The Thursday my buffer burned through a 2019 Civic hood in 4 spots

I was rushing a full correction on a 2019 Civic at my shop in Fresno on Thursday, and my pad got too hot near the front edge because I skipped the water spray on a 6 inch foam pad. Four quarter size burn spots showed up in the clearcoat before I caught it, and my heart dropped when I hit it with the light. Does anyone here have a hard rule for how many seconds per section before you swap pads, because I clearly need one.

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emmam891d ago

That line about your heart dropping when you hit it with the light, man, I felt that in my chest. Same thing happened to me on a black Silverado last summer, and I just stood there staring at two hazy spots near the fender line for a good minute. I was running a 6 inch pad too and skipping the spray because I thought I was saving time, which is hilarious in hindsight. Now I spritz every panel before I start and keep a small spray bottle right on the cart so there is no excuse to reach for it. My rule is 2 passes on a 2x2 section, then I pull the pad and check it with my bare hand, if it feels hot at all it gets swapped or cooled. Also learned to keep the machine moving and never park it in one spot, because that front edge on those Civics is thin and it does not take much. Four spots in one go stings but I promise you will never skip the spray again after this.

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