What Lake Country Pads for the Flex 3401

suf420

suf420

New member
Joined
Aug 24, 2016
Messages
92
Reaction score
0
Another dilemma, I am purchasing the Flex 3401 in the next few days but can't make my mind up on what Lake Country Pads to buy.

A little bit of background on the work I intend to do.

Three cars in the household, Audi A8, Range Rover Sport and Mercedes E220 Convertible.

How many pads would I require to do all three, hologram and swirl removal, paint and gloss restoration to 99.99%.

I believe the flex comes with a 160mm plate to accept 6.5 in pads and I'm getting the Lake Country Backing plate system to accept 5 in pads too. So I have a choice to work on smaller panels etc.

Products I have in mind are Menzerna 400 compound and Menzerna 3800 to finish off. They come in 250ml bottles each, so will that too be enough for all three cars? 1 of each.

Inputs, Advice & Suggestions welcome
 
+1 for Hybrids. Some people use LC Thin Pro's but the Flex + LC backing plate and 5" hybrids are a match made in heaven.

Compound and polish are more than enough. At least for now. Later on you can purchase more.

Once you get the hang of how much YOU need that is.

As for pads, I use at least 6 per car ( PER STEP), the more you have the better and the cleaner you work. Gummed up or loaded pads do not do anything. When in doubt clean or switch to a new pad. So if you want compound 6, polish 6, jewel maybe less not sure. I don't jewel so cannot comment there. Also take into account if you are doing more than one car. Once washed the pads need time to dry as well. I started with 6. Now I have 12 of each in 5" and 6 of each in 6.5"

They say you can't clean on the fly with the Flex but I do. I roll up a Cotton terry towel into a ball in my hand. Keep it against the pad and trigger a few times to get any excess off and it works. You just need to be careful. I do this after every panel or 2 section passes. But mostly after a panel, sometimes panel and a half I use a new pad. You want the pad working for you at all times.
 
Hybrids are where it's at with the 3401. The thin pads are for the free spindle machines that can't spin the thicker pads, but the flex doesn't have that problem.
 
MIsnowman said:
Hybrids are where it's at with the 3401. The thin pads are for the free spindle machines that can't spin the thicker pads, but the flex doesn't have that problem.
Click to expand...

Is there any problems with using Thin Pro pads on a flex? I've always wondered but I stuck to the "flex + Hybrids = Heaven" analogy since day one :P
 
emmjaygti said:
Is there any problems with using Thin Pro pads on a flex? I've always wondered but I stuck to the "flex + Hybrids = Heaven" analogy since day one :P
Click to expand...

The flats are way less forgiving. Keep them flat or get wheel hop.

Hybrids or bust. I would imagine you wont be doing all three cars back to back. If you can swing it get 12 orange, 12 whites and 6 blacks.

You will need the blacks for the 3800 to finesse the paint.
I have been using 400 and 4500(3800) lately.

I wash my pads on the fly and spin out with my PC then set them on a wire rack. By the time I get through the sixth pad the first is ready to go.
 
spazzz said:
The flats are way less forgiving. Keep them flat or get wheel hop.

Hybrids or bust. I would imagine you wont be doing all three cars back to back. If you can swing it get 12 orange, 12 whites and 6 blacks.

By the time I get through the sixth pad the first is ready to go.
Click to expand...

Agree with the pad quantities.

My pads take almost 2-3 days to fully dry indoors :/
 
emmjaygti said:
Agree with the pad quantities.

My pads take almost 2-3 days to fully dry indoors :/
Click to expand...

If you spin them on a 8mm DA like spazzz suggested + follow it up by pressing them against a clean waffle weave towel, they actually dry fairly quik!
 
Eldorado2k said:
If you spin them on a 8mm DA like spazzz suggested + follow it up by pressing them against a clean waffle weave towel, they actually dry fairly quik!
Click to expand...

Ahh alright. I only have a flex, so I never tried :P

I shall try the pressing against a waffle or any towel. I never do that. I wring it out lightly after running it under water and leave it on a rack to air dry (post pad cleaner ofc).
 
emmjaygti said:
+1 for Hybrids. Some people use LC Thin Pro's but the Flex + LC backing plate and 5" hybrids are a match made in heaven.

Compound and polish are more than enough. At least for now. Later on you can purchase more.

Once you get the hang of how much YOU need that is.

As for pads, I use at least 6 per car ( PER STEP), the more you have the better and the cleaner you work. Gummed up or loaded pads do not do anything. When in doubt clean or switch to a new pad. So if you want compound 6, polish 6, jewel maybe less not sure. I don't jewel so cannot comment there. Also take into account if you are doing more than one car. Once washed the pads need time to dry as well. I started with 6. Now I have 12 of each in 5" and 6 of each in 6.5"

They say you can't clean on the fly with the Flex but I do. I roll up a Cotton terry towel into a ball in my hand. Keep it against the pad and trigger a few times to get any excess off and it works. You just need to be careful. I do this after every panel or 2 section passes. But mostly after a panel, sometimes panel and a half I use a new pad. You want the pad working for you at all times.
Click to expand...

Wow! That's a lot of pads

Ok, I guess I will have to get as many as possible, I'm not going to be able to do all three cars together as I don't detail for a living , having said that I am grateful for everyone's feedback.



Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
spazzz said:
The flats are way less forgiving. Keep them flat or get wheel hop.

Hybrids or bust. I would imagine you wont be doing all three cars back to back. If you can swing it get 12 orange, 12 whites and 6 blacks.

You will need the blacks for the 3800 to finesse the paint.
I have been using 400 and 4500(3800) lately.

I wash my pads on the fly and spin out with my PC then set them on a wire rack. By the time I get through the sixth pad the first is ready to go.
Click to expand...

Orange, Whites and Blacks it is!

I will go ahead and order them on Monday!

Thanks again buddy!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
emmjaygti said:
+1 for Hybrids. Some people use LC Thin Pro's but the Flex + LC backing plate and 5" hybrids are a match made in heaven.

Compound and polish are more than enough. At least for now. Later on you can purchase more.

Once you get the hang of how much YOU need that is.

As for pads, I use at least 6 per car ( PER STEP), the more you have the better and the cleaner you work. Gummed up or loaded pads do not do anything. When in doubt clean or switch to a new pad. So if you want compound 6, polish 6, jewel maybe less not sure. I don't jewel so cannot comment there. Also take into account if you are doing more than one car. Once washed the pads need time to dry as well. I started with 6. Now I have 12 of each in 5" and 6 of each in 6.5"

They say you can't clean on the fly with the Flex but I do. I roll up a Cotton terry towel into a ball in my hand. Keep it against the pad and trigger a few times to get any excess off and it works. You just need to be careful. I do this after every panel or 2 section passes. But mostly after a panel, sometimes panel and a half I use a new pad. You want the pad working for you at all times.
Click to expand...

One more question emmjaygti

What compounds would you suggest I use, i.e 400 with the orange or white and then 3800 with the black?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
suf420 said:
One more question emmjaygti

What compounds would you suggest I use, i.e 400 with the orange or white and then 3800 with the black?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Click to expand...

I don't detail for a living either. Doing one car takes me 3 days....I got lucky with my current Honda as it was soft and all I needed was M205 (finishing polish) and a Black pad!

I personally have never used Menzerna as its a DAT polish and i'm not ready for it yet lol, plus its expensive.(sounds like a relationship haha)

I only use SMAT (meguairs).

DAT is a diminishing abrasive that needs to be worked till it breaks down. SMAT does not diminish and you can stop anytime you see fit and / or see the results you are after.

DAT does have benefits as in you can finish down almost LSP ready with just FG 400 which is something I really like. Maybe one day :)

This is how I do it.

Hard Paints:

Compound = Orange
Polish = White
Polish for B pillars (soft painted plastic) = Black pad

Soft paint(honda etc.): This is paint dependent.

Compound (if needed) = Orange or White pad
Polish = White or Black pad

I feel you will fall under the Hard paints. Audi can be confusing as their black is sometimes Hard and sometimes Soft.

Mercedes = definitely hard. Make sure to check if the paint is a ceramiclear paint too. These shall serve as a good read:

http://www.autogeekonline.net/forum...estions/47152-ceramiclear-paints-careful.html

http://www.autogeekonline.net/forum...-paint-how-detail-mercedes-benz-sl-550-a.html

Range: Unsure.

Overall : Please perform a test spot. This will tell you exactly what pad and polish combo will work on the particular paint you want to work with. This is where more pads come in handy yet again.

I started with 6 pads when I first polished a car. First time I dropped one while changing pads. I was down to 5. Luckily I was working on my Golf Gti. Bigger cars...not so lucky lol. Always have spare.

Orange, White and Black will do everything you need. Skip the other colors as they aren't popular and some people had trouble with them - maybe get a couple of red ones if you want to try applying sealant by machine.

EDIT: You might find you don't need a black pad to finesse at all. These are not SHOW CARS. I feel you will very happy after FG400 + orange on hard paint, and maybe even ecstatic after White and 3800. A black with 3800 again might not do anything....just my $0.02. You may have different results though. I have never gone past polishing to finessing, be it hard or soft paint.

All the best!
 
emmjaygti said:
I don't detail for a living either. Doing one car takes me 3 days....I got lucky with my current Honda as it was soft and all I needed was M205 (finishing polish) and a Black pad!

I personally have never used Menzerna as its a DAT polish and i'm not ready for it yet lol, plus its expensive.(sounds like a relationship haha)

I only use SMAT (meguairs).

DAT is a diminishing abrasive that needs to be worked till it breaks down. SMAT does not diminish and you can stop anytime you see fit and / or see the results you are after.

DAT does have benefits as in you can finish down almost LSP ready with just FG 400 which is something I really like. Maybe one day :)

This is how I do it.

Hard Paints:

Compound = Orange
Polish = White
Polish for B pillars (soft painted plastic) = Black pad

Soft paint(honda etc.): This is paint dependent.

Compound (if needed) = Orange or White pad
Polish = White or Black pad

I feel you will fall under the Hard paints. Audi can be confusing as their black is sometimes Hard and sometimes Soft.

Mercedes = definitely hard. Make sure to check if the paint is a ceramiclear paint too. These shall serve as a good read:

http://www.autogeekonline.net/forum...estions/47152-ceramiclear-paints-careful.html

http://www.autogeekonline.net/forum...-paint-how-detail-mercedes-benz-sl-550-a.html

Range: Unsure.

Overall : Please perform a test spot. This will tell you exactly what pad and polish combo will work on the particular paint you want to work with. This is where more pads come in handy yet again.

I started with 6 pads when I first polished a car. First time I dropped one while changing pads. I was down to 5. Luckily I was working on my Golf Gti. Bigger cars...not so lucky lol. Always have spare.

Orange, White and Black will do everything you need. Skip the other colors as they aren't popular and some people had trouble with them - maybe get a couple of red ones if you want to try applying sealant by machine.

EDIT: You might find you don't need a black pad to finesse at all. These are not SHOW CARS. I feel you will very happy after FG400 + orange on hard paint, and maybe even ecstatic after White and 3800. A black with 3800 again might not do anything....just my $0.02. You may have different results though. I have never gone past polishing to finessing, be it hard or soft paint.

All the best!
Click to expand...

Thanks buddy!

Just noticed you are in DXB

I was born in Sharjah, went to School in DXB and migrated to London in 99


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
suf420 said:
Thanks buddy!

Just noticed you are in DXB

I was born in Sharjah, went to School in DXB and migrated to London in 99


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Click to expand...

The words "small world" are so damn appropriate right now....I have no words...

Just glad its stuff like this that brings people together! :cheers:
 
emmjaygti said:
The words "small world" are so damn appropriate right now....I have no words...

Just glad its stuff like this that brings people together! :cheers:
Click to expand...

Likewise!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
suf420 said:
Orange, Whites and Blacks it is!

I will go ahead and order them on Monday!

Thanks again buddy!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Click to expand...

Not sure how soon you are looking to get started and not trying to tell you what to do, but AG usually has some pretty sweet sales for Labor Day that could save you a bundle, especially if you're planning to pick up a lot of pads and the Menzerna polishes. You might just want to hold off a few more days to see what they come up with sale wise.
 
MIsnowman said:
Not sure how soon you are looking to get started and not trying to tell you what to do, but AG usually has some pretty sweet sales for Labor Day that could save you a bundle, especially if you're planning to pick up a lot of pads and the Menzerna polishes. You might just want to hold off a few more days to see what they come up with sale wise.
Click to expand...

Hi buddy, I'm in London, UK so not sure if they ship here

I'll have a look!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
suf420 said:
Hi buddy, I'm in London, UK so not sure if they ship here

I'll have a look!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Click to expand...

Haha guess it doesn't matter then. Good luck with your detailing endeavor, you should have a great experience with the flex, hybrids and menzerna, I know I love that combo.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top