Advantage of branded Paint Cleaner over IPA?

[jtford95]

So is IPA good enough or is a paint cleaner worth the extra money. And is Top Inspection or something simular ok to use or they not the same or do different things.

[elk42]

jt get the P21S cleansing lotion. its not expensive and allows you to try either the ISP or the lotion. have fun. elk

[Todd@RUPES]

So is IPA good enough or is a paint cleaner worth the extra money. And is Top Inspection or something simular ok to use or they not the same or do different things.

I think IPA does a pretty good job of cleaning the paint and offers performance similar to some of the branded paint cleaners.



I know the company that makes Sonax and their paint cleaner is a combination of rubbing alcohol (low dilution), water, and surfactants (similar to soap). It could be argued that the lower dilution of alcohol is more gentle to the paint, but I have used solvents and 91% alcohol for several years and have never had a problem.



Keep in mind that some polishes can very difficult to remove all of the oils from the paint on particular paints, and require multiple wipedowns to get accurate results (piggy-backing on what Accumulator already said).

[jtford95]

Thanks TH0001 and Elk for your response. I`ll give it a try.

[jsilas]

Griots claims it has a citrus based solvent. Alcohol too? Anyone used this?

Just saw that in their latest catalog. Probably works OK but I`m not eager to buy it instead of the PrepWash :nixweiss

Griot`s product is called Pre-Wax Cleanser. I use this between my polishing step(s) and my sealant or waxing step(s).

[Accumulator]

jsilas- Aha, somebody who`s actually tried the Griot`s stuff!



How well does it work? I mean...both for the cleaning and how well it wipes away?



The PrepWash is supposed to be a "just wipe off" product, but I often like to do a little rinsing anyhow and I`m wondering how the Griot`s is in that regard. The idea of residual "paint cleaning product" on my paint makes me nervous.



If you ever use something like M205 on a car with "sticky" paint...the kind of situation where those polishing oils just keep on keeping on, see if the Griot`s will do the trick.



Two of my vehicles gave me fits in this regard; getting all the oils (specifically, M205) out, either for a true read on the condition or to fix pseudo-holograms, was an *unbelievable* chore. Those experiences have given me a whole new interest in, and appreciation of, paint cleaning products.



TH0001- I`d *REALLY* like to hear your opinion about products like the PrepWash. With your experience, I`m sure you`ve run into those odd cases where you can IPA over and over and *still* have some residual oils. I know some people are using mineral spirits and PrepSol, and I`ve used such stuff myself now and then.



elk42- I`d put the P21S GEPC in a different category, along with stuff like Pinnacle`s Paintwork Cleansing Lotion. Some of us would use IPA/PrepWash/etc. to clean *off* what those "paint cleaners" leave behind.



Eh, this is one of those topics where specific intent kinda becomes controlling, which makes for confusion since all these different products/approaches are "paint cleaners".

[jtford95]

So Accumulator, should you use the IPA or Prep Wash on paint that has been worked on more that a one a step correction? Should you use the "paint cleaner" on paint that wasn`t work on that much? Or is it a trial and error, see what it looks like kinda thing. Sorry for so many questions, just trying to figure it out.

[Accumulator]

So Accumulator, should you use the IPA or Prep Wash on paint that has been worked on more that a one a step correction? Should you use the "paint cleaner" on paint that wasn`t work on that much? Or is it a trial and error, see what it looks like kinda thing. Sorry for so many questions, just trying to figure it out.

Heh heh, you might not be able to figure this one out based on *my* input! That`s because, for *me*, this is one of those "eh, it just depends..." type of things.



I use the IPA/PrepWash when I have a reason to. What I mean is, *if* I`m concerned about filling, or *if* I have concerns about LSP bonding, or *if* I have a pseudo-hologram issue.



I don`t always worry about minor filling. Last time I did the bumpercover of my wife`s A8 I just hit it once with M80 and did a coat of wax. Half-@$$Ed? Maybe, but it looked/looks better and it only took a few minutes. No reason to do the wipedown IMO.



Similarly, I didn`t have any worries about the #16 bonding to what the M80 left behind. Had I wanted to use some finicky sealant that mighta been a different matter.



And I hardly *EVER* get pseudo-holograms from polishes except for M205; I almost always do it after using that stuff, though sometimes certain AIO-type products like Autoglym SRP or 1Z WaxPolishSoft can do the trick too. Note that I wouldn`t use those unless I was 100% certain that the holograms were just oils and not "real ones" as they can do a good bit of filling themselves.



Note I hardly ever use this wipedown stuff after my aggressive compounding. I do that work to the point of correcting serious marring, and I`m confident that if the serious scratches are gone then so are the little things that might`ve been filled. But that`s just me and plenty of people do wipedowns after most any abrasive work.



So...it just depends. IF somebody polishes a car with something like 1Z Paint Polish, or AIOs it with Autoglym SRP, then yeah...there`s probably some filling. But if they`re gonna apply a wax, and be satisfied with how it looks, then *I* would say to just not worry about the filling; enjoy the nice-looking detail and redo it when that`s called for. But if somebody has polished their car with M205 via PC, and they pull it into the sun and see "holograms", then some kind of wipedown would be my first solution.

[jtford95]

I thank you for your response and I understand it.I`ll play around and see what I get.

[Don]

Paint "cleaners", literally clean and polish your paint. IPA helps to remove oils and residue left behind from polishes, waxes, etc.



IPA is more for when you`re polishing and need something quick to remove any filling action. Whereas a paint cleaner is like clay, but for below the surface. Helps to decontaminate the paint.



Two different products for two different jobs. Whether you use a cleaner or IPA is up to you. I personally don`t use IPA much, but I do find a paint cleaner to be useful for oxidation and staining.

Typically an IPA wipedown is done after the compounding/polishing steps to determine if all of the swirls have been removed by cleaning the paint of all fillers, cleaners and waxes and making any imperfections remaining visible.



I don`t know if this willl help your LSP bond any better as Meguiars often mentions that an application of polish can help their LSPs to bond to the finish.

[SiegeX]

Griot`s product is called Pre-Wax Cleanser. I use this between my polishing step(s) and my sealant or waxing step(s).

In addition to the Pre-Wax Cleanser, they also have the Paint Prep sprayer and for the life of me I can`t tell why I would use one over the other; can you?

[Accumulator]

In addition to the Pre-Wax Cleanser, they also have the Paint Prep sprayer and for the life of me I can`t tell why I would use one over the other; can you?

Does seem to be *really* splitting hairs, huh :think: So one`s for cleaning off existing LSPs and the other is for cleaning off residual polish residue....OK, I can see how one product could be better for each task but it`s not something I`d worry about too much.



Eh, at the risk of sounding cynical, I can`t help but think along the lines of:

a) sell as many different products as possible, b) make things seem more "professional" by making them more complicated.



I oughta say, in Griot`s defense, that they *do* seem to be covering a lot of things that weren`t previously considered mainstream at the consumer level, things just like this post-polish wipedown. If somebody wants to use Paint Prep to strip LSP, then clay/polish and then use Prewax Cleanser before they wax, I wouldn`t criticize it :nixweiss But I wouldn`t criticize somebody who just does all that cleaning with TOL`s PrepWash either