Polishing Pad Life

[roushstage2]

Hey hey! Quick question: I was wondering what the average life expectancy of the new 5" polishing pads is? I bought a few to replace my now worn 6" W-8006 polishing pads. I've used this pad three times on my G100 (PC 7335) and it looks like this. The old-school pads didn't wear like this until about a dozen or so uses. I'm just curious if this is the norm before I buy more of them.

Thanks for your help!

[rapport25]

Re: Polishing Pad Life

Wow!!

I hope not. I have just replaced my pads from 6" to 5". Still yet to try them.

Rappy.

[Brian Hann]

Re: Polishing Pad Life

roushstage2,

How long any given pad will/should last certainly has some variables including storage, backing plate, technique, machine, cleaning regimen, etc. That being said can you please clarify a couple things related to your particular situation.

Are you saying you purchased new pads and they are becoming overly worn after 3 uses or are you simply asking how long our new DA Foam discs are expected to last?

What exact pad is pictured here?

[roushstage2]

Re: Polishing Pad Life

Brian,

Yes, I am saying that is what has happened. I am also more or less asking if the newer pads tend to be less durable than the older ones .

I purchased these Meguiar's DFP5 pads brand new, and this is what one of them looks like after three uses and thorough cleanings afterwards. It has been used, cleaned and stored under the same variables as my prior W8006 polishing pads, which lasted for about 3-4x as many uses before the foam started to look like this.

[Brian Hann]

Re: Polishing Pad Life

roushstage2,

The pad in the picture you posted does not appear to be yellow at all which is why I am struggling to understand the situation.

The short answer is no, the newer pads should not last considerably less time. The wear seen in that picture makes me wonder what kind of speed and pressure are being used and what surface it's being used on. Are you doing unique surfaces that are not flat and painted? Are there contours of the car or trim pieces that you are hitting aggressively for extended periods of time? How are you cleaning these pads?

The newer DA Foam Discs have been on the market for about 4 years now and I can't say we have had many if any similar complaints? Of course we use these pads quite a bit in our garage here as well.

[drumdan]

Re: Polishing Pad Life

One thing to consider is that the 5" pad is doing considerably more work. The difference in rotation between the new discs compared to the old big foam pads is huge - which will contribute to wear.

Also, we're asking more of the smaller pad in terms of surface area coverage. The bigger pad covered more territory, and rotated slower. In other words, the old pad didn't work as hard as these new ones do, but worked a larger area.

The trade off should be increased efficiency, final result, and user comfort.

This can be remedied but picking up a couple extra pads, and changing them out throughout the job. This will help maximize long service life from the pads.

[roushstage2]

Re: Polishing Pad Life

roushstage2,

The pad in the picture you posted does not appear to be yellow at all which is why I am struggling to understand the situation.

The short answer is no, the newer pads should not last considerably less time. The wear seen in that picture makes me wonder what kind of speed and pressure are being used and what surface it's being used on. Are you doing unique surfaces that are not flat and painted? Are there contours of the car or trim pieces that you are hitting aggressively for extended periods of time? How are you cleaning these pads?

The newer DA Foam Discs have been on the market for about 4 years now and I can't say we have had many if any similar complaints? Of course we use these pads quite a bit in our garage here as well.

It's not yellow as it got stained when I first washed it with some new, red MF towels. I have a couple of non-red towels I threw in there too that now have a one-off color as well, sigh. Anyways, it's been used on speed 4-5 on the G100 on a BC/CC paint job on your average car. No unique surfaces or challenges. I have cleaned it by rinsing it out with water as I use it and then washing it in the washing machine with my MF towels (free and clear detergent and a splash of Meg's APC with hot water).

My main concern was if the life expectancy was expected to be lower, but like you said, I couldn't really find anything about these not lasting which is why I asked. I'm just going to relegate it for use on the wearing single stage paint on my truck. I kind of needed another pad to polish the truck with anyways. I've been using my old W8006 pads and some are hanging on for dear life as it is.

I obviously did something with it that it did not like; I don't recall though as the three times I've used this pad has been spread out over the course of the past year or so. I'll just be more careful going forward with the other pads (like not washing them with red towels). If you guys say this isn't normal, it's good enough for me! When you're the only one having a problem with something...it's probably you.

Thank you for your help Brian!

One thing to consider is that the 5" pad is doing considerably more work. The difference in rotation between the new discs compared to the old big foam pads is huge - which will contribute to wear.

Also, we're asking more of the smaller pad in terms of surface area coverage. The bigger pad covered more territory, and rotated slower. In other words, the old pad didn't work as hard as these new ones do, but worked a larger area.

The trade off should be increased efficiency, final result, and user comfort.

This can be remedied but picking up a couple extra pads, and changing them out throughout the job. This will help maximize long service life from the pads.

Good points! I actually got several more 5" pads when I ordered my new polisher, so I'll give rotating them out a go. Less times I have to clean on the fly, too.

[Nick Winn]

Re: Polishing Pad Life

Would agree, definitely not normal, our Soft Buff D/A Foam Discs should last much, much longer than a few cars. Happy to hear Brian was able to help, please feel free to post further questions!