Do I need to use paint cleanser after polishing?

**timemaker** · 03-04-2012, 04:40 AM

Hi guys, a noob here.
I am kinda confused. My work plan:
1. Wash
2. Clay
3. Megs UC - M205
4. P21S paintwork cleanser
5. Sealant.
Is step no 4 necessary? I thought it was done to clean the remaining or leftover polish and also add some gloss (p21s has some fillers I suppose). But after reading some suggestions here, some said that it would be unnecessary since the compound and the polish would have already removed remaining wax. Any suggestions guys?

**embolism** · 03-04-2012, 07:37 AM

the answer is yes and no

after wiping off the 205, the paint will have polishing oils remaining on it, which can hide any remaining swirls and affect the durability of your sealant. You can wash the car at this point or use a product to wipe off the oils (griots pre wax cleanser comes to mind). It's a spray so much easier to apply and remove (after all that polishing, you'll want easier, trust me).

The paintwork cleanser will also do it but is a bit of overkill imo. I'd save that for prepping the paint for a new wax/sealant when you aren't polishing.

All that said, I've put on my lsp (collinite 845) without wiping polishing oils off a car before.

The wipedown to get squeaky clean paint is mainly for sealants and to ensure maximum durability from the product.

**Bunky** · 03-04-2012, 07:44 AM

If you have used UC / M205, you do not need to use the P21s paint cleaner.

**BobbyG** · 03-04-2012, 07:53 AM

As the other guys stated not really.

Whether I need to or not I always wash the surface after polishing. My feeling is the residue left behind from the polishing stage can't help the next product, especially a sealant. I like to be sure the surface is clean so a quick wash and dry or a wipe down with something like Klean Strip Prep-All makes me feel a whole lot better.

**timemaker** · 03-04-2012, 11:23 PM

Okay. Thanks a bunch guys. I guess ill do a quick wash. Seems a better option

**Rsurfer** · 03-04-2012, 11:29 PM

Car Pro's Eraser is the ideal paint cleaner after polishing. Unlike alcohol, it does not flash and wipes on and off like butter.

**Flannigan** · 03-05-2012, 07:59 AM

Depending on the LSP I decided to use, sometimes I will use a paint cleaner even after polishing and doing a wipedown with Eraser. For example if I am using UPGP I always go over the vehicle with Ultima Paint Prep Plus. Same thing when I use Swissvax, I always use cleaner fluid before hand, even if I already did a full correction. I'm not sure if it benefits, but I get very long durability out of all the LSP's I use, and the way I look at it, it can't hurt to use two products that were made to work together.

Mike Phillips · 03-05-2012, 08:15 AM

Originally Posted by timemaker

Hi guys, a noob here.
I am kinda confused. My work plan:
1. Wash
2. Clay
3. Megs UC - M205
4. P21S paintwork cleanser
5. Sealant.

Is step no 4 necessary?

No. It would be redundant. P21S is a non-abrasive paint cleaner or pre-wax cleaner. M205 is a Fine Cut Polish. The M205 will both remove below surface defects and clean the surface of the paint, so there's no need to use a paint cleaner after using a fine cut polish.

As for removing any polishing residue that's personal preference. You could wipe them off carefully with a microfiber towel.

You could wipe them off carefully using a spray detailer.

You could apply your choice of wax or paint sealant and the act of applying and then wiping off the wax or paint sealant will in and of itself act to also remove any trace polishing residues.

You could wash the car with a quality car wash or a detergent wash and this will or should remove any polishing residue.

You could chemically strip the paint using a product made for stripping paint or other commonly used product like IPA or MS

What you do depends upon how AR you want to get and your own personal preferences and beliefs about how important it is to get the surface clean in order for the "protection ingredients" in the LSP of your choice to bond to the surface.

Here's a few related articles...

The benefits of a light paint cleaner, cleansing lotion or pre-wax cleaner

How to Mix IPA for Inspecting Correction Results

Miscible and Immiscible - Wax and Paint Sealant Bonding

For most of history of man as it relates to washing and waxing a car, people would wipe the polish off and then apply the wax and then move on with life. You can make washing and waxing your car as simple as possible or as complicated as possible, on discussion forums the trend is usually the latter...

**Flannigan** · 03-05-2012, 08:35 AM

Originally Posted by Mike.Phillips@Autogeek

No. It would be redundant. P21S is a non-abrasive paint cleaner or pre-wax cleaner. M205 is a Fine Cut Polish. The M205 will both remove below surface defects and clean the surface of the paint, so there's no need to use a paint cleaner after using a fine cut polish.

As for removing any polishing residue that's personal preference. You could wipe them off carefully with a microfiber towel.

You could wipe them off carefully using a spray detailer.

You could apply your choice of wax or paint sealant and the act of applying and then wiping off the wax or paint sealant will in and of itself act to also remove any trace polishing residues.

You could wash the car with a quality car wash or a detergent wash and this will or should remove any polishing residue.

You could chemically strip the paint using a product made for stripping paint or other commonly used product like IPA or MS

What you do depends upon how AR you want to get and your own personal preferences and beliefs about how important it is to get the surface clean in order for the "protection ingredients" in the LSP of your choice to bond to the surface.

Here's a few related articles...

The benefits of a light paint cleaner, cleansing lotion or pre-wax cleaner

How to Mix IPA for Inspecting Correction Results

Miscible and Immiscible - Wax and Paint Sealant Bonding

For most of history of man as it relates to washing and waxing a car, people would wipe the polish off and then apply the wax and then move on with life. You can make washing and waxing your car as simple as possible or as complicated as possible, on discussion forums the trend is usually the latter...

It's not redundant if it extends the durability of the lsp as in my example. Just my .02

Sent from my HTC Thunderbolt using Tapatalk.

**2old2change** · 03-05-2012, 09:07 AM

Like Mike has said in the past - he has never came out the next morning and found that all the wax has fell off the car and in a pile on the ground. For durability personal use I have found most OCD members will re-apply LSP before needed anyway. On customers cars if it lasted forever they wouldn't need us but once.