How to strip sealant?

[swanicyouth]

Yeah, but he's not using touch up paint, he's putting the same product back on top. Which is why stripping it is silly.

Well, I agree with you there.

[Mizzoutiger]

I use Chemical Guys Citrus Wash Red

[allenk4]

Yeah, but he's not using touch up paint, he's putting the same product back on top. Which is why stripping it is silly. And he's complaining about clay being too much work, so I would have to presume polish or paint cleaner is out of the question.

Sure, mineral spirits or Prepsol, Prep All, etc. I don't think it makes much difference in this case.

You suggested that he strip the WGDGPS by washing and an IPA wipedown

I am saying, in my experience, that will not work, at all


I agree, OP does not have to strip, but he seems dead set on it, so we should give him the guidance he is seeking

If it were me...I would wash and add a layer of sealant

For the OP, who likes to Strip...I suggest he wash, light polish and seal

[allenk4]

I use Chemical Guys Citrus Wash Red

What sealants were you able to strip with the CG stuff?

What is your wash process with Red when "stripping" sealant?

How could you tell the sealant was gone?


Would be great if this is an easier solution to the OP's question

[allenk4]

The "Sneaky" answer is..." A simple wash with Dawn will strip that right off
Make sure you rinse really well and then apply a fresh coat of sealant"

Not a true statement above, but it gets the result we are all hinting at....Just wash and add a layer

[Mizzoutiger]

What sealants were you able to strip with the CG stuff?
What is your wash process with Red when "stripping" sealant?
How could you tell the sealant was gone?
Would be great if this is an easier solution to the OP's question

I use BFWD or Menzerna PL and CG Citrus Wash strips them. I know sealant is gone by how the water reacts/doesn't bead.

That said, I generally only "strip" everything when I do 2x yr:
- Decontaminate paint using Nanoskin fine or medium pad w/PC7424
- Compound (if necessary) w/Menz FG400 & Flex 3401
- Polish w/Menz SF4000 w/Flex 3401 or Sonax Perfect Finish w/Flex 14-2 & Jewel w/Menz SF4500 & Flex 14-2

To strip everything with CG Citrus Wash, I add 1-2 ounces (note, it's highly concentrated and I only use it for stripping) to warm water in MTM Foam Cannon. Using Kranzle 1120T pressure washer, I spray it on dry car (seems to cling/remove dirt better), allow to soak, rinse...then I spray it on again and use 2-bucket wash method with CG Citrus Wash in wash bucket (about 2 ounces) and use CarPro wool wash mitts and dry with Metro Master Blaster and/or damp Guzzler MF towels.

After stripping w/CG Citrus Wash, if I wanted to reapply sealant w/o polish process, I'd use CG EZ-Creme Glaze (great after polish process too as it removes polish compounds and best prepares paint for sealant) then apply sealant.

[Loach]

You suggested that he strip the WGDGPS by washing and an IPA wipedown

I am saying, in my experience, that will not work, at all


I agree, OP does not have to strip, but he seems dead set on it, so we should give him the guidance he is seeking

If it were me...I would wash and add a layer of sealant

For the OP, who likes to Strip...I suggest he wash, light polish and seal

I agree. I would perform a light polish for removal and then move directly towards resealing the paint with an LSP if I was adamant on making sure my base is clean. If I just want to apply the same product, I would wash and then seal away. When I used IPA on my panels prior to testing different waxes or sealants, I noticed that regardless of what strength it is - 13% or 91% (full strength IPA), there is still beading and sheeting properties that leave me to believe that the product is still on the paint. And that's after multiple IPA wipedowns, on my sealed hood that I applied whatever wax I'm testing just a few days prior. So now I have begun to switch to a light polish across the board and forgoing the IPA wipedown before applying a new product for testing.

My questions are, how necessary is it to really remove the base layer sealant prior to applying the same sealant again? Where are the tests that show that the product is more durable compared to just applying another layer without any prep work, and what would those results even look like (stronger beading or sheeting over a longer time period, better gloss over a longer period, more resistance to fallout bonding, etc.)? If we are basing our tests purely on surface tension (water beading/sheeting properties), I can show in my testing that merely flooding the panel for a period of 5 minutes noticeably affects the surface tension of some sealant products that I test. Leading me to believe that surface tension might not be a good indicator of how durable a product really is. I'm still looking for the answer of how we can really tell that a bonded product is beginning to wear out, or whether or not the bond is really weaker depending on how well we prepped the paint beforehand, and what this looks like at a microscopic level.

Autogeek recommends you use a paint cleanser before application of WDGP for best results.

[allenk4]

Mizzou

There has been speculation that the surfactants in car washes cause the lack of beading following a wash. Dawn was shown to have this effect.

Next time you strip w Red, try rinsing a section while going over it several times with a clean wash mitt and no soap.

I am interested to hear the results, because there is another thread here that shows Menz Powerlock standing up to stuff a lot stronger than Red

[Mizzoutiger]

Mizzou

There has been speculation that the surfactants in car washes cause the lack of beading following a wash. Dawn was shown to have this effect.

Next time you strip w Red, try rinsing a section while going over it several times with a clean wash mitt and no soap.

I am interested to hear the results, because there is another thread here that shows Menz Powerlock standing up to stuff a lot stronger than Red

I'll try it Allen. I also know my sealant is about to go based on time (usually about 6 mos) and how water is not beading on weekly wash. And as mentioned, I "double-tap" it w/CG Citrus Wash and ensure wash bucket has same soap to ensure nothing is inhibiting the CG Citrus Wash from removing sealant. But I've also never removed sealant and re-applied w/o doing clay/polish process...so I know it's gone no matter what.

[allenk4]

2. For the best results, use a paint cleanser like Wolfgang Paintwork Polish Enhancer to remove mild imperfections and wax build-up.


The directions are, I believe, addressing paint that does not already have WGPS on it

The WG Paintwork Polish Enhancer is probably a good prep for just about anything

I routinely go straight from WG polished to WG sealant, with no issue

It is interesting to me that the directions talk about "wax build-up"...except in the cracks....I am not sure it has been established that you actually can achieve significant "wax build up", even when you try