paint cleaner

[hobby]

I would like to know if it is a good idea to use a paint cleaner in the 5 step wash process if my paint is in very good condition.
I was thinking about using deep crystal paint cleaner after I clay, but since this paint cleaner does have mild abrassives, should I just go straight to polishing after I clay?

[scarface_]

If its in good condition with no swirls or nothing i would think you don't need to. Just clay then wax. Maybe someone experienced can chime in if i'm wrong.

[miked2]

Note that DC1 is very very mild, even with its abrasives. If you have any swirlies, I would recommend cleaning. Otherwise, there's probably not much of an advantage to doing it. But definitely polish with DC2. I've found that even with new cars, it does a great job. But, if you done DC1 first, DC2 afterwards doesn't do as much (at least for me).

[Murr1525]

The problem is that washing just get the dirt you can see, and even claying only get deposits sitting on top of the paint. Using a cleaner gets the dirt trapped down in the pores, so it doesnt build up. With dirt down in the pores, wax wont adhere as well anyway.

Give this a read, it talks about it a bit:


A Lesson From White Paint

[gb387]

Originally posted by Murr1525
[B]The problem is that washing just get the dirt you can see, and even claying only get deposits sitting on top of the paint. Using a cleaner gets the dirt trapped down in the pores, so it doesnt build up. With dirt down in the pores, wax wont adhere as well anyway.

Deep Crystal Paint Cleaner is a very worth while step, gives you that clean surface needed for a pure wax. Like already mentioned it is a very mild cleaner and works very well both by hand and PC, no worries using it!