New PC'er - having trouble with pads getting frayed.

A

acohen100

New member
I thought that the pads were supposed to last a while, right? I got the 7424 with a 6" velcro backing plate and the CMA 6" pads. After doing about 1/2 of the wife's car the white pad I was using started getting frayed around the edges and bits of blue foam were flying off as I was polishing. Is this normal? Am I doing something wrong? At this rate I will go through one pad per car/job.
 
I've seen this happen if the backing plate is too large for the pad and extends further than the velcro causing the backing plate to cut into the pad.
 
Well they are both 6" and it does not seem that the backing plate goes past the velcro. Blue stuff from the back of the pad is not only flying off but also is coming off onto the velcro backing plate. After I was done I had to pick blue stuff out of the velcro. Maybe I was pushing too hard... I was doing the sides of the car today. I had no such problem when I was doing the flat surfaces yesterday.



Maybe I'll try buying a 5" flexible backing plate...see what that gets me.
 
when using the pad IT must lay flat on the surface. If you are by chance tilting or lifting up on the handle you may be applying to much pressure on the edge of the pad causing premature ware. If you do not correct this you WILL cause swirls
 
I would buy "someone's" 5" "flexible" backing plate.

(Personal preference...Porter Cable's 5" Contour. I have tried several other name brands and they are all OK. Keep the 6" pad counter-weight in the PC. Seems to work better.)



Check my thread...I'm not link savvy, sorry....



"PC Pad "cutting" Protection ring".



Maybe that will look like your problem and might help, but the 5" plate will most likely do the trick. I like pads from companies that give that extra velcro diameter so a 5" backing plate doesn't "cut in" on the top. Everybody has their favorites...7.5" pads with the plastic cup, etc. Search and read on pads. Maybe my thread doesn't help you with your problem, but it's worth a look anyway.
 
Sometimes the backing plate will "cut" into the pad if you use too much pressure and/or the backing plate has some velcro sticking out. You might want to try to use a razor blade and trim the course edges of the backing plate off all the way around. If this doesn't work, your backing plate may be defective or you are leaning the pad too much which will force the pad to rip apart. I personally like the 7.5" LC pads with the 6" foam backing plate.
 
I had the same problem...rather than chewing up numerous pads I decided to get a 5' backing plate and it has made me a happy camper...except that I now have to change backin plates when I switch back and forth from the 6.5' pads to the 7.5' advanced pads. I was kinda ticked that it was stated that I could use a 6' plate with my 6.5' pads and it cut into them but hey that's life...I'm still fairly new to the PC world and trying to figure out which pads I like the best. I say experiment with the 7.5' pads to see if you like them...I'm not really fond of them but I've go them and they do have some advanatages at times. (like that you cannot cut into them with the backing plate because of the way they mount)



Andy
 
I've had no problem with the size of the pads that the original poster is using. Since you didn't have the problem on the horizontal surfaces, I would guess that 1. The pad wasn't attached to the backing plate correctly/off center or 2. You were inadvertantly tilting the pad while polishing the side panels because of the angle you were standing at. Next time, get right down into a crouched position next to the car and make a special effort to keep the pad flat against the paint. Also, you don't need to apply much pressure for most products, unless your doing some serious defect removal. Let the PC just rest against the surface with its own weight, and apply slightly more pressure for the first couple passes.



-FordTaurus
 
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