Best paint prep for sealant

[Docngolf]

Ok, I'm going to try Wolfgang or Blackfire wet diamond, but I want to make sure that my paint is ready to go. What is the best way to prep the paint? Will griot's #3 polish remove the old sealant and wax? Is the wolfgang polish better? Or is there another "cleaner" to consider? Thanks for the help. I am slowly becoming an Autogeek addict!!

[CEE DOG]

Any abrasive polish like the ones you mentioned will certainly remove the sealants that are on there but most polishes including those two will deposit polishing oils on the paint. Therefore after polishing the paint to the level you want you want to either wash the vehicle or clean the paint with a wax prep product.

Here is a copy of some information I posted earlier today that involves the subject you are discussing.

This is actually where I use OPC the most other than using it to strip sealants and waxes before polishing. I use it at 3:1 and of course rinse well as Chris said. Do not let it dry on the paint.

I use OPC to strip every car I am going to polish except for my Sky where I use P21S TAW.

OPC is great for stripping sealants and waxes and has served me well for removing polishing oils. However the after polishing step is starting to evolve a little with water based polishes and also products that are used to remove the oils without washing the car.

Depending on the state of the vehicle after your done polishing... for instance if you did not use a heavy dusting compound you can sometimes skip the wash step and simply use a product like that Griots offering or the CarPro Eraser. I haven't used the Griots one yet (accidentally purchased the one that has to be rinsed off) but I have been testing the Eraser product.

Heres the Griots Pre Wax Cleaner I referred to: Griot's Garage Pre-Wax Cleaner, prewax paint cleaner, paint prep cleaner

It appears the CarPro Eraser isn't in the store yet but should be soon.

You can also sometimes use a paint cleaner that is made for what ever line of sealant you end up going with. (For some brands anyway)

[Trevor]

P21S Gloss Enhancing Paintwork Cleanser.


I just used this stuff again last night to prep my cousins car after a wash and clay. Not even joking, the paint looks so good after using this stuff and was so smooth to the touch...Just wipe on, wipe off and you are good to go!

[PA DETAILER]

P21S Gloss Enhancing Paintwork Cleanser.


I just used this stuff again last night to prep my cousins car after a wash and clay. Not even joking, the paint looks so good after using this stuff and was so smooth to the touch...Just wipe on, wipe off and you are good to go!

used this before applying SNH a few days back. preps the paint for any sealant or wax. great product!

[BobbyG]

Depending on your goal you have a couple of choices; use a quality paint cleaner or polish the finish with something like Menzerna Super Finish PO106FA.

Autogeek sells a nice variety of paint cleaners if you choose that route as well.

Car Polish - Pre-Wax Cleaners & Paintwork Cleanser

Basic Steps

Wash
Clay
Polish or Paint Cleaner
Seal
Wax

[Docngolf]

Thanks for the help. My cars are both pretty new, but there are parts of them that are rough probably due to overspray. Is it ok to clay, polish, and use a paint cleaner? Or is that overkill?

[embolism]

polish or paint cleaner

doing both is kind of a waste of time. I say kind of b/c so is stripping your wax after 2 weeks and putting on yet another combo but we still do it...

[Trevor]

I'll defer to embolism as he is experienced here. My only concern would be if there are polishing oils still on the paint after polishing, you might want to remove those so your LSP will adhere better.

There was a similar question back in April. CEE DOG responded with this:

"If you just finished correcting, polishing, and finishing the paint on your car and then you washed it to remove the oils from the polishing then their is no need to use a paint cleanser. However if after your final polish you are in a situation where you don't need to wash your car then you can use a paint cleaner to clean the paint so your wax or sealant will bond better.

Depending on how messy the car gets during polishing I will once I'm done:
Either wash it with something that strips the polishing oils
Or use a paint cleaner to remove the oils

A lot of people use an IPA or other solution...

Then I can seal or wax the car "

[Jimmie]

Here's another option if you have no paint correction to do. Use Klasse AIO to clean paint, plus put down a layer of acrylic sealant. My cars have KAIO topped with WG Sealant after a cure time.