lusid

AND............. Purchased an UDM!

yay

should see it Wed of next week or so.. I'm pumped and I hope to give it a try on my older cars first. Then move into the TL.

Jesstzn

You will love it ... I've had a PC for 3 years and a UDM for 3 months .... the right pads & polishes and your going to amaze yourself.

lusid

Ya once I get it I'll probably be asking for Pad advice. With out all the acronyms

Jesstzn

I'll start for you .. here is my minimum if your only doing your own car.

Lake Country Pads:

1 Yellow Cutting pad
2 White Polishing Pads

Optimum Polishes.

1 bottle Optimum Compound ( for use with the yellow pad on swirls & marred areas. )
1 bottle Optimum Polish ( for use with the white pad for minor swirling and overall paint cleanup )

Optional : 1 bottle of PoliSeal ( I use this like Klasse AIO to clean up the polishe residue and lay down a clean surface for whatever sealant/wax I use. Used with a white pad. )

I have gone from Meguiars polishes to Optimum because of the longer working times and way less drying/dusting issues but they do tend to be oily thus the PoliSeal. But its a lot faster/easier to do the PoliSeal step than cleaning up the dust and the drying, sticking issues with #83.

lusid

Hey Jesstzn,

Thanks for your quick response. Lake Country pads = name brand? If so I didn't see them on Pat's website, Where do I look for one?

6" Foam Polishing Pad Included in the Package. So I need 1 more polish pad, and then "any" yellow pad? The pads are designed by color right?

So What size's do I need to look for? 6" seems to be the common size.

thanks!

Hawhyen51

+1 on the Optimum line of polishes. Four Star Body shop line works just as well. As far as pads go, I would also recommend an orange pad (lighter cut, minimal hazing and can also be used with compounds) and a finishing pad as well. You can't go wrong with Lake Country pads. Most of the online detailing sites carry them and some offer pad kits to meet your specific needs. FYI, Exceldetail's Erasure Pads are manufactured by LC.

Jesstzn

Yellow can be brand specific ...Meguiars uses different color coding. The orange pad is a good suggestion too for a beginer.

exceldetail

Orange is mandatory in my book!
And if you had bought the UDM through exceldetail.com, you would have gotten 1/2 a dozen MF's for free!!

lusid

Ya I thought about that, but the price I got online was just way to good to pass on.

Sry pat!

next time, i'll be getting some pads shortly though.

rza49311

iTrader: (1)

Congrats, I got one too a while back. I've never used one in my life and dove right in with the UDM, optimum products and the erasure pads from exceldetail. check out my before and after shot of the hood.

https://acurazine.com/forums/showpos...6&postcount=71

lusid

The results from B4 to After is just crazy.

lusid

My Arsenal of Car Care Products.

http://picasaweb.google.com/andrewch...54623030341474

http://picasaweb.google.com/andrewch...54575785701170

http://picasaweb.google.com/andrewch...54592965570370

http://picasaweb.google.com/andrewch...54610145439570

lusid

UPS has delivered.... Now i go home and wash the car, start the UDM and have fun.

Wish me luck!

Jesstzn

Here is part of mine ( heavy on the part)

[IMG][/IMG]

lusid

man... way to 40000+ me.

Jesstzn

And that was last years pix .. about 25% more now & the UDM.

Jesstzn

I'm not sure of the abrasiveness of those pads but I use a LC white polishing pad if I want it to do a little work or a LC black pad if I want no cut at all.

Hawhyen51

Pad Info from Autogeek . . .
Meguiars Soft Buff Pads

• W-7006 (Burgundy Cutting Pad 6.5”)- This pad is the most aggressive with moderate cutting power. It will remove moderate swirls, scratches, and oxidation without creating swirl marks like wool pads. Use with a swirl remover or paint cleaner. This dense foam is safe for clear coats if properly used.
• W-8006 (Yellow Polishing Pad 6.5”)- This pad has mild cutting action and should be used to apply polishes to newer vehicles. It removes minor surface imperfections and restores an attractive luster to your paint. Use with a mild swirl remover or fine polish. You can also use it for wax application, but do not use the same pad for different products. This pad is safe for clear coats.
• W-9006 (Beige Finishing Pad 6.5”)- This pad has no cutting or cleaning power and is used to apply the final coat of protective wax or sealant. This soft foam is gentle on paint and clear coats, and creates a high gloss shine without swirl marks. Use with Wolfgang Deep Gloss Paint Protectant for a brilliant finish.

Lake Country

• Yellow Cutting Foams- Use this pad to apply compounds or polishes to remove severe oxidation, swirls, and scratches. It is the most aggressive and should only be used on oxidized and older finishes. Always follow this pad with an orange pad and a fine polish and then a white pad to refine the paint until it is smooth.
• Orange Light Cutting Foam- Firm, high density foam for scratch and defect removal. Use this pad with polishes and swirl removers. It’s an all around pad that will work on most light to moderate imperfections.
• White Polishing Foam- Less dense foam formula for the application of waxes, micro-fine polishes and sealants. This pad has very light cutting power so its perfect for pre-wax cleaners.
• Green Polishing/Finishing Foam- Use this foam to apply one-step cleaner waxes. It is a balance of polishing and finishing that is perfect for all-in-one product application.
• Gray Finishing Foam - Composition is firm enough to withstand added pressure during final finishing to remove buffer swirls. It has no cut and will apply thin, even coats of waxes, sealants, and glazes.
• Blue Finessing Foam – Flat pad has soft composition for applying glaze, finishing polish, sealants, and liquid waxes. Flat pad provides full contact with paint surface to minimize the pressure applied by the user.

Note: LC produces a Red Finishing Pad for other online detail sites (Exceldetail, Proper Auto Care) and these pads are available in different sizes. There are other pads to choose from like Sonus (Autopia) and Edge (Autogeek, Detail City).

lusid

I used the UDM (white provided pad) last night on a water spot front fender, and it took it right off.

I can now buy some more pads, got paid so mine as well. Too bad I cant find a retail shop to buy some OTC pads. I'll order a kit soon. Red / Orange / _________.

Hawhyen51

What product did you use with the polishing pad? And did you try a claybar before cleaner/polish?

lusid

I so wanted to try the UDM that I didnt try the clay bar, usually I would but i wanted to fire the UDM up and see what it does.

The polish i used was branded "auto glym - super resin polish"

The product itself is very nice, it does seem dusty when I remove it.

http://www.properautocare.com/autsuprespol.html

---------------------------
Totally a different topic, I have a 1996 Ford Taraus, and I'm taking it has just paint and no clearcoat? If I want to clean up the paint what should I use? Just any polish? or should I get a cleaner first?

lusid

http://www.prestostore.com/cgi-bin/s...5768&pd=292664

http://www.prestostore.com/cgi-bin/s...5768&pd=292665

this is what i'm after. Thoughts? Which combo would you see me using more often?

exceldetail

The yellow is for the serious corrections. Orange is for light to medium swirl issues. I could see you using the Orange more then the yellow.

Hawhyen51

+1 . . . if your vehicle is less than 5 years old, the polishing kit would be the better choice. I feel the orange pad is more versatile and can be used with a variety of polishes

Hawhyen51

Correction on the White Polishing Pad - used with light compounds/polishes and one step cleaner waxes for light polishing (light swirls, minor surface imperfections) and gloss restoration. It has too much of a cut (density) and should not be used for application of liquid waxes/sealants. Thanks to Exceldetail (Patrick) for pointing out that error. See post #4 of this thread.

lusid

Okay great, If white is what you say it is.. then i'm fairly confident my Acura that has been washed by me 90% of the time, does have VERY light swirls in problematic areas.

The only real problematic area is the bottom of the car.. the 4 inch bottom base floor (dont know what the correct term is) That's spot is always scuffed by other ppl's shoes and stuff... Clay bar never seem to get it all.

So a white pad should be okay with an all in one product?

lusid

Okay I just placed an order from pat.

Includes:
-Polish Pad Kit (orange, red, white)
-Optimum Polish
-Optimum PoliSeal

-What's the typical breakdown on these polishes?
-Use the Polish only when taking out swirls?
-Is the PoliSeal enough to protect me agaisnt a harsh winter? Or should I slap on another wax on top of that?

Jesstzn

I'd add something on top like Megs #21 or another good sealant. Poliseal is like Klasse AIO .. nice multi purpose but needs help.