Post polish - IPA or cleanser?

[bcgreen]

I will be using HD speed and wanted to know whether to go to a cleanser or a IPA?

[The Guz]

What are you trying to accomplish after HD Speed?

[bcgreen]

What are you trying to accomplish after HD Speed?

Sorry, I wanted to say I am using a light polish and not HD SPEED.

[shineys]

Sorry, I wanted to say I am using a light polish.
A 1:1 dilution of IPA is a good way to remove any excess oils or fillers in polishes. So you would defeat the purpose of an all in one if you wipe with ipa. What would you be using for a sealant?

[bcgreen]

If I am using a cleanser I wouldn`t need a IPA, right?

[TMQ]

Right...whatever polish you use, go to the next step and put on whatever you want to put on. Wax or sealant. But if you were to put on a coating---then you`ll need to do a IPA wipe down.

Hope that helps.

Tom

[The Guz]

Sorry, I wanted to say I am using a light polish and not HD SPEED.

Ok just checking as HD Speed is an all in one product that cleans, polishes and protects. So no need to wipe off with IPA.

But check this thread out by Mike Phillips on an polishing oils. If you are applying a coating then yes a prep wipe is recommended.

Miscible and Immiscible - Wax and Paint Sealant Bonding (https://www.autogeekonline.net/forum/hot-topics-frequently-asked-questions/31186-miscible-immiscible-wax-paint-sealant-bonding.html)

[Accumulator]

bcgreen- Heh heh, I`m completely lost here....what are you using the Speed for and then what are you using the "Cleanser" and/or IPA for?

And just FWIW, I find IPA utterly lousy for removing Polishing Oils. Products that`re made for that work infinitely better for me.

[bcgreen]

bcgreen- Heh heh, I`m completely lost here....what are you using the Speed for and then what are you using the "Cleanser" and/or IPA for?

And just FWIW, I find IPA utterly lousy for removing Polishing Oils. Products that`re made for that work infinitely better for me.

I am using or going to use a cleanser and not HD SPEED. In the past I used IPA, but being more informed it looks like a cleanser is a better option and perhaps get more gloss before applying my sealant.

[0inDetail0]

IPA works well just not well enough for today`s high tech sealants and coatings. You still get some minor residue left behind but when you are putting a wax over the paint that has solvents in it then it pretty much dissolves and evaporates any minor IPA residue. Unlike newer paint prep solutions IPA will soften your clear coat if made too strong making it easier to induce marring during wipe off and also causing permanent damage to your paint if your mix is too strong.

[bcgreen]

IPA works well just not well enough for today`s high tech sealants and coatings. You still get some minor residue left behind but when you are putting a wax over the paint that has solvents in it then it pretty much dissolves and evaporates any minor IPA residue. Unlike newer paint prep solutions IPA will soften your clear coat if made too strong making it easier to induce marring during wipe off and also causing permanent damage to your paint if your mix is too strong.

Good info. Didn`t know that IPA would soften the paint if not diluted correctly. Thanks

[Accumulator]

Heh heh...for some reason I`m simply not understanding this!:o Sheesh, make me feel like a dummy....

Maybe we`re talking about different Paint Cleaners than I`m accustomed to! What`s an example? I think of them as being stuff like Pinnacle`s Paintwork Cleansing Lotion or Zymol`s HD Cleanse.

I find such products utterly different from wiping down with a solvent such as IPA.

Huh, it sounds like some sealants are a *LOT* more finicky about going over a clean surface than the ones I use. For a *coating* sure, I`d want things truly bare, in which case I use a product made for stripping Polishing Oils...but I never thought of such products as "Paint Cleaners", maybe that`s my bad and explains my confusion?

BTW, IME the IPA softening paint isn`t necessarily an across-the-board given; I`ve used straight IPA of various dilutions without ever experiencing that (not flaming, "better safe than sorry" and all that..).

[bcgreen]

I was thinking of this "The benefits of a light paint cleaner, cleansing lotion or pre-wax cleaner" by Mike Phillips.
https://www.autogeekonline.net/forum/2009-to-2016-how-to-articles-by-mike-phillips/28519-benefits-light-paint-cleaner-cleansing-lotion-pre-wax-cleaner.html

I am going to reapply a sealant that I first applied 4 months ago and feel that it is time to reapply. I was thinking besides claying, to go to a paint cleanser to get off some old wax and sealant that maybe still hanging around. I am now in an area where there is a lot of snow and de-icing products on the road.

[0inDetail0]

Paintwork cleansers as you are referring to like pinnacle are a chemical cleansers sometimes also containing a polishing abrasive. Some may be called a polish but not contain a abrasive. What sets them apart from a true polish and makes them "paintwork cleansers" are the chemical cleaners (usually strong solvents that don`t damage paint when used as intended.) that strip old wax, sealant, dead paint, water spots and other contaniments stuck to the surface of the paint.

Using IPA or a prep solution like Car Pro Eraser, Gyeon Panel Prep, Gtechniq Panel Wipe Coating Prep are all designed to clean paint after it has been polished or compounded to remove polishing oils and polish residue.

The final step prior to applying your sealant which leaves the paint clean to maximize sealant bonding and longevity can be accomplished by any of the above ways. If your paint is free from defects or only needs a light polish or a cleaning you would use a paintwork cleanser buff it off and put your sealant on. If your paint needs considerable amount of correction using a compounds and polishes that will be removing paint to fix damage you would use IPA, Eraser to remove dust and oils left behind from the polishes and compounds to promote better bonding of your sealant.
Either of these two ways gets you where you want to be squeaky clean paint that will allow a coating, sealant or wax to do it`s job better and for a longer period of time.

[Accumulator]

bcgreen- Ah, OK, thanks for explaining, now I follow! If you think your car needs that (mine simply never do), and you want to use a product like Pinnacle PCL..then OK, that`s up to you. Note that many paint cleaners (including that PCL) do leave something behind, so it`s not like they`re just another way of leaving the paint "bare" (squeaky clean isn`t always the same as bare paint). Whether that matters or not depends on various things including what LSP you`re using (FWIW, I absolutely do NOT need bare paint under most of my LSPs, makes zero diff whatesoever so I don`t give it any thought).

I`m surprised your car needs all that prep after just four months, but maybe your conditions are especially hard on it. Just FWIW, if I thought my paint needed cleaning (beyond clay/etc.) I`d just go over it with an AIO that`s compatible with my LSPs. But then, my paints simply never seem to need that kind of attention; I just reapply my LSP and all is well. IME it`s *very* easy to overcomplicate this stuff and spend forever doing stuff that doesn`t really need doing...just as, conversely, it`s easy to overlook something that really *does* need done! The trick is to evaluate everything first and then just do what`s needed (no more, no less) and do that properly.