confused about washing after polishing

flyinion

flyinion

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So I'm starting to see a trend since starting to read stuff here and I'm not sure I understand either why or when I should follow the procedure (more towards when at this point). That is that I see people doing for example the following.......

wash
clay as needed
compound/removing swirls/etc.
WASH AGAIN
sealers
LSP's
etc.

My confusion is on the second wash step, why it needs to be done, and what kinds of products it should be done after. For example, right now the only non-wax or sealer I use is Pinnacle paintwork cleansing lotion. Should I be washing after using that before laying down wax or sealer?

Now just purely as an example as I don't own either product and who knows if I'd buy that particular brand when I actually need something for that purpose. Would I want to wash the car after using say Pinnacle's "advanced swirl remover" or "advanced finishing polish"?

Also I typically use Pinnacle bodywork shampoo as it's what came in the Signature II kit I bought last August. Would I want to use that for the 2nd wash or something else?
 
flyinion said:
So I'm starting to see a trend since starting to read stuff here and I'm not sure I understand either why or when I should follow the procedure (more towards when at this point). That is that I see people doing for example the following.......

wash
clay as needed
compound/removing swirls/etc.
WASH AGAIN
sealers
LSP's
etc.

My confusion is on the second wash step, why it needs to be done, and what kinds of products it should be done after. For example, right now the only non-wax or sealer I use is Pinnacle paintwork cleansing lotion. Should I be washing after using that before laying down wax or sealer?

Now just purely as an example as I don't own either product and who knows if I'd buy that particular brand when I actually need something for that purpose. Would I want to wash the car after using say Pinnacle's "advanced swirl remover" or "advanced finishing polish"?

Also I typically use Pinnacle bodywork shampoo as it's what came in the Signature II kit I bought last August. Would I want to use that for the 2nd wash or something else?
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I never wash after polishing because if reverses your work you just did, ANYTHING that comes into contact with your paint will leave some sort of marking. I can do the most gentle wash/dry you could imagine and i still get micromarring after a wash, that was until i applied C. Quartz, but thats against the point. Just do an 11% IPA wipedown after polishing, that will probably leave less marring than a wash, or maybe the same but fewer steps.
 
kelley386 said:
I never wash after polishing because if reverses your work you just did, ANYTHING that comes into contact with your paint will leave some sort of marking. I can do the most gentle wash/dry you could imagine and i still get micromarring after a wash, that was until i applied C. Quartz, but thats against the point. Just do an 11% IPA wipedown after polishing, that will probably leave less marring than a wash, or maybe the same but fewer steps.
Click to expand...

Thanks. Would I do the IPA wipedown after any kind of polishing? What about say after the paintwork cleansing lotion which isn't a polish but chemically strips old waxes and such off the car?
 
Sometimes I'll wash a 2nd time with some OPC to remove the polish oils instead of IPA wipe downs on every panel.

Also washing a 2nd time helps to remove the dust from compounding or polishing
 
The second wash step if for removing things like splatter.

I never do one.
 
From my understanding and from what everyone else has already posted, you want to have a raw contact point for your LSP.

Compounding and polishing can leave behind oils, dust, splatter and things behind; but mostly after polishing you leave behind oils that inhibit the ability of your LSP from bonding correctly with the paint.

I think the easier way to do it is to just do a IPA wipe down on each panel after polishing then wash the whole car.
 
I also think that they do it to remove the polishing dust especially from heavy compounds like M105. I never do it myself. I tried to do it once and never liked it.
 
kelley386 said:
I never wash after polishing because if reverses your work you just did, ANYTHING that comes into contact with your paint will leave some sort of marking. I can do the most gentle wash/dry you could imagine and i still get micromarring after a wash, that was until i applied C. Quartz, but thats against the point. Just do an 11% IPA wipedown after polishing, that will probably leave less marring than a wash, or maybe the same but fewer steps.
Click to expand...

if you are nitpicking to that degree (i don't agree at all with being that silly), the IPA wipedown will ideally leave more potential marring than a rinse and wash with your ideal choice of pre-LSP wash. but again it's silly...

what you are saying doesn't make sense - which do you think would leave more "micro marring"? a wipedown with a high quality media and an incredibly non-lubricious solution, or a water-rich wash with a high quality media and very lubricious solution.

listen, i do IPA wipedowns, i have no problem with them at all, but to say that washing is worse or the same in terms of marring is unnecessary and unfounded.

OP, don't worry about it. do whatever you feel makes more sense. some people prefer wash because it helps rid of any dust from polishes and compounds. some people do solvent wipedowns because they don't feel the need to go to the distance of a multi-step wash. some people do both. don't drive yourself crazy.
 
It probably leaves behind chemicals and oils to take off old wax/paint transfer etc etc. I'm sure a IPA/Mineral spirits wipe would take care of that.
 
Rei86 said:
It probably leaves behind chemicals and oils to take off old wax/paint transfer etc etc. I'm sure a IPA/Mineral spirits wipe would take care of that.
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Thanks. I'm thinking I might do a wash vs. IPA though because I guess part of the workings of the PPCL is that it's supposed to leave behind fillers to fill in fine imperfections. I guess I'd be worried that IPA would remove that, but maybe I'm wrong since I've never tried lol. Guess I'm just trying to understand all the concepts as I'd never really heard of doing a 2nd wash or an IPA wipedown until I started really looking at how to detail my car.

Of course I'm looking to get max life out of my sealants and/or wax choices and it sounds like this is part of that so just trying to understand the concepts of why and when to do it and what kinds of products I shouldn't do it with. I guess the maybe my real takeaway from the PPCL discussion here is that maybe if I need the fillers after it's done with stripping the old waxes off and cleaning the paint pores, maybe I should be using an actual polish with the mico-abrasives instead.
 
I go panel by panel. ONR, clay, polish, wax the next panel. But I still have to power wash or hose wash after to get the dusting out of the nooks and stuff.
 
alot of guys i read wash after polishing via foam gun and then pressure washer to rid the surface of any dusting or leftover polish.

i dont have a foam gun or pressure washer, so i just us IPA and gentle wiping
 
If I get a lot of dust from compounding I use compressed air if I feel there still is too much I will pressure wash then blow dry
 
I wash between each step of polishing with an APC mixture. This helps me remove the dust along with anykind of oils that may be left behind. I for some strange reason find it a rewarding time spent during the polishing process

I've been doing it this way for a quarter of a century, so even if someone were to show me an easier way, I doubt I would change my routine
 
No need to wash, rinse or wipedown after Pinnacle cleansing lotion. This product is designed to clean the paint and leave behind fillers to mask fine swirls and then be waxed over to help keep the fillers in place. Washing/IPA wipedown after this product would surely remove these fillers and is totally unnecessary.

Do a wash/wipedown after correcting with an abrasive polish, the point being to clean the surface of any oils/residues that may be masking defects/micro marring, remove polish dust that could get on your wax pad and mar the surface and to have a clean slate for applying your LSP of choice. (most) Polishes are not designed with ingredients that are intended to be waxed over, rather designed to just correct the paint, so clean off any residue when your finished. Pinnacle XMT 360 would be an example of a polish the you can wax over. I have found it's "built in" sealant to be an excellent base for LSP's, providing an apparent increase in longevity/durability of overall protection.
 
builthatch said:
if you are nitpicking to that degree (i don't agree at all with being that silly), the IPA wipedown will ideally leave more potential marring than a rinse and wash with your ideal choice of pre-LSP wash. but again it's silly...

what you are saying doesn't make sense - which do you think would leave more "micro marring"? a wipedown with a high quality media and an incredibly non-lubricious solution, or a water-rich wash with a high quality media and very lubricious solution.

listen, i do IPA wipedowns, i have no problem with them at all, but to say that washing is worse or the same in terms of marring is unnecessary and unfounded.

OP, don't worry about it. do whatever you feel makes more sense. some people prefer wash because it helps rid of any dust from polishes and compounds. some people do solvent wipedowns because they don't feel the need to go to the distance of a multi-step wash. some people do both. don't drive yourself crazy.
Click to expand...



Ron Paul - Ha Ha - is his some sort of Joke
 
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