Post polish - IPA or cleanser?

[JHL88]

Panel Wipe from gtechniq would be a better alternative to alcohol. It contains hydrocarbons which will undoubtedly remove any waxes or polishing oils on the surface. Like others have said IPA is not a good "panel wipe" especially for coating prep. People should stop using it IMO.

[bcgreen]

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.

Maybe I`m overthinking this who process, but I am seeing new light marring primarily at the rear of the car where alot of dust and dirt build up. I am going to go over these areas with some sort of light polish, something like m205. If I am going to polish and apply the Wolfgang sealant I thought an extra step might bring out a little more gloss and the sealant would have a better surface to bond to. My previous application I only clayed before the sealant, as the previous owner, the dealership, took good care of the paint, surprisingly. Maybe I should have used another step at that time, I don`t know, as the paint always looked good. So since I am going to clay, polish, maybe I should do another step before the sealant and that`s why I am here with my posting.

[Accumulator]

Maybe I`m overthinking this who process...

Heh heh, far be it from me to dissuade somebody from (?over?)thinking!

...I am seeing new light marring primarily at the rear of the car...[and]...I am going to go over these areas with some sort of light polish, something like m205. If I am going to polish and apply the Wolfgang sealant I thought an extra step might bring out a little more gloss and the sealant would have a better surface to bond to...

OK, heh heh...now I`m finally up to speed and understanding! Sheesh, it can take me a while

Noting that I`m not a big fan of M205 *because* of those Trade Secret Oils that you quite properly want to remove...yes indeed, do something to clean `em off.

Maybe they won`t be as tenacious for you as they are for me, but OMG do I find it a PIA to get them completely gone!

IPA doesn`t do it for me. If you use a Paint Cleaner, I`d use something from Wolfgang that`s designed to be compatible with their sealant (which I`ve never used and know nothing about). BUT NOTE THAT I didn`t have good luck getting those TSO out with any of my Paint Cleaners or AIOs. I had to use a product made for that and maybe you should too. OR...just use a different Finishing Polish instead of M205, something like HD Polish that`s infinitely more user-friendly in this regard (and leaves a nicer finish for me too).

Again, sorry that I got all Autopian Interrogator on ya, I just wasn`t on the right wavelength or something.

[bcgreen]

[QUOTE=Accumulator;2128411]Heh heh, far be it from me to dissuade somebody from (?over?)thinking!




OK, heh heh...now I`m finally up to speed and understanding! Sheesh, it can take me a while

It can take me a while too, so you`re not alone.

IPA doesn`t do it for me. If you use a Paint Cleaner, I`d use something from Wolfgang that`s designed to be compatible with their sealant (which I`ve never used and know nothing about). BUT NOTE THAT I didn`t have good luck getting those TSO out with any of my Paint Cleaners or AIOs. I had to use a product made for that and maybe you should too. OR...just use a different Finishing Polish instead of M205, something like HD Polish that`s infinitely more user-friendly in this regard (and leaves a nicer finish for me too).

As always, I tend to take your advise on getting the HD Polish. I think you were the one that also recommended some years ago where I was at my wits end with the super soft paint on my black G35 and you recommended that I use Opti-Coat. That was a real life saver and did indeed give the vehicle another layer of clear coat that was harder than the factory.

[Accumulator]

bcgreen- Glad you find something of value in my posts, especially since it sometimes takes me a while to figure out what we`re talking about

So did that work OK on the G35? Soft paint is something I really don`t know about first-hand.

[bcgreen]

bcgreen- Glad you find something of value in my posts, especially since it sometimes takes me a while to figure out what we`re talking about

So did that work OK on the G35? Soft paint is something I really don`t know about first-hand.

Absolutely, it worked - worked beautifully. That posting of mine became rather lengthy as people chimed in trying to figure out why I was getting so many scratches - I even mention that a cotton ball would scratch the black paint. I was polishing the paint so often that I could see an area just behind the door, where the wife would grab, on exiting, a faint showing of red primer. Too bad Opti people raised the price beyond it being a sealant for my consideration. Subsequently Infiniti manufacturer in their future autos had a sticker placed under hood stating that the paint was hard( I never saw it, but that`s what I had heard). The next car was such a easy car to detail, Audi A3 TDI, that once I got the paint perfected and sealed, it took some abuse without showing any marring. Took the money from the VW feasco and ran to the Macan. Also a rather hard paint.
Always enjoy reading your postings.

[Accumulator]

bcgreen- Yeah, that Audi-level hardness is good IMO. Heh heh, I find that Infiniti hard paint sticker amusing...wonder if many Infinity buyers even notice it.

Gee, I didn`t know Optimum raised the price on their GlossCoat (or whatever it`s called these days)...glad I still have enough left to do a few more sets of wheels.

And I do appreciate that comment about my posts.

[showbbq]

Hmm this is an interesting topic. I plan to apply a ceramic coating after polishing my personal vehicle. I wonder if it`d be worth it wipe down with a diluted IPA solution to get most of the polishing residue, then wipe down with Gyeon prep. Or maybe just one pass with liberal amounts of Gyeon prep. Maybe it`s a little counterproductive to use IPA due to its lower lubricity.

[The Guz]

Hmm this is an interesting topic. I plan to apply a ceramic coating after polishing my personal vehicle. I wonder if it`d be worth it wipe down with a diluted IPA solution to get most of the polishing residue, then wipe down with Gyeon prep. Or maybe just one pass with liberal amounts of Gyeon prep. Maybe it`s a little counterproductive to use IPA due to its lower lubricity.

I would stick with Gyeon Prep. Be sure to have plenty of towels when doing so.

[showbbq]

I would stick with Gyeon Prep. Be sure to have plenty of towels when doing so.

Roger that. I`ll post results