Best way to remove dried polish?

B

bast525

New member
I polished my car yesterday using a PC and some Meg's Ultimate Compound, wiped the whole car down afterwards, and THOUGHT I got all the dust off.....



Came out today and saw dried on compound dust on the doors. I tried to wipe it off with a microfiber and some quick detail spray, but the stuff is really on there. If I used a good amount of pressure I could wipe it off, but I feel like that's doing more harm than good.



What is the best/easiest/safest way to get this stuff off?
 
IPA mix or I've heard of some people just waxing to remove old residue. However personally, I'd use nothing but an IPA wipedown to remove any excess/dried up polish.
 
Isopropyl Alcohol. I do about a 1:4 mix with water in a spray bottle. It's a commonly used solution to wipe off polishing oils in order to see if you cleared up whatever blemishes you were trying to clear up. I always IPA when compounding out scratches and just wipe off normal last step polishes when the surface is clear.
 
That will dissolve the dried on polish? I tried plain water and meg's quick detail spray, but they don't come off unless I rub hard. Alcohol will take them off easily? I'm assuming it will take off any wax too?
 
Well when you're polishing, its usually over a wax stripped surface anyway and you wax afterwards. Just be careful to not hit your plastic trim with IPA because it'll dry it out (just put a dressing on it afterwards).
 
Yeah people say IPA, although if you have Megs ultimate compound on overnight you will have to rub a bit. It can be a pain to get off. Make sure to use a clean, plush microfiber towel - you don't want to rescratch your freshly polished paint!
 
In extreme cases, I have had really great luck with polishing pad cleaner diluted per the instructions and your removal tool of choice. Microfiber, paint brush, swab.



I use Detailer’s Pro Series Polishing Pad Rejuvenator. Be careful not to let the residue drip as you clean the residue off, it will only make the situation worse. I usually stuff a microfiber towel around the area I have to clean to protect against this.



Try a test spot first to make sure you won't have any staining issues. Thus far I have not.



Hope this helps.
 
If you rub the polish residue into the paint you're likely to get some micromarring (if you're lucky it's just be "micro" ;) ).



IPA is OK but it doesn't encapsulate and/or lubricate like some other things. I generally prefer "clean" QDs like Meguiar's #34 or something like ONR. Or even just washing the car using some "super shampoo" like ValuGard's "A" or OPC. Whatever cleaning solvent you use, be sure to let it dwell for a good long time so it has a chance to soften the residue; don't just expect to spray it on and wipe the stuff off.



You might even have to clay it off, but I woudn't be surprised if you had to repolish after that.



Big lesson here is to work meticulously, inspecting everything you're working on so you can avoid such surprises.
 
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