Exploding Pad

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RegalOne

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First off I am new but I am guessing this is not a common problem so I am guessing that I did something wrong or got a bad pad. I did a forum search and found a couple of other posts but they didn't explain how or why this can happen.

Here is what I was doing/using
1. Brand new Lake Country 6.5" White CCS pad
2. GG 6" DA
3. Conditioned the pad with some Pinnacle XMT Pad Conditioner (a couple of sprays not saturating the pad)
4. Primed the pad with Pinnacle Paint Cleansing Polish
5. Three dime sized drops of working product
6. I did a panel at a time, wiped residue and then put three dime size drops of polish for the next panel

I was on the very last part of the car, front bumper, and noticed that the GG started to "feel weird", again I am new and this was the second time I have used the GG, And out of balance. My first reaction was to turn it off and get it was from the paint. As I powered off the GG the pad "popped" and pieces flew across the garage.

The good news is no clear coat, family pets, or myself was harmed in the polishing of the car.

I grabbed a new pad and finished but thought this was strange. Has this happened to others or have you heard of this? What can I do to keep my pads from exploding and flying across the garage?

Any help is greatly appreciated.View attachment 33209
 
Try to use more pads. One is not optimum for a whole car. The pad gets loaded with product, which will create heat, which will make the pad delaminate. Check out some threads by Mike Phillips on how many pads to do a car. Good luck.
 
Did you use just one pad for the entire car? If so my guess is that it might have just overheated. I don't have a large collection of pads so I probably run pads longer than I should - usually two or three panels before swapping. On the first time I used my GG I saw steam coming off the pad after I used it for a while. It was suggested that I just pressed too hard or did not use enough product or both.

Those more seasoned detailers of course chime in.
 
You probably overheated that pad. One pad is a lot for the whole car. A good practice is to periodically feel with your hand the paint surface and the pad surface to see how hot things are. Plastic panels don't have good heat transfer and will get hot and heat up the pad too (and you can burn the paint).

Sometimes the heat to the pad comes from the other end, the machine or the Velcro interface, depending on how much pressure you are applying to the pad. Again, best practice is to clean or change pads every few panels or less, to make sure you are working clean and the pad isn't getting overheated. Polish saturation over time will also cause more heat transfer through the pad. Overheating can also damage the backing plate.

Anyway, you're not the first guy to blow up a pad or melt a backing plate, the good thing is no harm was done (except to the pad). Carry on.
 
I agree with everyone's comments above. Don't worry, it's a beginners mistake - One I'm sure your not going to forget! Just use more pads/ rotate frequently/ avoid using too much product... And ask question here :)
 
from the picture it does not look like the pad was over saturated with product. but thats just picture, i think to much pressure, heat and DA vibration and oscillation caused the pad to come apart. just a guess that pad might have been stopped for long periods and not rotating…
please get more pads at minimum 4 or best one per panel to avoid issues.. that could have caused w major damage to your vehicle...
 
Wow that was quick. Thanks to all.

To answer your questions:

Yesterday was a cool day -60 and the small car was in the garage. I did use one pad, guess I will use more in the future, but did not notice any steam or it being hot when it popped. I was careful not to use too much product, watched too many of Mike's videos and read on the forums, but I will take extra care next time to swap pads and watch the product usage next time.

BTW my first use of the GG was on a bigger car with Blackfire TPS. I used one pad, guess I got lucky.

Thanks again.
 
psdnuts said:
from the picture it does not look like the pad was over saturated with product. but thats just picture, i think to much pressure, heat and DA vibration and oscillation caused the pad to come apart. just a guess that pad might have been stopped for long periods and not rotating…
please get more pads at minimum 4 or best one per panel to avoid issues.. that could have caused w major damage to your vehicle...
Click to expand...


I really appreciate all of the feedback and will check the heat next time but if anything I don't think that I am am putting enough pressure on the pads, I guess I am still scared that I will swirl the paint. The pad was rotating, I have a line on the backing plate to make sure.

Thanks again to everyone.
 
rlmccarty2000 said:
Try to use more pads. One is not optimum for a whole car. The pad gets loaded with product, which will create heat, which will make the pad delaminate. Check out some threads by Mike Phillips on how many pads to do a car. Good luck.
Click to expand...

:iagree::iagree::iagree::iagree:
 
also should know the more aggressive the polish the more heat they will make. heavy cut compounds can heat a pad quickly and load the pad with abraded clear coat or single stage paint.
 
I had the same thing happen to me in December. I just got my PC DA, had one yellow compounding pad and Meg's Ultimate Compound. Did all but the last two panels of a heavily scratched and swirled black Tahoe when the pad did just as yours did. The hook part of the velcro plate was even melted. That night I found Auto Geek and starting learning from my mistake. Many of us have been there and are greatfull for the guys here sharing thier knowledge and experience.
 
Well, not every pad is the same, not every polishing session is the same. Pads do wear out eventually, and heat accelerates the process. No biggie, I mean even going to 2 pads per vehicle cuts the wear and tear in half.
 
Same thing happened to me my first attempt at paint correction. I was using to much product and not cleaning my pad enough. Since then I've corrected my technique and haven't had an issue.
 
Setec Astronomy said:
Well, not every pad is the same, not every polishing session is the same. Pads do wear out eventually, and heat accelerates the process. No biggie, I mean even going to 2 pads per vehicle cuts the wear and tear in half.
Click to expand...


Thanks it all makes sense and I am just glad I didn't damage the car. Rack it up to experience and I am very grateful for all of the feedback. I will use all of the advice and feedback the next time the GG comes out of the box.
 
Like others have mentioned above, I would suggest using multiple pads.

You can extend a pads usage by cleaning it regularly to avoid polish build up in and on the face of the pad.

A brush or compressed air can help do this, but eventually a new pad will be necessary as the old pad needs a complete clean/dry to use again effectively.

Residue control can change the polishing process, and I think if you use additional pads you will be much happier with the results, but also have pads last longer. A pad with built up residue will have a decreased cut, but also won't finish as well either.

The pad you are using has a partially closed cell structure, which tend to not dissipate heat as well. The white foam is the only foam like this in the CCS pad line up. It does however work great for a polishing foam. When using multiple pads, you are allowing the pad to cool, and not risk the foam itself degrading due to heat.

Excessive polish build up can also increase the weight of a pad significantly. This results in the pad holding the heat even more because the pad is embedded with polish. The added weight, along with excessive heat tend to be the leading cause of pads blowing out. The link provided above written by Mike Phillips should help gauge how many pads you will need.

One thing I would recommend is turning the machine speed down significantly or turning it off before removing from the paint. If you have a hot, loaded pad, and remove pressure, that weight can increase rotation and blow a pad apart much easier. They typically look like the ones in the original picture.

Thanks for all of the posts to help out the OP!
 
David@LakeCountry said:
Like others have mentioned above, I would suggest using multiple pads.

You can extend a pads usage by cleaning it regularly to avoid polish build up in and on the face of the pad.

A brush or compressed air can help do this, but eventually a new pad will be necessary as the old pad needs a complete clean/dry to use again effectively.

Residue control can change the polishing process, and I think if you use additional pads you will be much happier with the results, but also have pads last longer. A pad with built up residue will have a decreased cut, but also won't finish as well either.

The pad you are using has a partially closed cell structure, which tend to not dissipate heat as well. The white foam is the only foam like this in the CCS pad line up. It does however work great for a polishing foam. When using multiple pads, you are allowing the pad to cool, and not risk the foam itself degrading due to heat.

Excessive polish build up can also increase the weight of a pad significantly. This results in the pad holding the heat even more because the pad is embedded with polish. The added weight, along with excessive heat tend to be the leading cause of pads blowing out. The link provided above written by Mike Phillips should help gauge how many pads you will need.

One thing I would recommend is turning the machine speed down significantly or turning it off before removing from the paint. If you have a hot, loaded pad, and remove pressure, that weight can increase rotation and blow a pad apart much easier. They typically look like the ones in the original picture.

Thanks for all of the posts to help out the OP!
Click to expand...

cool. That's what I was going to add as that's what I did and my pad did that too :xyxthumbs: ok on a rotary but not a DA
 
David@LakeCountry said:
Like others have mentioned above, I would suggest using multiple pads.



You can extend a pads usage by cleaning it regularly to avoid polish build up in and on the face of the pad.



A brush or compressed air can help do this, but eventually a new pad will be necessary as the old pad needs a complete clean/dry to use again effectively.



Residue control can change the polishing process, and I think if you use additional pads you will be much happier with the results, but also have pads last longer. A pad with built up residue will have a decreased cut, but also won't finish as well either.



The pad you are using has a partially closed cell structure, which tend to not dissipate heat as well. The white foam is the only foam like this in the CCS pad line up. It does however work great for a polishing foam. When using multiple pads, you are allowing the pad to cool, and not risk the foam itself degrading due to heat.



Excessive polish build up can also increase the weight of a pad significantly. This results in the pad holding the heat even more because the pad is embedded with polish. The added weight, along with excessive heat tend to be the leading cause of pads blowing out. The link provided above written by Mike Phillips should help gauge how many pads you will need.



One thing I would recommend is turning the machine speed down significantly or turning it off before removing from the paint. If you have a hot, loaded pad, and remove pressure, that weight can increase rotation and blow a pad apart much easier. They typically look like the ones in the original picture.



Thanks for all of the posts to help out the OP!
Click to expand...


Thanks for the response David. I have a brush and additional pads and will be using them in future. You always have to learn with a new hobby. I appreciate all of the input and advice and next time pads won't be flying across the garage.
 
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