Necessary to clay bar if I`m going to use megs 105?

[Accumulator]

So now I need to talk about pad prices. After a pad is "gunked up" I`m guessing its trash...You guys must go through a ton of pads...

It`s a pleasure to disabuse you of that misconception NO, the gunked-up pad isn`t trash at all, oughta clean up just fine if you put in the (sometimes not inconsiderable) effort.

There are Pad Cleaner products that some here swear by, but I just use APC or Dawn or whatever and really hot water. Yeah, it can take a while, even with a pre-soak/etc. and you`ll feel like you`re rinsing `em out *forever*, but hey...that or spend a lot of unnecessary money (which sure is easy...if you`re OK wih the utterly unnecessary expenditure).

Where is a good place to buy decent pads where you`ll get a bulk pack of pads? Say 10 or more pads in a pack. Pads seem to be more expensive than I`d like them to be..

IIRC a lot of places sell pads in 5 packs. Eh, I`m out of date on Pads as I haven`t needed any new ones for ages. Although cutting pads do eventually wear out, most of my pads last for innumerable jobs.

[bennylava]

How about soaking them for a good long while, and then putting them through the washing machine? Wash them only with other pads, perhaps on delicates cycle. Just use the soap that you would normally use on the pads, in the washing machine.

[Accumulator]

How about soaking them for a good long while, and then putting them through the washing machine?

Eh, never worked well for me, they need a whole lotta squeezing/etc. under running water and washing machine agitators just don`t provide that type of action IME. I don`t even get all that great of results washing LSP applicators/etc. in the washer.

And just FWIW, I`m 100% certain that a HE washer wouldn`t do much of *anything* to `em.

I`ve never found a way to avoid the extensive manual labor required to clean pads, but then I`ve never tried a Pad Washer either. Next time I correct a vehicle I`m gonna try the pressure washer=[powered home-brew version with an old bucket, but I haven`t really pursued that yet so I`m not fixed on how I`ll do it.

[Stokdgs]

Have always had great results from Snappy Clean powder for around 15 years now..

Yes, it does require one to have to soak the pad in the mixture first, then knead and squeeze the pad to loosen the debris..
It rinses out very easy compared to other soaps because it is a dedicated pad cleaner.

And wouldn`t you know - the people that make Snappy Clean are the same people that make Lake Country Pads in Wisconsin !!!!
Dan F

[TMQ]

Snappy Clean...
https://www.autogeek.net/snappytool.html

This is what I do.
I spray the pads with McKee`s Polishing pad cleaner.
Rub it in a bit...
xmt-pad-cleaner.html

and toss in bucket with the solution of Polishing Pad Rejuvenator.
https://www.autogeek.net/dp730.html

When done with a detail, toss them in washing machine with towel Kleen...

Maybe bit over kill but pads are clean for the next job.

Tom

[jrock645]

I do a similar process and and it works very well for me.

Snappy Clean...
https://www.autogeek.net/snappytool.html

This is what I do.
I spray the pads with McKee`s Polishing pad cleaner.
Rub it in a bit...
xmt-pad-cleaner.html

and toss in bucket with the solution of Polishing Pad Rejuvenator.
https://www.autogeek.net/dp730.html

When done with a detail, toss them in washing machine with towel Kleen...

Maybe bit over kill but pads are clean for the next job.

Tom

[bennylava]

And lo, he learned a new respect for detailers. Earn their money, they do.

[Accumulator]

Huh, surprised that putting pads in the washer works for people, but glad to hear it works for you as it sure sounds easy!

And lo, he learned a new respect for detailers. Earn their money, they do.

Indeed, well....the Autopian ones do IMO, most "professional Detailers" deserve those scare-quotes (and don`t deserve much esteem).

[bennylava]

Yeah it looks like you guys get nickle and dime`d to death on supplies. Oh now you need these other two products, to clean your pads. I guess once you finally work out the perfect combo of products for all your needs, it could get cheaper. Cause you know you only ever have to buy these 12 products, in order to be able to go around from house to house and detail people`s cars. I see why the best detail is so expensive now. It takes many hours to complete, and the guy had to buy all manner of stuff just to be able to do it.

[bennylava]

Video...

Point made...

watch

Hope this helps....!

Tom

That video does help. Pretty much clears up the fog in my head about the subject. Much appreciated!!

But now, more info floats to my ears. What`s this? Some people use a degreaser after their polish? (before waxing) Why? I was thinking you just waxed right over the top of your polish job.

And buffing cloths. Are there two different types of buffing cloths? One for buffing off polish, and one for buffing off wax?

[Accumulator]

..But now, more info floats to my ears. What`s this? Some people use a degreaser after their polish? (before waxing) Why? I was thinking you just waxed right over the top of your polish job...

Sometimes you can just LSP, other times you need to strip off the residual Polishing Oils first. Whether it`s necessary/desirable depends on the Polish and the LSP. FWIW, this issue is why I despise M205; its Trade Secret Oils are a huge PIA for me to remove and if I don`t they can 1) make accurate inspection difficult, 2) dissipate later, exposing problems I thought I`d corrected and/or leaving the surface looking lousy, 3) interfere with the bonding of certain LSPs. BUT...just to muddy the waters... plenty of other people apply their LSP (usually a Meguiar`s one I suspect) right over those TSO after polishing with M205 and they`re happy campers.

.. And buffing cloths. Are there two different types of buffing cloths? One for buffing off polish, and one for buffing off wax?

Purely Personal Preference. I use the same MFs for both, except that with *some* LSPs, under *some* circumstances, I like different LSP Buffing MFs. But even that`s just splitting hairs and I could get by just fine with only one type of MF towel (if it`s the right one ). Again, as with the TSO plenty of people feel differently and have specific MFs for specific tasks. It`s about what works for/satisfies *YOU* and it`s one very broad spectrum.

[DBAILEY]

Everyone is assuming that the compound will actually remove the contamination. I have gone over a tar spot when polishing, that was missed when prepping, on more than one occasion and it was quite resilient. Its probably true of a lot of contaminates.

[Accumulator]

Everyone is assuming that the compound will actually remove the contamination. I have gone over a tar spot when polishing, that was missed when prepping, on more than one occasion and it was quite resilient. Its probably true of a lot of contaminates.

And OTOH, even straight waxes like Souveran can sometimes clean surprisingly well.

Some of the older compounds (Meg`s Mirror Brite stuff) had *really* potent cleaners, they`d mess up single stage upon occasion of you got careless. Guess that kind of thing isn`t as common these days.

[bennylava]

Do you use the same exact buffing cloth, to take off polish, as you do to take off wax? Like, you don`t switch towels between polish and wax. Or do you have one towel for polish, and one for wax? (but the two towels came out of the same pack)

Got the HD Polish as per your recommendation. Also I`d like to ask if you would degrease after the HD Polish, before you put on wax. I`m thinking of buying some of that Autoglym Ultra High Definition wax for my vehicles and the wife`s car. They say the gloss is second to none. And I love me some gloss. But that stuff is too expensive to not degrease after polish, if indeed you should degrease after HD Polish.

[Accumulator]

Do you use the same exact buffing cloth, to take off polish, as you do to take off wax? Like, you don`t switch towels between polish and wax. Or do you have one towel for polish, and one for wax? (but the two towels came out of the same pack)

Let`s see if I can answer this properly! I never use the same individual MF cloth for two different tasks during the same session. BUT yes I`ll take two cloths from the same pack and use one for compound and one for wax and/or launder my compound one and then reuse it for waxing. All the [everything] comes out in the wash and I find that my MFs work fine for both types of work.

Got the HD Polish as per your recommendation. Also I`d like to ask if you would degrease after the HD Polish, before you put on wax. I`m thinking of buying some of that Autoglym Ultra High Definition wax for my vehicles and the wife`s car. They say the gloss is second to none. And I love me some gloss. But that stuff is too expensive to not degrease after polish, if indeed you should degrease after HD Polish.

I guess "better safe than sorry" might apply, though I don`t know anything about the Autoglym wax. (Heh heh, INSERT my usual skepticism about what people say about a particular product imparting "gloss" ) If you have a bottle of [somebody`s Polishing Oils Removal Product] on the shelf then you`d be covered and I can`t imagine such stuff going bad. FWIW I`ve never had to strip any oils from HD Polish for the LSPs *I* use, but that might not be relevant here.