Help selecting DA package polishes; question on waxing with a DA

PC is on the way... as for pads here`s what I think I will get:

lake country flat pads. 5.5", orange white and blue 3 of each color. Maybe black as well? Will get a couple MF bonnets as well for wax removal.

I`m thinking of getting a pad cleaner, but if I have several of each color I might not need it. I could just wash them all after a detailing session. I find dish soap gets wax and polish out of MF pretty well. Is it safe for pads?

as for products I`m still trying to decide between:

memzerna heavy cut compound 400, sf3500 or 3800 and m2500
meguiars 205 and 101
optimum compound, polish II and Poli Seal. Not sure if Opti Seal or GSP would be a good alternative to Opti Seal.
HD Cut and HD Polish

i have plenty of Meg`s 26 for an LSP.

If you`re planning on using M26 as the lsp, I`d go with the megs polishes for the sake of product synergy. Also, I love the results they deliver.

Bill1975- My votes would be for M101 and HD Polish. Those are about all I reach for any more despite having tons of choices on the shelf.

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Originally Posted by Bill1975

Will do. Speaking of pads, is it necessary to use a pad conditioner while polishing? I`m thinking the very first pass with a fresh pad, it`s going to be mostly dry and will need several rotations to get the product covering the pad

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Like Vega, I only prime with the product I`m using. I DO NOT ever use Pad Conditioners, never found them beneficial when I did experiment with them.

Back in the day I`d sometimes prime a pad with a QD if I had a specific reason, but I haven`t done that in ages. I don`t consider the "dry pad" thing to be much of a potential issue, and I usually prime my pads as per the Kevin Brown Method when using harsh products/pads anyhow. Softer pads, as for use with Finish Polishes, are IME gentle enough that you don`t have to worry about them when finishing out with stuff like HD Polish.

Most people here who have Pad Washers simply love them. Ditto for Pad Cleaners. That said, I just wash my pads out with APC or Dawn Power Dissolver (hear that`s off the market now) or even regular Blue Dawn and that works fine *for me*. No, it`s never harmed the pads that I can recall.

Another thing you can do is save the MF bonnet that you used to remove the wax in a Zip-Lock bag -- that way there is no need to prime or prep it the next time you need to polish off wax (provided the MF bonnet is clean except for the wax residue).

It wouldn`t need to be washed? I usually clean everything following a detail. The exceptions being my wash mitt and drying towels.. I usually rinse those unless they show a lot of dirt

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Originally Posted by Bill1975

It wouldn`t need to be washed? I usually clean everything following a detail. The exceptions being my wash mitt and drying towels.. I usually rinse those unless they show a lot of dirt

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I do the opposite. I save the polishing pad and MF bonnet that I use to apply and remove Collinite 845 wax in a Zip-Lock bag (provided they aren`t dirty/contaminated), and I wash my wash mitt (because there will be dirt trapped in it) and drying towel.

Despite being pretty fanatical about thin LSP applications (and most would question that "pretty" qualifier, not like I`d ever use a whole ounce of LSP to do a Suburban!), I get enough residue on my buff-off bonnets and pads that I always clean them. And I use more than one bonnet too. It`s not like they`re visibly loaded with residue, and I don`t worry about it causing micromarring or anything like that, but they still have enough to require cleaning IMO. Absent cleaning, there`d be too great a chance of smearing or other unwanted effects.

I used to store my applicators in a baggie or even in the LSP`s tin, but these days I clean them out and dry them instead.

Eh, not saying it`s a right/wrong sort of thing..I`m all in favor of just doing what works for you so I hope this didn`t come across as a flamejob.

Now wash mitts OTOH, I hardly *EVER* clean unless they get dropped or somehow contaminated with something nasty that doesn`t rinse right out. Zero dirt in them with my Wash Technique, just as there`s seldom any dirt in the rinse buckets. More of that "what works for *you*" and I bet I`m kinda unusual when it comes to not getting my Wash Media contaminated.

My Drying Media *do* almost always end up getting dirty though, at least a little bit, and even when they don`t I launder them for the same reasons I launder my Bath Towels- it`s not like *those* get dirty, but given enough "dried by evaporation" they eventually get loaded with mineral residue and then they stiffen up, even with soft water.

so much said here i really dont have to imply anything, but owning both proter cable and groits garage i rather the groits as its smother, life time warrenty and stronger motor especially needed on the harder clear coat of vw`s

My wash mitt always has stuff embedded in it, but I use a rinseless two-bucket wash method with a pre-soak. I use no pressure and linear wipes, but the mitt does pick up things from the paint. On the other hand, by the time I wax and buff, the car is clean, so those pads usually stay clean. The Collinite 845 that`s soaked into the white polishing pad is probably enough to wax an entire car. Also, if the car is clean, your drying towels shouldn`t be picking up a whole lot of contaminants.

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Originally Posted by `PRND[S

;2076314`] Also, if the car is clean, your drying towels shouldn`t be picking up a whole lot of contaminants.

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That`s an area where my experience tends to differ from the theory. With my multi-step wash method I`m confident that getting the vehicle *CLEAN* yet my drying towels still usually end up getting some kind of stains on them...black stains from rubber seals or the wiperblades, some dirt/grease I missed in the engine compartment or on the undercarriage, or even just in an out-of-the-way spot (like when I stuff my Drying Towel in the gap between the front door`s leading edge and the front fender`s trailing edge).

The dirt on the Drying Towels never seems to come from the "regular parts of the car" so if I didn`t do all of the vehicle they`d probably stay clean. OR...I`ll admit that if I just did a more thorough job they might stay clean too! But 6-8 hours for a quick maintenance wash is usually enough for me.

So, after doing some reading, I think I will try Optimum Compound, Polish, and Poli Seal. I had a pro detailer use them on my last car with good results, and I already use ONR for my wash. So with some practice I know they will look good.

With those three I have three grades of correction, with the PS being an AIO that I can finish with or top with the Meguiars 26 wax if I want. Later on down the road I can always try the meguiars or Menzerna products I was also looking at.

Bill1975- Are those the "Spray" Compound/Polish?

No, not the spray. I those are sold as "Hyper" compound and polish.

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Originally Posted by Bill1975

No, not the spray. I those are sold as "Hyper" compound and polish.

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Ah, OK..yeah, those are the ones I`d tried.