How to remove existing wax?

[gulfcoaster]

Hey all,

I'm new to detailing and have not yet found info on how and whether I need to strip the existing wax off before doing a paint correction. I bought the following products:

1. DA polisher (Harbor Freight with 6" flexible backing plate)
2. Meguiars Ultimate Compound
3. 3" Lake Country DA Flexible Backing Plate
4. 3 1/4" Lake Country Ultra-Fiber DA microfiber pads
5. 5 1/4" Lake Country Ultra-Fiber DA Microfiber pads (I think I ordered the wrong size here for the 6" backing plate)

I guess I needed to order pads slightly larger than the backing plate, right?

And when using a cutting agent like Meg UC, do I need to remove the existing wax first or will the UC remove the wax simultaneously? If I need to remove it first, what are the options and recommendations?

Similarly, will using UC mean I do not need to use a clay bar beforehand?

--If it's not obvious, I'm a bit overwhelmed by all of the product options out there!

Thanks for the guidance on these questions. :-)

[FocusSTguy]

I would order a 5" backing plate to go with your 5 1/4" pads. I prefer using 5" pads with a DA. Easier to work with.

UC will remove the wax, but at minimum you should wash and clay first. You may want to consider an Iron X type product depending on the paint condition. How old is the car? What is the current condition of the paint?

The cleaner the paint is prior to polishing the better your results will be. Yes, the UC will remove the contaminants on the paint but guess where they end up, on the pad, so anything it picks up has the potential to unnecessarily gum up the pad and potentially scratch the paint you are trying to correct.

[Eldorado2k]

Ok, 1st of all, you need to replace the backing plate that your HF DA came with.. Long story short it's unusable and known to destroy 6" pads during use. Don't use it. Buy a Lake Country 5" Backing Plate.

As far as not needing to clay if you're going to compound? That would be wrong. You should clay if you desire the best results. Not only will it prep the paint and leave it smooth, but it'll help remove the wax you're interested in removing prior to compounding.

I recommend you buy a couple of 5" Lake Country Flat Foam Polishing Pads while you're at it. [the white ones] Also get yourself some Meguiars Ultimate Polish to go with them to follow up the compound step in case you need to polish out any bit of haze. It'll make your paint look even better. Good luck.

[gulfcoaster]

Gentlemen, thanks for the advice. I'll order 5" LC pads and some Ultimate Polish before starting in. Likely get a Nanoskin Autoscrub DA pad and hand pad.

I have a newer 08 BMW with silver paint in very good condition. And a 98 Jeep Wrangler with good but aged white paint.

I expect I should start with the white jeep--it appears to hide blemishes very well due to the brighter color. So it should be more forgiving for s first time practice job.

[shagnat]

Great advice. Love these responses.

[dlc95]

You might also find that all you need is Ultimate Polish to remove whatever defects are in your paint. It does contain a light abrasive load. I love it paired with a blue buff and shine, and green ccs. Finishing with UP on a blue ccs was impressive too, but didn't yield the same correction.

[7PaintGuns]

What's the best way to remove wax or sealent with out buffing/polishing? I was thinking if my car passes the baggie test, I could just use IPA and Wolfgang Paint prep. Good enough?

[MrOneEyedBoh]

I'd use DuPont's wax and grease remover, aka PrepSol. Very safe.

[Mike Honcho]

Doesn't D114 at higher strengths remove wax and clean panels?

[Eldorado2k]

Doesn't D114 at higher strengths remove wax and clean panels?


I once did an experiment to try that out.^

Here's a before shot of my hood. Plenty of beading.

39615

Then I taped down the middle, and sprayed the drivers side w/D114@6.1

39616

39618

Next I sprayed the passenger side w/D120@10.1

39617

I wiped down both sides with separate clean microfiber towels...

And here's how the beading looked afterwards

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[Mike Honcho]

How'd it feel with your hand? Did it feel wax free? Grabby?

[Eldorado2k]

How'd it feel with your hand? Did it feel wax free? Grabby?


Umm I don't remember touching it. But then again I'm pretty extreme OCD so I don't really like touching my paint. I even cringe when I have to do a baggy test. Lol.

But it did look a bit dry afterwards. Kinda like skin in need of lotion.. That didn't last too long though, because I followed up with a coat of Meguiars Black Wax.

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[gulfcoaster]

You might also find that all you need is Ultimate Polish to remove whatever defects are in your paint. It does contain a light abrasive load. I love it paired with a blue buff and shine, and green ccs. Finishing with UP on a blue ccs was impressive too, but didn't yield the same correction.

Thanks for the added suggestions here, I can certainly try the lighter polishing out first. Since I don't have any other products to play around with for a bit, I'll probably pick up a bottle of polishing liquid and another clay bar locally and do some test areas on at least the older Jeep with water spots, oxidation, discolorations, low shine, etc. Then move on to the MEG UC as a comparison. I'll be doing it outdoors so I don't' know what sort of pictures will come out particularly on a white car. I'll still post photos with descriptive results either way.

-- This is going to be an experiment/self-teaching process for me, that I'll share with ya'll. Intentionally starting out with some less-than ideal products to compare to the better stuff a week or so later. I'm going to start out with the products I have in hand this weekend (hopefully), meaning the HF 6 inch pad that came with the tool, and whatever polish (or just the UC) that I have on hand. Light hand, will focus on not letting the pad heat up.

I've been enjoying doing half a hood at a time for experiment sake, I'll reduce that down to a 2'x2' test square this time.

Thanks to the other comments, they are all either going into this process as well or will in the near future as part of another order.

[Eldorado2k]

-- This is going to be an experiment/self-teaching process for me, that I'll share with ya'll. Intentionally starting out with some less-than ideal products to compare to the better stuff a week or so later. I'm going to start out with the products I have in hand this weekend (hopefully), meaning the HF 6 inch pad that came with the tool, and whatever polish (or just the UC) that I have on hand. Light hand, will focus on not letting the pad heat up.


FYI: It has nothing to do with the pad heating up.. The problem with using that backing plate Especially with those HF pads is the backing plate is too big, combined with the fact that the velcro on those pads doesn't extend all the way to the end of the already oversized backing plate, which results in the possibility of the pad disintegrating without warning and you digging your polisher full speed into your paint... But hey, "it's a self teaching process" lol. Smh.

[ski2]

I once did an experiment to try that out.^

Here's a before shot of my hood. Plenty of beading.

39615

Then I taped down the middle, and sprayed the drivers side w/D114@6.1

39616

39618

Next I sprayed the passenger side w/D120@10.1

39617

I wiped down both sides with separate clean microfiber towels...

And here's how the beading looked afterwards

39619

39620

The APCs leave surfactants behind that make the water sheet. If you had given it an IPA wipe down after using the APCs you would see the beading return. The IPA removes the surfactants. Check out this thread: http://www.autogeekonline.net/forum/auto-detailing-101/66896-lsp-stripping.html