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  1. #1

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    Anyone Using a Coating Prep Wash Soap?

    I am asking my fellow Autopians if any of you are using a Prep Wash Soap for washing vehicles before you correct or wax/seal/coat them. There are a host of them now from major car-care product/chemical manufactures, including:
    1) Bilt Hamber Pre Wash Snow Foam (from the USA distributor The Clean Garage)
    2) McKee`s 37 Coating Prep Auto Wash
    3) Adam`s Strip Wash
    4) Chemical Guy`s Clean Slate OR their Citrus Wash Clear
    5) DP Detailing Product Coating Prep Wash
    6) Griot`s Garage Foaming Surface Prep
    7) 3D Super Pre-Soak
    8) Turtle Wax Maxx Wash (Kinda if you use enough of it in a stronger dilution ration per the label directions)
    to name a few.
    Do they work as they say they do? Are they worth using?

    Thanks in advance for your thoughts, opinions, and experiences.
    GB detailer

  2. #2

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    Re: Anyone Using a Coating Prep Wash Soap?

    I’m not a pro, just a weekend warrior. I have/used BH autofoam, Adam’s strip wash and obsessed garage decontamination soap. I think Adam’s strip wash is garbage (I love their car soap). OG decon soap seems above average and strips some protection (spray wax, sealant). Autofoam at 5% PIR is quite strong at stripping road grime even without agitation. It’s suppose to be wax/sealant safe but I notice it definitely degrades some. I think these products could be useful if you’re looking for a minimal quick prep. Probably negligible if you end up using clay, panel wipe, polishing/correcting. I use them during the wash since I have them. But if I had to choose I’d use panel wipe/prep product instead.


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  3. #3

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    Re: Anyone Using a Coating Prep Wash Soap?

    Another hobbyist here...

    I`ve looked at a couple of them, but in the end didn`t see the point.

    If I`m doing a full detail, I`m going to polish/compound and the mechanical abrasion will certainly remove anything from the surface far better than any prep soap.

    If I`m simply adding another layer of an LSP to a vehicle (i.e. giving it a little "extra" to get through winter) I`ll simply wash like normal and maybe use a panel prep spray to ensure the surface is really clean. In that scenario I`m not even trying to remove anything, I`m just giving the next layer of LSP the best chances for survival.
    Drop by to see the latest at The Car Geek Blog

  4. #4

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    Re: Anyone Using a Coating Prep Wash Soap?

    BH Auto Foam leaves surfactants behind so unless you are doing a shampoo wash and prep wipe after, it is to be avoided. There is a brand in the UK called Garage Therapy and they make a decon shampoo which kicks ass of the Adams equivalent.

  5. #5
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    Re: Anyone Using a Coating Prep Wash Soap?

    I’ll add CarPro Reset to the list with an asterisk, because it’s my belief that using it at strong dilution (like 1oz per 1-2gal) will achieve what coating prep washes will.

    I use the Mckees Coating Prep Wash regularly when choosing a new LSP or I just want to clean slate whatever toppings are on a stronger LSP. I believe the wash will sufficiently remove waxes and weaker sealants. I can’t guarantee it’s as good as a polish (it’s not) but it’s a quick way to mostly remove wax and sealants prior to adding a new one, via the same process you already would have to do (washing the car beforehand).

    If and when I do my major decon once every 20-14 months, I will also wash with it before polishing so the clay or polishing pads can have least amount of resistance.

    I have a gallon and I find myself using at least 30-40 ounces per year (at 1oz per gallon).
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  6. #6

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    Re: Anyone Using a Coating Prep Wash Soap?

    Quote Originally Posted by acuRAS82 View Post
    I’ll add CarPro Reset to the list with an asterisk, because it’s my belief that using it at strong dilution (like 1oz per 1-2gal) will achieve what coating prep washes will.

    I use the Mckees Coating Prep Wash regularly when choosing a new LSP or I just want to clean slate whatever toppings are on a stronger LSP. I believe the wash will sufficiently remove waxes and weaker sealants. I can’t guarantee it’s as good as a polish (it’s not) but it’s a quick way to mostly remove wax and sealants prior to adding a new one, via the same process you already would have to do (washing the car beforehand).

    If and when I do my major decon once every 20-14 months, I will also wash with it before polishing so the clay or polishing pads can have least amount of resistance.

    I have a gallon and I find myself using at least 30-40 ounces per year (at 1oz per gallon).
    Second the Mckee’s coating prep soap. I have seen it kick TWSNS and Griots 3-1 ass after a month. BH Autofoam didn’t do that (still love BH on coatings).

    I also use this as a Decon wash as for me, Reset at recommended ratios didn’t dent Sio2 toppers (it’s suppose to be safe for reload).

    When I had spots that were clogged and a Reset wash didn’t reset my CqUk3, MckCPS got it good as new.

    I use it pre coating also. Not going to replace polishing but if looking to add a layer or two of wax/sealant/Sio2 works well.


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  7. #7
    William_Wallace's Avatar
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    Re: Anyone Using a Coating Prep Wash Soap?

    I haven’t used any I usually use degreaser from sprayer. I some people use them after polishing to get ready to coat.

  8. #8
    acuRAS82's Avatar
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    Re: Anyone Using a Coating Prep Wash Soap?

    Quote Originally Posted by William_Wallace View Post
    I haven’t used any I usually use degreaser from sprayer. I some people use them after polishing to get ready to coat.
    Yeah good point. This is really what they’re most meant for. I just hate getting the car wet and having water leak out of crevices when I’m doing my final LSP, particularly something delicate during application like a coating/topper. But this is just my preference, if I ran out of prep spray I would certainly turn to prep wash after polishing.
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  9. #9

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    Re: Anyone Using a Coating Prep Wash Soap?

    Does anyone mix a de-greaser with a wash soap to make a homemade "hybrid" prep wash?

    I have by mixing Optimum Polymer Technologies` Car Wash Soap with their Power Clean All-Purpose Cleaner/De-greaser to strip a vehicle of any old wax or dirt.
    I saw Dave Fermani do this on a new Ford Fusion company car he received prior to using an early version of Opt-Coat on it. Reference: GRAND FINALE -Optimum Opti-Coating - Durability Test Review!!! (Excellent thread!)
    My current homemade hybrid formula is Rain-X`s Heavy-duty Truck & SUV Wash Soap (don`t laugh; it is good, economical OTC stuff) with Turtle Wax`s Maxx Wash for cleaning REALLY dirty vehicles, not necessarily as a prep wash to remove old waxes or sealants.
    GB detailer

  10. #10

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    Re: Anyone Using a Coating Prep Wash Soap?

    Quote Originally Posted by Lonnie View Post
    Does anyone mix a de-greaser with a wash soap to make a homemade "hybrid" prep wash?

    I have by mixing Optimum Polymer Technologies` Car Wash Soap with their Power Clean All-Purpose Cleaner/De-greaser to strip a vehicle of any old wax or dirt.
    I saw Dave Fermani do this on a new Ford Fusion company car he received prior to using an early version of Opt-Coat on it. Reference: GRAND FINALE -Optimum Opti-Coating - Durability Test Review!!! (Excellent thread!)
    My current homemade hybrid formula is Rain-X`s Heavy-duty Truck & SUV Wash Soap (don`t laugh; it is good, economical OTC stuff) with Turtle Wax`s Maxx Wash for cleaning REALLY dirty vehicles, not necessarily as a prep wash to remove old waxes or sealants.
    Seen people add a bit of apc to their soap before for more cleaning power. I believe Koch chemie suggests that with gsf and green star. For really dirty cars I like Bilt Hamber auto foam.


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  11. #11
    William_Wallace's Avatar
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    Re: Anyone Using a Coating Prep Wash Soap?

    Quote Originally Posted by acuRAS82 View Post
    Yeah good point. This is really what they’re most meant for. I just hate getting the car wet and having water leak out of crevices when I’m doing my final LSP, particularly something delicate during application like a coating/topper. But this is just my preference, if I ran out of prep spray I would certainly turn to prep wash after polishing.
    Yea same here too much of a hassle I think you still are suppose to prep wipe after prep wash so seems pointless. I use Megs window cleaner as my prep for a while and soak it down heavy I did actually buy the big blaster spray heads after watching forensic detail YouTube video that spray a lot of product out for each pump waiting on them in mail.

  12. #12
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    Re: Anyone Using a Coating Prep Wash Soap?

    BH Autofoam isn’t a pre coating snow foam, it’s just a good cleaning High alkaline TFR.

    The best one is Meguiars Wash Plus. If used in the right way it really works to strip products first use. The next best is a British company called Garage Therapy Decon Shampoo which is much more potent than Adams/Chemical Guys et al.
    Good old ADHD.
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  13. #13

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    Re: Anyone Using a Coating Prep Wash Soap?

    Copying my homework again @Rosco?
    Thanks roscopervis thanked for this post

  14. #14

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    Re: Anyone Using a Coating Prep Wash Soap?

    Well I am bumping my own thread I started on Coating Decontamination Pre-wash Soaps and am asking if anyone has bought and used Meguiar`s new consumer line Hybrid Ceramic Pre-Wax Prep G220416 soap. It is available only in the 16 ounce bottle.
    In the above post #12, roscopervis in Europe suggested using Meg`s Wash Plus (Reference: Meguiar`s Car Wash Plus+), but this product has been discontinued, so I am wondering if this is a "replacement" in Meg`s Hybrid Ceramic line-up for this product.

    By the way, thanks for the above posts from all my fellow Autopians on this particular subject about coating pre-wash soaps.
    I will mention that Autopian All-Start (my rating) Merlin is using his own self-measured out mixture of CarPro`s Iron-X Foaming Soap and Poorboy`s World Super Slick & Foam Gun Pre-Soak Shampoo (PW-SS&FGPSS?) as his coating pre-wash soap. Reference thread Post #5:
    2021 Jeep Wrangler Snazzberry - 🌴 A Miracle Detailing - CQuartz Finest Reserve

    THEN, there is this recent thread stated by another Autopian All-Star David Fermani about using Dawn Dish Soap:
    Dawn Dish Soap Users Chime In!
    (My response in in Post #24 with even more thread links about Dawn Dish Soap!)
    GB detailer

  15. #15

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    Anyone Using a Coating Prep Wash Soap?

    Quote Originally Posted by Lonnie View Post
    Meguiar`s new consumer line Hybrid Ceramic Pre-Wax Prep G224016 soap. It is available only in the 16 ounce bottle.
    All i could find when googling your description was this. 0and 4 are transposed though.

    https://www.meguiars.com/sites/defau...p-Hero_web.png

    If this is it, it is a paint prep polish. Thinking by description it is like CarPro Essence


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