Can all the wax be gone if it still beads?

malachi0420

malachi0420

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After washing, and claying my paint, It still beads water, even though it hasn't been sealed or waxed since last fall.

Is it safe to assume the wax was removed during the claying process, or should I do something else to try to remove any remaining sealant & wax?

How do you know by looking at the paint, all the wax is gone?Feed back please
 
malachi0420 said:
After washing, and claying my paint, It still beads water, even though it hasn't been sealed or waxed since last fall.

Is it safe to assume the wax was removed during the claying process, or should I do something else to try to remove any remaining sealant & wax?

How do you know by looking at the paint, all the wax is gone?Feed back please
Click to expand...
most clay lubes will cause the water too bead as well. Are you just going to apply a new wax/sealant or to you plan to polish the paint?
 
malachi0420 said:
After washing, and claying my paint, It still beads water, even though it hasn't been sealed or waxed since last fall.

Is it safe to assume the wax was removed during the claying process, or should I do something else to try to remove any remaining sealant & wax?

How do you know by looking at the paint, all the wax is gone?Feed back please
Click to expand...
Claying may not remove all the old wax. Use a paint cleaner or use IPA, Prep Sol or mineral sprits to clean the paint. Inspect for marring..You may need to polish before waxing.
 
The best way to tell if the vehicle has any remaining sealant or wax is to spray water on the paint. If the water beads then there is still LSP remaining on the vehicle. However if the water sheets the LSP has been completely removed from the vehicle.
 
IMO it's harder to stop water from beading than to cause it, just about every product you use on your paint will bead water. I'm confident that claying does not remove all wax because after claying I've noticed a dirty build up on my applicator when pre-wax cleaning. I haven't found IPA to completely kill beading either as shown in my thread http://www.autogeekonline.net/forum/auto-detailing-101/24234-water-sheeting.html, and I know IPA isn't leaving its own protection.

Many people recommend Mineral spirits, Prepsol or APC and some have shown before and after where beading is GONE after APC. Instead of any of those, I would suggest hitting it with a polish like XMT 360 to clean up old wax, remove any light swirls since last year and it leaves it's own protection that I have found to be a great base for wax. :xyxthumbs:
 
paint that is in good condition that is free and clear of dirt may also cause water beading. Water beading is a good short term gauge of how much protection is left over the course of a week or two on an average car (no polishing done beforehand). if you have clayed and polished the paint before hand, then it is really a bad way to gauge if there is any protection since the polished paint will be able to cause beading.

The best thing to do is just be on the safe side and take the time to re-detail the car. Also instead of using quick detailer as clay lube, you can use a combination of Optimum No Rinse Wash and Shine in a spray bottle with water. This way you won't leave any sealants behind as NRWS doesn't contain any to my knowledge. After that an IPA wipedown is always good to ensure that there isn't any wax or dirt left.
 
I believe ONR does leave something behind on the paint... like 80% sure... someone else can confrim this ?
 
Thank you, ALL so much!

I really appreciate all of the precious, and informative feedback.

After claying with ONR, I did a wipe-down with straight mineral spirits & microfiber, and still got plenty of beading.

BTW my 06 trailblazer (White, hard as a rock clearcoat), is a DD and sits outside 24/7

I plan on using the Finish Kare Paint Decontamination System, auto paint cleaning system, de-contamination solution, I believe that will take care of anything left on the paint. (Really bad winter's here).

For the next phase, I plan on polishing, Then I will apply Finish Kare 218 Poly Wipe Sealant, polymer paint sealant, anti-static paint sealer, high temp sealant, then top with Finish Kare 1000P Hi-Temp Paste Wax, high melt polymer car wax, Finish care auto wax for the LSP.

Do you think this process sounds correct?

Thank you again for the feedback!

Autogeek Rules!:buffing:
 
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