Cleaning Paint Between Polish and Wax.

Fishing

Fishing

Member
I did try to find the answer to this question but was not able to. So here it is....It is my understanding that polishing in most cases leaves something on the paint even after being wiped off with a towel, maybe oils or actual polish. My question is, would it be wise to use a paint prep without any abrasion material in it to clean the paint from left over oil or polish before using a wax or sealant ? Thank you for any help/comments. And Happy St Patricks Day !!
 
Yes Gyeon Prep is great cleaner.But there is many brand.A lot of people use a mixture of water and alcohol
 
T-Mman143,SGM2008,THE GUZ thank you all for the help,,,,now I have choices :)
The Guz- WOW a great article,,,,,thnx for posting it
 
Duplicolor and Rustoleum both make great body solvents that are locally available and both cost less than $10 for 32oz. They are winners and much better than at least CarPro Eraser. Another good option is Mineral Spirits with 100% Votality, you can pick it up for less than $10 for 32oz at Walmart and if you want it can be split 50/50. Isopropyl Alcohol does work when mixed right, but I suggest searching AutoGeek forum about it and how it makes paint swell.

Body preps are quite the topic, in my testing I have found Mineral Spirits to be the slickest body solvent and helps induce the least amount of towel marks. However, no matter how careful I am and how nice of a towel I am using, I still get some level of towel marring. I have my ways of rectifying the towel marring, but that’s a secret.

I have begun thinking about how I can start emulsifying Mineral Spirits and Optimun Paint Prep as it leaves the least amount of residue, least amount of towel marring, and is literally pretty slick.
 
I’m on my phone, hence the double reply.

One thought that I have with Mineral Spirits is its aggressiveness relative to the clear coat. How many times can the clear coat be wiped down with Mineral Spirits before the clear coat becomes compromised? If I were polishing a car that was going to see a Mineral Spirits wipe down once a year, I think that’s fine. With my own personal car that sees a body solvent and non ph neutral wash at least once a month (dirt level and wash cycle dependent), I question weather or not the 17 yr old clear coat can handle it (or any clear coat), that’s why I use one of the Rustoleum or Duplicolor Body Solvents for the monthly maintenance and the Mineral Spirits for the once a year, if that, clay and polish.
 
If there`s any concern about the [polishing oils stripping product] doing damage, I`d just use something that`s known to be safe. Not that I`ve found the clearcoat on my older cars especially fragile except where it`s been overly corrected. I wouldn`t hesitate to wipe down even the `93 with any of the solvents I use, but I`d still use my usual (TOL`s PrepWash/AkyraClean/whatever they call it now).

I certainly do get the concern with removing all that oily [stuff], Polishing Oils are a big PIA for me and are among the reasons I despise M205.
 
Accumulator, I think you and I are the only ones on the forums that use Akyra Klean. It’s going to take quite some time for me to use up my gallon given the small amount of polishing I do these days.
 
Bill D said:
Accumulator, I think you and I are the only ones on the forums that use Akyra Klean. It’s going to take quite some time for me to use up my gallon given the small amount of polishing I do these days.
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Yeah on all counts :D

It took me forever just to use up the little jug I got back when it was still orange/pink-colored. This gallon of the green version will last longer than I will.

I *do*, however, maintain an open mind regarding some other/newer products being even better, so I sure won`t criticize anybody who goes with something like Eraser. It`s just some of the other approaches that give me pause.

I`d like to hear a, uhm...informed opinion...about how "body sovlents" and Mineral Spirits compare with regard to potential clearcoat damage. I just don`t know enough to venture such an opinion, although I *suspect* that Mineral Spirits are quite safe and also that many seemingly different products are really just a variation on that same theme.

It occurs to me that when it comes to Body Solvents, you and I probably have a lifetime supply of New Car Prep on-hand too :D Not that I use it for stripping Polishing Oils (but hey..I wonder....).
 
Accumulator said:
I certainly do get the concern with removing all that oily [stuff], Polishing Oils are a big PIA for me and are among the reasons I despise M205.
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M205 is just so versatile for me, but I will say that after almost a year of exclusively using Griots Boss products at work, my next polish purchase will be including the full line of Boss polishes for personal use. It is really nice to know that what I am seeing is my final product, not a final product that has the ability to hide some of the fine micro tick marks left by a DA. The Boss polishes are really something else.
 
My New Car Prep is actually lost in the garage somewhere. Now that I have it in mind, I gotta look for it.
 
Heh heh, I keep mine handy :D Though I do hate the smell of it (mine`s probably an older version than yours, I know it`s not the current one).
 
When you polishing you have petroleum in some form of distillate and or white mineral oils. Even the water based ones has this hence the distillates. And those gets quite hard worked in the clearcoat. Now I don`t really know what would be a difference between most common solvents and those used in polishes. And most of them evaporate rather quickly to the pure ones at least. The other forms of them can be wet on the paint for a longer time. But I think as long as you don`t have solvents and some alcohols on the paint for a longer time. I think that you are fine.

The horror stories with IPA is often when they have used masking tape. And got the IPA on the edges of the tape and it`s gone under it so it`s not able to be evaporated. On that they often have let the tape sit a while afterwards too. And when takeing it off the clearcoat has desolved or loosened to a state that it`s crawld up or even gone with the adisive under the tape. So many that does these 50/50 picture please do not let the tape on there for a longer time if you wipe down with IPA. Or best is to polish or compound and then remove the tape and then clean the polishing oils off. If compound still take the tape off and apply it again when you start to polish. The time between if you IPA wipe down the compound and you IPA wipe down the polish and then you take off the masking tape you can be in for a surprise that is no fun. It`s enough if it happens one time. And also you have the risk when compounding up to the masking tape and over it to get a sharp line. That line can be difficult to get rid of when you keep doing the panel finished. Sorry for the OT.

On clear plastic though you would be carefull with solvents as they easy fog them. But seems like the protective oem coating is also good at protect the headlights great from solvents but be carefull. And also on some trim it can be harsh on and also with drying out rubber.

As for cleaning the paint from polishing oils between wax or sealant. I think that the cleaner the paint is the better chance is that it bonds harder to the paint. Then mostly you have some kind of solvents or alcohols in the waxes and sealants so it can be desolving the polishing oils off at the same time you LSP it. On the other hand it`s not certain that the time the waxes and sealants is on the paint to bond the polishing oils that desolves goes away with the evaporation. So my approach is better to be safe than sorry. And it`s not so time consuming for a DIYer to be doing a prep panel wipe product wipe down.
 
I don`t really think it`s a big deal with waxes that don`t crosslink. They just sit on the surface and hang out till they evaporate or get rubbed off when washing. Some manufacturers with crosslinking polymers suggest a bare surface for best adhesion. In some products, residual oils could result in the crosslinking being compromised.

Mike Phillips original answer gives a lot of insight as to why Meguiars products look so great until the first wash. The sun beats down and the oils rise to surface and then get washed off.
 
Heh heh, I`m sure glad I`ve avoided the kind of problems that many seem to have. Not gonna post any "that shouldn`t be a problem.." stuff, but back when combos like M07 + M16 were the norm I sure got greater durability than one might expect despite never stripping the TSO from the M07.

In most cases (exceptions being sealants I expected to be finicky and I never experimented), my issues with Polishing Oils have basically zero to do with LSP durabilty as I`ve had the dissipation of oils cause (appearance) issues while the overlying wax was 100% fine. That told me that, for whatever reason and no matter how unlikely, the wax was *staying on there* even though there were oils, even oils with issues, underneath. No, I can`t explain it, but I did experience it.
 
I asked Griots Garage this question:
"After using your Correcting Cream, then Perfecting Cream should a Paint Prep/Cleaner be used before using your Ploy Wax or is it ok to go from polishing to your Poly Wax ? Thank you for your help."
And I got this answer:
"You can go straight to the Poly wax after buffing off the Perfecting cream."
I have had only good experience with Griots Garage. (Disclaimer: I am not a [FONT=Arial, Verdana, Geneva, Helvetica, sans-serif]professional Detailer,,,only a hobiest,,,,at this point,, :) )
Thank you all for your help/advice,,,there is a lot to think about :) [/FONT]
 
If you read the description of the Griot polishes and compounds, they state that they contain no fillers or oils so they leave a bare surface.
 
wannafbody said:
If you read the description of the Griot polishes and compounds, they state that they contain no fillers or oils so they leave a bare surface.
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I`m trying to remember whether Mike lambert uses anything in-between Griot`s polishes and his coatings.

EDIT: I`ll admit I`m a bit cynical about makes saying their stuff "contains no.."/etc. IF remotely in doubt I do a wipedown, though I seldom bother since my Penultimate Step Products ("PSP"? doubt that`ll catch on!) usually leave something behind that I do *not* want to strip.
 
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