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I'm thinking in the spring I want to do a thorough detail on my car. I was going to wash it with something to strip off all the old was. In the past I have used Dawn dish soap for this. I was thinking Adams Stripper Wash? Is there anything I can buy local? Don't want to put a big order through Adams to get free shipping lol
Plan was
* Strip wash
* Adams clay mitt or Mothers Clay pad, not sure I want to clay it. I have clay bar kits I'm just worried about minor scratches from clay. I may try out on my black truck first.
*re wash
*Adams Buttery Wax Or Maguire's cleaner wax?
Do a wipe down with isopropyl alcohol. Use only micro fiber towels as not to damage the paint and turn the towel frequently. After the wipe down clay and polish. The painted surface will be completely naked and ready for your favorite wax or sealer.
Dawn will work just as well, also APC mixed in normal shampoo is known to work. IA wipe down’s do work, I have never really done that anytime other than about to apply Ceramic Coating.
I would not use Dawn. An IPA may remove a wax or sealant that has been on the car a while, but the best method has always been with using of a pre-wax cleaner or light finishing polish.
Dawn has surfactants in it that causes water to pool on the paint, giving the impression that the wax/sealant has been removed. With Dawn dish soap this is done intentionally to prevent water spotting. The only real way to ensure that previously applied wax has been removed is with a pre-wax cleaner or polish.
I have found that P21S Paint Cleanser is one of the best for cleaning the paint to remove the old wax or sealant, and it's very easy to use.
I would not use Dawn. An IPA may remove a wax or sealant that has been on the car a while, but the best method has always been with using of a pre-wax cleaner or light finishing polish.
Dawn has surfactants in it that causes water to pool on the paint, giving the impression that the wax/sealant has been removed. With Dawn dish soap this is done intentionally to prevent water spotting. The only real way to ensure that previously applied wax has been removed is with a pre-wax cleaner or polish.
I have found that P21S Paint Cleanser is one of the best for cleaning the paint to remove the old wax or sealant, and it's very easy to use.
I was thinking ridding the clear coat on the wash of wax/sealant, light polish will do it as well if you want to wash and decontaminate first. Dawn is not the best but it has stripped wax/sealant for me off before. I usually stick with the Shampoo/APC method.
I would not use Dawn. An IPA may remove a wax or sealant that has been on the car a while, but the best method has always been with using of a pre-wax cleaner or light finishing polish.
Dawn has surfactants in it that causes water to pool on the paint, giving the impression that the wax/sealant has been removed. With Dawn dish soap this is done intentionally to prevent water spotting. The only real way to ensure that previously applied wax has been removed is with a pre-wax cleaner or polish.
I have found that P21S Paint Cleanser is one of the best for cleaning the paint to remove the old wax or sealant, and it's very easy to use.
Dawn works for 90% of the car I see in my detailing shop. When a customer checks in, I always ask what was on the car prior to them coming to me and how long ago was it applied. 99% are Carnuba's applied 6+months ago. That application is long gone, and Dawn does a nice job of removing any other greasy film on the car. It is extremely rare that we get a polymer sealant in...ie Zaino, which may or may not require removal. Zaino is one application that does not need to be removed, just reapplied.
When we buff and polish we use Gyeon Q2 Prep An amazing pre-coating product.
Your regular shampoo and a cap full of APC will do the job without having to invest in another product.
Plus if you’re going to clay and polish, there won’t be anything left on the surface to deal with which is the goal before you protect. (seal and wax or coat)
I personally don't have any experience using washing wax, I mostly use detergent strips, and its good for me, can you tell me its good to use or not, because I heard about ait a lot.
It's usually not critical to get all of the previous coat of wax off when washing because you're doing a polishing step that will definitely remove what was there before, so most people just use dawn. I suppose you can go with something fancier if you're not going to polish for some reason.
You could wipe down the car with Carpro Eraser if you want to make sure the car is really clean without polishing. I have been trying to do a quick wipe with it between polish and wax/sealant to ensure that I get any polish I missed wiping off or that dried out due to heat from the rotary. Works well.
Here is what always works very well for me for strip washing and then (if you want) continuing on to chemical and mechanical decontamination:
1- use the pressure washer to get all the obvious dirt and grime off the car.
2- take a good APC like CarPro Multi-X or Optimum Powerclean @ 4:1 and spray it all over the car. Let it sit there (WITHOUT DRYING ON THE PANELS) for 5 minutes if you can. Blast it off with the pressure washer
3- Strip soap will be Purple Power Vehicle and Boat wash. If you have a foam cannon, put 6 oz of the soap in there and the remaining 20 oz or so with water. Foam the car down, let it sit without drying on the panels for about 5-6 minutes and blast it all off thoroughly. Now do a contact wash with the soap. Put a cup or two at most in a 5 gallon pail and fill the rest with water. Perform a safe contact wash and make sure you blast all the soap off. Again, do not let this product dry on the panels.
At this point you should have most it not all of the wax off the car so I'd move to the decontamination phase where we tackle imbedded contaminants via chemical and mechanical decontamination. If you don't want to do this, go back and use an IPA over the car to remove any residue that you may have missed from the soaps and APCs. I like CarPro Eraser or Gyeon Prep or Bilt Hamber Panel Cleanser Fluid.
For decontamination:
4- CarPro Tar-X to remove any tar and sap. Spray on, wait about 3 minutes, then thoroughly remove with the pressure washer. Do not let dry on the panel
5- CarPro Iron-X to remove imbedded ferric oxide particles - same as above for Tar-X. This time you will see purple particles forming (if light colored car) which means it is working.
6- Clay Bar - this is the mechanical decontamination - polishing after this step is strongly recommended.
7- IPA - as mentioned above - you want to get the clear coat as squeaky clean before you apply a coating, sealant, or wax.
This is an old thread that the "laundry coupon" spammerclaramax600 bumped, but it is worth bumping. Too many people think simply washing using Dawn will strip all the protection off their paint. In reality, you need to use some stronger products such as the ones Loki listed above. That Purple Power works really well, and the new soap from Turtle Wax is very strong, too. I have been using a similar process to Loki's. I do an initial wash, then use an APC, then a strip soap wash, followed by a wipe down with a paint prep or IPA.
Dish soap is intended to remove grease and tough food particles. Therefore, it is too harsh and strong to be used on your car’s paint.
Using any harsh product on your car repeatedly could eventually cause damage. This is why I often recommend using cleaning products designed specifically for cars.
Washing your car with dish soap will also cause other issues. It is much harder to rinse off with a normal hose.
Dishwashing liquid sticks to the paint more than normal car wash soap, causing it to be extremely difficult to rinse of with just a garden hose.
If soap is leftover on your car when it dries, it will leave a residue on the car.
This will ruin the time spent washing your car and may even cause additional damage by sitting on the car’s paint over time.
So if you can’t use dishwashing detergent, what household cleaning product can you safely use to wash your car’s exterior?
To put it simply, no household cleaner should be used as a car wash soap alternative.
Every type of soap in your house has a different purpose, such as hand soap, dishwashing liquid, laundry detergent, etc.
Your car is no different, as it requires a milder chemical mixture that still cleans the surface effectively.
Using homemade car wash soaps can result in unintended results and even damage to your car’s paint. It is much safer to stick to a soap that is safe to use on your car.
There are alternatives like Chemical Guys CWS80316 Clean Slate Surface Cleanser Wash, which is safer to use than Dish Soap
I live with well water and found Mr. Pink Car Soap in a foam canon works for my waters PH..
When using a DIY ceramic coat product (which is supposed to last 3 to 12 months) is their also a need to strip the old ceramic before adding another coat like with wax?
When using a DIY ceramic coat product (which is supposed to last 3 to 12 months) is their also a need to strip the old ceramic before adding another coat like with wax?
As with many things, "it depends".
Do I NEED to remove old ceramic coating before applying more?
That said, you mention a 'ceramic coat product' w/ a 3-12 month claimed longevity which sounds more like a ceramic-infused sealant as opposed to a true ceramic coating.
What are the differences between ceramic and spray coatings? FAQ by ESOTERIC!
In that case a good heavy pre-wash, chemical decontamination, wipedown with a panel prep will prepare your paint sufficiently for re-application if you don't want to clay & re-polish the car.
POLISHANGEL makes a nice pre-wash with their Ultrared offering:
Pre-wash and stripping agent? Ultrared from POLISHANGEL!
12-30-2017, 01:15 PM
Wash for stripping wax?
