Help selecting DA package polishes; question on waxing with a DA

Three thoughts:

-I utterly despise dimpled pads; the dimples get filled with stuff I don`t want building up like that and also decrease the functional surface area

-M101 has replaced M105 for me, even though I never had the seemingly common issues with M105 and really liked the old v1.0. I simply *never* reach for M105 any more now that I have M101, even sold some to a fellow Autopian

-The Trade Secret Oils in M205 drove me *NUTS* as they`re really tough to completely clean off/out of certain paints. HD Polish is *IMO* infinitely superior in user-friendliness and works better *FOR ME* as a final Finishing Polish. On some paints M205 didn`t give me the gloss I want; looked fine until I redid with something better and saw a real improvement. I wish somebody would buy my M205, have nearly a gallon that I`ll *NEVER* touch
 
The ccs pads don`t seem to be as dimpled. They seem to be pushing these over the flat ones

Just to keep things simple, do I really need two finishing pads? Based on what Lake Country offers I`m thinking Orange for compounding, white for polishing.

For finishing I was looking at the black and red pads. Or black and blue. For the purpose of applying wax or sealant, am I better off with one type, or does it make a difference?

Also, big thanks for the link to the open box sale. I`ll be picking up a 7424XP at a great price.
 
The ccs pads don`t seem to be as dimpled. They seem to be pushing these over the flat ones

Just to keep things simple, do I really need two finishing pads? Based on what Lake Country offers I`m thinking Orange for compounding, white for polishing.

For finishing I was looking at the black and red pads. Or black and blue. For the purpose of applying wax or sealant, am I better off with one type, or does it make a difference?

Also, big thanks for the link to the open box sale. I`ll be picking up a 7424XP at a great price.

Bill1975, Congrats on getting a great machine for an absolutely outstanding price !!!

I am also with Accumulator in not liking dimpled, etc., pads..

I also want ALL of the pad surface working the same ALL the time..
So only Flat pads fulfill that need for me.. And they are so much easier to clean since the surface is flat...

You will be fine using the L/Country Orange pad for correction IF you really need it..

The L/Country White pad is actually a very versatile pad that can accomplish some correction and polishing, and it actually finishes really well..

What you see when you make a few Test Spots using both pads will determine more accurately what pads you really need to do the work..
This is another reason why I always want to have lots of each color of pad...

If you still want to go around the car a 3rd time, then the L/Country Black pad would be fine if you feel the need to further refine the gloss and clarity achieved with steps 1 and 2 or perhaps even just step 2...

The L/Country Red pad was designed for applying the wax or sealant to the vehicle as the Last Step..

I never use one because I dont want a bunch of different red pads with different things on them because its very difficult to remove these products...
Would rather just use a round, yellow foam pad and apply these products by hand..
Dan F
 
I was actually thinking of getting the black and red pads for finishing, but they don`t offer the red as a flat pad, only a CCS pad. So maybe a blue would work just as well for waxing. so maybe 3-4 each of 5.5" flat orange white and blue, plus some 6" microfiber bonnets to go over the included PC pad for removing/buffing wax.
 
Bill1975- IMO you always need more than one of *ANY* and *EVERY* pad, if only because "[stuff] happens". Yeah, really...you wouldn`t believe.

IME it`s easy to go *too gentle*/soft on Finishing Pads. I don`t like extra-soft pads even for LSPing myself, didn`t like the Black LC pad last time I tried one (maybe they`re different these days..).

It wasn`t all *that* long ago that the only 4" pads for the Cyclo were the green polishing ones. Way too mild for *serious* correction, and most would say *MUCH* too harsh for Final Polishing let alone LSPing. And this was back in the days before b/c paint became common and the single stage of that era was generally kinda soft. Recipe for disaster?!? Not at all, we did just fine with only that one type of pad...well, once we got the serious correction out of the way via rotary first ;)
 
..6" microfiber bonnets to go over the included PC pad for removing/buffing wax.

Note that there are different brands/types of MF bonnets. Mostly personal preference IMO...but the no/low-nap ones are pretty unforgiving if you somehow get a speck of something abrasive stuck on one.
 
Will do. Speaking of pads, is it necessary to use a pad conditioner while polishing? I`m thinking the very first pass with a fresh pad, it`s going to be mostly dry and will need several rotations to get the product covering the pad
 
Will do. Speaking of pads, is it necessary to use a pad conditioner while polishing? I`m thinking the very first pass with a fresh pad, it`s going to be mostly dry and will need several rotations to get the product covering the pad

Personally I prefer priming the pad with the product I`ll be using. But a pad conditioner is a big money saver compared to priming the pad with an ounce or two of product.
 
PC is on the way... as for pads here`s what I think I will get:

lake country flat pads. 5.5", orange white and blue 3 of each color. Maybe black as well? Will get a couple MF bonnets as well for wax removal.

I`m thinking of getting a pad cleaner, but if I have several of each color I might not need it. I could just wash them all after a detailing session. I find dish soap gets wax and polish out of MF pretty well. Is it safe for pads?

as for products I`m still trying to decide between:

memzerna heavy cut compound 400, sf3500 or 3800 and m2500
meguiars 205 and 101
optimum compound, polish II and Poli Seal. Not sure if Opti Seal or GSP would be a good alternative to Opti Seal.
HD Cut and HD Polish

i have plenty of Meg`s 26 for an LSP.
 
If you`re planning on using M26 as the lsp, I`d go with the megs polishes for the sake of product synergy. Also, I love the results they deliver.
 
Bill1975- My votes would be for M101 and HD Polish. Those are about all I reach for any more despite having tons of choices on the shelf.
 
Will do. Speaking of pads, is it necessary to use a pad conditioner while polishing? I`m thinking the very first pass with a fresh pad, it`s going to be mostly dry and will need several rotations to get the product covering the pad

Like Vega, I only prime with the product I`m using. I DO NOT ever use Pad Conditioners, never found them beneficial when I did experiment with them.

Back in the day I`d sometimes prime a pad with a QD if I had a specific reason, but I haven`t done that in ages. I don`t consider the "dry pad" thing to be much of a potential issue, and I usually prime my pads as per the Kevin Brown Method when using harsh products/pads anyhow. Softer pads, as for use with Finish Polishes, are IME gentle enough that you don`t have to worry about them when finishing out with stuff like HD Polish.

Most people here who have Pad Washers simply love them. Ditto for Pad Cleaners. That said, I just wash my pads out with APC or Dawn Power Dissolver (hear that`s off the market now) or even regular Blue Dawn and that works fine *for me*. No, it`s never harmed the pads that I can recall.
 
Another thing you can do is save the MF bonnet that you used to remove the wax in a Zip-Lock bag -- that way there is no need to prime or prep it the next time you need to polish off wax (provided the MF bonnet is clean except for the wax residue).
 
It wouldn`t need to be washed? I usually clean everything following a detail. The exceptions being my wash mitt and drying towels.. I usually rinse those unless they show a lot of dirt
 
It wouldn`t need to be washed? I usually clean everything following a detail. The exceptions being my wash mitt and drying towels.. I usually rinse those unless they show a lot of dirt
I do the opposite. I save the polishing pad and MF bonnet that I use to apply and remove Collinite 845 wax in a Zip-Lock bag (provided they aren`t dirty/contaminated), and I wash my wash mitt (because there will be dirt trapped in it) and drying towel.
 
Despite being pretty fanatical about thin LSP applications (and most would question that "pretty" qualifier, not like I`d ever use a whole ounce of LSP to do a Suburban!), I get enough residue on my buff-off bonnets and pads that I always clean them. And I use more than one bonnet too. It`s not like they`re visibly loaded with residue, and I don`t worry about it causing micromarring or anything like that, but they still have enough to require cleaning IMO. Absent cleaning, there`d be too great a chance of smearing or other unwanted effects.

I used to store my applicators in a baggie or even in the LSP`s tin, but these days I clean them out and dry them instead.

Eh, not saying it`s a right/wrong sort of thing..I`m all in favor of just doing what works for you so I hope this didn`t come across as a flamejob.

Now wash mitts OTOH, I hardly *EVER* clean unless they get dropped or somehow contaminated with something nasty that doesn`t rinse right out. Zero dirt in them with my Wash Technique, just as there`s seldom any dirt in the rinse buckets. More of that "what works for *you*" and I bet I`m kinda unusual when it comes to not getting my Wash Media contaminated.

My Drying Media *do* almost always end up getting dirty though, at least a little bit, and even when they don`t I launder them for the same reasons I launder my Bath Towels- it`s not like *those* get dirty, but given enough "dried by evaporation" they eventually get loaded with mineral residue and then they stiffen up, even with soft water.
 
so much said here i really dont have to imply anything, but owning both proter cable and groits garage i rather the groits as its smother, life time warrenty and stronger motor especially needed on the harder clear coat of vw`s
 
My wash mitt always has stuff embedded in it, but I use a rinseless two-bucket wash method with a pre-soak. I use no pressure and linear wipes, but the mitt does pick up things from the paint. On the other hand, by the time I wax and buff, the car is clean, so those pads usually stay clean. The Collinite 845 that`s soaked into the white polishing pad is probably enough to wax an entire car. Also, if the car is clean, your drying towels shouldn`t be picking up a whole lot of contaminants.
 
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