Pinnacle Paintwork Cleansing Lotion

[Mike PhillipsMike Phillips is verified member.]

Mike,

Welcome back from Vegas and congrats on the In the Garage project.

Thank you...

Is the Pinnacle Paintwork Cleansing Lotion interchangeable with the Wolfgang paintwork enhancer or Four Star Paint Cleaner when using DGPS and Fuzion?

Yes, they are all in the same category, "Paint Cleaners", all three can be applied by hand or with DA style polisher to clean paint surfaces to prepare them for application for wax or paint sealant.

I happen to own the Four Star. I figure that they should all do about the same thing but in some ways PPCL also sounds a little like an old school finishing glaze in some ways as it amps the gloss.

Actually, if the paint you're working on is showing any kind of dullness out of the ordinary, then all 3 will restore gloss and clarity and there's not going to be a dramatic difference in end-results after wipe-off between these or any of the rest that I compiled into a list in this thread.

The benefits of a light paint cleaner, cleansing lotion or pre-wax cleaner


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


Sorry for the delay in getting back to you... we had a surprise visit from a special guest from SoCal while he was on business here in Florida.

 

[Kurt_s]

Never used a paint cleaner before. I alway's wipe down with IPA or Prep Sol before sealing or waxing. Just tried out PPCL and all I can say is WOW! It left such a gloss I wanted to leave it alone, but they say to wax over it. LSP is Fuzion.

Ron,
Wow, nice liquid finish. Reading your posts for the past year has lead me to assume that you polish, wipedown and apply the LSP as a general practice.

I also follow the belief that using a polish and/or finish polish followed by a compatible LSP might not necessitate an IPA wipedown after the final polishing step. Yes after compounding to check correction, but maybe not after a finish polish.

In your opinion, did the IPA wipedown or Prep Sol degrade the finish or did the PPCL amp the finish?

 

[Rsurfer]

Hi Kurt, thanks for the compliment. After a polish I use an IPA wipe down to rid any oils and for final inspection before LSP. This step also aids in removing any polishing dust. If I don't need to polish then I use a paint cleaner before sealing/waxing. Going to try a mixture of 90% alcohol and 10% Dawn for a final wipe down. The answer to your last question is no. The IPA wipe down did not degrade the finish and yes, the PPCL did amp up the finish.

 

[DARK HORSE]

Hi Kurt, thanks for the compliment. After a polish I use an IPA wipe down to rid any oils and for final inspection before LSP. This step also aids in removing any polishing dust. If I don't need to polish then I use a paint cleaner before sealing/waxing. Going to try a mixture of 90% alcohol and 10% Dawn for a final wipe down. The answer to your last question is no. The IPA wipe down did not degrade the finish and yes, the PPCL did amp up the finish.

Do tell more Ron?? Where did you come up with this, and what is the reasoning?

 

[Kurt_s]

Hi Kurt, thanks for the compliment. After a polish I use an IPA wipe down to rid any oils and for final inspection before LSP. This step also aids in removing any polishing dust. If I don't need to polish then I use a paint cleaner before sealing/waxing. Going to try a mixture of 90% alcohol and 10% Dawn for a final wipe down. The answer to your last question is no. The IPA wipe down did not degrade the finish and yes, the PPCL did amp up the finish.

Ron, your welcome. The finish rocks!

Which prewax paint cleaners have you been using that didn't get the amped finish that you got here?

 

[Rsurfer]

Do tell more Ron?? Where did you come up with this, and what is the reasoning?

Hi Tad, been fooling around with GTechniq sealant and it requires a very clean surface for the product to bond. Someone recommended the alcohol and Dawn mix. Sounds like it would work, but I haven't tried it yet.

 

[DARK HORSE]

Hi Tad, been fooling around with GTechniq sealant and it requires a very clean surface for the product to bond. Someone recommended the alcohol and Dawn mix. Sounds like it would work, but I haven't tried it yet.

Interesting, I'd be curious to know if it turns out that you really like it.

 

[Rsurfer]

Ron, your welcome. The finish rocks!

Which prewax paint cleaners have you been using that didn't get the amped finish that you got here?

Tried P21s and Dodo Juice and they also work well. I know that didn't answer your question, but I haven't used many to find a bad one. LOL

 

[DARK HORSE]

Wolfgang Paint Polisher Enhancer also works very well. Iv'e used it and PPCL both.

 

[Rsurfer]

Interesting, I'd be curious to know if it turns out that you really like it.

I'll let you know, maybe this coming weekend.rops:

 

[DARK HORSE]

BTW: That's some slick looking paint you've got there Ron :dblthumb2:

 

[Kurt_s]

Tried P21s and Dodo Juice and they also work well. I know that didn't answer your question, but I haven't used many to find a bad one. LOL

How come you were so impressed with the PPCL if you've used the P21s and Dodo products with good luck? Do you prefer PPCL?

I have several prewax cleaners in the garage but I was impressed with your picture when using PPCL plus fuzion. I also always used a finishing glaze (OG Omega Glaze or Megs Showcar) before waxing throughout the '00s, but not since going to a sealant or mechanical polishing then LSP. I almost sense that PPCL is a cleaner and glaze combination in your hands. What do you think?

Would you consider using PPCL after polishing in the future?

 

[Kurt_s]

Hi Tad, been fooling around with GTechniq sealant and it requires a very clean surface for the product to bond. Someone recommended the alcohol and Dawn mix. Sounds like it would work, but I haven't tried it yet.

Ron, the mixture may work really well with some products and not with others. Dawn may help scavage some residual lubricating oils better than the IPA alone.

The potential downside to using Dawn in the mix might be residual surfactants being left on the paint surface. Alcohol will evaporate while the surfactants may remain creating a charged, hydrophobic or hydrophilic barrier on the paint surface. The bonding principles of the sealant were designed for the paint's chemical surface and probably not the surfactant's.

If you think about Dawn as a degreaser and cleaner, flooding the paint with water helps to remove the surfactants when rinsing. Spraying the Dawn mixture on the paint and wiping may not fully dilute the wetting agents on the paint surface. On the other hand, the amount of sealant product applied to the paint may be so much greater than the residual surfactant that it's all moot chemically. I'm not a paint and sealant chemist so there's a little SWAG here.

You might also want to consider a plain IPA wipedown after wiping off the Dawn/IPA mixture to remove as much residual surfactant possible.

 

[Rsurfer]

Ron, the mixture may work really well with some products and not with others. Dawn may help scavage some residual lubricating oils better than the IPA alone.

The potential downside to using Dawn in the mix might be residual surfactants being left on the paint surface. Alcohol will evaporate while the surfactants may remain creating a charged, hydrophobic or hydrophilic barrier on the paint surface. The bonding principles of the sealant were designed for the paint's chemical surface and probably not the surfactant's.

If you think about Dawn as a degreaser and cleaner, flooding the paint with water helps to remove the surfactants when rinsing. Spraying the Dawn mixture on the paint and wiping may not fully dilute the wetting agents on the paint surface. On the other hand, the amount of sealant product applied to the paint may be so much greater than the residual surfactant that it's all moot chemically. I'm not a paint and sealant chemist so there's a little SWAG here.

You might also want to consider a plain IPA wipedown after wiping off the Dawn/IPA mixture to remove as much residual surfactant possible.

Sounds like a good idea or just flood with plain water. Just wondering how much suds the alcohol and Dawn mixture would create.

 

[Kurt_s]

Sounds like a good idea or just flood with plain water. Just wondering how much suds the alcohol and Dawn mixture would create.

A 10% Dawn concentration will probably create some wicked suds. That is a lot of detergent when drops are probably all you will need.

 

[Rsurfer]

How come you were so impressed with the PPCL if you've used the P21s and Dodo products with good luck? Do you prefer PPCL?

I have several prewax cleaners in the garage but I was impressed with your picture when using PPCL plus fuzion. I also always used a finishing glaze (OG Omega Glaze or Megs Showcar) before waxing throughout the '00s, but not since going to a sealant or mechanical polishing then LSP. I almost sense that PPCL is a cleaner and glaze combination in your hands. What do you think?

Would you consider using PPCL after polishing in the future?

Yes, I still use PPCL after polishing. On the wife's car, I'm using a sealant and feel just clean paint might have better bonding with a sealant so I don't use a paint cleaner, just an IPA wipe down. I'm using a nuba (Vintage) on the G35 and since nuba's really doesn't bond to the clear it's not an issue and I do use PPCL.