Polishing Question (Using Griots Garage Polishing Pads)?

Fellow Tundra Detailers:

I need help on determining the what type of Griots Garage polishing pad(s) that I need to use on my Tundra. I've been using the Griots 6" Random Orbital to apply a liquid wax twice a year. I've been using a spray wax in between my washes.

I plan on using the griots polisher to polish the truck for the first time. I recently picked up 2 of the Griots finishing pads (black pads). I am wondering do I need to buy the Griots correcting pads (orange pads) giving the following information:
- Small hairline scratches can only be seen when the lighting is at the correct angle. Majority of these same scratches can't be seen under direct sunlight.
-3 year old truck. Never has been through a car wash with brushes. Only through a touch-less wash from time to time during winter months and to wash the undercarriage.
- I plan on using Meguairs Ultimate Polish. I just don't want to eat up clear coat.

I am eager to learn from everyone's polishing techniques. Thanks everyone!

Mike

 

The Griots black finishing pads have no cutting ability....they're for the application of waxes or sealants. Prior to polishing, you will want to do a full decontamination on the paint....or at the very least, a clay bar/mitt to get any embedded contaminates. As far as pads go, pick up the Griots yellow polishing pads too. They're less aggressive than the orange, although neither are particularly aggressive.

 

Thanks. I used the red pads for waxing and sealants. I thought the black pads were the step before you wax.

I never heard of the griots garage yellow pads.

 

This x2!

 

Just went on the Griots Garage website. Found the yellow Boss pads. I take it they can work with the non-Boss systems?

 

Yes.....I use them on my GG6 and G8...neither of which are BOSS polishers. If you take a look at Autgogeek.net, you can buy pads in groups of 6 and save money. If you have finishing pads, I'd pick up 4 of the polishing pads and 2 of the orange correcting pads. Just out of curiosity, what liquid wax have you been applying with the finishing pads?

 

I’ve been using the red pads to apply Meguiar’s Ultimate liquid wax. I aways clay bar before my big waxes... I try and use a spray sealant (Duragloss Aquwax) after every wash.

Now I plan to polish using my Griots DA 6 in orbital. I am preparing the paint for a new product that I will be trying out- Last Coat Black Ice.

 

So, prepping for a ceramic coating is a different animal. Add a chemical decontamination to your routine, using a product like Iron-x. In addition, you want to make sure your surface is free of any oils your polishing step left behind, so a panel wipe is in order. You can mix your own IPA solution, or there are products out there like CarPro Eraser set up just for that reason.

A clean, contaminant-free surface will ensure proper bonding of your coating....the prep is the key

 

Thanks a lot for the information. I plan to do the following:
1) Wash the truck with CG Clean slate to safely remove all old sealants/waxes
2) Chemical decontamination with Meguiars Iron Remover Spray Clay
3) Clay bar // may do another wash afterwards to make sure the truck doesn't have any chemicals or clays particles on paint
4) Polish with GG yellow pads then black pads // if needed I will use the orange pads on areas that need more aggressive polishing
a. I plan to use Meguairs Ultimate polish with all color of pads
5) Use CC Wipe Out as the IPA to remove all polishing oils
6) Apply the Last Coat Black Ice per instructions.

Only question that I have is will the ultimate polish work with each color of pads? I don't think I needs a compound.

Thanks again for the help.

 

Pick up some Ultimate Compound while you're at it. In the event you do run into an area that needs a little extra cut, the orange cutting pads may not be able to do enough on their own, given the abrasives that are in the polish. To me, you almost need a hybrid product, like 3D One, in order to control cut by changing the pad.

CG Clean Slate will not get the job done, unless the wax or sealant on there is so degraded it's almost non-existent. You'd be better off with a product like Purple Power Vehicle and Boat Wash. Not to worry though....the decon steps and the panel wipe will give you a bare surface to work with for your coating.

One question....why would you be using a polish with a finishing pad? Griots pads are on the soft side anyway....do not fear the yellow pad. Doing a test spot will be your friend.....and go with a combo that gives you the results you're looking for.

Good luck and post pics....I'm sure it will look amazing when you are done. Also, please post your experience with that coating....I've not seen much about it.

 

Well, I didn't know CG Clean slate was that weak! Wondering if I can throw some Wipe Out with the Clean slate...hmmm. As for pads, I thought the black finishing pads were also for polishing. I was under the impression the red pads were for applying sealants/waxes.

Pics are what the paint looks like right now (after today's wash with Aquawax). There's really small hairlike scratches that can only be seen at the correct angle. I don't think the pics will show any of these. MGM paint does make it harder to see these scratches as apposed to a solid paint. color.

It will be a couple weeks before I get to this major wash and polish. I will be sure to post some pictures. Thanks again for all the help!

Mike

 

Unfortunately, CG Clean Slate and Adams Strip Wash are not very effective at stripping old waxes and sealants on their own, despite being advertised to do so. It's typically more of a process, rather than a one shot deal. People see the water laying flat after using these types of products, and it's more the surfactant in the soap than it is anything else. By the time you get to apply your coating, you'll be free of anything left behind.

 

Well apparently the scratches are more pronounced than I thought. I’m not putting extreme amount of pressure on the machine. I guess I need to grab ultimate compound which I forgot to get. The ultimate polish does bring a nice shine to the paint which also allows to the light to illustrate the scratches that won’t go away.

Would you pair the ultimate compound with the orange pad? And then pair the ultimate polish with the yellow/ black pads? Does ultimate compound take a lot of the clear coat away?

On a side, note, I am wondering how much exposure my paint will get as I make a 8 mile round trip to pick up the compound since there’s no sealant anymore

 

If you're concerned about 'bare' paint getting exposed....there are likely some residual polishing oils left on the paint....no worries there. If you're talking Griots pads, the orange is their first level cutting pad....and, yes, it would be paired with the compound. There are several factors that determine how much clear you take away.....pad/product combo, arm speed, pressure, number of passes. Ultimate compound is a consumer grade compound.....if the store you're going to has Meguiars 110, you might have to go that far.

Test spot, test spot, test spot......your best friend when doing correction

 

So I went ahead this past weekend and used ultimate compound with the yellow pads as I only had one orange pad on hand. Then made a second pass with the ultimate polish. Results: paint has a nice shinny pop, scratches on hood really did not go away. Scratches can only be seen at a certain angles. Humbled myself and realized I’m not trying to make a show car. Thanks for all the polishing advice. Next time I will use the orange pads with the compound.

Black Ice Results:
Application- real easy. Spray onto applicator and wipe on paint. Buff off immediately. Wait an hour before applying each additional coat(s). I put 3 coats on the truck. Each coat took about 30-40 min to apply to the truck. I realized during the third coat, you don’t need as much black ice as you did on the first two coats. I used about 3 to 3.5 ounces for all three coats.

Paint: fairly slick. It states that black ice needs to have a 24 hr cure time before paint can get wet. Well I made it to through 14 hrs as it rained yesterday. I will need to call and ask TLC about what to do. Anyways, water beads nicely. See pic.

Recommendation: Yes. Product seems legit but can’t speak for the durability as of right now.

 

Thanks for the write up. I might give black ice a try next summer some time.
Going to mention that I recently polished my truck and used lakecountry white pads with 3d one. It worked very well, pretty much got rid of all my swirls and left a nice finish. I tried a milder finishing polish with their orange pads and while that worked well to get rid of any swirls it left the finish with a bit of haze.