P21S Total Auto Wash and sealants

E

Eternum

New member
Hi folks,



I use P21 TAW (not diluted, full strength) on lower parts of my car before washing. I started to wonder if I also remove sealant from the paint by doing that?
 
TAW used at 100% strength is a good stripper. Can you find an alternate that will be easier on the LSP? Do you need something like TAW at every wash?





Welcome aboard!
 
Chances are I do not need TAW at every wash. The reason why I use it is to help loosen dirt from rocker panels and lower part of rear bumper. Would you suggest simply to dilute TAW or switch to something even more delicate in this case? Thank you!
 
Eternum said:
Chances are I do not need TAW at every wash. The reason why I use it is to help loosen dirt from rocker panels and lower part of rear bumper. Would you suggest simply to dilute TAW or switch to something even more delicate in this case? Thank you!
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The thought of pre-soaking in order to loosen dirt attached to your car is a very good one; the less kinetic energy required to dislodge dirt, the less chance that dirt is going to mar the paint on it's way off your car. The problem is finding something that will effectively loosen that bond without removing your sealant. That's a very fine line to walk.



Rather than just pre-soak the rocker panels, you may want to consider pre-soaking the entire car. There are a ton of ways to do this. You could go as simple as a cheap 2 gallon pump up bug sprayer all the way up to a foam cannon attached to a pressure washer. It all depends on how much money you're willing to throw at it. ;)



As far as chemicals are concerned, quite a few guys use Chemical Guys Citrus Wash N Gloss (or one of their other "Citrus" washes) diluted to the point that it won't strip off your sealant by just letting it dwell for a bit prior to a good rinsing.



If you're really serious about reducing the potential of marring your car during a wash, a good pressure washer and a foam cannon are definitely worth considering...



1. High pressure rinse



2. Apply a layer of foam from the foam cannon to your entire car



3. Let it sit for a bit, but don't let it dry



4. Pressure wash it off



Not only will you be "loosening the dirt", but you'll be *removing* large quantities of dirt before your wash mitt ever gets a chance to grind that dirt against your paint. Whatever still remains on your paint after a pre-soak and spray will be much easier to remove, meaning you can be much more gentle with the wash mitt.
 
All of the things suggested by Superbee are good.



I don't presoak unless I get into a weird situation with driving off-road, going to the beach, or heavy bugs. For that I just use ONR, which won't strip your wax / sealant and is very cheap when properly diluted.
 
Yeah, I think pre-spotting (pre-soaking) the area you are concerned about prior to your full wash will likely address 90% of common issues.



If I know I am going to have a challenge ahead of me, I'll pre-spot the area with my foam gun and let it dwell, then rinse. Then I wash the entire car as normal. If I'm still challenged, I'll break out the TAW or Surf City Road trip grime buster stuff and re-clean that entire area.
 
Eturnum- Welcome to Autopia!



Something else you might consider- a LSP (Last Step Product, i.e., wax or sealant) that sheds dirt more readily than whatever you're using now. I let some of our vehicles get *filthy* between washes, but I never have to resort to aggressive cleaning measures to get stuff off, not even on the lower sections.
 
Accumulator said:
Something else you might consider- a LSP (Last Step Product, i.e., wax or sealant) that sheds dirt more readily than whatever you're using now. I let some of our vehicles get *filthy* between washes, but I never have to resort to aggressive cleaning measures to get stuff off, not even on the lower sections.
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Agreed. And this is probably the best strategy of all: Some sealants are notably superior to others in this category
 
I put two layers as a winter preparation routine: first is Chemical Guys Extreme EZ-Creme Glaze with Acrylic Shine II and the second is Chemical Guys Jetseal 109. Periodically I put Blackfire Midnight Sun Carnauba Paste Wax on top of that.



... And I just realized that I ruin my beautiful work with P21 TAW on a periodic basis :-)
 
You should be able to tell how the water is sheeting or beading on those. Lower panels compared to the upper part of the car to know if it is stripping it or not. This isn't always true, but usually a good indicator
 
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