Best Way to Strip Wax

Basshog

New member
I would like to strip all the way off my truck so that i can apply a layer of colonite for winter. I have heard that claybar followed up with polish will take it off but am afraid of marring. In another post in the past, someone mentioned using dilluted vinegar I believe to take it off. What have you found to be most effective?



PS I do everything by hand...no machines :buffing:
 
Some isopropyl alcohol + H20 in a 50/50 mix in a spray bottle should do the trick... you may have to do it a few times though



just use it as you would a quick detailer, and it should take care of the wax... especially if you use it in conjunction with claying (clay, then use the IPA)
 
I go along with paul34. A lot of people tout Dawn dishwashing liquid's ability to strip wax, but I don't agree. Yesterday, it couldn't even get Colonite off my hands. IPA did.
 
I think your choice of LSP would play a major role in deciding how to strip it off.



I.E. my Adams Butter Wax could easily be taken off by going to the self-serve car wash and using their "Pre-Soak" setting and using their spray-on soap (which is strong enough its caused issues for me with Collinite). The durability on that stuff is so weak that looking at it funny would strip it off.



Whereas Collinite would need something like 2-3 IPA wipe-downs or a quick once-over with an abrasive polish.



You could always just go to wal-mart and pick up a can of 3M General Adhesive and Wax Remover also.
 
paul34 said:
Some isopropyl alcohol + H20 in a 50/50 mix in a spray bottle should do the trick... you may have to do it a few times though



just use it as you would a quick detailer, and it should take care of the wax... especially if you use it in conjunction with claying (clay, then use the IPA)







What I recommend as well.
 
Gold Class is not known for its durability. About a month and I would guess that there is little wax to remove. Dawn or IPA/H20 mix should do the trick and treat your finish. :lol
 
Proper (well, as *I* define "proper) claying shouldn't remove much LSP. Dawn's wax stripping seems over-rated to me, but David B says it works fine if you use a strong enough mix. Never tried anything acidic for this, I lean towards alkaline products for this sort of thing. IPA oughta work and the 3M Adhesive Remover *will* work (great stuff, everyone oughta have some on hand).



What about a very mild, almost nonabrasive paint cleaner like Meg's DC #1, Pinnacle PCL, AIO, etc.? These work easily, even by hand and they'd give a nice little prep-boost to help the Collinite look its best.
 
Basshog said:
If I used the alcohol....do you wash your vehicle and then spray on and wipe off? or spray off with a hose?



Spray the alcohol on and wipe off with a MF after it dwells for a while. But really, I'd do some kind of polishing/paint cleaning... even if you don't think you need to ;)
 
Basshog said:
I would like to strip all the way off my truck so that i can apply a layer of colonite for winter.



Am I missing something or does Colonite require there to be no wax on the finish prior to using. If not, why wouldn't you want to have the layered effect of an additional coat of protection?
 
Many people say that your wax is only as durable as whats beneath it so if 845 was on top of NXT it would only be as durable as NXT.



IMO, you might notice a slight increase in durability or change in appearance, but for your average detailer it wouldn't make a worthwhile difference. Stripping the base clean is really only necessary for sealants.
 
02ZTSfocus said:
Many people say that your wax is only as durable as whats beneath it so if 845 was on top of NXT it would only be as durable as NXT.



That's not true. Most of the time you only have a polish or glaze under their. So your saying that if I put AJ on top it will only last a month or two, no way. Having a sealant than a wax you have the sealant's protection, the wax will be a sacrifical lamb so to speak.
 
props to accumulator for suggeting 3m adhesive remover - thats stuff is so strong . . . awefully expensive to use on a car tho . . . but safe enough for cured paint . . .
 
John Styrnol said:
That's not true. Most of the time you only have a polish or glaze under their. So your saying that if I put AJ on top it will only last a month or two, no way. Having a sealant than a wax you have the sealant's protection, the wax will be a sacrifical lamb so to speak.





I don't think NXT is a true sealant-more like a synthetic wax/glaze combo. Putting Collinite over it is fine but durability might increase if you wash the NXT first to remove those trade secret oils.
 
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