aznkorboi

So, finally had the chance to load up the new car with HPC coating.

I took all the regular steps.

I just bought a Griot's random orbital polisher as well as the Lake white/orange/black pads.

After examining my paint I felt I only needed to use the Meguiarriar's Ultimate Polish for most of the work.

Here is where I need your advice and where I thank God nothing bad happened...




1. Taped off the trim with painter's tape

2. Added three dime sized squirts to the white pad after soaking it a little with the polish.

3. Flung the cable over my shoulder, applied medium pressure on speed 5 and started slowly doing the side panels.

4. I didn't take any breaks. I kept using the buffing machine, applying more polish, and buffing one whole side of the car.

5. When I put more polish on the white pad, I did feel it was getting very warm as well as the buffer itself was getting warm.

6. Right when I was about to start on the back trunk, I turned on the polisher and WOOSH the whole pad flew off and that was the result.

LOL.

Please tell me what I did wrong. Too much pressure? Didn't take my time? I thought with a random orbital polisher these things don't happen because if you add too much pressure it goes the opposite way?

I'd love to learn from the people who know what to do. I apologize and thank you for your responses.

Blkexcoupe

iTrader: (8)

Which type of pad is that? LC flat foam? ccs foam?

Did you only use 1 pad to polish the entire car? It looks like you overheated the pad and caused the foam to separate from the velcro in the center. You're going to need to take longer breaks in between passes if you want to attempt using only 1 pad or buy a lot more and swap them out.

GSteg

iTrader: (15)

Eek!! Definitely should have done a panel at a time. You don't want to keep adding polish to a pad without cleaning it. It'll cake up real quick and become ineffective. I normally wash my pad in between panels so it's clean (and cool) by the time I resume.

If you add too much pressure to a random orbit polisher, it'll stall. It doesn't go the "opposite way."

aznkorboi

Ah got it! Yeah I pretty much used one pad for the whole side of the car. Didn't know I was supposed to take breaks or change them. Good to know! I used the LC flat foam. I guess I didn't use that much pressure because nothing stalled which is good. I think I just didn't take enough breaks and overheated the pad.

zmcgovern4

iTrader: (2)

Heat is generated between the pad and the surface due to friction... pads will retain heat within the foam, and the foam will ultimately fail once it reaches a certain point. Long before the pad failed, you would have noticed the center of the pad becoming sunken in/recessed... I've seen this referred to as "dishing". This is becaues the center of the pad is where the majority of the heat build up is and the dishing is a sign that the pad is over used and the foam is starting to fail.

For this reason, and many other important reasons, you should be using multiple pads for each step. I typically recommend having 3 or more of each pad on hand before tackling any project.

You may find this article helpful...

Polishing Pads: How Many Do I Need? by
Zach McGovern

FastFord

Either the pad is defective or you touched a piece of trim or something that cut the pad causing it to disintegrate. I have done many vehicles with one pad per side and continuously (product added only) and never seen this. I have destroyed a pad that touched a sharp edge on a piece of trim, but that was my fault.

Sounds like you prepped the pad and used a good setting, proper product amount....my guess defective pad.

When a buddy wants a really quick, don't care what it looks like, trading in the pos. One pad, whole car, non-stop 40-minute application, no problem with one pad. In and out while they wait.

zmcgovern4

iTrader: (2)

As someone who specializes in paint correction work, I can say with a high level of certainty that this was not caused by a defective pad and was heat buildup which lead to pad failure as already explained. When doing a slow, steady correction where maximizing defect removal is the goal, it is absolutely critical to change pads. We have ruined a lot of pads throughout the years by pushing them one panel too far... I've even seen smoke coming off of the inside of a pad after it separated like the OP has shown.

In this situation where you are simply lightly polishing the car quickly, using 1 pad is not a big deal. 40 minutes of light use will not wear out a pad, however 4+ hours of moderate to heavy use absolutely will wear out a pad.

zmcgovern4

iTrader: (2)

Completely off-topic point, but this is perhaps the most creative spelling of meguiar's I have seen to date

FastFord

I didn`t read that he used the pad for 4+ hours on one side of the car. Four straight hours certainly would toast a pad. Funny though for a random polisher.

zmcgovern4

iTrader: (2)

He didn't specifically say how long he used it for... but assuming he was doing true paint correction work, that is a safe assumption for time spent polishing.

Blkexcoupe

iTrader: (8)

When I was in college and detailed cars, I used the LC flat foam pads all the time because they were cheap. In my experience, the LC flat foam pads tend to separate from the backing. Usually the backing peels away from the foam as they heat up and cool down. Your pad is a bit of an extreme case from being over used and possibly bumping the trim pieces causing cuts in the foam. I would recommend getting 3 or 4 of the light cutting pad and polishing pad (orange and white if you stick with LC Flat Foam).

Once the pad starts getting soft in the center, then you should switch to a new pad. When the center starts to look smooth and bubbly instead of porous (like new), then its time to clean the pad or switch it out.

Recently, I've been updating my supplies and switched to buff and shine MF pads. I like them a lot because the pads stay cooler, and I'm able to work on more surface area with a single pad. I haven't tried any of the other brands yet, but so far I'm a fan of MF pads over foam.

aznkorboi

Yes! You are correct! It was starting to dish in the middle but I didn't know it meant it was heating up so I kept going. I'm going to have to buy a few more pads!

aznkorboi

I spent about 3 hours on one side and I believe it was due to heat and not a defective pad. Thank you all for the responses! Perhaps I will also try a different pad brand like Meugiarirs lol

I'm just thankful it didn't scratch my car.

GSteg

iTrader: (15)

I have Meguiars microfiber cutting pads and they work great! I finish down the paint with foam polishing pad though (personal preference). If you do get microfiber pads, just make sure you prime them well before using them. Last thing you need is to create more scratches by running the pad dry onto your paint. But they cut so well!!

Blkexcoupe

iTrader: (8)

Do you have the meguiars mf finishing pads or only the cutting pads?