Really dumb questions

[throughmyshadow7]

If a product says "Clear Coat Safe" does that meen it is NOT safe on cars with no clear coat? Im not sure my 78 T-Bird has a clear coat. My dad says it probly doesnt and yeah, when I first used the cleaner/wax some red paint did show on the terry towel. People told me "dont worry thats just oxidized paint.. its a good thing" soo i used it some more a week later and then all that came off was brown stuff. Is this brown stuff dirt? should i feel safe using my Maguiars Cleaner/Wax on my 78 Thunderbird say 3 or 4 times a month (once a week becuase i enjoy it)?

The reason im worrying is becuase ive been noticing little minor spots (the size of pen tips) where the paint has chipped off. Im worried this means that the CLeaner/Wax has eaten all the way through my paint and now i have almost none. Is this possible or could this be from for example, acorns falling on my car?

Sorry for the long question.

[Mike Phillips]

Re: Really dumb questions

Products that are clear coat safe are also safe for single stage finishes.


From Meguiar's *NEW* FAQ

Here's the link, below is the answer,

How can I tell if I have a clear coat finish?


To determine whether you have a clear coat or a single-stage finish perform this simple test.

• * Find an inconspicuous area to test, such as the lower rear quarter panel of your car's fender or inside the door jamb.
  
  * Clean this area first with car wash and water or Meguiar's Quik Detailer. You don't want any dirt or grime to interfere with your test.
  
  * Using a small piece of white cotton, such as a piece of terry cloth towel, rub a little paint cleaner or Cleaner/Wax into the paint of this inconspicuous area.
  
  * After rubbing for a few moments, turn your cloth toward you and look to see if there is any color from your paint on the cloth.

If you have a red car and you now have red paint residue on your cloth, this is a pretty good indicator that you have a single stage finish. If you have a red car and you don't see any red paint residue on your cloth, this is a pretty good indicator that you have a clear coat.

To be 100% sure, you should test in a couple of different areas.

Note: If you have a white, or very light colored car you should use a dark piece of cotton cloth and look for the color of your car's finish on it after rubbing some paint cleaner or Cleaner/Wax into the finish for a few moments.

[throughmyshadow7]

Re: Re: Really dumb questions

Originally posted by Mike Phillips
[B]Products that are clear coat safe are also safe for single stage finishes.

Thanks for all your help. Im definetly a noob and paranoid about my car... all the time.

[LT22]

So if you didnt havt a clear coat at you just have a single stage finish. Should you still clean the rest of the car with DC#1 perhaps? should I continue on the 5 step process?

[Mike Phillips]

Originally posted by LT22
So if you didn't have a clear coat at you just have a single stage finish. Should you still clean the rest of the car with DC#1 perhaps? should I continue on the 5 step process?

You treat all paint the same, that is you

Wash it
Clay it - if needed
Clean it - if needed
Polish it - if you want to and/or it needs it
Protect it
Maintain it

[Mike Phillips]

Re: Really dumb questions

Originally posted by throughmyshadow7
My dad says it probably doesn't and yeah, when I first used the cleaner/wax some red paint did show on the terry towel. People told me "don't worry thats just oxidized paint.. its a good thing" so i used it some more a week later and then all that came off was brown stuff. Is this brown stuff dirt?

There is a paint defect we refer to as D.I.P. which stands for Dirt in paint, or staining.

There are actually five meanings that I can think of for the acronym D.I.P. and the word dip,

• 1. D.I.P. - Dirt in paint as in microscopic dirt particles and other contaminants that have built up below the surface and give stain the paint. On lighter color cars you can sometimes see this staining effect if you have something to contrast it against. For example, read this article, A Lesson From White Paint
  
  2. D.I.P. - Dirt in paint as in when a car is freshly painted, before the paint completely sets-up or becomes what is called, dust-free, any airborne dirt or other contaminants that land on the surface will tend to settle into the paint and be part below the surface and part above the surface and will have to be removed after the paint has hardened enough to allow wet sanding and machine buffing.
  
  3. Dip - A creamy substance for dipping chips and crackers into
  
  4. Dip - a typically substantial depression or low area in a road that is noticeable when you driver over it as your car will suddenly drop in height and you can feel it.
  
  5. Dip - The young guy that comes to your house because he wants to date your teenage daughter.

b]should i feel safe using my Meguiar's Cleaner/Wax on my 78 Thunderbird say 3 or 4 times a month (once a week because i enjoy it)?[/b][/b]

Meguiar's Cleaner/Wax is a very gentle to the finish cleaner wax perfect for most daily drivers. Because your car is old and you have concerns over the film-build, or paint thickness, after you clean the paint either with a dedicated paint cleaner like we discussed in another thread and restore the paint to a level that is acceptable to you, it would probably be a better idea to switch to a pure wax. That said, if the paint is still in good shape, you should be able to use our Consumer A12 Cleaner/Wax as long as you apply it with gentleness as part of the cleaning ability of any cleaner/wax comes from the application material and the application process, in other words, you can make our cleaner wax gentle by applying it gently with a foam applicator pad, if you wanted to you could increase it's cleaning ability by use a more aggressive applicator and working the product more aggressively.

[quoteThe reason I'm worrying is because Ive been noticing little minor spots (the size of pen tips) where the paint has chipped off. I'm worried this means that the Cleaner/Wax has eaten all the way through my paint and now i have almost none. Is this possible or could this be from for example, acorns falling on my car?

No cleaner/wax that I know of would eat away little chips. The acorn idea sounds more plausible.

Sorry for the long question.

No problemo