prepping the paint for sealant?

J

JimO

New member
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so here is my main concern... what do most of you guys do before applying a sealant? in the past the majority of time i just go ahead and apply it right after finishing with a glaze or polish but after joining here ive learned that alot of you guys do some sort of a wipe down or wash with a specific product to further clean the paint and remove any oils left from a glaze or polish so the sealant can adhere properly. will just washing the car help? such as using duragloss 901 and then drying and progressing to applying the sealant? OR doing a wipe down with wax & remover or Mineral spirits or IPA? for those that do a wipe down with ipa prior to applying a sealant, what degree IPA do you use and at what ratio? any help would be very much appreciated A LOT guys! :thumbup:
 
First wash, clay, wash/rinse the car then before you apply a sealant you want to be sure that the pait suraface is as swirl free as you would like it to be. That is accomplished with polish. Once you are done polishing I suggest a wipe down with IPA (Isoporpal Alcohol mixed 50% water and Alcohol) This will remove any fillers in the polish and show you what your surface looks like for real. If you have a bright light or can look at it in the sun you will see the condition. If the car is dusty from polishing you may want to wash first.

Next, if you want to glaze-for me-I only glaze if I can't polish to my acceptable level of perfefction. Now if the time to glaze. Be sure the glaze is compatable with the sealant you want to use.

Then apply sealant. I usually apply sealant coats in pairs to ensure 100% coverage. Then I pack on a few more coat 24 hrs apart if possible. This gives me the longest durability. I don;t do this for a living, just my own cars so I am not worried about the time as much. Usually clay polish and seal after winter, Adding a coat of sealant occasionally to maintain super slickness and just wash and seal really good before winter on my Daily Drivers.
 
my main concern for asking this is because i finally ordered some Blackfire Wet Diamond sealant and its what i will be using. so i want to know what is the BEST way to prepare the paint once im done polishing it in order for BWD to adhere properly.
 
Wash
Clay
Compound/Polish
IPA Wipedown or Wash
Inspect paint
Repeat step 3 if needed
IPA Wipedown or Wash
BFWD
 
I have been using Griot's Pre-Wax Cleaner mainly because I got it for free.

It is a citrus based product. It seems to work ok but does not leave that same feel that IPA does. I am sure what that tells me. Since it is not alcohol based it does evaporate quickly like IPA.
 
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