washing required prior to AIO?

H

hazman

New member
Here's what I have lined up for my car:



1. wash

2. DACP using DeWalt DW443 (haven't decided yet whether to use CMA's Advanced yellow or white pads)

3. 3M SMR using DW443 with white pads

4. Klasse AIO using DW443 with white pads

5. Klasse SG 2x by hand

6. S100



Now here's where confusion sets in. I'm not sure whether to wash the car again before I apply AIO. I've been reading some conflicting stuff about this topic. Some say washing is not needed since the cleaners in AIO will take out all the fillers left by SMR which will ensure better bonding. On the ohter hand, I've also gone through some threads saying that you need to wash the car and even spritz it down with an alcohol and water mixture to completely eliminate all the fillers.



I could really use some input about this. I'm expecting my K twins and pads sometime next week. And I'm really itching to get this project done as soon as I get my hands on all my stuff.
 
AIO after Meguiar's #9 Swirl Remover 2.0 doesn't seem to require the washing step after the SMR for me.

Wash

#9 with PC and polishing pad

AIO with PC and polishing pad, (not the same one)

S100 by hand with foam applicator. Or Platinum UPP when using a sealant.
 
You don't have to wash it off unless you want to check to make absolutely sure you've actually removed all the swirls and not just hidden them - that's probably what you were reading about. I'm still debating if I should do this next time since a few layers of SG might hide the really minor (fillable) ones anyway...



However, AIO will work over SMR just fine so don't worry about that. This is a fine point subject to debate, but I think after all those other polishing steps (#9 should leave the paint looking good enough already) a finishing (grey) pad might be enough for AIO. I'm not sure if this makes a tangible difference though...
 
You may be able to skip the SMR too. I use DACP all the time, and if you really work the DACP until it is essentially dry, the finish will be perfect, and will not require anything else to be swirl free.
 
Actually, I'm still quite iffy with regard to the SMR step. I'm also taking into consideration, as you said, the condition of the paint after DACP. If it's anything close to the shine and swirl-free level I'm after, then I'll most likely go straight to AIO.



Appreciate all the advice!:)
 
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