Having weird experience with DP Prep Polish

[olenderc]

So I had some time on my hands tonight and decided to try some DP Paint Coating on the hood of my car. Car had previous been waxed/sealed with Duragloss 105 about 2 months ago. Applied some DP Prep Polish to a green MF hand applicator pad and cleaned the hood.

Then I did a section pass (in sections of course) over the hood with WG Uber Compound on a 6.5" orange LC flat pad, followed by a pass with WG Finishing Glaze on a white 6.5" LC Flat pad. The Uber Compound finished pretty nicely to the point where I felt I didn't restore much if any clarity to the paint from finishing glaze, weird. The paint didn't really need much of a polishing but there were a few stray swirls I wanted to touch up that I had noticed in the sun that must not have come out with just the Finishing Glaze a couple months back.

Then after polishing and wiping off, I applied the DP Prep Polish as the final step to the whole hood then proceeded to wipe off. It seemed like the prep polish left behind a small haze/streakiness unless you hand buffed to oblivion with a clean microfiber towel. Kind of like wiping a fresh coat of wax off then noticing a few spots of "haziness" you missed, except this was much more difficult to completely remove. The product felt more greasy in this sense and I'm not sure if that's what was causing it, but it just seemed to spread the haziness more rather than wipe off completely.

Though I've never had a chance to try it, it seems like a product like CarPro Eraser might be easier to apply/wipe-off specifically since its more "water-like" and not as much of a pasty liquid. I was just trying to stick to the recommendations of a product line and use the prep polish for the paint coating.

I'm not trying to bag on the product, it worked great it just seemed like it needed a way more than expected amount of work to 100% wipe off especially for a surgically clean surface to apply the DP Paint Coating. I'd like to know if anyone has any tips of experienced similar results? Maybe I'm too meticulous about my paint but I figured the prep polish was supposed to help create that surgically clean surface for the coating.

[Bigbull2984]

After the wolfgang duo I would have used eraser or IPA and sent straight to DP coating.
On our SUV I did the prep polish and it took couple of wipes before I got the car clean wasnt too bad, but I only worked a panel at a time and removed wet.

[olenderc]

After the wolfgang duo I would have used eraser or IPA and sent straight to DP coating.
On our SUV I did the prep polish and it took couple of wipes before I got the car clean wasnt too bad, but I only worked a panel at a time and removed wet.

I'll have to order up some eraser then, it just seems like the prep polish required far too much "harder" buffing to remove, which could potentially re-instill the swirls I just worked hard to remove.

[swanicyouth]

It's not always possible to remove "left overs" from Menzerna polishes with IPA and Eraser easily or completely. Just my experience. That's why there is a special product , DP Prep Coating to remove left overs from whatever "wax" or polishes were previously used on the paint.

[olenderc]

It's not always possible to remove "left overs" from Menzerna polishes with IPA and Eraser easily or completely. Just my experience. That's why there is a special product , DP Prep Coating to remove left overs from whatever "wax" or polishes were previously used on the paint.

Which is why I opted for the DP prep polish in the first place to stay within the same line and use what's proven to work together. It just seemed for me to require an excessive amount of buffing to remove "left overs" from the DP prep polish which is supposed to be removing the "left overs" from the polishes. Almost counter-intuitive if you ask me, unless there's some user error I'm introducing. But I don't know how I could mess up hand applying the DP prep then wiping with a brand new microfiber towel (I basically went through a whole microfiber towel just wiping the hood down spotless). The product dries pretty quickly so it almost acts in the same consistency as applying a liquid paste wax, just seems like it doesn't wipe off as easy.

[swanicyouth]

Anytime anything is hard to remove it may mean you used a bit too much. Try using less.

[olenderc]

Anytime anything is hard to remove it may mean you used a bit too much. Try using less.

I only used about a quarter sized squirt per 2' x 2' section, the product wouldn't usually spread with much ease outside of that and would start drying/hazing by that point.

[KillaCam]

You were applying it by hand right? Try using a pc and I doubt you'll have problems.

[olenderc]

You were applying it by hand right? Try using a pc and I doubt you'll have problems.

When I applied it with my GG on speed 3 with a brand new black pad, it was causing micro-marring/DA haze to the paint I just corrected, I did it by hand to avoid this.

[cleanmycorolla]

When I applied it with my GG on speed 3 with a brand new black pad, it was causing micro-marring/DA haze to the paint I just corrected, I did it by hand to avoid this.

Subaru car you're working on? Yeah that paint is impossible. :-(

[Pinpoint_Precision]

MF on soft paints are hard to finish it down and they have a tendency of leaving MMs. I would try to finish it off with a FPad instead. Now as for the DP prep coat, very weird. I would have used a IPA too to remove any oils before using it DP coating prep. I have used a few times already without no issues at all and now it's a just for me. So easy to use and it works beautifully.

[olenderc]

Subaru car you're working on? Yeah that paint is impossible. :-(

Well it's kind of weird actually, Finishing Glaze on a white pad finishes down perfect, no micro-marring, no DA haze, nothing. The second I go to use the DP prep polish on a black pad, I saw micro-marring (I never tested this on my own car, the marring was see when this combination was used on my friend's black nissan maxima, but I figured I'd see the same result). So I'm guessing it might have to do with the DP prep polish not having any actual "polishing" ability to it, more-so just a cleaner.

I've actually had fairly good success polishing my Subaru paint so far, granted its a 2013 there's not much in the need of corrections. Surprisingly, there were quite a few minor scratches/swirls that took a lot more polishing to get out than I expected (e.g., having to do more than 3 passes with WG uber compound on a 6.5" orange LC flat pad with the GG DA on a stray swirl line that barely was visible with a Brinkmann). I'm not sure if it's the GG not being powerful enough or what, but it stumped me that I would need that many passes with a heavier compound especially on an orange pad for such a barely visible mark, especially on what I've heard to be notoriously soft paint. Makes me want to get a Flex for the faster correcting, but then I remember the $350 price-tag and the fact that I'm just a weekend warrior.

[olenderc]

MF on soft paints are hard to finish it down and they have a tendency of leaving MMs. I would try to finish it off with a FPad instead. Now as for the DP prep coat, very weird. I would have used a IPA too to remove any oils before using it DP coating prep. I have used a few times already without no issues at all and now it's a just for me. So easy to use and it works beautifully.

I'm not sure if you mean MF cutting pad, but I didn't use a MF pad, only a MF towel to wipe off the DP prep polish. I cut with WG Uber Compound on an orange flat pad, and finished with WG Finishing Glaze on a white flat pad. Sorry if I misled you or confused you! :p