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IPA stands for isopropyl alcohol.
It is traditionally used to deep clean or 'strip' products from the surface of your paint. This powerful cleaning can be useful when
removing oils from the paint after polishing to inspect the paint's finish
remove old waxes and sealants
remove stubborn compound or polish splatter
prepare the paint for paint coatings
IPA is available in several different strengths, usually from 91% to 40%.
How you mix it with water (dilute it) will effect its performance and how it reacts to the paint.
Stronger IPA dilutions offer increased cleaning power but also have very flash times. This means they evaporate quickly. If all of the residue is not quickly wiped from the paint it will be re-deposited on the surface.
Lesser IPA dilutions will decrease the cleaning power but dramatically increase the play time of the solution so you have more time to wipe up the residue with out redepositing.
Many favor dilutions between 50% and 20% total IPA.
I agree. Walmart had a product called Prep All, but no longer carry it. Some auto supply stores may have it. Another good product is GTechniq Panel Wipe, not as cost effective as Prep All.There are better dedicated products than IPA. CarPro Eraser is one of them. Really, IPA isn't ideal for paint. Also, they have dedicated products to use prior to coatings now.
IPA is a dinosaur.