Alcohol Wipedown

J

jgatuslao

New member
I read on this forum that one of the benefits of an alcohol wipedown is to prepare the surface for maximum bonding of a sealant after the polishing step. However, wouldn't alcohol strip any oils or any specific material that gives the surface the shine, depth and wetness you desire?



My polishes ar OP, SSR2.5, Megs 80 and Wolfgang. My sealants are Megs NXT, DG105, Wolfgang DGPS, PB EX-P.



If an alcohol wipedown is necessary for maximum bonding of sealants, is a wipedown necessary for waxes?
 
yes it will remove the oils anf that is why I use it!

I use the IPA wipedown to make sure I removed the defects and do not just cover them up

I think most sealants and all waxed will bond just fine to a freshly polished surface



also I think a AIO is a beter choice as a prep for you sealant
 
jgatuslao said:
I read on this forum that one of the benefits of an alcohol wipedown is to prepare the surface for maximum bonding of a sealant after the polishing step. However, wouldn't alcohol strip any oils or any specific material that gives the surface the shine, depth and wetness you desire?



My polishes ar OP, SSR2.5, Megs 80 and Wolfgang. My sealants are Megs NXT, DG105, Wolfgang DGPS, PB EX-P.



If an alcohol wipedown is necessary for maximum bonding of sealants, is a wipedown necessary for waxes?
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You really don't want the shine depth and wetness to come from oils left over from polishing. The would cause your wax or sealant to smear all over your car. The prep work (wash/clay/polish), the AIO and your sealant/wax are what you want to cause your shine.
 
jgatuslao said:
I read on this forum that one of the benefits of an alcohol wipedown is to prepare the surface for maximum bonding of a sealant after the polishing step. However, wouldn't alcohol strip any oils or any specific material that gives the surface the shine, depth and wetness you desire?



My polishes ar OP, SSR2.5, Megs 80 and Wolfgang. My sealants are Megs NXT, DG105, Wolfgang DGPS, PB EX-P.



If an alcohol wipedown is necessary for maximum bonding of sealants, is a wipedown necessary for waxes?
Click to expand...



99% of the look of your car is accomplished during the polishing and prep phases. An LSP simply seals in the look. If my car doesn't look perfect after I've wiped off all the oils with an alcohol wipedown, then I'm not done polishing it.
 
After the alcohol wipedown, remember to apply a your favorite protectant to the "rubber" before you finish the job. Alcohol will dry out and dull your "rubber" trim and gaskets and leave them even more vulnerable to the environment.
 
SuperBee364 said:
99% of the look of your car is accomplished during the polishing and prep phases. An LSP simply seals in the look. If my car doesn't look perfect after I've wiped off all the oils with an alcohol wipedown, then I'm not done polishing it.
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Agreed. It's all about prep and polishing! And like BigJim said it's good to use an ipa wipe down to make sure you are actually correcting the defects and not just filling them in.
 
SuperBee364 said:
99% of the look of your car is accomplished during the polishing and prep phases. An LSP simply seals in the look. If my car doesn't look perfect after I've wiped off all the oils with an alcohol wipedown, then I'm not done polishing it.
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I agree to a large extent, but 99% might be a bit on the high side, and saying that the LSP simply seals in the look (that you got with your prep) is not 100% accurate either.



LSP's do add their own look to the final finish. But the prep work is the most important step, which allows the LSP to look the best it can.
 
what method of application do you use for the wipedown??



IPA in a mist bottle then just wipe or put some on a MF and wipe the car down etc??
 
In most cases I would still do an IPA wipedown to make sure with defects and such. I think I remember someone saying that even KAIO wasn't really strong enough to remove all the oils left behind from Menz 106FF?
 
I just tried 50/50 IPA/water mixture in a 3 oz mister bottle with just one big drop of ONR. I thought the ONR would add just a tad bit of lubricity and add in the cleaning a bit. I figure that there can't be enough ONR to interefer with the LSP. I have marred a just finished polished car wiping it down with the IPA/water mix, so I thought a bit of ONR would help. I was afraid to put too much ONR in so just 1 big drop.



I gave it good shake and it dispersed easily into the solution. The IPA didn't seem to affect the ONR from looking at it. Not sure if the IPA breaks antyhig down chemically in the ONR.
 
I buy the really strong 91% Isopropyl alcohol from the pharmacy in Walmart. I dilute it 50% distilled water, 50% alcohol, usually in a 32 oz. spray bottle. I then spray a generous amount on a panel, and wipe it off using a clean MF with medium pressure until the panel is completely dry. Note that you should only do this on a car that is *completely* clean. I don't add anything else to the water. If your paint is completely free of stuff that could mar the paint (as it should be before doing an IPA wipedown), you gain nothing by adding stuff to the mix. The entire purpose of the IPA wipedown is to ensure that your paint is *completely* clean of *any* product residues, oils, fillers, etc. Adding anything that could stay behind defeats the purpose.
 
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