What is a Good Paint Cleaner?

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1flyfisher

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I am looking for a product to clean off small areas on my vehicle as they appear. I washed and waxed my new 2010 GMC Savana for the first time yesterday and while waxing I noticed some black gunk on the paint behind the tire well. The dealership put some crap on the tires that flew all over. Most came off easily but I noticed some crud still stuck on the paint.

What is a good product for cleaning small stubborn areas off your paint?

I want something that I can use in the days and weeks following a good waxing and detailing as little dirt areas appear.

Also what is a good wax to spray on small areas?
 
1flyfisher said:
I am looking for a product to clean off small areas on my vehicle as they appear. I washed and waxed my new 2010 GMC Savana for the first time yesterday and while waxing I noticed some black gunk on the paint behind the tire well. The dealership put some crap on the tires that flew all over. Most came off easily but I noticed some crud still stuck on the paint.

What is a good product for cleaning small stubborn areas off your paint?

I want something that I can use in the days and weeks following a good waxing and detailing as little dirt areas appear.

Also what is a good wax to spray on small areas?
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Try claying. Did the truck get clayed? Get a zip lock bag, put your hand in it and gently rub your fingers against the paint. If you feel grit, it needs to be clayed to get out the contaminants imbedded in your clear coat. If clay doesn't take off the tire sling, try using a mild polish. Souveran spray wax, Aqua Wax, Optimum Car Wax are good spray waxes that AG carries.
 
Meguiars M66 Quick Detailer is an excellent cleaner wax for a "new car prep"
 
Pinnacle, P21S, and Dodo all make dedicated paint cleansing lotions and you should consider having one on site as always a great and easy choice when polishing is not desired.
 
The vehicle is brand new 3 months old and hasn't been clayed.

Rsurfer said:
Try claying. Did the truck get clayed? Get a zip lock bag, put your hand in it and gently rub your fingers against the paint. If you feel grit, it needs to be clayed to get out the contaminants imbedded in your clear coat. If clay doesn't take off the tire sling, try using a mild polish. Souveran spray wax, Aqua Wax, Optimum Car Wax are good spray waxes that AG carries.
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Well I haven't tried using a baggie but I have run my hand over the paint and it is smooth. The paint is showroom condition.

LOL My Dealership probably just hit it with a hose IF ANYTHING knowing what I bow know about them, ,,,,they don't want to do anything. Including warranty repairs. They suck badly.


Rsurfer said:
Again, use the baggie test...maybe the dealer clayed and polished.
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Fly do a baggie test a lot of the time you need to clay off contaminates from transporting the car and storage PRESALE.... Plus the clay will remove a lot of ABOVE SURFACE contaminants
 
Remember that if you use a dedicated paint cleansing lotion, that you'll need to re-apply wax , as it will remove it...
 
killrwheels@autogeek said:
Pinnacle, P21S, and Dodo all make dedicated paint cleansing lotions and you should consider having one on site as always a great and easy choice when polishing is not desired.
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I know PB PwS is an all-in-one, so can it also be used as a pre-wax cleaner and then topped by WG Paint Sealant 3.0? What I'm trying to accomplish is removing any left-over polishing oils without having to use a dedicated pre-wax cleanser or IPA wipe-downs.
 
kronos said:
I know PB PwS is an all-in-one, so can it also be used as a pre-wax cleaner and then topped by WG Paint Sealant 3.0? What I'm trying to accomplish is removing any left-over polishing oils without having to use a dedicated pre-wax cleanser or IPA wipe-downs.
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Just curious; why don't you want to do an IPA wipedown after polishing?
 
There's about 4 different methods I can think of for removing polishing oils/residues before applying the LSP.

1. Wash with a heavily concentrated mixture of soap & water.
2. Ipa wipe-down.
3. Pre-wax cleanser.
4. Straight to LSP after polishing.

So my curiosity has gotten the better of me. I use Meg's APC after each test section to ensure I'm getting the amount of correction I want. However, before applying the LSP I know for the best bond between the car and sealer, the car should first be free of polishing oils/residues. So I got to thinking, "what if I could use PB PwS to act as the pre-wax cleaner to prep the surface for the LSP, while simultaneously putting a layer of sealant that can still be topped by our favorite sealer/wax".

So what do you think?
 
Thought Megs APC was not considered "Paint Safe" as it has the ability to dry the paint? Thought this was the big advantage optimum power clean had over it?

Correct me if I am wrong...

And how does IPA do vs something like APC for this purpose?
 
Da Fats said:
Thought Megs APC was not considered "Paint Safe" as it has the ability to dry the paint? Thought this was the big advantage optimum power clean had over it?

Correct me if I am wrong...

And how does IPA do vs something like APC for this purpose?
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This is my understanding as well.

I never once thought about using APC to remove polishing oils. I only use IPA, mineral spirits, or a chemical paint cleaner to remove polishing oils.
 
I thought I answered that.

kronos said:
... I got to thinking, "what if I could use PB PwS to act as the pre-wax cleaner to prep the surface for the LSP, while simultaneously putting a layer of sealant that can still be topped by our favorite sealer/wax"...
Click to expand...

I'll try to be a little more detailed, no pun intended, with my explanation. I store all the detailing supplies I think I would need in a portable tool box. I don't want to carry an extra bottle of IPA for wipe-downs because it makes it heavier and takes up space. Space is already limited and I'm trying to utilize the products I have in my box to their fullest. Another reason is I prefer to use concentrated car wash soap to remove polishing oils and dust from the car before applying the LSP, believing that that is the more thorough method. Like Mike Phillips says, all you really need to wipe-down is the test-spot to ensure the correction you want is produced. From there I can wipe-down the entire car with IPA and prepare the surface for the LSP, or I could use PB PwS to accomplish the same task while simultaneously layering the car with sealer.

So while I really have no good reason whatsoever to not want to carry IPA, I'm not convinced IPA is that necessary to have in my arsenal. Maybe it's a step I can skip (wiping down the whole car with IPA to prep it for the LSP).

Fly bye said:
Just curious; why don't you want to do an IPA wipedown after polishing?
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:bump:
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Disclaimer: I'm a newbie detailer.
 
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