Approach on Oxidation

S

stiffdogg06

New member
Ok well I've heard mix reviews on this



Say your car has oxidation. Now will you chemically clean it first and then polish? Or will you just starting polishing and not worry about chemically cleaning it?



I've heard mixed reviews and figured I'd find out what everyone on here does.



Thanks guys!



- Andrew:bounce
 
I would definetely two step it.

First step being a chemical cleaning. This will obviously remove the majority of dead paint, allowing your polishing step a clear entry to removing swirls. This will also help alleviate your pad pores from being clogged/bogged down with debris. If its light oxidation, you can probably get by with just polishing, and this call is yours. If the the paints glow is really lackluster and just void of any shine, then its really a no brainer in my experience, remove the oxidation, remove the swirls.
 
I have wondered the same thing. My car is 8 years old and will be polished for the first time this month. I often wondered if I should use paint cleaner after claying to "prep it" for polishing. Afterwards use an AIO and then a sealant.



I sometimes wondered if using paint cleaner and an AIO in the same detail was redundant. However, the paint cleaner will probably be beneficial for the polishing and then using the AIO to clean up any left over polish and prepare the paint for the sealant.
 
I can see benefit in cleaning the paint and then claying, vs. claying then cleaning. If you can get that dead stuff off first without going balls out, I think you'll save the clay somewhat. It really a judgement call on your part. Claying is sort of a added bonus when it comes to paint prep. One could skip claying as part of a ritual, but when it comes to removing oxidation, its something you REALLY have to do to revitalize the looks.

Both cleaners and polishes can be used in conjunction with another, if the surface or user deems it necessary. One could polish first, and use the benefits of a cleaner to remove any lubricating oils the polish would normally have. Some would rather (as I have elayed) remove the dead, dull paint, which will reveal more clearly what couirse of action is needed for swirl removal. Polishing will continue to clear/clean the paint a little further. As polishes normally contain chemicals similiar to what is used in paint cleaners.
 
a.k.a. Patrick said:
I can see benefit in cleaning the paint and then claying, vs. claying then cleaning. If you can get that dead stuff off first without going balls out, I think you'll save the clay somewhat.
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I could see the reverse also. Clay could be used to clean the contaminants off the surface of the clearcoat and then paint cleaner to get into the pores of the clearcoat that used to be clogged by surface contaminants but claying removed?



Hard to say which is preferred.
 
bert31 said:
I could see the reverse also. Clay could be used to clean the contaminants off the surface of the clearcoat and then paint cleaner to get into the pores of the clearcoat that used to be clogged by surface contaminants but claying removed?



Hard to say which is preferred.
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Im just referring to the oxidation though Bert.....Get rid of the oxidation, then clean the paint with clay. Sometimes with heavily oxidized paint, one may want to perform several cleaning steps prior to polishing.....

As for chemical cleaners...........theres quite a few of them. OTC or online? Check the Autopia store first......
 
I guess just an example of one, perhaps the terminology is throwing me off. Would OHC work? or is that a polish and this is an entirely different product line?
 
Yes, OHC (Optimum Hyper Compound) is a polish......For heavy oxidation, I wouldnt use it initially. Im telling ya, you will clog the pores of the pads before you get the abrasives broken down before too long......
 
Alright, sounds good.. so can you name me an example of a chemical that cleans oxidation? I'm looking at various sites (on autopia at the moment) and can't seem to find it. Is it a Paint Cleanser?
 
Kewjoe said:
Alright, sounds good.. so can you name me an example of a chemical that cleans oxidation? I'm looking at various sites (on autopia at the moment) and can't seem to find it. Is it a Paint Cleanser?
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Sonus Paint Cleanser is mentioned on this site as being an excellent product for cleaning paint which would do some clean up of oxidation.. I don't think you could expect it to clean off serious oxidation, but I would bet it would be a good first step to get rid of some of that oxidation before going to the polish.
 
a.k.a. Patrick said:
Im just referring to the oxidation though Bert.....Get rid of the oxidation, then clean the paint with clay. Sometimes with heavily oxidized paint, one may want to perform several cleaning steps prior to polishing.....
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Good point, I see where you are coming from now.
 
Ok, now i'm a little confused.... I thought a chemical paint cleaner would be more like a chemical wash, but from the prior post, it looks like a paint cleaner is nothing more then a polish. But wouldnt using a polish as the first step to removing oxidation clog the the pads much quicker? did i miss something??
 
TimelessR1 said:
Ok, now i'm a little confused.... I thought a chemical paint cleaner would be more like a chemical wash, but from the prior post, it looks like a paint cleaner is nothing more then a polish. But wouldnt using a polish as the first step to removing oxidation clog the the pads much quicker? did i miss something??
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Not necessarily. While a paint cleanser may have some polishing ability to it, it is primarily a very strong chemical cleaning agent - so strong it (unlike car wash) will take your wax right off, along with contaminants that car wash is not strong enough to remove along with some degree of oxidation. Unlike polish, cleanser generally will not have abrasives in it for polishing purposes - if it does have abrasives, a very small amount of cutting power to it.



Cleanser and Polish serve two different, but important, purposes.



Some on this site will say if you clayed, you don't need to clean your paint before polishing. I haven't heard enough conclusive evidence to know if that is correct or not.
 
I just use Malco's Perfex on an Edge green wool pad, via rotary - then polish with a foam pad "IF" the paint is just dead. Some cars I get have been buffed before by God knows who using who knows what, so in those cases where I fear the clear is thinner than frog's hair - I just poliseal the hell out of it and spray it with AW. These dregs are for a used car dealer that I help out sometimes.
 
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