Mixing Meg’s APC with car wash to strip paint

acuRAS82

acuRAS82

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Until I purchase the new McKee’s Coating Prep Auto Wash, I’m hoping for an alternative way to strip most or all of the wax on my car before doing clay/polish/LSP.

I know the polishing will also remove the existing LSP, but whatever I can get off first to allow the clay to better do it’s job, and to prevent gum up on my pads would be helpful.

current plan is to use normal, glossless car soap mixed with 2oz of Meg’s APC in 2 gal of water. I arbitrarily chose 2oz APC and was wondering if anyone has any feedback for me (whether 2oz seems good, whether washing paint with APC is a wasted effort since I’m going to polish, etc).

thanks in advance!
 
This sound like a very good approach
Meguiars APC or super degreaser add in soap will definitely help remove a lot in my experience
I suggest dilute the APC in a spray bottle to be more effective.
 
As gem65 said dilute the megs APC in a spray bottle or pump spray bottle. And spray to a panel and let it dwell for a little while. Then without rinsing it off wash with the wash solution and rinse off directly after. Then you get a more potent strip wash.
 
SWETM said:
As gem65 said dilute the megs APC in a spray bottle or pump spray bottle. And spray to a panel and let it dwell for a little while. Then without rinsing it off wash with the wash solution and rinse off directly after. Then you get a more potent strip wash.
Click to expand...

Dilute 2:30 in a 32 oz spray bottle?
 
There will be a really good chance that
washing the vehicle with a solution of
Meguiar’s APC and car-wash shampoo
will leave behind a surfactant film/residue.

•If so:
-Will it either mask the fact that the LSP
may have not actually been stripped?
-Or, if in fact the LSP has actually been
stripped...will the surfactant film cause
any of the problems you initially were
concerned with, i.e. pads gumming up,
Clay being more effective, etc.?


•I go by this mantra:
-If I Clay, I will always polish.

That takes care of any “paint stripping”
conundrum for me.




Bob
 
FUNX650 said:
There will be a really good chance that
washing the vehicle with a solution of
Meguiar’s APC and car-wash shampoo
will leave behind a surfactant film/residue.

•If so:
-Will it either mask the fact that the LSP
may have not actually been stripped?
-Or, if in fact the LSP has actually been
stripped...will the surfactant film cause
any of the problems you initially were
concerned with, i.e. pads gumming up,
Clay being more effective, etc.?


•I go by this mantra:
-If I Clay, I will always polish.

That takes care of any “paint stripping”
conundrum for me.




Bob
Click to expand...

Without knowing anything about the chemistry of APC and shampoo, I agree that there is a chance that these two products might interact and generate a bad outcome. Might be better to hit it with APC first and then shampoo after.
 
Route246 said:
Without knowing anything about the chemistry of APC and shampoo, I agree that there is a chance that these two products might interact and generate a bad outcome. Might be better to hit it with APC first and then shampoo after.
Click to expand...

True, I can also do a paint prep wipe before claying. I’m torn now. Might be easier to simply wash and then start the clay process, like Bob suggested. Perhaps I’ll only spray tight areas with APC, areas where I’m a little concerned that my polisher may not get good contact to fully remove the previous coat.
 
acuRAS82 said:
True, I can also do a paint prep wipe before claying. I’m torn now. Might be easier to simply wash and then start the clay process, like Bob suggested. Perhaps I’ll only spray tight areas with APC, areas where I’m a little concerned that my polisher may not get good contact to fully remove the previous coat.
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But, you'll be polishing anyway...that will strip the wax, right?
 
If it's just wax, an IPA solution may be enough for tight spots. Or you could just manually polish these areas
 
I’ll be polishing. Could always hand polish those spots. Probably making more out of this than needed, but it’s nice to hear the ideas bounce around.

The existing LSP is 3-week old Midnight Sun on top of 2.5 month old Blackfire sealant.
 
acuRAS82 said:
Dilute 2:30 in a 32 oz spray bottle?
Click to expand...

Test it on a small area first. When I read up on d101 it's made for interior purpose. And leaves something behind and maybe not rinse free on exterior. The d108 at 1:10 would be a better choice to degrease the paint and maybe break down the wax and sealant some. The rest would the claying and polishing take care of. It's not so much wax and sealant that lays on the paint that would be gumming up the pads when polishing.

When I'm is going to reapply the LSP or polishing I do a decon on the paint. To work as clean as possible before polishing. That is useing a prewash foam that is alkaline based and a tar remover and iron remover. Then claying will be a breeze to do. Maybe it's overwork but I feel that I have a clean slate to polishing on. The coating prep wash or the GG foaming surface prep is as the first step in the decon process I do.
 
SWETM said:
Test it on a small area first. When I read up on d101 it's made for interior purpose. And leaves something behind and maybe not rinse free on exterior. The d108 at 1:10 would be a better choice to degrease the paint and maybe break down the wax and sealant some. The rest would the claying and polishing take care of. It's not so much wax and sealant that lays on the paint that would be gumming up the pads when polishing.

When I'm is going to reapply the LSP or polishing I do a decon on the paint. To work as clean as possible before polishing. That is useing a prewash foam that is alkaline based and a tar remover and iron remover. Then claying will be a breeze to do. Maybe it's overwork but I feel that I have a clean slate to polishing on. The coating prep wash or the GG foaming surface prep is as the first step in the decon process I do.
Click to expand...

I’m avoiding Iron X because I did it in April with almost no color changes (this after owning the car for 10 years), so I’m hanging on to my last bottle for awhile for cost purposes. I would definitely use the coating prep wash but I don’t own it yet and this weekend is my near term chance to polish.

I’m going to pass on the strip idea and go right to clay mitt. My LSP is PBL Sealant, which doesn’t call for a surgically clean surface so it’ll all be good I think.
 
^^and as others have stated, the polish will clean it anyways. I was just fishing for stripping ideas using what I already have on the shelf.

Thanks all who responded, I learned new things !!!
 
Supposedly claying should help that. I’ve never understood how it can in any way uniformly remove wax, given the clay bar or mitt is gliding across the surface on top of lube, only plucking what is sticking out externally, but I just try to trust the process.
 
acuRAS82 said:
Supposedly claying should help that. I’ve never understood how it can in any way uniformly remove wax, given the clay bar or mitt is gliding across the surface on top of lube, only plucking what is sticking out externally, but I just try to trust the process.
Click to expand...

Gliding across the surface in the same way your LSP was applied?

I think you answered your own question..............:cool:
 
Now your LSP is rather freshly applyied. But with a paint that has not been decon for say over a year. If you where to use a clay and often a fine grade one as the only decon step. Vs a full decon with a finish of with a medium grade clay. Doing this to a 50/50 hood and doing the first polishing on it with a fresh pad on each side. You will see a big difference in what the polishing pad pics up for contaminants on it. And if you where to one step it that contaminants will be going over the parts that you are polishing. But it would interfear with a first compounding too and maybe effect the results you get from the compounding.

How much of a difference would it do I don't know. But that is why I like to decon the way I do to have as clean surface as possible before applying a LSP or polishing. Of course I test the amount of oxidized iron particals with a test spot with the iron remover. After the first step with the prewash foam I inspect if I have any tar spots or rubber spots. The tar remover is often applyied on the lower parts of the car. If not I have gotten tree sap then it's going on to the whole car.

This steps is an easy thing to do and a PW makes it effective to do them. It's spray on and let it dwell for the recommended time and then cleaned with the water pressure from the PW. Sure it's has economical part to it also. And it just not only the remaining of the LSP but the contaminants that you will either lock in with the new LSP or what the polishing pad pics up.
 
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