White poishing or yellow cutting pad with 3M FI II?

[dexter]

I was just wondering what is the preferred pad to use with the 3M FI II. I have always used the white polishing pad on my PC with 3M SMR and have had good luck. Since the FI II is a bit more aggressive, should I use the yellow cutting pad or will the white pad still be ok to attack minor/medium swirl marks? :xyxthumbs

 

[meGrimlock]

I would start with the polishing pad, and if that is not "cutting" it (hehe), move to the yellow pad. PI-II with a cutting pad took care of horrible oxidation and swirls on a non-clearcoated black Sentra that I worked on. I hope that at least gives you a point of reference. I'd post a pic if I had one, but the car looked like a chalkboard that someone tried to wash with a Scotchbrite pad.

 

[Accumulator]

As IndigoGTI said, start with the less aggressive combo, but be prepared to switch to the cutting pad. I had better (and much faster) results with FI-II using the cutting pad with a quick follow-up using a less aggressive combo.



BTW, FWIW, both of my single-stage cars have softer, easier-to-work paint than my clearcoated cars, my clearcoats require more aggressive work. Even FI-II/yellow isn't enough for SOME clearcoat problems, but it's as aggressive as I'd go on a regular basis (and none too frequent at that).

 

[ClayBartrug]

On my clearcoated BMW, FI-II with a polishing pad is nothing but a waste of product. To each their own of course, situations will vary from car to car... Just my experience on the matter.