dawn before coating?

[asalesagent912]

so today i get to try cquartz uk for the first time.
I washed, used nanoskin pad and then polished with fg400.
1st question is i plan on washing it again and then use car pro eraser,should i use dawn to
wash or just my regular wash soap which is DP auto bath? i just thought dawn and eraser
would hopefully remove whatever oils r left from the fg 400.
2nd is should i have applied a 2nd polisih after the fg 400? . to me the paint looks good,
just not sure how much better it would look. I think the only lighter polish i have is m205 and xmt

[mwoolfso]

I would just jump straight to Eraser. I have heard FG400 finishes nicely so you may not need to use a finishing polish.

[swanicyouth]

I would use what CarPro recommends, which I believe is their IronX Soap. This may have changed since they came out with Reset. Last thing I would use is a dish soap. Menzerna polishes can leave stuff behind, so you likely should wash again.

[tuscarora dave]

All I know about Dawn dish washing liquid is that it does cut food grease and does just OK at removing automotive grease from my hands after wrenching on cars.

When I wash my coffee cup with dish washing liquid, then rinse the cup with cold water, I can taste the soap in my cup while drinking my morning coffee. If I rinse my cup thoroughly with hot water, I can't taste soap in my morning coffee.

This leads me to believe that Dawn will not rinse completely with cold water, so I have personally left it out of my car washing regimen. I've heard claims with no conclusive proof that Dawn will dry out rubber moldings and trim pieces etc. The soap in my coffee is enough proof for me.

I just use car wash soap (no wax) with a few ounces of degreaser to make up a wash bucket as prep for the coatings I've applied, then followed that with IPA or a clear glass cleaner (IPA, Vinegar, Water mix) to remove any trace oils such as fingerprints etc. as I dry the car.

While I haven't worked with the coating you'll be using, I can say beyond the shadow of a doubt, this method works well for Opti-Coat prep.

[PiPUK]

All I know about Dawn dish washing liquid is that it does cut food grease and does just OK at removing automotive grease from my hands after wrenching on cars.

When I wash my coffee cup with dish washing liquid, then rinse the cup with cold water, I can taste the soap in my cup while drinking my morning coffee. If I rinse my cup thoroughly with hot water, I can't taste soap in my morning coffee.

This leads me to believe that Dawn will not rinse completely with cold water, so I have personally left it out of my car washing regimen. I've heard claims with no conclusive proof that Dawn will dry out rubber moldings and trim pieces etc. The soap in my coffee is enough proof for me.

I just use car wash soap (no wax) with a few ounces of degreaser to make up a wash bucket as prep for the coatings I've applied, then followed that with IPA or a clear glass cleaner (IPA, Vinegar, Water mix) to remove any trace oils such as fingerprints etc. as I dry the car.

While I haven't worked with the coating you'll be using, I can say beyond the shadow of a doubt, this method works well for Opti-Coat prep.

Bingo. Dawn and others leave residues, they don't strip. If you washed your coffee cup with car wash shampoo, you will probably find the same thing, to some extent.

FYI, vinegar isn't what you want for degreasing. If you want the idea volatile degreaser, you want water, IPA and a drop of ammonia. Think back to high school chemistry, oils/fats are saponified by bases like ammonia, acetic acid (vinegar) is an acid so doesn't have the same, obvious, removal process.

[nezff]

I use eraser after any polish.

I may be totally wrong here, but I would always follow up Menzerna FG400 with a finer polish, like 4000,4500, or m205. FG400 is pretty aggressive.

[Methodical]

...Think back to high school chemistry, oils/fats are saponified by bases like ammonia, acetic acid (vinegar) is an acid so doesn't have the same, obvious, removal process.

Whew, I'd have to think a long way back now.

So, after the washing and polishing stages, one should use a mixture of alcohol and water, say in a spray bottle to get the canvas squeaky clean before each step of the process or is the use of the alcohol mixture only needed after polishing, but before applying the sealant or waxes? What is the proper alcohol/water mixture needed?

Thanks

[Kamakaz1961]

I believe your procedure does not require Dawn and I would go with the DP car soap. You took care of all the contaminants with the polishing. If you want to use a cleansing polish (Black Label pre cleaner or equivalent). I think you pretty much covered it.

BTW, I do like your technique too.

[tuscarora dave]

Bingo. Dawn and others leave residues, they don't strip. If you washed your coffee cup with car wash shampoo, you will probably find the same thing, to some extent.

FYI, vinegar isn't what you want for degreasing. If you want the idea volatile degreaser, you want water, IPA and a drop of ammonia. Think back to high school chemistry, oils/fats are saponified by bases like ammonia, acetic acid (vinegar) is an acid so doesn't have the same, obvious, removal process.

I get it. The main degreasing (in my limited mind) is done during the wash with the added degreaser. The dry with glass cleaner is simply to ease my own mind that I've gone the extra mile in my prep work.

I feel that just using a spray and wipe cleaner like Eraser just leaves too much margin for error, as I picture the polishing oils being partially dissolved then wiped around on the paint. I personally feel better "Believing" that my wash/degreaser mixture while performing a traditional wash mitt wash, then rinsing with a hose, takes more of the potential bond preventing fillers/oils off the car completely.

Thanks for the ammonia tip though...definitely noted.:xyxthumbs:

[asalesagent912]

ok thanks guys. i have to go finish, when im done ill try to post pics for the first time

[BlackRam]

What about CarPro reflect? They say it leaves no oils or residue behind, then is it still necessary to use Eraser before a coating?

[silverfox]

You must still use eraser after reflect.

[PiPUK]

Whew, I'd have to think a long way back now.

So, after the washing and polishing stages, one should use a mixture of alcohol and water, say in a spray bottle to get the canvas squeaky clean before each step of the process or is the use of the alcohol mixture only needed after polishing, but before applying the sealant or waxes? What is the proper alcohol/water mixture needed?

Thanks

It would only be needed right before applying a coating and not all coatings are as sensitive to it. When it comes to waxes and sealants, it would be unusual that they would be extremely sensitive to a bit of oil or other residue.

With a coating, in theory, you should make sure to have nothing at all left behind so that means using something which evaporates entirely - no surfactants or non-volatile oils. I am extremely sceptical of any polishes which claim to leave nothing behind, in fact any creamy liquid I would say the same. The simple reality is that the creamy consistency means that it has both oil and emulsifier and it is almost guaranteed that one or other is non-volatile. Or, thinking of it another way, an polish has abrasive in it and oils are what gives you lubrication. If someone claims that it leaves no residues, that means that there are either no oils or they are more volatile oils. That thus means that there is either little to no lubrication or that lubrication will only last a short time because the more volatile oils will evaporate away snappy when you get a bit of heat going.

There are some 'wipes' out there which address this and supposedly use a blend of volatile ingredients such that everything evaporates away and leaves no residues. That is the theory but I am pretty certain that some such products contain non-volatile surfactants because the volatile blend isn't very good at surface wetting and because it lacks lubrication. This goes utterly against the theory of these products because the residue issue is re-introduced, made worse by the use of old school surfactants at relatively high levels.

Of course, as I said, this all makes no difference with most waxes and LSPs and, if your coating recommends a prep product, you are quite safe in using that because they will have tested to make sure it is OK (and if it isn't, you can complain very reasonably!).

[HD.Detailing]

FWIW... I did VERY light dawn wash and 12.5% IPA wipe down after on my black Z before 22ple Pro, no problems.

[hollerstiltner]

FYI, vinegar isn't what you want for degreasing. If you want the idea volatile degreaser, you want water, IPA and a drop of ammonia. Think back to high school chemistry, oils/fats are saponified by bases like ammonia, acetic acid (vinegar) is an acid so doesn't have the same, obvious, removal process.


If I wanted to make this mixture, what percentages of each would you recommend? Also, would you use it as a spray and wipe or as a wash solution?