Stripping Sealants

[pwaug]

If you`re going to wash then clay a vehicle is it necessary to strip any existing sealants chemically before beginning to polish with UNO??

[Barry Theal]

Clay should strip an LSP, but yes I always chemical strip them.

[imported_ww2717]

Which chemical would you recommend to strip lsp from a vehicle,

[Legacy]

If you are claying and polishing, why would you have to strip the LSP? I don`t think so.

If you`re going to wash then clay a vehicle is it necessary to strip any existing sealants chemically before beginning to polish with UNO??

[Ben@3D]

Which chemical would you recommend to strip lsp from a vehicle,

IPA is the go to item for most people. But as Barry said, clay will "strip" the paint. IPA is not required.

[Accumulator]

I`ve had a few (read "rare") cases where the existing LSP did cause some issues when I tried to just polish through it. This doesn`thappen enough for me to make stripping a mandatory exercise, but it *does* happen IME.



On the claying, there are a lot of variables that will factor in regarding LSP stripping. I usually clay sooo gently that it does not reliably strip LSP.



Also, as with stripping polishing oils, I find IPA to be merely sorta-OK when it comes to compromising/stripping LSPs. I like TOL`s PrepWash better, but washing with something like AutoInt/ValuGard`s "A" works great too.

[pwaug]

Thanks for the info!! I`ve seen some people recommend Optimum Power Clean at 3:1 or even full strength and then follow up with regular car wash soap or ONR.

[Accumulator]

pwaug- I`d to the regular wash first to get abrasive dirt off with a minimum of (new) marring, and *then* use the stripping stuff.



And yeah, I too really like OPC, but I kinda reserve it for jobs where it`s the absolute #1 choice, and IMO this isn`t one of those tasks.

[pwaug]

Thanks Accumulator!! I guess I`ll just wash and clay and see if that removes all the sealant before I take the next step.

[SVR]

you have to think about surface tension. The newer breed of coatings are part of the paint and even if clay or IPA does remove it, there still may be some surface tension that affects the ease of polishing via machine



thus why I apply finish kare, Iron X and permanon hecta and omega to decontaminate the paint

as soon as I see the rinse water pooling on the paint and it doesnt dry, the paint is ready for polishing



takes time but I much prefer it that way. gotta get everything out of the whole substrate

[DrEVO]

I thought u could just wash it with dawn detergent to strip the car....no?

[Accumulator]

I thought u could just wash it with dawn detergent to strip the car....no?

Depends on what you`re trying to strip. I`ve had a really strong Dawn mix merely do a nice wash on some LSPs, and not just sealants either.

[DrEVO]

ugh.... i was just gonna dawn it, and then start my clay, polish, lsp process...

[Lowejackson]

I recently experimented with some Autoglym SRP and our kitchen sink. After a good clean I applied two layers of SRP to the stainless steel. The SRP changed the colour slightly which turned out to be useful as you could see when it stated to fail. After a day of normal usage with lots of hot water and dishwashing liquid the SRP in the bucket area had mostly gone but in the other areas it took about 2 weeks to disappear. I guess this is a long winded way of saying, I am not that convinced about dishwashing liquid removing everything.

[Ben@3D]

ugh.... i was just gonna dawn it, and then start my clay, polish, lsp process...

If your goal to strip or wash, Dawn is not good in general as it leaves a residue. Think how your hands feel funny/slippery after doing dishes. Wash your car with any decent car soap and it wont have that same feeling.



Its also debatable weather dawn will have an effect on rubber moldings as well.