newbie question, pads

[Johan254]

Hello.

About to buy equipment and start working on my Saab 9-3 2008.
The condition of the car is good so no polishing needed, I got the advice to use 2 layers of sealant and then a wax after that. Which seems ok to me.
I have a Flex 3401 and I'm wondering what color of the LC pads I should use to apply the sealant, or do I do this by hand?
When removing the sealant, what kind of pad do I need then? Wool?
Same with the wax, what kind of pad do I need to remove that?

[LSNAutoDetailing]

Welcome to AGO! First post contains a lot of questions, and we'll see about breaking them down.

Are you sure your paint is pristine from 2008? Does it pass the baggie test? In other words, what conclusions did you come to when stating "no polishing needed". Our new vehicle prep even includes some kind of paint correction.

Typically the steps to clean and decontaminate are: Clean wheels, Iron-X, Wash, Clay,inspect paint, then correct as required, finally LSP (last step product such as sealant, coating or wax.) Of course there is a lot of detail work after as well, such as trim and dressings.

I'm not sure why two coats of sealant and a wax are required. Sounds like a lot of redundancy...

Wool pads are for deep correction, not removing wax.

I would start here: Auto Detailing Facts, auto detailing Tips, How to detailing Guides, how to polish, how to wax, DIY detailing, do it yourself guides (https://www.autogeek.net/detailingtips.html)

Hope this helps!

[Johan254]

thanks for the links, helps alot deciding what to do.

I just got the Flex 3401 today, I think I'm going for the hex logic pads, but what is the recommended size? the size of the pad is 5 inches. but I have seen 6.5 inches, should I go for those, or stick to the 5 inch pads?

[dlc95]

thanks for the links, helps alot deciding what to do.

I just got the Flex 3401 today, I think I'm going for the hex logic pads, but what is the recommended size? the size of the pad is 5 inches. but I have seen 6.5 inches, should I go for those, or stick to the 5 inch pads?

Check out the 6.5" Lake Country CCS for your stock 3401 backing plate.

For sealant application, the black pad would be what I would use.

CCS 6.5 inch foam pads, Lake country ccs foam pads, porter cable pads, ccs polishing pads, ccs pads, lake country ccs pads (https://www.autogeek.net/lc-ccs-6inch-pads.html)

[BudgetPlan1]

These are also nice with 3401
Lake Country Hybrid Power Finish Ultra Performance Pad System, Lake Country Force Hybrid Foam Pads, force pads (https://www.autogeek.net/lake-country-hybrid-pads.html)

[Johan254]

ok, I'm also using this: chemical guys vss scratch and swirl remover polish, is black also ok for applying this, or should I go some step lower?

[dlc95]

ok, I'm also using this: chemical guys vss scratch and swirl remover polish, is black also ok for applying this, or should I go some step lower?

That's sort of a medium cut polish. If it were me, I'd use green. However, orange or white is the most popular option.