`IPA Wipe-down`.......

[mandp]

Good day all.

Since buying my Skoda some 2 years ago and joining this forum, I have learned an awful lot from you chaps…turned me from a bucket and sponge man into someone with a little knowledge of the best way to go about looking after a car's appearance.

That said, there is one aspect that I am totally confused about…`IPA wipe-down`

I have some of the stuff but…

1. When do I use it? (At what stage in the wash – polish – protect regime)
2. How do I use it? (Its only a little bottle so I cant see that its sprayed on, or even soaked into a cloth. Is it left to air dry or dried with a cloth)
3. Why do I use it? (What is its purpose)
4. How often do I use it?

Many many thanks for any advice.

Regards

Mike.

[fedup]

More likely have about the same knowledge as yourself but my understanding is that it can be used to clean the residue of the last wax coat when it needs replenishing. So as wax is on top (qd being excepted) it would be used first - after wash process, of course. I cannot remember the dilution rate but it is on here somewhere and I have made up a solution in a redundant spray bottle which is simple sprayed on and wiped off. But I would await confirmation or denial from higher authorities.

[mandp]

Thanks `fedup`.

Maybe when we both know more about this...you'll be less `fedup`!

Regards

Mike.

[steved83]

IPA wipe down is done after polishing. It can be done after you have polished and prior to applying your LSP (last stage protection - your wax or sealant of choice). This is so you know your freshly polished paint is clear of any oils or residues and is "bare" of product, prior to LSP.

Or it can be done after polishing with a view to see the "real" results your polishing set has had, before polishing once more with either same/different pad/polish combo.

Traditionally placing your LSP on top of your polish was never an issue, and it still isn't with many products. With modern ultra long life coatings and protections manufactures have found their products are best applied to bare paint thus achieving the full potential of the product.

A hot product at the moment for example is Sonax range, they advise prior to putting Hybrid NPT or PNS down you wipe the paint down with an IPA style product. They supply their own paint prepare in a spray can, which for me suits and I use it prior to putting any LSP on including getechniq G1/G5 for glass or any of their sealants.

Hope the above answers it for you, and apologies if I've explained stuff/acronyms you already knew, didn't want to chuck a load of letters in and confuse you more if you weren't sure what they were.

[JackClap]

An "IPA wipedown" would most normally be done after polishing.

 

It will remove any left over polish residue so that your surface is now clean for you to apply your protection, Wax, Sealant etc. In theory your protection will bond better as there is no left over residue in the way. 

 

Your bottle should have a % on it, most likely around 99%. You then dilute it down with water so that it would become something like 15% / 25%,(everyone will tell you different), or there abouts. I then put this into a spray bottle, spray onto the car and wipe off. 

[mandp]

Thanks for the info everyone.

One final question...

Does it matter if, while spraying`, some gets onto the glass or plastic parts?

Regards

Mike.

[steved83]

Thanks for the info everyone.

One final question...

Does it matter if, while spraying`, some gets onto the glass or plastic parts?

Regards

Mike.

Not at all, just wipe over as per paintwork. If you have already applied product to the trim or glass wiping over may impact on finish/longevity of the product you applied

[ChrisRs]

As above but I use a 50/50 ratio. ..still effective

After polishing ......prior to LSP

[Sparkly]

Mike, you started by saying that you have the product so you would like to know when it is used.  Which is fair enough.

 

But can I ask what is it you are trying to achieve with the IPA?  Sometimes this is a better way to build a routine than the above.

 

Not intended as a criticism either, I actually think your enthusiasm and contribution to this section is great and I think you have probably helped a lot of people with your threads.  This is another great example of a product/process we seldom explain or talk about.

 

Reason for asking is that if you are wanting to apply a wax then you might find that a pre-wax cleanser will do everything you need, creating a good base and clearing out old product before application.  Auto Finesse Rejuvenate comes to mind and it can be used to prep cars for a different wax to be applied even when not correction polishing.

 

IPA has it's place for removing polishing oils etc and is very relevant if you are using sealants but for people using wax then unless you are chasing 99% correction in your machine polishing I just wanted to point out that there are other ways to look at things.

[mandp]

Hello, Mark.

To be honest, some time back I read somewhere here that this was good stuff to have. So the next time I put in an order (I mainly use CYC and not wanting to pay any postage I order over £100's worth of product) I got some. Since then its been sat on my shelf in the garage and I thought it about time I found out what to do with it!.

Being as I have a light coloured car, I have learned that its best to `seal` rather than to `wax`. That being the case I use `AF Tough Prep` followed by AF Tough Coat`. So, my intention is to do an `IPA wipe-down` in between the two.

Thank you for your interest.

Regards

Mike.

[Sparkly]

Hello, Mark.

To be honest, some time back I read somewhere here that this was good stuff to have. So the next time I put in an order (I mainly use CYC and not wanting to pay any postage I order over £100's worth of product) I got some. Since then its been sat on my shelf in the garage and I thought it about time I found out what to do with it!.

Being as I have a light coloured car, I have learned that its best to `seal` rather than to `wax`. That being the case I use `AF Tough Prep` followed by AF Tough Coat`. So, my intention is to do an `IPA wipe-down` in between the two.

Thank you for your interest.

Regards

Mike.

 

Excellent, well now we are getting somewhere

 

As far as I am aware (99.9% certain) Mike is that AF tough prep is their dedicated pre-sealant paint cleanser, I do not believe that you need an IPA wipe between buffing off the tough prep residue and applying Tough coat, one is designed to follow the other. 

 

This is direct from AF:

 

"Auto Finesse Tough Prep is a residue-free abrasive paintwork cleanser, designed specifically to aid in the bonding of our signature paint sealants. While both waxes and sealants share the common purpose of protecting and beautifying paintwork, each goes about it in a slightly different way. Sealants form tightly cross-linked molecular bonds, and adhere best to a bare surface. Tough Prep is a pure paintwork cleaner, with no waxes or glazing oils. This translates into maximum durability, and purity of reflection for all synthetic sealants. Tough Prep contains deep cleansing solvents, and fine diminishing abrasives. These remove stubborn contaminates, oxidation, and light swirling to create the perfect sealant-ready finish. Just like its brother Rejuvenate, Tough Prep works very quickly, polishing the paintwork to a high gloss. The main difference is Tough Prep leaves nothing behind. Its bright, clear finish makes it well suited to lighter colours, especially metallic or pearl paint types"

 

With all that said, an IPA won;t hurt anything either

[Sparkly]

little nugget of Tough Prep info too:

 

"Due to Tough Prep’s fast working abrasives, and strong cleaning action, it is the perfect cleanser to use on wheels to prepare the surface for sealing with Auto-Finesse Mint Rims."

[mandp]

Thank you, Mark.

That'll teach me not to read up on these things adequately!

Now, the last time I used this `AF` stuff, I machine polished the car with Carlack AIO prior to the `Tough Prep`.

I'm guessing now that that step can be eliminated...and I can go straight from the `wash/ decontam/clay` stage straight to the `Tough Prep`?

Bloody complicated aint it!

Regards

Mike.

[ChrisRs]

Its just about understanding the product really Mike

As mark rightly says, IPA is really only needed after polishing with a stand alone polish

Carlack 68 has sealers and some products like the AF ones you have are designed to work along side each other, eliminating the need for a cleanse prior to a LSP

[mandp]

Thank you, Chris.

You and Mark have just made my regime a little easier and less complicated...for which I am grateful.

Regards

Mike.

[nellyboy]

Enlightening stuff for me. I am in the print trade and IPA is readily available in the pressroom. Cant wait for me birthday when I will get a da polisher hopefully or fluffy wookie slippers.Both will help with polishing the car I am sure lol.

 

A question for you if I may:  When applying wax, is it to simply to apply a light coating to the paintwork with gentle agitation manually or when I get the da polisher, can this be used? I ask as I applied wax a few weeks ago by hand using a palm sized foam pad with little pressure and just buffed off with a couple of cloths. I am unsure of the pressure needed when applying, I used it sparingly and applied gently.

Edited 10 June, 2014 by nellyboy

[Sparkly]

Nellyboy, there is no reason to apply pressure with wax (all in one products and cleaner waxes are a different matter) machine application can help with speed and getting a nice even thin coat down but I have always liked to hand apply wax.