Hi,

I have researched / read several sites. (autogeek, detailimage, detailuniversity etc). I understand each pad has own usage.

But, I wonder how many pad is needed when you polishing? Does one pad can be used to polish whole car?

How about waxing? Does one pad can be used to wax whole car?

I couldn't find information regarding this. Could you explain?

Thanks.

 

I know that i use a different pad for each product i put on.

 

Let's say you put product A on pad A. Then do you use this pad A to whole car?

Does pad can stay until finish whole car? (I really wonder if pad get saturated by product until finish whole car or not)

 

Interesting topic people please chime in

 

Depends on the tool you're using to polish, the size of the vehicle, and the product you're working with.

I use a rotory 99% of the time and need about 3 sets of one type for a whole car. Some products like to gum up and cake the pad. Its your choice to either have a new pad ready or simple take 5-10 minutes out of the detail to clean it under a faucet. Youc an then attach the pad back onto the polisher and spin it for 30-45 seconds to dry it. Make sure you spin it inside an empty bucket or box incase the pad flies off.

To be safe, buy 2 sets of each.

I'm assuming youre gonna use a random orbital polisher?

 

Personally, I use 3 - 4 pads per coat when polishing a mid sized vehicle for optimal results. As pad pores get clogged you begin to lose some of the bite and your pad can spit out excess polish or cake up much faster. Using a clogged pad on a PC can easily bog it down as you get towards the end of the coat. You can test this theory by polishing half the hood first then comparing it to the other half after you did the entire car.

We realize that it's not cost effective to always recommend using 3 or more pads per coat, when you can get away with 1 pad per coat. Ideally if you use 1 pad per coat, you want to keep a toothbrush (or similar) handy to clean off the pad from excess product after every couple panels. If you have excess pads handy, it's much easier to just swap them out and clean them at a later time.

I know a few high end detailers (picus on this forum) that use up to 10 pads per coat of polish and swap a new pad out virtually every panel, this comes in handy when you're really striving for perfection.

One of the big benefits of using multiple pads per coat is they will last a lot longer. There is less product to clean out and they will stay fresher longer. Also, the wear on your buffer with a clogged pad is much greater than on a fresh pad.

EDIT: Regarding sealing or waxing with the buffer: I usually just use 1 pad since you're just looking to spread the product evenly, not so much work it into the paint.

Hope this helps.

George @ Detailed Image

 

Beat me to it! Looks like we are thinking along the same lines.

 

Manicure brushes also work better than a toothbrush at removeing excess polish on the pad, and they are cheap

 

Thank you so much for replies.

I plan to buy random orbit polisher (Probably PC 7424. If budget is allowed, Flex XC3401) and some pads, sealant, wax.

Since I wasn't sure how many I need for each pad, I posted the question.

Probably I will buy at least 2~3 pads for each kind.

 

Depends on the size of the pad you are using also. I prefer 4 and 5" pads so I usually need 3-4 pads per car