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Car Polishing Pads - by Cartec

Heavy Cut Pads

Browse our comprehensive range of foam, wool, and microfibre polishing pads. From heavy cut to soft finishing. Available in different sizes to suit a variety of backing plates. Car Machine Polishing Pads come in a variety of materials. A super-soft foam finishing pad will refine paintwork to a professional standard. A finishing pad is also a great way to apply your favourite carnauba wax or sealant.

Choosing your car polishing pads can be a little daunting if you haven't used any before. To keep things simple, we would say 2 or 3 pads from the same manufacturer with different "cut levels". This will give you everything you need to remove 80% of car swirls and light scratches in an easy 2/3 step process. If they have matching compounds, even better. Don't worry about the different brands colours or shapes at this time, personal preference depending on the paintwork you are working on will come into play once you hone in your skill.

Foam Pads, Microfibre Pads or Wool Pads. What should I choose?

Extreme Cut = Microfibre & Wool
Heavy / Medium Cut = Microfibre, Wool & Foam
Final Finish = Foam
All will create a lot of dust if overloaded with compound
Harder paint recommend going for Microfibre as it will save you a lot of time
Soft paint you will need a foam pad to finish regardless of what you start with
Beginner, regardless of paint hardness, stick with Foam
Wool if you are a professional, as they can get messy and if clogged won't work anyway
Longevity, foam is more likely to fall apart quickly if the pad is cheaper or mishandled. Microfibre and wool can wear down becoming less effective over time.

A few things to remember

Choose the correct size for your machine polishing backing plate (exact or ever so slightly over)
Thicker pads are move forgiving
Test a panel with a lighter cutting pad first
Always use a finishing/refining pad to give your paintwork that final gloss finish