Best Product/Methodology To Remove Waxes & Sealants??

[tenorplayer23]

Have done a search on this topic in different forums with varying results; some are a bit old and wanted to raise the question again in lieu of newer products & user opinions.

A question about the best way to remove old sealants/waxes prior to applying fresh coats (whether the car is being polished or not)................

What products (perhaps wash products) are best to remove old waxes & sealants?? I know that using polishes. claying, etc. will remove old layers. However, if the car was not being clayed, polished or otherwise corrected, what is the best way (or product) to accomplish this??

Some forum posts suggest using Dawn dish washing liquid as a car wash. Isopropyl alcohol/water solution is also recommended as wipe-on/wipe-off. I have seen a write-up on Chemical Guys Citrus Wash & Clear being a good product at higher car wash concentrations to accomplish this. Griot's has also released something called Pre-Wax Cleaner (a clear liquid that has citrus and surfactant components....).

Also, is there any combination of "Optimum products" that will be able to do this (maybe a combination of OPC added to Optimum Car Wash?? Just a thought as I have a variety of Optimum products in stock).

What, in your opinion is the best product/methodology for removing old sealants & waxes so I can start with a fresh pallet (even if there is no corrective step)? Assume I will be using a combination of Opti-Seal and Opt. Car Wax once the paint is clean.

Appreciate the feedback.

Thx.

See ya. http://autopia.org/forum/images/smilies/wavey.gif

[tWiStEd-tORqUe]

Bump for answers ,,,

[Mike Phillips]

Taking the word "best" at face value as you titled this thread...

How DO do you want to get?


I can get as DO as anyone and usually more so...


p.s.

We all know what AR means, I prefer to use DO

DO = Detail Oriented

:)

[belcherm58]

If you use a cleaner wax or buffing with a polish will remove LSP. If no
buffing is needed, then wipe down with Isopropyl alcohol will do. Also. claying will remove LSP's.

[Lasthope05]

If you want the easiest way to remove LSP's than stick to the wash. It removes the extra step of using a paint cleaner or IPA/prep sol wipe down. For efficiency I think this is the best way to go about it. Either do a wash with CWC/CWG, dawn or regular shampoo with a few oz of APC.

[dervdave]

As you`ve already mentioned dish washing liquid will do the job adequately:props:

[Emile]

There are many durable sealants out there that will resist dishwashing detergents/soaps. Citrus Wash & Gloss and Citrus Wash & Clear don't really get the job done for me, either (and I'm talking at the paintwork-cleansing dilution rates).

There are only two good ways that I know of to strip existing wax protection completely:
1.) Using a foam cannon and filling it with Optimum Power Clean and shooting it all over the car. Safe on all exterior surfaces and strips wax in a heartbeat.

2.) Alcohol wipe-down, treating it like a quick detailer after washing the vehicle.

A lot of people like to use P21S Total Auto Wash to strip wax but I'm not convinced that works very thoroughly. It takes a couple minutes for P21S TAW dwelling on the surface to break down the existing paint protection and the product leaves behind some light protection of its own.

[ScottB]

polishes mechanically abrade the surface thus removing waxes and sealants. paint cleaners strip the surface chemically removing them and dedicated paint cleansers are just that, products specifically designed to remove waxes/sealants usually chemically also. No wrong choice , just different flavors for the end user.

[img]

Griot's Garage Paint Prep

[Mike Phillips]

Kind of thought someone would have wanted to know the D.O. approach?

The only thing I was going to point out is that there are some people that as a normal course of the way they approach detailing, they focus on always working forward in the process, not backward.

Working forward is when every step you do makes the paint look better and better, as in you're moving forward towards the goal of a flawless, show car finish. To do something to the paint that would dull it down would be working backwards, that is moving in the opposite direction of the goal. Some people can't imagine this, let alone do it.

In most cases, using a chemical, usually some time of solvent or soap, as a means of stripping paint to a fresh base tends to dull the paint down. You might get to a fresh base but you're working backwards.

Working forward would be using a a light cleaner/polish. A light cleaner/polish for example will remove whatever wax or paint sealant is on the surface but leave the paint clear, smooth and clean, ready for the next step. This is working forwards in the process.

Some will say that it doesn't matter if you dull the paint down if you're chemically stripping it because the future steps will restore or undo the dulling effect, (you could say, undo the damage), and they're right but it depends upon your point of view, thus in my original post I asked how AR do you guys want to get? The above is a skosh on the AR side.


:)

[acc1079]

Mike..... I have some Dodo lime prime lite. Will this effectively remove a LSP... or would the regular "lime prime", which has light abrasives, be needed? I do not need to polish, just want to strip all old LSP off before trying something new.

From the description, I am thinking it would, but do not know if it is "enough" to remove some tougher LSP's/sealants.

[Mike Phillips]

From the description, I am thinking it would, but do not know if it is "enough" to remove some tougher LSP's/sealants.


The layer of wax or paint sealant on the surface of your car's paint is pretty thin, my guess is it's measured in microns and as such, it doesn't take a very aggressive paint cleaner or cleaner/polish to remove whatever coating is still present.

Keep in mind that wax, or paint sealant wears off as a normal effect of wear-n-tear, (driving the car as daily driver and washing the car), and besides your choice of product, just the action of your hand pushing some kind of application material over the surface also has a cleaning effect.

So yes, the light the DoDo Juice, Lime Prime Light should be more than adequate to get you down to a clean base while leaving behind a clear, smooth surface.


:)

[acc1079]

Roger... thought it would, but always nice to have a professional confirm.

Thanks Mike! :xyxthumbs:

[Emile]

Mike..... I have some Dodo lime prime lite. Will this effectively remove a LSP... or would the regular "lime prime", which has light abrasives, be needed? I do not need to polish, just want to strip all old LSP off before trying something new.

From the description, I am thinking it would, but do not know if it is "enough" to remove some tougher LSP's/sealants.

Lime Prime Lite will definitely get rid of all existing paint protection.

[Tesla]

Mike,

Thanks for the great advice but I have a follow up question. I think it is often said (and repeated) that if you use some type of harsh soap or solvent to strip a wax that you know you will be (in theory) starting with a clean slate, so to speak.

If I was to use your method and lets say I was to choose a product like M80 to remove any remaining product on my car, wouldn't M80 be leaving something behind which might cause adhesion problems with my LSP?

Or maybe it might be more accurate to say, if I used something like M80, would the polishing oils in the product mean that I don't have a "clean slate"?