new foam pads getting cut up on the velcro lining

[joyriide1113]

i bought 3 new foam pads. the orange light cutting, white polishing, and grey finshing pad. after one and a half use of the cutting pad in the middle of the job i notice the pad had a 90 degree circular cut on the polishing side (thank good nothign happened to the paint). i called up autogeek and they happily sent me a new one. this time only on the first attempt it was cutting up again, starting on the velcro side along the lining of the velcro circle. now i know not to apply pressure which i dont, since this is my first couople of times using a pc, but is there any reason this could be happening?

prior to both incidents i left the pads soaking over night in a 5 gallon bucket filled half way and an ounce of laundry detergent. i woke up the next morning before the detail and i wrung em out a couple of times and left them there to dry.



when i came back the finshing pad was dry as a bone, the polishing was moist, and the cutting was damp.

now ive been thinking and i think its because they were moist.

(also i forgot to mention that the polishing pad has started to do this slightly too)

i know pads are supposed to be misted with water to help with applying product but i think since only the side which is buffing is supposed to be moist that the fact that the velcro side was moist it made it very soft and vulnerable to the backing plate oscillating, jiigle, orbiting, w/e u wanna call it...


i hope i said it right.

any clues on if im right or what might of happened?

[BookemDano]

How big are the pads? How big is the backing plate? Where did you get the backing plate?

Please don`t say that you are using the one that came with the PC. :nono

Regards,

Dan.

[joyriide1113]

no. i bought thse pads from autogeek.net. they`re the dual action deluxe pad set.

[BookemDano]

Pads and backing plates come in various sizes and types.

What size pads did you buy?

What size backing plate did you buy? What type? (Flexible? Stiff?)

Regards,

Dan.

[joyriide1113]

Well The Pads And Backing Plates Came With The Pc.

The Pads Are 6.5 Inch And The Backing Plate Is 5 Inches...

But I Find It Stange That They Cut Up So Early With Little Pressure On The Surface, If Any.

[BookemDano]

It would be eaiser if we had pics of the problem.

That said, it sounds like you might have the wrong backing plate. What does it look like? Is it flexible?

Does it look like this (flexible):
http://www.properautocare.com/flbaplfordup.html

Or like this (hard):
http://www.properautocare.com/velbacplatfo.html

Is the pad centered in the velcro? When place the backing plate on the velcro, can you still see some velcro around the edges of the backing plate?

IMO, a flexible backing plate in the only choice for a newbie. It`s what I use. And, it has to match the pad.

I use the FBP-6DA flexible backing plate in the first link above. I have two sets of Lake Country Constant Pressure pads that I got from CMA:

6" http://www.properautocare.com/hi612infopaa.html
7.5" http://www.properautocare.com/ad712inhipa.html

I started with the 6" pads and graduated quickly to the 7.5" pads. So far, I`ve had ZERO problems. No cutting, shredding, etc. The 6" flexible backing plate works well with both pad sizes.

One point about pads... Lake Country is the largest manufacturer of pads and sell to various retailers. However, not all of the LC pads are the same. Although they may look similar and be marketed as "Lake Country" pads, different retailers carry slightly different lines of LC pads. For example, CMA (links above) carry the "Constant Pressure" pads. LC makes these pads for CMA. You can`t buy them elsewhere. (I don`t know that they any better than other LC pads, but they work well for me.)

Regards,

Dan.

[joyriide1113]

THIS IS THE PAD SET I HAVE

http://www.autogeek.net/bf100.html


AND YES I DO CHECK TO MAKE SURE THE VELCRO IS CENTERED PROPERLY.

[BookemDano]

Well, I`m fresh out of ideas. I`ve seen other posts about problems with pads, but the problems are typically related to the wrong size backing plate or using the Porter Cable brand backing plate (which is not good). I hope someone else can help.

Regards,

Dan.

[kimwallace]

THIS IS THE PAD SET I HAVE

http://www.autogeek.net/bf100.html


AND YES I DO CHECK TO MAKE SURE THE VELCRO IS CENTERED PROPERLY.

Just out of curiosity ...
have you physically measured the pads, the backing plate, and the velcro surface on the pads ... It could be that the wrong backing plate was shipped with the 6.5" pads or something like that.
Just a thought ...

[norahcrv]

i bought 3 new foam pads. . .
prior to both incidents i left the pads soaking over night in a 5 gallon bucket filled half way and an ounce of laundry detergent. i woke up the next morning before the detail and i wrung em out a couple of times and left them there to dry.
When i came back the finshing pad was dry as a bone, the polishing was moist, and the cutting was damp.

now ive been thinking and i think its because they were moist.

(also i forgot to mention that the polishing pad has started to do this slightly too)

i know pads are supposed to be misted with water to help with applying product but i think since only the side which is buffing is supposed to be moist that the fact that the velcro side was moist it made it very soft and vulnerable to the backing plate oscillating, jiigle, orbiting, w/e u wanna call it...

i hope i said it right.

any clues on if im right or what might of happened?

Why did you soak them overnight? I know that Meguiars does not recommend water use in cleaning their pads, is it possible that is causing some "deterioration"? :dunno

[awd330]

When the pad is installed on the backing plate, does the velcro piece on the pad extend beyond the plate`s edge? If the pad`s velcro is equal to or smaller than the backing plate, the plate may wind up cutting into the foam. This type of situation was documented on another site as well as a DIY solution. I have not personally experienced this problem, so I cannot vouch for the effectiveness of the proposed solution. PC pad "cutting" protection ring (http://www.autopia.org/forums/showthread.php?threadid=38923)

[Thomas Dekany]

Why did you soak them overnight? I know that Meguiars does not recommend water use in cleaning their pads, is it possible that is causing some "deterioration"? :dunno

you never want to soak any pad overnight, but that is to protect the adhesive.

I have soaked pads overnight (from CMA) but the pads were ok. My new TOL (LC) pads are coming apart (same as the original poster described) on the very first detail. The reason (as per awd330):If the pad`s velcro is equal to or smaller than the backing plate, the plate may wind up cutting into the foam.
TOL should make it clear on their site. I will try to get my money back. Those pads suck!

PS: Wash your pads asap, or don`t soak them more then 30 minutes. Best to do is wahs them as soon as you change pads. It takes a lot less time that way and you can go back to detailing. m2c

[mgm2003]

I have the same set of pads. To be sure I understand that your issue is the same as mine... You`re using a 5" backing plate on 6 1/2" pads and the velcro attached to the pad is `digging` a circle into the pad around the velcro, which leads to early pad failure.

Here`s what I`ve found causes this:
a) If you run the PC past 4-4 1/2, you have this problem.
b) Applying moderate to heavy pressure

After having this problem I now use PC pads that have the velcro (or other attachment material) covering the entire face of the pad.

[Thomas Dekany]

I

Here`s what I`ve found causes this:
a) If you run the PC past 4-4 1/2, you have this problem.
b) Applying moderate to heavy pressure

After having this problem I now use PC pads that have the velcro (or other attachment material) covering the entire face of the pad.

which pads are those?

I mostly use speed 6 (spread on 3)
I apply plenty of pressure. (the only way to correct the cars I get payed to do)

[brwill2004]

I do not think soaking them is the problem. If I understand you right, the damage is on the front of the pad. Sounds like the pad quality may be sub-par. I use Lake Country pads, and they have never come apart on me. You also may have caught the pad on an edge or something.