Meguiars Paint Cleaner to rinse or not?

[David621]

even more q's for you guys... sorry!


Do I use this product before every wax job or once in a while? The back of the bottle says to wash the car, then apply the paint cleaner, and then wipe it dry. Is that all I have to do before applying a new layer of wax or should I give the car a quick rinse after the paint cleaner?

Thanks


--car has a clear coat if that makes any difference

[Derrick]

Re: Meguiars Paint Cleaner to rinse or not?

No problem ask away a paint cleaner like DC paint cleaner is used for removing below surface defects ( oxidation, stains, light swirl marks and scratches ) so if you have none of these there is no real reason to need to use the paint cleaner. Instead use something like Megs smooth surface clay kit. That is used for above suface contaminants and will remove any old wax and get the paint ready for polishing and waxing. If you do go with the paint cleaner you do not have to rinse off the car after using this product but you should wash and ( clay if necessary ) before using the paint cleaner.

[Murr1525]

Re: Meguiars Paint Cleaner to rinse or not?

Well, you apply the wax to a section/panel, and then remove before it dries.

As far as how often, it depends. My car is a daily driver, parked outside in the weather. So I feel better using a cleaner or cleaner/wax before a regular wax.

Others may feel fine just waxing, esp if their car is garaged more, driven less, etc. Its a bit of a personal preference I guess, but using a cleaner would be erring on the side of caution.

[benhui86]

Re: Meguiars Paint Cleaner to rinse or not?

no you dont have to rinse the car..... apply it and wipe it off and then apply the wax.....

it is always good to apply cleaner before waxing to take away any light contaminants so the wax will stay on the paint better

DC1 will not do much if anything in terms of scratch/swirl remover because it is purely liquid.... there is no diminishing abbrasives(not sure about the name) that will level out a swirl/scratch..... all DC1 will do is clean your paint of dirty stuff..... if you want to get rid of scratchs use scratch X which has diminishing abbrasives.....

[David621]

Re: Meguiars Paint Cleaner to rinse or not?

Thanks for clearing it up for me guys!

[Lydia]

Re: Meguiars Paint Cleaner to rinse or not?

Just one other quick thing (and you probably already know this), make sure to dry the car after washing and before using the paint cleaner. I'm not sure if it says that on the bottle or not, but you are supposed to. Sorry if you already knew that.

[David621]

Re: Meguiars Paint Cleaner to rinse or not?

I'll be sure to dry the car completely before applying the paint cleaner

[Astraelraen]

Re: Meguiars Paint Cleaner to rinse or not?

Is the deep crystal paint cleaner non-abrasive enough to use say twice a year without causing clear coat problems down the line?

I generally wax twice a year. I don't know if the DC cleaner is abrasive enough to help deal with the spider webs/swirls that I get during those times.

This spring wax is going to be a clay/clean/polish/wax with minor swirl marks starting in some areas such as the hood/roof. Should I just skip the cleaner step?

[Murr1525]

Re: Meguiars Paint Cleaner to rinse or not?

You could use DC#1 monthly with no problems. No, by hand it wont be strong enough to remove many swirls, but it still gets the dirt out of the pores/imperfectiosn of the paint. So you will want a mild cleaner like DC#1 if nothing else.

[Mike Phillips]

Re: Meguiars Paint Cleaner to rinse or not?

Is the deep crystal paint cleaner non-abrasive enough to use say twice a year without causing clear coat problems down the line?

Yes. DCPC is our most gentle paint cleaner for light cleaning which is what you're using it for and it's completely safe for the way in which you use it.

Ironically enough, most people struggle with getting enough paint off their cars, (removing swirls means removing paint), and are often times looking for rocks in a bottle type products.

#9 Swirl Remover 2.0 is another great very light cleaner/polish that you can use by hand for light cleaning and polishing in one step.