Microfiber Buffing Pads

[Grape Ape]

Has anyone tried these and what are the pros and cons to these compared to foam pads? Guy on the big forum says that's pretty much all he uses and likes the results they give. Do they cut any harsher or not as much? What are the best brands to get if they are any good? My Grand Prix needs A LOT of work on it and thought maybe these would get the job done easier. What say y'all?

[Ted Y]

Never tried them. Perhaps Wills could shed some light?

[Grape Ape]

He doesn't get on here much it looks like but will give it a couple days and see if he sees this.

[Wills.WindowsAndWheels]

Has anyone tried these and what are the pros and cons to these compared to foam pads? Guy on the big forum says that's pretty much all he uses and likes the results they give. Do they cut any harsher or not as much? What are the best brands to get if they are any good? My Grand Prix needs A LOT of work on it and thought maybe these would get the job done easier. What say y'all?

Sorry for the slow reply, got the email notification a couple days ago but have just been pretty swamped.

Microfiber pads...to me...one of the best things that have come along in the detailing world...especially when dealing with really bad paint.

They DO cut more than standard foam pad. I could go into the whole break down of how this works lol...but in short a microfiber pad can really take care of deep swirls if you use the right technique.

Best brand...i go with Meguiars hands down. Ive tried a few but i always end up going back to theirs. If your Grand Prix is really in that bad of shape i would do a two step polish on it more than likely. First going with a Microfiber Cutting Pad and something like D300 (which is a compound Meguiars makes) and then for the finishing polish i would use foam for this step (say a white or green buff n' shine pad) and Meguairs 205 (which is my favorite finishing polish).

You will see that once you do the compounding pass with the D300 and mf pad, there will be light marring left over (well, if your vehicle is dark in color and you have good lighting you will see it). Using a good LED light while polishing really makes a big difference. I believe i got mine from Home Depot for about $80. Also having a hand held LED flash light can help to spot left over defects as well. I'm not sure of the age of your car but, if its a bit older i wouldn't go after every single little defect - cut the bulk of them and but dont chase after the RIDS (random individual deeper scratches) as you will thin out the clear if you go after it too much.

The micromarring will be corrected by the second step, the polishing step and 205. This is where your complete gloss and clarity comes from.

A few tips - when using the MF pad....prime or "season" the pad first. By this i mean, you want to take your compound (D300 in this case) and put a very good amount on the face of the pad and then work it in with your palm or thumb or whatever. What this does is loads up those tiny strands of microfiber with compound. This is how microfiber discs cut so much better, every one of those little strands is now going to cut and remove a little bit of clear coat (this is what you do when you remove swirls). You want those fibers to stay nice and fluffy before starting a section. Add 4 pea sized dots after priming and then begin.

Next, polish a section (roughly 20"x20", but just use common sense, some areas will be smaller than that just due to panel shape). Dont smash the face of the pad onto the paint, but do use light to medium pressure. Just make sure that backing plate continues to turn (put a mark on the back of your backing plate with a sharpie so you can see if its spinning or not while in operation). Do the section, wipe away residue, inspect and then move to next area or go over if needed.

Big emphasis on this here...after doing a section, clean your pad. You want to get that spent polish and removed clear out of your pad so that your fibers are clean and again capable of cutting and holding onto the removed paint as you polish. You clean your pad by blasting with compressed air via air compressor - or take a microfiber towel and sorta scrub the face of the pad to remove the gunk and fluff up the fibers. Add 4 more dots of compound and move to your next section.

Theres a lot more technique and such to it than that but, just following what i listed above should go a long ways. Just be sure to wash and clay bar the car first before doings any polishing.

If you have any more questions just let me know

[Grape Ape]

Thanks for the tips. I will see how it goes when I get the new pads. The car is a 2001 and it's a black 2 door.