Wash after Polishing?

[Jngrbrdman]

I just figured out why Al is a little immature sometimes. I figured him to be older. He is only 19 years old!! I always thought that the Mercedes and the IS were his. Apparantly the Mercedes is his dad`s and he is leasing the IS. That just explains soooooooo much!! Just thought I`d share. Maybe this isn`t new news. I`m a slow learner sometimes.

[Lazzman]

Just curios as to what the majority of people here do after they are done machine polishing.

Do you Wash the vehicle with soap and water after polishing, use a chemical spray down like high temp prep wash or just wipe the polish off really well and use sealent over it.

I have always just buffed the polish off very good and put BFWD over it, never seemed to have a problem. My curiosity is peaked because I recently read one of Todd`s articles and in it he mentioned washing the vehicle after polishing. I also remember getting advice from Sal Zaino to wash the vehicle after polish and before applying sealent.

Any thoughts or opinions are greatly appreciated.

[imported_Mr. Gloss]

Washing is a good way to remove any reside and dust, plus it`s a minor effort considering what you`re about to do; apply a sealant that you hope for excellent bonding and durability.

More preparation makes for better results, and washing doesn`t take much effort.

I moved to Hydro Seal Polymer Sealant. The drops of water left over after a wash `n dry won`t affect it since it`s water activated polymer.

[Nth Degree]

If the polish I`m using dusts at all then I wash, primarily to get the dust out of the nooks and crannies. Then I will do an IPA wipe down for good measure. If there is no dust to worry about, then I go straight to the IPA. I prefer to make sure I have a clean surface to promote bonding. It really is a minor inconvenience compared to having a sealant fail to last, thus compromising my customer`s opinion of my work.

[BIOLINK]

I`m about 50/50. If I can clean things up with IPA, I just do a wipedown. Sometimes I wash. I at least do one of them.

[Lazzman]

Excellent Advice.

Thanks for all the great replies :cornut:

[never gone]

There`s usually so much dust it just makes sense to wash the car to get the dust out of all the cracks and what not.

[Lazzman]

I agree but some polish brands like Menzerna do not dust that much.

I found that the new Megs 105/205 puts out a lot of dust.

Dust in cracks needs to be washed out.

[dpk204]

Griot`s makes a product for this specific step called Pre-Wax Cleaner.

It is designed to remove excess polish residue so as not to introduce news swirls when waxing.

Before I started using this product, I used to re-wash the car. re-washing the car is too laborious, wastes water, and actually might not remove some polishing residue that has been left behind.

One thing I like about Griot`s is that, over the years, they have introduced a product for each step of the detailing process.