HD UNOPAD durability

josephclemente · 10-10-09, 05:31

I just finished polishing and waxing my car with HD products and am VERY happy with the results! My car's paint has always been in great condition but it really looks jaw-dropping stunning now.

I have a question regarding the durability of the HD UNOPAD, as I went through two of them during the polishing process.

The first one seemed to go a bit earlier. I did the hood, roof of the car and front bumper. The orange part of the pad started to seperate from the black foam, from the center. The outer part of the pad was still together. The pad started to feel warmer during this time.

I rinsed the pad with water and then let it dry. Maybe this was a mistake?

The next day I started polishing the right-side door. The pad was continuing to seperate and get hotter. The pad started "dusting" - black dust-sized particles started to rest on the window above the door. Luckily I had two more HD UNOPADs on the way in the mail.

The second HD UNOPAD lasted a lot longer and I completed the car with only a little dusting near the end. This time I did not rinse it in water or anything. By the time I was nearing completion, the pad started seperating near the center and feeling warmer.

When I press on the center of the pad with my fingers, the orange part now seems to feel thicker than the black foam behind it. Almost like the black foam is the part that is degrading. If I tap on the pad, I can see dust misting out on the backing side. I could take the foam apart to see what's happening if that would be of interest.

How long should a pad last? Should I stock up on more pads? Should I avoid applying pressure to it? Should I be using the upcoming wool pad first?

Thanks in advance for your responses!

Cleaning Fool · 10-10-09, 07:41

That orange shouldn't be separating from the black. Get on the horn to customer service.

josephclemente · 10-10-09, 10:12

It looks like it is the black part that is degrading. I opened it up and it looks like most of the black foam is gone!

As an experiment, I tried heating both foams with a heat gun. Then I rubbed the foam with my finger - the black foam started crumbling away. I'm thinking the adhesive stops holding and then the two foams have friction between them. The black foam can't take the heat and starts dusting away.

DavidB · 10-11-09, 03:05

If the foam separates between the two layers, it is a gluing problem and 3D will replace the pad. We had one sheet that was improperly glued and thought all of those pads were picked out.

If the pad separates as your picture shows, it is an issue of applying too much force/energy to the pad. We did abuse testing on the pad with the PCXP and were able to make the pad fail, but the temperatures were very high.

I am interested to know:

1. What polisher are you using?
2. What backing plate/size?
3. What speed are you running the polisher at?
4. How much force are you applying to the pad (is it completely compressed)?

Thanks!!!
db

jonw440 · 10-11-09, 06:10

My orange pad started coming apart. (about 1/3 of it)I used a few dabs of super glue.
It seems to be holding as I finished my Wife's car yesterday.

PC7424
4 3/4" bp
Speed 6
medium pressure (not completely compressed)
HD UNO

tdekany · 10-11-09, 10:34

Quote:

Originally Posted by jonw440

My orange pad started coming apart. (about 1/3 of it)I used a few dabs of super glue.
It seems to be holding as I finished my Wife's car yesterday.

PC7424
4 3/4" bp
Speed 6
medium pressure (not completely compressed)
HD UNO

x2

happened to my pad as well David. Mine flew off the pc

josephclemente · 10-11-09, 02:58

PC7424XP
4 3/4" bp
Speed 6
light to medium pressure (not completely compressed)

I'll have to try the superglue idea if my 3rd pad starts to come apart. It might be too late for pad #2, it seems to be lacking most of the black foam too now.

DavidB · 10-12-09, 07:00

Quote:

Originally Posted by josephclemente

PC7424XP
4 3/4" bp
Speed 6
light to medium pressure (not completely compressed)

I'll have to try the superglue idea if my 3rd pad starts to come apart. It might be too late for pad #2, it seems to be lacking most of the black foam too now.

The pads should not separate between the layers. We had one sheet that was dry glued (not enough glue), but thought we had picked all of the affected pads out. 3D will replace the defects.

tdekany · 10-13-09, 10:43

Quote:

Originally Posted by DavidB

The pads should not separate between the layers. We had one sheet that was dry glued (not enough glue), but thought we had picked all of the affected pads out. 3D will replace the defects.

How do I go about the replacement David? Would you like a picture of the "pad"?