What else, instead of Dawn?

[JustinR32]

What else would you use to strip all products off of your finish, in preparation for a new round?





Tom

[TortoiseAWD]

Mosca,



For easy-to-find OTC stuff, I`d recommend isopropyl or denatured alcohol. If there`s an automotive paint supplier near you, then you might see if they have a "prep-solvent". The prep-solvent I`ve used not only works well for de-waxing and de-greasing, but also for tar and sap removal, and for removing stubborn polish residue.



Tort

[paco]

Mosca,



It depends on what your are trying to accomplish. Dawn (or any other dish detergent) will not take off a sealant that`s been applied recently. Sealants are made to bond very strong to the paint so a simple dish detergent wash will not strip it effectively. A fresh coat of wax properly applied may even take 2 or 3 washes to get rid of the wax completely. Washing with a dish detergent to remove sap will still take some effort. However, if you simply want to remove some loose wax etc, then it will work. Sal from Zaino recommends it as a FINAL step before the sealant (after you have completely prepped your car as a final step to ensure most of the oils are removed).



If you`re looking for something to start with your prep rather a final step in preparation. Prep-sol or a APC+ diluted to the proper concentration is probably best.



If you`re looking for something to remove polish fillers during swirl removal, I`d suggest an 50/50 IPA/Water spritz or a APC+ diluted to 1/3 or 1/2 of what is required for wax removal.



As a note: Dawn may not even be the most effective dish detergent. It`s gotten soo much hype partially due to Sal`s recommendation. Ivory / Sunlight may be even more effective than Dawn. Basically, any dish detergent without moisturizers, added perfumes (florals etc.) will work just as well. Granted, Blue Dawn is pretty inexpensive.



I myself, won`t use dish detergent on my car any longer. I have used in the past but I just don`t see that it does that much more cleaning that regular car wash to justify it`s use (which could potentially damage the clear if you use it to repeatedly). For Autopians, it`s most likely a none issue. But for the everyday Joe, it`s definitely an issue if they don`t understand the proper use of a dish detergent.



Paco

[JustinR32]

I`m looking towards giving Crystal Guard a fair and complete test. I want to completely strip all product, polish with FP, then wash with Crystal Guard Wash and apply the product. It sounds like Prep Sol or APC is the ticket, don`t you think? The FP works better after stripping product, rather than as a product stripper itself.



Tom

[2wheelsx2]

You can always use something like Mother`s Pre-Wax cleaner. That will remove everything too.

[adrianko43]

are you going to try cg pro, ex, or quick?

[tom p.]

Tom, the citrus based cleaners (p21S Total Auto wash, for example) are quite effective at removing wax, perhaps better than the dishwashing liquids.



Also, most of the polishes we routinely use will have some mechanical action to clean (remove wax) the surface prior to application of your new wax/sealant.

[LouisanaJeeper]

Originally posted by 2wheelsx2

You can always use something like Mother`s Pre-Wax cleaner. That will remove everything too.

I have found that leaves behind oils or some sort of light wax residue

[2wheelsx2]

Hmmm....that could probably be just solvent residue. There is no wax in it, and no oils that I can tell. I could be wrong though. Maybe Forrest can chime in here.

[BlueRanger]

On the note of using dawn to stip off the wax (sorry if this is thread jacking) can you clay with the dawn step, using the dawn as a lubricant? Or would you recoment using some GC soap with the clay. Also, is there any need to wash after AIO before SG, or just go straight to it? Thanks

[2wheelsx2]

I wouldn`t leave Dawn on there for such a long time because of its alkaline nature, but that`s my personal preference. If I do use Dawn, I rinse it off really well, and then make up a fresh solution with carwash soap to clay with, and then quickly wash those areas off with the carsoap afterwards.



No need to wash after AIO. SG was designed to with AIO, so SG actually works best on top of AIO.

[Accumulator]

BlueRanger- I`ve clayed while Dawn washing. Works OK, but some clays (like Griot`s) sorta dissolve in the Dawn mix (also in ANY soap mix, but not as bad). But as 2wheelsx2 said, I dunno if you oughta leave the Dawn on your car that long, or even use it at all. *I* don`t think it will hurt modern basecoat/clears *IN GOOD CONDITION*, if used infrequently. It seems milder than AutoInt`s "A" wash, which I use to prep (brand) new cars. But it CAN be tough on rubber moldings, etc. and *I* would NEVER use a product like Dawn on something like single stage. In fact, I haven`t used Dawn on any of MY cars in ages.

[Spilchy]

I looked for the heck of it in my 1996 Honda Civic DX owner`s manual under car care. It indicates to wash with dish soap!



I`ll get it later and write the exact sentence.



With all the talk of Dawn being bad for the paint, I got a good chuckle at seeing that it was recommended to be used frequently.

[togwt]

Quote: Tom, the citrus based cleaners (p21S Total Auto wash, for example) are quite effective at removing wax, perhaps better than the dishwashing liquids.



Also, most of the polishes we routinely use will have some mechanical action to clean (remove wax) the surface prior to application of your new wax/sealant.



~One man’s opinion~

I’m in agreement with the use of a citrus based product like P21S Total Auto Wash (as apposed to a dish washing liquid detergent)I usually follow with P21S Paintwork Cleanser



Experience unshared; is knowledge wasted…/



justadumbarchitect

[hondaguy2582]

claying will remove the sealant or wax layer, and a prewax cleaner(aio) will remove your sealant or wax layer. If anything, why not just make a bigger dose of car wash instead of dawn? And if your polishing at all, then that will remove the sealant. "Dawn is for dishes".