adriand56

So after I washed my honda, i used the buffer for the first time. I am very pleased with it. I hope i was doing it right, I used an orange pad with the paint cleaner(pad turned black in some spots..normal?), then i used a white pad with the polish, and then a blue pad with the wax. Am i doing it right? THanks

adriand56

And is there anyway i can clean the pads??

princelybug

iTrader: (16)

http://www.autopia.org/forum/machine...fing-pads.html

Jesstzn

Put them in a pail with blue Dawn dish soap and squeeze the pads to saturate them .. leave for a 1/2 hour then squirt Dawn on the face of each pad and kneed it in with your thumbs to work out the polish etc .. then I run clear water in the pail and squeeze them till they are free of suds... I put them on a rack to dry.

exceldetail

Sounds close......I can see using the cleaner first if the paint is real oxidized. This would minimize clogging the pads pores when using the polish. Normally you use a polish with an Orange pad, then step down to a polish with the white pad.
Cleaners are pretty much used for stripping paints already in great shape, in preparation for a new sealant. They are also used on well maintained paint, just needing a little "pop".
What products did you use anyway?

adriand56

I was using the Megiuars 1, 2, 3 product line. So your saying not to use paint cleaner on my other cars??

exceldetail

The Polish is a "cleaner" in its own right. Its redundant using it again. Cleaners can also be used after using polishes which contain fillers, or are heavy in non lubricating oils (which isnt your case). Dedicated cleaners do not remove swirls or scratches either. Save yourself a step (If your cars are in decent shape.) In all of the cars Ive detailed, I may have used a cleaner as part of my regimen, twice?

Jskman987

+1 on the Dawn dish washing soap. If your polish & wax are water based, they clean up really nice. Cleaned my pads & they still look new.

adriand56

I will be waxing my TL in a few days. So your saying to use the orange pad with the polish, then a white pad with the polish, and then the blue pad with the wax?

exceldetail

The Orange pad has more polishing capabilities then the white. Its not always necessary with every detail, only the owner or detailer can determine that. Always start with the least aggressive products first.
In other words, demo a small area with a light polish and white pad, gauge results, determine if more cut is needed. Then move to orange if necessary. What I was referencing was when a vehicles surface needs a lot of reconditioning, I use orange first, then white. Obviously the color has a lot to do with pad selection as well.