removal of old wax, before new wax - required?

[Photecs]

When your coat of wax starts to fade and you need to apply a new coat of wax... is it really required to strip it all completely (dawn wash), or can you just go to town with some new wax on the 'ol PC7424 and put on a new coat?

Pro's / Con's ?

[jamesboyy]

Yes it is necessary IMO to remove the old layer of wax that way the new coat of wax can bond to the paintwork , and not the remains of the wax also dawn may strip your lsp but in the near future consider something like Chemical Guys Citrus Wash & Gloss or Chemical Guys Citrus Wash and Clear to do your stripping

[ThomasonCarCare]

If you are only doing it really quickly for a show or something it's ok, it just won't bond as well so it will mess with the longevity. It will still look good though.

[Desertnate]

A dawn wash may not get it all off. The only way to get the old wax off is to hit the car with a mild polish, paint cleaner, or an AIO/cleaner wax.

There is a thread here started by Mike that show why it's good to prep the surface rather than just go over with a new coat of wax. The example is a yellow hot-rod and the difference in the color is surprising. Over time, the old wax will accumulate on the surface and mute the shine/color of the car by clogging the clear coat.

I've seen this first hand with one of my cars. I've kept it pretty swirl free, so I never polished it out over it's four years. However, the last year or so, I've not been happy with the appearance. The color was a little muted and some parts of the car just don't shine like they used to, despite not being swirled out. I'm pretty sure when I hit it with a light polish this spring I'm going to see a visible difference as I clean out all the old sealant that's been applied over time. I don't have the same issue with another car of a similar age that was polished a couple of times to knock out swirls.

[FUNX650]

-"Don’t use dish soap to strip your wax! If you’re looking for a product to prep the paint and get it ready for a new coat of wax or sealant, you have a couple of options: non-abrasive polish or spray on wax remover. Leave the dish soap for the dishes and use one of the dozens of products available that will safely remove old waxes and sealants".

-"A spray on wax remover will chemically strip the paint of all previously applied waxes and sealants. These are generally spray on, wipe off products. They will not remove below surface contaminants. If you're the type of person that finds yourself applying a different wax every chance you get, a spray on wax remover is for you".

"Popular spray on wax removers include":
•Griot’s Garage Paint Prep
•CarPro Eraser Intense Oil & Polish Cleanser
•Detailer’s Cleanse-All Exterior Cleaner

Source:
Wax Remover, trim wax stain, white wax, molding, rubber, plastic, black rubber, porous rubber, black plastic, wax residue, remove wax from trim

Bob

[swanicyouth]

A general rule is if your applying the same wax - just top it off if it hasn't been there too long. You don't need to clay & strip every time you apply another coat of wax - depending on how long it's been since you did so.

A different wax? Strip off the old wax with a paint cleaner at least.

[Mike Phillips]

Here's my take...

If you're using a finishing wax, or a finishing sealant, the word finishing implies a non-cleaning product.

There's cleaner/waxes and finishing waxes, for the AR among us there are cleaner/sealants and finishing sealants.

Clear as mud?


Okay, if you're using a finishing wax, something that has no ability to clean the paint, if your car is daily driver chances are good you're going to be sealing in dirt in the form of road film.

See my article here,

Road Film - If you drive your car in the rain your car has road film





Here's what happens over time if you continue to apply a non-cleaning product to daily drivers and even garage queens... (they get "stuff" on them too).

Here's why you need to polish paint...






Make sense?


This is why most consumer type products are cleaner/waxes even if they don't have the words,

Cleaner/Wax

On the label. I explain in detail all of this stuff in this article, a very good article in my own opinion if you're into this whole car detailing thing...


The Difference Between a Cleaner/Wax and a Finishing Wax

Subtitle: How To Choose The Right Wax or Paint Sealant for your Detailing Project


So if the car in question is a daily driver, a good option is to use a light cleaning cleaner/wax or to pre-clean the paint with a paint cleaner or fine cut polish and then apply the wax.

Here's an article on this topic....

High quality production detailing by Mike Phillips




Here's a question for the OP....

What are you working on?
What color is it?
Is it a daily driver?
Is it ever parked inside a cover? Like a garage or carport is it always exposed to the elements?

[Photecs]

Fantastic responses... And I was aware of some soaps that had stripping power, but just kept reading thread after thread and the word "dawn" keeps popping up. Ok, dawn is out!

Mike, your response was an eye opener, and now it's clear that it's a good rule of thumb to remove old wax before applying a new coat. Those photos really make it clear!

Details:
2013 Hyundai Santa Fe 2.0T
Daily Driver
Black Metallic paint
Always outside, no cover or garage
Do plan on regular washes using Optimum or DG with my power washer and a foam cannon/2 bucket method.... And keep it up with optimum spray wax. I'm planning on doing a wash, nanoskin, wolfgang SR twins, and max wax as a lsp initially.... Will switch to collinite 845 + double coat for the winter months.

Getting those last pieces of info before spending $500 ish on my initial order....
With that said, and since I have a PC, what's a good AIO/polish without correction ability to aid in this step? XMT 360, Menzerna 4500.... Or?

Thanks!

[Photecs]

Yes it is necessary IMO to remove the old layer of wax that way the new coat of wax can bond to the paintwork , and not the remains of the wax also dawn may strip your lsp but in the near future consider something like Chemical Guys Citrus Wash & Gloss or Chemical Guys Citrus Wash and Clear to do your stripping

Did some quick reading on the CG soaps you mentioned. The citrus clear says it's wax safe, but the wash and gloss says depending on the dilution, it can be a regular soap, or a wax stripper.

When stripping a wax with this soap, can I use a foam cannon to do it, or does it require a mitt/bucket to do it properly? Or both?

[crober53]

Very good question... definitely rearranging my approach.

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