IPA Wipedown???

Maknmony

Maknmony

New member
Hello everyone,

I'm somewhat new here and read about an IPA Wipedown. What is an IPA wipedown? I get the wipedown part, but what is IPA?
 
Isopropyl alcohol (hope I spelled it correctly.)

Used to remove any polishing agents before an application of LSP (sealant or wax).
 
What Jared said is spot on. It is used to check and make sure you are removing swirls, scratches and RIDS and not filling them in so they can haunt you later.
 
I had not been doing IPA wipedowns until I got my Brinkman Dual Xenon light. After a polishing run, I shined the light on the paint and noticed it looked "smeared". The mf towels just cannot remove all the polish residue without using IPA. It really cleans up the paint and insures your next step is going against a clean surface.
 
What is the best procedure for doing an IPA wipe? Is it best to mix it up in a spray bottle (50/50) and spray it on then wipe with MF or do you apply with an applicator pad?
 
Welcome to DC jpostal.

To answer your question, spray it on and wipe it off. Inspect and repeat if necessary.
 
Thanks for the info. Where would I find some IPA...is Isopropyl alcohol just a fancy name for rubbing alcohol? If so it would obviously be readily available item locally.
 
People are gonna start thinking I'm shilling for these guys, 'cause I promote this product so much, but this stuff (Top of the Line - Prep Wash) has pretty much replaced IPA for me.

I use it instead of IPA (mixed 1:1 with water in a spray bottle), and 4 oz to the gallon for a car wash that will strip your paint of everything... LSP, bugs, tar, whatever... it gets it off. Annoying wax or polish build-up around lettering and badges? A quick squirt with the 1:1 dilution, then wash the car with the 4 oz to the gallon mix, and it'll melt the wax/polish right off. Gets the white marks off of wax/sealant stained trim, too.
 
You shill! How dare you reccomend something!
I gotta get me some of that some day. I wish some other sites sold it.
 
SuperBee364 said:
People are gonna start thinking I'm shilling for these guys, 'cause I promote this product so much, but this stuff has pretty much replaced IPA for me.

I use it instead of IPA (mixed 1:1 with water in a spray bottle), and 4 oz to the gallon for a car wash that will strip your paint of everything... LSP, bugs, tar, whatever... it gets it off. Annoying wax or polish build-up around lettering and badges? A quick squirt with the 1:1 dilution, then wash the car with the 4 oz to the gallon mix, and it'll melt the wax/polish right off. Gets the white marks off of wax/sealant stained trim, too.
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did I miss it? what is the stuff?
I have a hell of a time with road tar on the lower panels.
 
I just looked and this thread has never been edited. Apparently he didn't post the product. It's been 2 years since his last visit, the thread is 3 plus years old. He may not respond to this post.
 
GearHead_1 said:
I just looked and this thread has never been edited. Apparently he didn't post the product. It's been 2 years since his last visit, the thread is 3 plus years old. He may not respond to this post.
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ha ha. We will never know now, the mystery product.
 
M K J said:
ha ha. We will never know now, the mystery product.
Click to expand...
I found it, he had a dead link in his post. The product was, Top of the Line - Prep Wash (Wax and Silicone Remover). I haven't used it and don't know about it. I have named the product in his post.
 
So IPA is best to remove polish? Is that just for inspection or just the overall best option? I thought I saw a video and someone was wiping it off with quick detailer.
I will be polishing after I decon with nanolex iron remover, wash and clay bar. Will the IPA still be necessary to remove the polish?
 
agtjamesb007 said:
So IPA is best to remove polish? Is that just for inspection or just the overall best option? I thought I saw a video and someone was wiping it off with quick detailer.
I will be polishing after I decon with nanolex iron remover, wash and clay bar. Will the IPA still be necessary to remove the polish?
Click to expand...


Wow, this thread has really made a comeback. IPA is a good security blanket for one to use, some products such as Meguiar`s leave TSO`s (Trade Secret Oils) that help wth compounding and polishing. There are some polishes out there that do not need to be followed by a `paint prep` of any kind. IPA for the most part, will remove TSO`s of any kind; it helps make sure that the paint is purely clean before the application of a sealant or coating, it rids contaminants in the sealant or coating bond to paint.

You will find that some say "Yes, IPA is good", and some that say "No, IPA isn`t effective." I always do an IPA wipe down, because I use Meguiar`s (TSO`s filled) polishes and compounds that affect the life of Last Steep Product (LSP), FK1000P. IME, a well saturated bath of (91%) one part IPA to one part water, removes these oils. If for some reason I can`t strip them, I`ll use a more concentrated solution of IPA or a good wipe down with Dawn dish soap. I will add this, there are some LSP`s may not be compromised if some polishing oils are left behind. However there is one LSP that only two forum members really push, that needs the cleanest surface to bond to, it almost borderlines a `coating` type of prep work, but the LSP is fantastic, and really good value for money. The product is FK1000P, made my Finish Kare, and it is a sealant. It`s really the only finicky wax type LSP that does this, but then again there aren`t many LSP sealants that some in the form of a `wax`. FK1000P is my `go-to`, and I am one of the two members that really push it.

Final note, an IPA wipe down is a good peace of mind. Many will agree or disagree on how effective it is, some will say that it works, and some will say that it doesn`t. It is somewhat subjective because at the end of the day, each user will have created his own nuance with use, so it is accepted as more of a general trick. It is also dirt cheap.
 
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