pre Cancoat prep

[raysaint]

I'm just about of my old Klasse HGS, want to try Cancoat on the wifes CX-30. So I need to ensure old coatings are gone, I believe.
Should I polish? I did full polish with Carpro Reflect in 2024 (few faint swirls remain on the hood). The paint is Japanese, so thin. Could it handle another round of Reflect, or another swirl remover or paint cleaner?
Or what about Gyeon Total Remover instead; this would be easier.
You thoughts and suggestions are appreciated as always.
thank you.

 

[The Guz]

Have you measured the paint to determine it is thin?

You could always buzz around the paint real quick with Reflect and be just fine. That Gyeon product would probably remove Klasse as it is pretty potent. Try a small spot and see what it does.

Polishing for sure will prep the surface followed by a panel wipe prior to CanCoat.

 

[Optimus Grime]

I'd do a light polish which should be more than enough to take off an old coating while barely removing any clear coat. On a vehicle that size you should be able to to do a light polish in an hour.

 

[DFB]

I've polished with Carpro Essence prior to a CanCoat application. This will jewel up the paint while removing and filling minor defects, as well as laying a foundation for CanCoat to bond to. Have done this multiple times now and easily get 12-months out of the coating.

 

[yakky]

I would polish lightly at least after claying. Then do a quick IPA wipe down. Or use a dedicated prep polish.

I know many will scoff at this, but Mothers Step #1 works really well for coating prep.

 

[raysaint]

I've polished with Carpro Essence prior to a CanCoat application. This will jewel up the paint while removing and filling minor defects, as well as laying a foundation for CanCoat to bond to. Have done this multiple times now and easily get 12-months out of the coating.

Carpro site says that the new version of Essence has no abrasives now, it's more of a coating that hides minor flaws. I'm thinking Reflect, which I have and has abrasives, might remove the Klasse better. And the faint swirls better.

 

[raysaint]

Thanks to all. I'll probably do a quick polish. But I may get some Gyeon Total Remove and try it near edges, to save taping before polishing; I'll polish the open areas.
And I can try the Gyeon on a test area of the black trim, where the Cerakote made streaks. Cerakote is a good product but terrible application method, those little wipes, and difficult to cover/blend any streaks.

 

[Setec Astronomy]

Carpro site says that the new version of Essence has no abrasives now, it's more of a coating that hides minor flaws. I'm thinking Reflect, which I have and has abrasives, might remove the Klasse better. And the faint swirls better.

Honestly, the action of the pad is going to remove the KSG, even if the polish has no abrasives. When you say the "new version" of Essence has no abrasives, are you referring to Essence Plus? Because Essence and Essence Plus are two different products with two different uses.

 

[DFB]

Carpro site says that the new version of Essence has no abrasives now, it's more of a coating that hides minor flaws. I'm thinking Reflect, which I have and has abrasives, might remove the Klasse better. And the faint swirls better.

Kinda true.

There are two versions of Essence. The original Essence has the same abrasive package as Reflect, meaning it does provide some corrective ability. The second version is called Essence+ and as noted, it does not contain an abrasive, its basically a Si02 topper and filler to "repair" old coatings.

 

[DFB]

Honestly, the action of the pad is going to remove the KSG, even if the polish has no abrasives. When you say the "new version" of Essence has no abrasives, are you referring to Essence Plus? Because Essence and Essence Plus are two different products with two different uses.

This.

I absolutely love Essence and Reflect, probably the best finishing polishes on the market, super easy to work with, no dust, smooth wipe off.

 

[raysaint]

Honestly, the action of the pad is going to remove the KSG, even if the polish has no abrasives. When you say the "new version" of Essence has no abrasives, are you referring to Essence Plus? Because Essence and Essence Plus are two different products with two different uses.

Agreed, the pad will remove the KSG, however, if I'm gonna polish I may as well try and remove the faint swirls on the hood at the same time. So light abrasive might be best. And I have Reflect, so I can use that with a yellow Rupes pad on the hood, and maybe a white pad on the rest.

 

[raysaint]

Looked into Gyeon Total Remover a bit more, (some test videos), might not be that great. Some people said Poorboys Strip Down might be better for areas you don't want to polish.
But still some say none of these products strip completely, just remove the beading properties. Or the theory it breaks the bond, and then the sealant can be washed away. Who knows. I'll polish.

 

[Setec Astronomy]

But still some say none of these products strip completely, just remove the beading properties. Or the theory it breaks the bond, and then the sealant can be washed away. Who knows. I'll polish.

That's probably best. I usually link a couple of threads from years ago that kind of upended our assumptions on stripping sealants and waxes. The pictures are gone from them so they are hard to follow now, but the upshot was that at least for sealants, the things we thought were "stripping" them were just clogging them and killing the beading, which could then be restored by wiping with IPA, which removed the clogging and restored the beading, without removing the sealant.

 

[raysaint]

That's probably best. I usually link a couple of threads from years ago that kind of upended our assumptions on stripping sealants and waxes. The pictures are gone from them so they are hard to follow now, but the upshot was that at least for sealants, the things we thought were "stripping" them were just clogging them and killing the beading, which could then be restored by wiping with IPA, which removed the clogging and restored the beading, without removing the sealant.

Thanks for the insight.