Will polishing with Essence remove my existing LSP?

[BadgerRivFan]

I've read much debate on this forum about the best way to remove the existing protection from your paint in order to start over with a clean slate... The consensus seems to be that polishing the paint is the only way to know for sure that you are starting fresh.

I have a couple of vehicles that do not see much road time. In fact, they stay parked in my shop most of the time and are generally ownly used in the summer when the weather is nice. My addiction to buying auto detailing products has left me a bunch of LSPs that I'd like to try, but the current protection on these cars is fine and hasn't really degraded any from when they were applied last year. I don't really need to do decon washes, and may only need to do a light clay and fine polish to clean the paint for a new LSP.

So my question is: Will polishing with Essence (likely using a CarPro gloss pad) remove my existing LSP sufficiently to "start over" and apply something different?

[Mike Phillips]

Yes.


:)

[Mike Phillips]

Ha ha...

It's very rare I get to answer a question on this forum with a single word.


:dblthumb2:

[Kamakaz1961]

ha ha...

It's very rare i get to answer a question on this forum with a single word.


:dblthumb2:

cool!

[Rsurfer]

I've read much debate on this forum about the best way to remove the existing protection from your paint in order to start over with a clean slate... The consensus seems to be that polishing the paint is the only way to know for sure that you are starting fresh.

I have a couple of vehicles that do not see much road time. In fact, they stay parked in my shop most of the time and are generally ownly used in the summer when the weather is nice. My addiction to buying auto detailing products has left me a bunch of LSPs that I'd like to try, but the current protection on these cars is fine and hasn't really degraded any from when they were applied last year. I don't really need to do decon washes, and may only need to do a light clay and fine polish to clean the paint for a new LSP.

So my question is: Will polishing with Essence (likely using a CarPro gloss pad) remove my existing LSP sufficiently to "start over" and apply something different?

Look into Essence Plus..no abrasives, but will hide minor defects and add SIo2 for protection and gloss.

[BadgerRivFan]

Ha ha...

It's very rare I get to answer a question on this forum with a single word.


:dblthumb2:

And that was the answer I wanted too! [emoji16]

[BadgerRivFan]

Look into Essence Plus..no abrasives, but will hide minor defects and add SIo2 for protection and gloss.

I do have Essence Plus... and plan to use it to touch up my wife's car that was coated with Uber Ceramic last fall.

I wanted to use Essence to essentially remove the BLACKFIRE sealant from my white Riv convertible and give me a base to top it with Pinnacle Black Label Synergy.

[Rsurfer]

I do have Essence Plus... and plan to use it to touch up my wife's car that was coated with Uber Ceramic last fall.

I wanted to use Essence to essentially remove the BLACKFIRE sealant from my white Riv convertible and give me a base to top it with Pinnacle Black Label Synergy.
That should do it.

[scottywilhelm]

Is that the case though? I thought carpro's Essence FAQ says to remove any previous LSP before using essence - which makes sense given a few people who didn't wipe down the car with eraser have had issues with longevity of the fillers. If Essence needs a clean surface to work, any LSP is definitely going to cause issues.

EDIT: Taken from Carpro US site,

"18 - If my car already is in good condition... recent decon, polishing, and now has wax on it can I simply use Essence? Or do I need to strip the existing protection first?

This I'm not sure... A little too many variables - with some wax, sealants, and the right pad and pad cleaning etc it would be fine BUT I wouldn't risk it. I would kill the wax off well with strong iron X Snow soap cleaning, then proceed. We may update this after we have enough field testing to prove otherwise."

[BadgerRivFan]

I read the above also, but I believe it was written when Essence was first released.

I did a test spot with Essence and I think that it did in fact remove the existing sealant and wax that had been on the car. Realized I needed more paint correction than I thought, so I switched to Griots Fast Correcting Cream first followed by Essence with a CP Gloss Pad... it is turning out nice.

Topping with two coats of Synergy.

[scottywilhelm]

Thats true, but I haven't heard any further updates from CarPro since release about stripping prior to use - but there have been a few failures as mentioned above. I guess you will be able to update us over time as to how it goes. What LSP did you have on prior to Essence?

[BadgerRivFan]

Thats true, but I haven't heard any further updates from CarPro since release about stripping prior to use - but there have been a few failures as mentioned above. I guess you will be able to update us over time as to how it goes. What LSP did you have on prior to Essence?

BLACKFIRE Wet-Ice Over Fire Combo plus a lot of different spray waxes used over the summer.

Not sure about any "failures," don't think it will fall off the paint [emoji846].

Optimum thought that Essence would not work with Gloss-Coat, but that has been disproven. I don't think I'd expect it to remove a coating but it seemed to be fine removing the sealant...dunno

[scottywilhelm]

Just as a post script to this thread, Corey has confirmed that any previous LSP should be stripped prior to using essence to ensure durability and prevent any issues with application/removal.

[AeroCleanse]

Yes.


:)

Unless its a super hard coating like Gtechniq Crystal Serum, in which case you need to sand it off. :)