New car prep

[smack]

Just wanted to know what would be the safest way to remove the wax and tire shine the dealer hosed the car with. I assume Dish soap would be the best bet. What strength would I use it at?

Also, explain The IPA Wipedown. I hear of its use, but dont know how to do it.

[Murr1525]

Re: New car prep

The tire shine could use Dawn, APC, Bleche White, something like that.

For the paint, if you are going to detail as usual (wash, clay, clean, polish, wax, or something similar) then just use your regular good car wash soap. The clay and cleaner will deal with the wax, and other dirt.

[Chris Thompson]

Re: New car prep

I second using clay

[smack]

Re: New car prep

My plan of attack for new new car this weekend will be wash (UW&W), consumer detail clay, and Ultimate spray wax as I dont have enough pads on hand to do a proper detail. I imagine the Ultimate spray wax will last me a week until I can get the D/A to it. Next weekend I will have all my pads in and will do the full detail.

[BobbyG]

Re: New car prep

Even new cars need work.

• Wash
• Clay
• Polish
• IPA wipe
• Sealant
• Wax

[BlackScreaminMachine]

Re: New car prep

My father in law runs car back and forth for Buick and GM dealers in the North East. Some of the NEW cars look HORRIBLE as they have been sitting in back lots.

Bleeche While is perfect for getting the **** off the tires, as for paint. After a good wash being EASY on the scrubbing, a good clay job should get most of the contamination which includes wax layers off the car.

[J. A. Michaels]

Re: New car prep

Even new cars can stand to be clayed. That will take care of the existing wax.

[Michael Stoops]

Re: New car prep

The IPA wipedown is generally just a 50/50 mix of isopropyl alcohol and water in a spray bottle. Just use it like a typical mist and wipe product but a bit heavier. It should effectively strip any remaining wax, oils, etc left behind. Plenty of guys use it following their defect removal step to make sure they have fully removed the defects rather than filled them in with something left behind in the correction step.

[slickooz]

Re: New car prep

What do you mean cleaner will deal with the wax? What are the cleaning product everything talking about? And do Meguiars have any polishing products out there?

[Murr1525]

Re: New car prep

A paint cleaner would be like SwirlX or Ultimate Compound.

A pure polish would be like Deep Crystal polish.

[angeloaa]

Re: New car prep

The IPA wipedown is generally just a 50/50 mix of isopropyl alcohol and water in a spray bottle. Just use it like a typical mist and wipe product but a bit heavier. It should effectively strip any remaining wax, oils, etc left behind. Plenty of guys use it following their defect removal step to make sure they have fully removed the defects rather than filled them in with something left behind in the correction step.

Shouldn't the order be:

• Wash
• Clay
• DC1 (paint cleaner)
• UC, SwirlX, or Swirlx2.0 (if need be)
• IPA wipe
• Polish
• Sealant
• Wax

If you IPA the car after applying polish (DC2) won't that remove what you just put on?

[Michael Stoops]

Re: New car prep

Shouldn't the order be:

• Wash
• Clay
• DC1 (paint cleaner)
• UC, SwirlX, or Swirlx2.0 (if need be)
• IPA wipe
• Polish
• Sealant
• Wax

If you IPA the car after applying polish (DC2) won't that remove what you just put on?

Yes, that's correct and essentially what we said:

Plenty of guys use it following their defect removal step to make sure they have fully removed the defects rather than filled them in with something left behind in the correction step.

In your list above you have it in exactly the right spot - after defect removal but before polish and LSP. When we mentioned using IPA to strip, including wax, we were sort of addressing both the OP's desire to remove everything the dealer had applied, and how an IPA wipedown is generally used.

BobbyG mentioned this:

• Wash
• Clay
• Polish
• IPA wipe
• Sealant
• Wax

and we can only assume he's using the word "polish" in the sense of paint cleaner and not "pure polish" as Meguiar's uses the term.

So even though all three of us used slightly different terms or in slightly different contexts, all three of us are correct.

Nope, nothing confusing about detailing at all.

[JoeDirt]

Re: New car prep

Yep- new cars are not clean...

This came off my Mom's new 2010 Fusion...




...which she picked up after sitting on the lot exactly 4 days.



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