New Guy with pad questions

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AZpolisher15

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Just bought a GG6 and LC backing plate. Never used a polisher before. I also purchased six 5.5" LC flat pads.

1 orange (for future use)
3 white (for immediate very light swirl removal)
2 black (for wax/sealer)

I've got a 2014 Toyota with soft paint. I've been reading that some people see hazing with white pads. I planned on using the white pads with Ultimate Polish as my Step 1.

Keeping with the "least aggressive product first" mantra, should I instead be attempting to polish with the black pad first instead of the white? Even though it doesn't say that the black pad is for polishing?

Being my first time, I want to be sure I have enough pads. And now I'm thinking I should maybe order some more black pads. Any advice would be very much appreciated!

I'd prefer NOT removing all of the swirls over hazing and having to go over the truck twice. I'm not after a show car shine and want to remove as little of the surface as possible.
 
My ideal starter pad mix is 3 Orange pads, 3 White pads and one, 2 max blue or black finish pads for applying wax or sealant. You need a minimum of 3 pads to polish out an average size vehicle. And with orange and white you can handle most common issues.

PS I have never had a white flat LC pad or B & S white pad haze anything. I would have to say that's more likely a product issue.
 
My 3 white pads finished the polish very well on 3 jobs so far. Menzerna 3500 after Menzerna FG400 with 4 orange pads. These were all old never detailed vehicles 2002 Silverado,2008 Camry,2008 colbalt and the pads are still good. I did clean on the fly as I used them. Watch Mike on AutoGeek youtube and you will have no problems.
 
Try a good cleaner wax with a more aggressive pad at around speed 4.5 and maybe 3 passes, should be good as new. Top off with your favorite LSP and done
 
wing commander said:
My 3 white pads finished the polish very well on 3 jobs so far. Menzerna 3500 after Menzerna FG400 with 4 orange pads. These were all old never detailed vehicles 2002 Silverado,2008 Camry,2008 colbalt and the pads are still good. I did clean on the fly as I used them. Watch Mike on AutoGeek youtube and you will have no problems.
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Thanks- I've watched a bunch of Mike's vids!
 
I think min should be 6 pads for cutting/polishing pads and like 3 for finishing/wax pad
12 pads...just for the hell of it :-)
 
Mike.Phillips@Autogeek said:
Have you done any testing yet?

I'd start by doing a test spot using the least aggressive product to get the job done.

Using a good cleaner/wax is also a great option for daily drivers.


:)
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Thanks, guys! I will definitely start with a cleaner wax! I hadn't even thought of that, as I just assumed a polish session should be done to get a good base for regular maintenance. But I now see where a cleaner wax on a more aggressive pad is another option of accomplishing a similar thing less aggressively.

Is it acceptable to go in with cleaner wax on a finishing (~black) pad, as opposed to a pad labeled as being specifically for cleaner wax (~white)? And then only go to white if necessary?

I plan to do a test spot. Ha Probably multiple test spots! I haven't gotten my GG6 yet. It's ordered but hasn't yet arrived. Can hardly wait!
 
I've got 3 white and 2 black pads coming. I think I will order 3 more white and 4 more black. So I'll have 6 of each. I'm sure they will get used eventually. And then I'll be set to use 6 pads for a session of cleaner wax with black or white, whatever is needed based on my test spot.

If I end up using the black, can I wash the pads and use them the next time with a sealer?

Does this sound like a logical approach?
 
Changed my mind; Thus far in my vehicles life, it's seen only ULW and Collinite waxes. I actually applied maroon bottle Megs cleaner wax to the hood by hand today and was impressed by the cleaning ability, not so much impressed with the looks. I really think I want to do a dedicated paint cleaner, so that I can top it with ULW or Collinite.

I attempted to put Collinite on after the cleaner wax today, and it really felt like it just didn't want to adhere. So, back to my original question (post #1). Can I attempt polishing with a black pad? Or does that have to be done with a white pad?
 
I guess I'd also be open to a cleaner-sealer. Maybe something like DG105? Would that have a similar shine/longevity to ULW ?
 
Harpolith said:
Changed my mind; Thus far in my vehicles life, it's seen only ULW and Collinite waxes. I actually applied maroon bottle Megs cleaner wax to the hood by hand today and was impressed by the cleaning ability, not so much impressed with the looks. I really think I want to do a dedicated paint cleaner, so that I can top it with ULW or Collinite.

I attempted to put Collinite on after the cleaner wax today, and it really felt like it just didn't want to adhere. So, back to my original question (post #1). Can I attempt polishing with a black pad? Or does that have to be done with a white pad?
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Yes you can use a finishing polish with a black pad, works really well to jewel or finish to a high gloss. If shine is the only factor and not defect removal the black works better over the white, if swirl removal is key use the white instead. I've had the white pad haze on really soft black paint, the black pad on the otherhand I've never encountered hazing.
 
Don't overthink this too much. Start simple with a good cleaner-wax/all-in-one with a white polish pad and you'll be fine. If you want to focus on anything at this point, let it be your technique with the tools and go from there.

In terms of which AIO to choose, I'd recommend HD Speed as it is very easy to apply and very easy to remove. The room for error is extremely low. A great choice for your first time out.
 
Harpolith said:
I attempted to put Collinite on after the cleaner wax today, and it really felt like it just didn't want to adhere.
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Just an observation. I don't know why so many people have recommended doing an AIO and then topping it with a LSP. That makes absolutely zero sense to me. The entire point of an AIO is that it's done all in one process. If you're gonna do two steps, use a proper polish and LSP afterward.
 
Harpolith said:
I've got 3 white and 2 black pads coming. I think I will order 3 more white and 4 more black. So I'll have 6 of each. I'm sure they will get used eventually. And then I'll be set to use 6 pads for a session of cleaner wax with black or white, whatever is needed based on my test spot.

If I end up using the black, can I wash the pads and use them the next time with a sealer?

Does this sound like a logical approach?
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In my opinion 6 black pads would be too many. I have close to 15 Orange, 10 white, 3 black and 3 blue.
 
Coopers ST said:
In my opinion 6 black pads would be too many. I have close to 15 Orange, 10 white, 3 black and 3 blue.
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My thinking was that I would begin by using black pads and polish. And if it accomplished what I wanted, I wouldn't even go to white. So I wanted to have plenty of black pads, as folks have recommended 4 at the very minimum for a full vehicle. Being my first time- I wanted to have plenty :) but perhaps that's too many. Thanks for the advice.
 
Zubair said:
Yes you can use a finishing polish with a black pad, works really well to jewel or finish to a high gloss. If shine is the only factor and not defect removal the black works better over the white, if swirl removal is key use the white instead. I've had the white pad haze on really soft black paint, the black pad on the otherhand I've never encountered hazing.
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Hey, thanks for your comment. I'm thinking for a first time out- I'm not going to go right in for swirl removal. If the light swirls go away, bonus. But I'd be happy with just a solid paint cleaning session and some added shine.
 
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