haven't lost a single one....not even close to it yet.
 
I just hand wash mine with dawn and water, and let them air dry a couple of days. I think its the safest way to properly clean the pads. I don't think spin drying them is the smartest, idea but then again if people aren't having any problems with it i don't see why not.
 
The stock PC pad is basically just to include something with the machine IMO. You need to buy some proper pads before you really get to work on your paint. That pad was going to break eventually.



While it may not be neccessary, a quality pad will still hold up on speed 6.
 
I dont buy that the breaking speed is 6. I use speed six all the time and have never had that happen. If I get behind in pad cleaning I clean them by hand then put on my rotary and crank it up to 3000 rpms to dry and I have NEVER had pad damage or any problems. I think its just a cheap starter pad.
 
The same thing happened to my stock pad. I have posted in other threads to spin the pads at a MAXIMUM of speed 2 because of the problem. Note, I've never had any of my LC pads do that...but I've always spun them at a max of speed 2.



On the bright side, it's not too bad because I have no use for the stock pad!
 
I spin dry mine all the time. Usually only for 20-30 secs.

You might want to try to spin dry it inside your wash bucket so you will not get splattered. Plus (especially) with Velcro Pads it's not unusual that it will fly off the backing plate. When you do it inside the bucket, it will fall into it.
 
If memory serves me....you should not be running the PC "free" anyhow. PC recommends that the machine only be run when in contact with a surface.
 
I have seen quite a few posts on here about the stock PC pad exploding when spin drying it. What you experienced is not unusual at all. That pad just isn't as well made as the other pads available such as LC or meguiars.



John
 
maybe we can put this as a sticky in the Autopia University so noone else runs into the same problem that i did.



hehe, Glenn Jr's new motto:



I screw up for you!
 
i just ordered my Sonus pad kit. (w00t w00t!!)



i assume these pads are good to go at speed 6 on a surface?



i'm not gonna try that spin dry at 6 thing again. :nono :scared :doh
 
I imagine they are. Way overpriced though. You can get the smae or better in the Lake Country pads at topoftheline much better prices. Dont be afraid to shop around. Autopia isnt the be all end all for detailing.
 
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