Do LC pads get harder as they age?

Patman · 10-01-07, 11:49

I'm wondering if the cutting action of my Lake Country CCS polishing pads have changed now that they've been used for a while and have been washed and dried a few times?

I'm thinking that maybe they are not as soft as they originally were and the polishing pads end up doing a bit more cutting than before? (which in my case I don't want, as I really don't want to be using a cutting pad on my black Corvette)

I'd hate to throw them away since they still look in perfect condition visually, but if they are doing more cutting than I'd like (and therefore they leave more marring), then I have no choice but to toss them.

Driven-528e · 10-02-07, 04:36

I dont have the CCS pads. My VC pads seem to get softer over time, especially the white ones. I feel like they have less cut than before.

audicoupej · 10-02-07, 04:38

I agree with Driven about the VC pads. Mine definitely get softer. My CCS pads I have not noticed anything changing yet, but they have not been used as much as my older VC pads. I notice this specificially with yellow and orange VC pads.

If they are getting harder you might not be rinsing them well enough.

Dave1 · 10-02-07, 05:07

Quote:

Originally Posted by Patman

I'm wondering if the cutting action of my Lake Country CCS polishing pads have changed now that they've been used for a while and have been washed and dried a few times?

I'm thinking that maybe they are not as soft as they originally were and the polishing pads end up doing a bit more cutting than before? (which in my case I don't want, as I really don't want to be using a cutting pad on my black Corvette)

I'd hate to throw them away since they still look in perfect condition visually, but if they are doing more cutting than I'd like (and therefore they leave more marring), then I have no choice but to toss them.

What color LC polishing pads are you talking about....?

I wouldn't sweat it Patman. The clear coat on your C5 is rock hard.

Any correction will require a cutting pad. Keep em'.........

Patman · 10-02-07, 06:15

Quote:

Originally Posted by audicoupej

If they are getting harder you might not be rinsing them well enough.

I don't know for sure that they are getting harder though, they still feel soft to me, I'm just curious as to whether they change with age.

Danase · 10-02-07, 06:18

They shouldn't. At least I've never seen one get harder with age.

Patman · 10-02-07, 06:19

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dave1

What color LC polishing pads are you talking about....?

I wouldn't sweat it Patman. The clear coat on your C5 is rock hard.

Any correction will require a cutting pad. Keep em'.........

Whenever I've used the orange cutting pads I end up with more micromarring though, so that's why I prefer to stick with the white LC polishing pads. Then I don't have as much "mess" to clean up after I do my correction passes. I just want to make sure my white pads aren't getting closer to the orange pads in terms of abrasiveness as they get older. As I mentioned, they still appear to be as good as new even after many uses. I just want to be sure they actually are still just "polishing" the paint instead of "cutting" it.

Danase · 10-02-07, 06:23

They are not getting harder, you don't have to worry.
What products are you using?

Patman · 10-02-07, 06:29

Quote:

Originally Posted by Danase

They are not getting harder, you don't have to worry.
What products are you using?

For areas that need more correction, I use Meguiar's #83. If it doesn't need too much correction I go with Meguiar's #80. I follow that up with Meguiar's #9 and then my final step is Meguiar's #21. I do everything with the white pads, except the 21 I put on with a black finishing pad. This is all on a UDM, with the speed at 5 (except for the 21, I do that at speed 3)

One of the reasons I started this topic was because when I look at my black finish real close in direct sunlight it looks like it has just a little bit of a haziness to it. If I step back a few feet it looks awesome, so maybe I'm just being picky, but I just can't help but wonder if I'm leaving just a little bit of micromarring behind, even with using a polishing pad and #9 as my second last step. So I thought I'd see if perhaps the pads might be to blame for part of this. Otherwise, maybe I need to try another product as my second last step? (something like Menzerna Micro Polish perhaps?) Or more likely, there is something wrong with my technique?

audicoupej · 10-02-07, 06:53

What are you using as your LSP? That could be causing the haze. Try and post up some pictures.

Patman · 10-02-07, 06:58

Quote:

Originally Posted by audicoupej

What are you using as your LSP? That could be causing the haze. Try and post up some pictures.

My LSP is Meguiar's 21. I don't think it's causing the haze, because otherwise that haze would probably go away once I put on some spray detailer and started slowly taking away the 21.

When I post up the pictures you probably will say I'm crazy and my car looks fine, as I can't see any problems in the pictures, it's only in bright sun when viewed very close that it doesn't look as good to me.

Here are the most recent pics:

(you're probably now thinking I've lost my mind and there is nothing wrong with the paint!)

audicoupej · 10-02-07, 07:10

No, I don't think you're crazy. The first pic looks like there could be a small amount of mircomarring where the sun is hitting it. It might just be glare. The C5 looks good though!

I think that perhaps a different polish would give you the results you're looking for. Are you working the Megs product long enough? The Menz 106FF with a white LC pad should finish out perfect. There are many products that will work.