MF Pad Question

[Dcox9]

I recently just got the Meguiars DA MF pad kit, and was wondering how many pads you need in your arsenal to do a car?

[ihaveacamaro]

I find that MF is far more forgiving than foam. I use 2 cutting and 2 polisher per car.

[Dcox9]

I find that MF is far more forgiving than foam. I use 2 cutting and 2 polisher per car.

Great! So I should probally have more than 2 of each, gonna have to place an order this week

[tropicsteve]

i always have extra pads to avoid having to stop and clean when i start working. really depends on the paint condition too.

[mrclean81]

You`ll need a few because half of them will probably fail before you get finished lol. They are notorious for the velcro backing coming off due to the heat generated.

[honda2112]

You`ll need a few because half of them will probably fail before you get finished lol. They are notorious for the velcro backing coming off due to the heat generated.

Totally agree, although the new adhesive is better, watch out. They come in a two pack, get two packs of each. Better safe than sorry. On a Griot`s, don`t go above "4".

[Dcox9]

Totally agree, although the new adhesive is better, watch out. They come in a two pack, get two packs of each. Better safe than sorry. On a Griot`s, don`t go above "4".

Yeah ive realized quickly that going above 4 is risky with the pad. Had some great results!

[Dcox9]

So can I use these with a orbital buffer?

[cardaddy]

As has been mentioned, heat is your enemy. (Although it destroys foam pads as well, and will collapse them the first time you use them if you heat them up to much.)

Thing is... I`ve found you can do a LOT MORE WORK with a MF pad than a foam pad. Get two packs of each and keep track of the heat. If you pull the pad after it gets warm and swap out regularly you`ll never have a problem.

That is of course after you are making sure to clean them with air after each section pass. Don`t think you`ll completely do a panel without cleaning it either! Do the section pass and look at your pad. It`ll be flat and looking like its going to kill the paint. Fluff it good, put a few drops of compound on it and go back to work.

Even though you are cleaning it more often than foam, it rewards you by being able to literally do an entire vehicle with only two pads. (providing there is enough time for the other one to cool between duty cycles) With the weather getting warmer, (it was 94° here today) the pads are getting hotter. For safety sake I`m swapping ALL pads out more often.

[Geaff500]

I got two (2) packs of 5" cutting discs

A 32oz of D300
A 32oz of M101 (to be mixed with the D300 for extra bite or to be used straight in areas that need heavy correcting)

And I will just use my regular foam pads for finishing. It isn`t fully necessary to get the MF finishing pads if you already have good foam finishing pads.

[Michael Stoops]

I find that MF is far more forgiving than foam. I use 2 cutting and 2 polisher per car.

While we agree that using 2 cutting pads is a good idea, it`s rare that you need more than 1 for the finishing step since that step should be done with light pressure and fairly high arm speed. Still, no harm in being cautious!

You`ll need a few because half of them will probably fail before you get finished lol. They are notorious for the velcro backing coming off due to the heat generated.

Yes, we`ve had some issues with failures on these pads and have made some changes. But heat is a very bad thing and usually comes about from being overly aggressive with the pads. High speeds and very high pressure will get things really hot between the pad and backing plate, especially if you`re using a backing plate other than the recommended Meguiar`s W67DA. This is due to the additional heat generated by a mismatched hook & loop - that hook & loop being thrown around on a DA is a nasty, brutal environment.

Yeah ive realized quickly that going above 4 is risky with the pad. Had some great results!

We have always stated that this system was tuned to 4800 opm on a DA and that this speed should not be exceeded. If you need additional cut, either increase the pressure, slow down the arm speed, shrink the size of the work, or some combo of the three, but do NOT increase the tool speed. The GG6" and Meguiar`s G110v2 are definitely more powerful than the PC7424XP so that tool you might run at speed 5, but definitely not on the others.

As has been mentioned, heat is your enemy. (Although it destroys foam pads as well, and will collapse them the first time you use them if you heat them up to much.)

Thing is... I`ve found you can do a LOT MORE WORK with a MF pad than a foam pad. Get two packs of each and keep track of the heat. If you pull the pad after it gets warm and swap out regularly you`ll never have a problem.

That is of course after you are making sure to clean them with air after each section pass. Don`t think you`ll completely do a panel without cleaning it either! Do the section pass and look at your pad. It`ll be flat and looking like its going to kill the paint. Fluff it good, put a few drops of compound on it and go back to work.

Even though you are cleaning it more often than foam, it rewards you by being able to literally do an entire vehicle with only two pads. (providing there is enough time for the other one to cool between duty cycles) With the weather getting warmer, (it was 94° here today) the pads are getting hotter. For safety sake I`m swapping ALL pads out more often.

This is all excellent advice and should be followed by anyone using the DAMF System. Very regular cleaning of the pads is critical, and that means after every section you buff. Not every panel, not every three or four sections or just because the fibers are matting down. After every section you buff the pads must be blown out with compressed air or brushed with a brush. This isn`t just to fluff the fibers up again but to remove both product and paint residue from the fibers. Microfiber is great at hanging on to stuff, and if this product and paint residue is allowed to build up you will not only comprise your cutting ability but also run the risk of developing a relatively large deposit that could create pigtails in the paint.

OK, back to the known failure issues with our microfiber pads. Rest assured that should you have any failure caused by a manufacturing defect we will gladly replace the pads at no charge. The first line of defense is always the retailer from whom you purchased the pads, but if you can`t get satisfaction from them then by all means call our Customer Care Center and they`ll take care of you. And about that "manufacturing defect"..... not all pad failures are due to a manufacturing defect. Sometimes it`s flat out abuse. This image of 3" pads shows some that were sent back to us for warranty replacement due to the pads delaminating, but this is not a manufacturing defect. The fact that the foam is ripped to shreds tells us that these have been repeatedly yanked off the backing plate, and possibly even off a mismatched backing plate, putting undo stress on the foam to the point that it has been torn apart.


From day one with this system we have urged a bit of caution when removing the pads from the backing plate. Our recommendation has always been to get your fingers between the pad and backing plate, as shown in the image below, to remove the pads. If you`re using a mismatched backing plate that has a death grip on these pads (think the backing plate on the Rupes tools - yikes!!!!) then this becomes even more critical.

Don`t do this.....


Do this.

[Ronkh]

You`ll need a few because half of them will probably fail before you get finished lol. They are notorious for the velcro backing coming off due to the heat generated.

since my flex generates sooooo much heat, are they worse when used on flex 3401 ?

[Todd@RUPES]

Awesome info Mike!

[Michael Stoops]

since my flex generates sooooo much heat, are they worse when used on flex 3401 ?

The 3401 just plain runs hot after extended use, but this is very different from the heat created by the friction in the hook & loop attachment. The downside to using microfiber on the 3401 is that the forced rotation movement of this tool coupled with the microfiber pad tends to create more haze than an orbital DA (G110v2, GG6, 7424, etc) does. The closer you get to a true circular rotation of the pad the greater the chance of haze, which is why we highly recommend that you NOT use these with a rotary. Bad idea.

Now, even with the long stroke of the Rupes 21 you can get a killer finish out of the microfiber pads even while cutting like crazy.

[Ronkh]

The 3401 just plain runs hot after extended use, but this is very different from the heat created by the friction in the hook & loop attachment. The downside to using microfiber on the 3401 is that the forced rotation movement of this tool coupled with the microfiber pad tends to create more haze than an orbital DA (G110v2, GG6, 7424, etc) does. The closer you get to a true circular rotation of the pad the greater the chance of haze, which is why we highly recommend that you NOT use these with a rotary. Bad idea.

Now, even with the long stroke of the Rupes 21 you can get a killer finish out of the microfiber pads even while cutting like crazy.

Yep it do run real hot.

Even with a "finishing pad and sealant type application will cause haze?

oh sure, now I got another reason to get an new buffer....