The benefits of a light paint cleaner, cleansing lotion or pre-wax cleaner
While claying will remove above surface bonded contaminants, Pinnacle
Paintwork Cleansing Lotion will remove embedded road grime and pollutants as you can
see when we compare the applicator pad we used on the right to the brand new, clean applicator pad on the left.
What they are
Paint Cleaners are typically liquid products that contain non-abrasive chemical cleaners and in some cases also mechanical abrasives of some type, suspended in a lubricating base.
What they do
Paint cleaners gently clean the surface and in so doing, remove any light oxidation, foreign impurities, surface staining, accumulated pore-embedding dirt and built-up road grime.
When to use them
Typically a paint cleaner is used before you apply your choice of wax or paint sealant. Specifically, a paint cleaner or pre-wax cleaner would be used after the car is washed and dried, and if the paint needs to be clayed, then after claying the paint with detailing clay but before applying a coat of wax or a paint sealant.
Order of Steps
- Inspect finish with your clean hand to check for above surface bonded contaminants.
- Clay paint - If above surface bonded contaminants are discovered then use detailing clay to clay paint, if paint is smooth an glassy feeling you can skip claying.
- Clean Paint – Use a Paint Cleaner to gently massage the paint and restore a clear, clean surface.
- Seal Paint – Use a premium quality wax or paint sealant.
If I clay first do I still have to use a paint cleaner?
Yes. Detailing clay is most effective at removing above surface bonded contaminants but the use of detailing clay doesn’t automatically mean the clay will remove all of the other problems affecting the clarity and cleanliness of the paint.
Mike’s rule if thumb
Anytime the paint on any car is neglected enough that it needs to be clayed, then chances are very good that it also needs to be cleaned. The two most important steps that will have the greatest effect on the end results when restoring neglected paint are the claying step and the paint cleaning step. They are both equally important and to skip one and only do the other would be to short your car’s paint from reaching it’s maximum potential and short yourself by leaving a little shine on the table… so to speak…
How to use them?
Paint cleaners are generally formulated and targeted at people still working by hand although some can be used by machine. Always read the directions for application recommendations and follow the manufactures recommendations as they know their products abilities and limitations best.
By Hand
- Use a clean, soft foam applicator pad, I really like these.
- Work on a cool surface in the shade
- Work a small area at a time, about 8" to 10" squarish or so...
- Use an "ample" amount of product, don't under-use and don't overuse to the point that you hyper-lubricate the surface but use enough to keep the surface lubricated throughout the process. I would use a teaspoon to a tablespoon of product, usually a tablespoon's amount to start with because your pad is dry when you start and some of the product is going to go into the pad, and after breaking in your pad then cut down to about a teaspoon's amount of product.
- Hold your hand flat to the pad, not vertical, the idea is to not put pressure ONLY on your fingertips but over the face of your fingers to avoid Fingermarks
- Spread the product out over the area you're going to work
- Work the product for about a minute, don't work till the product is dry, but it should go from an opaque film to a clear film
- Wipe off before residue dries
- When you move on to a new area overlap a little into the previous area
By Machine
For machine applications, normally you would be using some type of dual action polisher, for example the most popular polishers on the market today that are safe and easy to use on delicate clear coat paints include,
Porter Cable 7424XP
Meguiar’s G110v2
Griot’s Garage 6” ROP
Flex 3401 VRG
Cyclo Dual Head Orbital Polisher
For use with any of the above tools, you would want to,
- Work on a cool surface in the shade
- Use an ample amount of product, don’t under use and don’t over use the product.
- Use a soft polishing pad on a low to medium speed
- Work a small section at a time, no larger than 2 foot square and usually a little smaller is better
- Wipe-off residue after working each section
- Overlap a little into the previous section when starting a new section
- Maintain pad rotation but only apply light pressure.
After cleaning your car’s paint either by hand or machine and wiping all the leftover residue off, the paint is now ready for application of your favorite wax or paint sealant.
The benefits to using a paint cleaner
- Removes sub-surface and pore-embedding stains that washing and claying will not remove and your eyes cannot detect.
- Removes or improves fine swirls, scratches and other minor surface defects like water spots and etchings.
- Maximizes surface smoothness which maximizes gloss and shine.
- Restores optical clarity to clear coats so your eyes can see the true color underneath.
- Restores the full richness of color to single stage paints.
- Cleans the surface of any impurities that cold block or hinder the protection ingredients from bonding to or adhering to the paint.
- Helps your choice of wax or paint sealant to last long and thus protect longer because it can bond better.
- Helps your car’s paint to look better over the service life of the car.
- Maintaining your car’s appearance protects your investment.
Paint Cleaners are easy to use and provide some of the biggest gains in creating a show car shine from your time, money and efforts.
My comments...
I often get asked,
Which paint cleaner is the best?
The answer is everything Autogeek carries is top quality so you can't make a wrong choice, but here's one way I look at it...
Synergistic Chemical Compatibility
In simple words, I tend to be a
system guy, that is I will tend to use all products from a single manufacture using a system approach. Here's how this works...
The chemists that formulate the
first step products, since they know what's in them, they are better able to formulate the follow-up or
next step products so there's a
synergistic chemical compatibility. Using one product designed to be used after the results of the previous product is a
system approach.
For example, if you're going to use Pinnacle Souveran Paste Wax then use the Pinnacle Paintwork Cleansing Lotion. If you're going to use the Wolfgang Fuzion, then use the Wolfgang Paintwork Polish Enhancer, and so and so on...
I use a lot of different product lines so I don't limit myself to just one manufacture, but when I'm polishing paint, I will tend to stay within a single brand for that specific project just for the Synergistic Chemical Compatibility factor.
Lots of detailers and enthusiasts like to mix and match when they detail and that's also perfectly acceptable, I call that...
freestyling...
Further Resources
The 2 primary benefits of using detailing clay to clay paint
The Benefits of using a Car Wax or Paint Sealant
Paint Cleaners at Autogeek.net
Pinnacle Paintwork Cleansing Lotion
Wolfgang Paintwork Polish Enhancer
3M Scratch Remover
Dodo Juice Lime Prime Lite Cleaner Glaze
Dodo Juice Lime Prime Pre-Wax Cleanser Polish
Duragloss PreCleaner
1Z Einszett Paint Polish
Four Star Ultimate PreWax Cleanser
Griot's Garage Fine Hand Polish
Liquid Glass Pre-Cleaner
Meguiars SCRATCH X 2.0
Meguiars SwirlX Swirl Remover
Mothers California Gold Pre-Wax Cleaner
Mothers California Gold Scratch Remover
P21S Gloss Enhancing Paintwork Cleanser
Poorboy's World Professional Polish
SONAX Premium Class Paint Cleaner
SONAX Paint Cleaner
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