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

[Mike Phillips]

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

While claying will remove above surface bonded contaminants, Pinnacle
Paintwork Cleansing Lotion will remove embedded road grime and pollutants as you can
see when we compare the applicator pad we used on the right to the brand new, clean applicator pad on the left.

What they are
Paint Cleaners are typically liquid products that contain non-abrasive chemical cleaners and in some cases also mechanical abrasives of some type, suspended in a lubricating base.


What they do
Paint cleaners gently clean the surface and in so doing, remove any light oxidation, foreign impurities, surface staining, accumulated pore-embedding dirt and built-up road grime.

When to use them
Typically a paint cleaner is used before you apply your choice of wax or paint sealant. Specifically, a paint cleaner or pre-wax cleaner would be used after the car is washed and dried, and if the paint needs to be clayed, then after claying the paint with detailing clay but before applying a coat of wax or a paint sealant.





Order of Steps

• Wash and dry car.

• Inspect finish with your clean hand to check for above surface bonded contaminants.

• Clay paint - If above surface bonded contaminants are discovered then use detailing clay to clay paint, if paint is smooth an glassy feeling you can skip claying.

• Clean Paint – Use a Paint Cleaner to gently massage the paint and restore a clear, clean surface.

• Seal Paint – Use a premium quality wax or paint sealant.

If I clay first do I still have to use a paint cleaner?
Yes. Detailing clay is most effective at removing above surface bonded contaminants but the use of detailing clay doesn’t automatically mean the clay will remove all of the other problems affecting the clarity and cleanliness of the paint.

Mike’s rule if thumb
Anytime the paint on any car is neglected enough that it needs to be clayed, then chances are very good that it also needs to be cleaned. The two most important steps that will have the greatest effect on the end results when restoring neglected paint are the claying step and the paint cleaning step. They are both equally important and to skip one and only do the other would be to short your car’s paint from reaching it’s maximum potential and short yourself by leaving a little shine on the table… so to speak…


How to use them?
Paint cleaners are generally formulated and targeted at people still working by hand although some can be used by machine. Always read the directions for application recommendations and follow the manufactures recommendations as they know their products abilities and limitations best.

By Hand

• Always work clean

• Use a clean, soft foam applicator pad, I really like these.

• Work on a cool surface in the shade

• Work a small area at a time, about 8" to 10" squarish or so...

• Use an "ample" amount of product, don't under-use and don't overuse to the point that you hyper-lubricate the surface but use enough to keep the surface lubricated throughout the process. I would use a teaspoon to a tablespoon of product, usually a tablespoon's amount to start with because your pad is dry when you start and some of the product is going to go into the pad, and after breaking in your pad then cut down to about a teaspoon's amount of product.

• Hold your hand flat to the pad, not vertical, the idea is to not put pressure ONLY on your fingertips but over the face of your fingers to avoid Fingermarks

• Spread the product out over the area you're going to work

• Work the product for about a minute, don't work till the product is dry, but it should go from an opaque film to a clear film

• Wipe off before residue dries

• When you move on to a new area overlap a little into the previous area

By Machine
For machine applications, normally you would be using some type of dual action polisher, for example the most popular polishers on the market today that are safe and easy to use on delicate clear coat paints include,

Porter Cable 7424XP
Meguiar’s G110v2
Griot’s Garage 6” ROP
Flex 3401 VRG
Cyclo Dual Head Orbital Polisher


For use with any of the above tools, you would want to,

• Work on a cool surface in the shade

• Use an ample amount of product, don’t under use and don’t over use the product.

• Use a soft polishing pad on a low to medium speed

• Make 4-6 Section Passes

• Work a small section at a time, no larger than 2 foot square and usually a little smaller is better

• Wipe-off residue after working each section

• Overlap a little into the previous section when starting a new section

• Maintain pad rotation but only apply light pressure.

After cleaning your car’s paint either by hand or machine and wiping all the leftover residue off, the paint is now ready for application of your favorite wax or paint sealant.

The benefits to using a paint cleaner

• Removes sub-surface and pore-embedding stains that washing and claying will not remove and your eyes cannot detect.

• Removes or improves fine swirls, scratches and other minor surface defects like water spots and etchings.

• Maximizes surface smoothness which maximizes gloss and shine.

• Restores optical clarity to clear coats so your eyes can see the true color underneath.

• Restores the full richness of color to single stage paints.

• Cleans the surface of any impurities that cold block or hinder the protection ingredients from bonding to or adhering to the paint.

• Helps your choice of wax or paint sealant to last long and thus protect longer because it can bond better.

• Helps your car’s paint to look better over the service life of the car.

• Maintaining your car’s appearance protects your investment.

• You're working forward in the process, not backwards.

Paint Cleaners are easy to use and provide some of the biggest gains in creating a show car shine from your time, money and efforts.


My comments...

I often get asked,

Which paint cleaner is the best?

The answer is everything Autogeek carries is top quality so you can't make a wrong choice, but here's one way I look at it...

Synergistic Chemical Compatibility


In simple words, I tend to be a system guy, that is I will tend to use all products from a single manufacture using a system approach. Here's how this works...

The chemists that formulate the first step products, since they know what's in them, they are better able to formulate the follow-up or next step products so there's a synergistic chemical compatibility. Using one product designed to be used after the results of the previous product is a system approach.

For example, if you're going to use Pinnacle Souveran Paste Wax then use the Pinnacle Paintwork Cleansing Lotion. If you're going to use the Wolfgang Fuzion, then use the Wolfgang Paintwork Polish Enhancer, and so and so on...

I use a lot of different product lines so I don't limit myself to just one manufacture, but when I'm polishing paint, I will tend to stay within a single brand for that specific project just for the Synergistic Chemical Compatibility factor.

Lots of detailers and enthusiasts like to mix and match when they detail and that's also perfectly acceptable, I call that... freestyling...



Further Resources
The 2 primary benefits of using detailing clay to clay paint
The Benefits of using a Car Wax or Paint Sealant




Paint Cleaners at Autogeek.net
Pinnacle Paintwork Cleansing Lotion
Wolfgang Paintwork Polish Enhancer
3M Scratch Remover
Dodo Juice Lime Prime Lite Cleaner Glaze
Dodo Juice Lime Prime Pre-Wax Cleanser Polish
Duragloss PreCleaner
1Z Einszett Paint Polish
Four Star Ultimate PreWax Cleanser
Griot's Garage Fine Hand Polish
Liquid Glass Pre-Cleaner
Meguiars SCRATCH X 2.0
Meguiars SwirlX Swirl Remover
Mothers California Gold Pre-Wax Cleaner
Mothers California Gold Scratch Remover
P21S Gloss Enhancing Paintwork Cleanser
Poorboy's World Professional Polish
SONAX Premium Class Paint Cleaner
SONAX Paint Cleaner




Applicator Pads (for applying paint cleaners)
CCS Red Wax/Sealant Applicator Pads 2 Pack
CCS Euro Foam Hand Polish Applicators
Pinnacle Polishin' Pal
Wolfgang Polishin’ Pal Combo
Wolfgang German Polish N’ Wax Applicator


Microfiber Towels (for removing paint cleaner residue)
Cobra Microfiber Products


Electric Dual Action Polishers
Porter Cable 7424XP
Meguiar’s G110v2
Griot’s Garage 6” ROP
Flex 3401 VRG
Cyclo Dual Head Orbital Polisher

[Bunky]

• Make 4-6 Section Passes

• Work a small section at a time, no larger than 2” square and usually a little smaller is better

Mike, did you mean 2 ft square by machine although the 8 to 10-in square by hand surprised me since I usually work bigger than that by hand using a polishing pal and 4-in pad?

[Mike Phillips]

Mike, did you mean 2 ft square by machine

Yes.

I did a lot of typing today, hopefully this is the only typing mistake I made... I'm my own proofreader so no promises...

One thing for sure, if I make a mistake Private Messages are a good way to bring it to my attention.

although the 8 to 10-in square by hand surprised me since I usually work bigger than that by hand using a polishing pal and 4-in pad?[/INDENT]

And in my article I actually typed...

Work a small area at a time, about 8" to 10" squarish or so...

I did say... or so...

Which means you can certainly tackle a larger area, it just depends upon how bad the paint is and the skill of the person doing the work. It's definitely easier to end up with a uniform looking appearance over a large panel if during the cleaning step a thorough job is done and smaller section that are overlapped insure a cleaner surface than working too large a section at one time.

Actually, the rule of thumb is the worse the condition, the smaller the area you want to work... the nicer the finish, the larger the area you can tackle at one time.

[Da Fats]

How do Paint work cleansers compare to all in one products like DG 501, OPT poliseal, Klasse AIO, D151 ect. ect. in terms of cleaning ability, filling/correcting, and so on. Also how do they compare to Glazes like PB blackhole/white diamond?

If i am doing 4 -6 sections passes couldn't I be using an AIO and be reducing minor swirls, and possible damage from the claying step? I thought paint work cleansers would be faster to work with then AIO products.

Maybe I am way off base but this has been a huge internal debate for me lately as I have a gallon of Poliseal still 1/2 full and its presence has prevented me from trying any paint work cleansers to date. I have added some OPT optiseal to increase the poliseal durability but still end up not using it or topping it with another wax/sealant as I feel like I am cheating when I use an AIO or like it wont give the costumer long enough protection. So in essence it's become my paint work cleaner.

All information is appriciated and thank you in advance!

Chris

[CEE DOG]

Bump for Chris

[Mike Phillips]

How do Paint work cleansers compare to all in one products like DG 501, OPT poliseal, Klasse AIO, D151 ect. ect. in terms of cleaning ability, filling/correcting, and so on. Also how do they compare to Glazes like PB blackhole/white diamond?

If i am doing 4 -6 sections passes couldn't I be using an AIO and be reducing minor swirls, and possible damage from the claying step? I thought paint work cleansers would be faster to work with then AIO products.


Chris

Hi Chris,

In the BIG PICTURE...

A paint cleaner cleans and preps paint for wax, it leave no protection on the surface.

A cleaner/wax cleans, polishes and protects paint.


How much correction work you can get out of either just depends upon how aggressive the cleaning agents are and your method of application. See this article,


Factors that affect how aggressive or non-aggressive a product is...


Generally speaking, a dedicated paint cleaner is used in a multiple step paint correction process. A cleaner/wax is used in a, and as a, one-step process. Some people will use a cleaner/wax for it's cleaning ability and they lay down a finishing wax, basically using the cleaner/wax as a paint cleaner. Two examples of this would be,

• Klasse All-in-One followed by Klasse Sealant Glaze
• XMT 360 followed by Pinnacle Souveran
• Meguiar's ColorX followed by NXT

Here's a very in-depth article on waxes...

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

[SATracker]

Hey Mike, nice write up (which is pretty usual). Pinnacle specifically says, "not for machine use". Wolfgang, Meguiar's & 3M say, "yes" to machine use, Mother's (even on their website) doesn't say; what's your take on Mother's?

[Scott DeBrun]

Cleanup on aisle 6.

[Mike Phillips]

Hey Mike, nice write up (which is pretty usual). Pinnacle specifically says, "not for machine use". Wolfgang, Meguiar's & 3M say, "yes" to machine use, Mother's (even on their website) doesn't say; what's your take on Mother's?

I'm pretty sure I checked websites for information and also bottle labels while writing this article, for the Pinnacle Paintwork Cleansing Lotion, it states here,

Pinnacle Paintwork Cleansing Lotion

Hand Application:

• Wash the vehicle with Pinnacle Bodywork Shampoo and towel dry with a Cobra Microfiber Waffle Weave Towel.
• Apply a nickel-size amount of Paintwork Cleansing Lotion to a foam or microfiber applicator pad. Spread it over a 2 sq. ft. section using light pressure.
• Working in a back and forth motion will lessen the likelihood of producing swirls if a piece of dirt becomes trapped in the applicator pad.
• The lotion will dry to a haze. Buff lightly with a soft, clean microfiber towel.
• You can also use the Pinnacle Polishin' Pal to apply Paintwork Cleansing Lotion. A 4 inch white pad will enhance the cleaning properties of the lotion and keep your hands clean during application.

Machine Application
(For easy application for novices or pros, use a Porter Cable 7424 dual action polisher.)

• Wash the vehicle and towel dry.
• Mist a white polishing pad with Crystal Mist Detail Spray to allow easier application. Pour a circle of Paintwork Cleansing Lotion on the pad.
• With the machine turned off, spread the lotion over a small area.
• Set the max speed at 4.5 or 5 and turn the machine on.
• Polish in a figure-eight pattern until the lotion begins to dry or disappear.
• Buff with a clean microfiber towel.
• Continue to the next section until you’ve polished the entire vehicle.
• Always follow Paintwork Cleansing Lotion with a coat of wax. Souverän™ or Signature Series II will give your vehicle a glossy, wet-looking shine.

Paintwork Cleansing Lotion is not designed for use with high speed rotary polishers.


As for the Mothers products lets see what Forrest has to say? Usually products that can be applied by hand can be applied with the less aggressive machines like DA Polishers but not always the aggressive machines like the Rotary Buffer.

[forrest@mothers]

Hey Mike, nice write up ...Mother's (even on their website) doesn't say; what's your take on Mother's?

Our Pre-Wax Cleaner can be used with a DA. I'd suggest a polishing pad (a white Lake Country, which is what I use, as a point of reference).

We don't recommend Scratch Remover with a machine.

In both cases, there is a better choice in our consumer line for machine use - our 08616 Power Polish. It's made for use with a DA or rotary. Of course, AutoGeek stocks it:

Mothers Power Polish

Hope this helps.