Safest way to remove wax from car?

[gerrymoore]

I've just used some 'graphene based' wax on my pride & joy but think it may have gone off as it's left the paint with tiny black 'smudges' in places. I've sent for some Autoglym Ceramic Spray but need to get the old coatings off the car first.

Any ideas of the best. safest, way to do this? Car is BMW with snapper rocks blue paint (I just love this colour!!) cheers Gerry

 

[RWD3M]

A BMW you say? Battery acid?

Just kidding of course!

White spirit won't harm the paint, worth a try?

 

[pptom]

Panel wipe

 

[gerrymoore]

Panel wipe sounds good ... how much do I need ..don't want to buy 5 litres!!

 

[rtcosic]

Detailers usually wipe down with IPA.

That's Iso Propyl Alcohol not India Pale Ale.

 

[pptom]

1l will probably last you a lifetime, but it's also handy as a general degreaser.
I get mine from my local paint factors. 1l is £10

 

[Bullet2012]

One of these will remove the wax completely, so well I act that even the stubborn bits that have become absorbed into the paint are removed.

 

[zzr1200]

Detailers usually wipe down with IPA.

That's Iso Propyl Alcohol not India Pale Ale.

Both one for the car one for you...

 

[ajlelectronics]

In the absence of panel wipe, brake cleaner will do a decent job.

 

[gerrymoore]

Thanks guys ..might try the angle grinder trick on swimbo's car first to see what sort of job it does.... meanwhile I've ordered 2 litres of IPA ......... just in case!!

 

[Ian X]

7 or 8 quid from ebay, delivered to your door.

Yes but is it chilled?

 

[Greeves246]

Snow foam usually removes old polish.

5 Ways to Remove Car Waxes and Sealants | Auto Care HQ

Struggling to remove stubborn old waxes and sealants? Here's a list of 5 different methods to strip wax from your car safely.

autocarehq.com

 

[Ross365]

Is panel wipe just neat IPA? I think IPA is a bit on the weak side for this; I'd definitely go with white spirit.

 

[Hotstuff]

Preparation before applying your final polish or sealants is a real rabbit hole and you’d be better off checking out some of the “how to” topics on sites such as: Detailing world

If your car is your pride & joy then the final finish is all about preparation to remove all traces of paint contaminants and bonded contaminants.

White spirit will remove road film, wax, tar etc but will leave a residue.

Be careful with using undiluted IPA on paint, especially if it’s hot.
Here’s another article on this topic: Detailing world

After washing, run your hand over the paintwork; it should feel smooooth as glass. If it feels a little like sand paper then look into claying to remove the bonded contaminants. Once you’ve tried this, you’ll see how much you miss by just washing.

 

[marlinspike]

I can recommend the G3 clay mitt. Easy to use and you'll be amazed at the difference. As Hotstuff says, it'll feel like glass after you've clayed it. I don't use the clay mitt every time I wash the car but I would before putting wax or polish on because otherwise I feel like I'm not polishing a really clean surface, I'm moving tiny bits of dirt and residue around.

 

[Ross365]

There's no doubt that claying has a great effect, but life is sho

 

[Ross365]

There's an international scale for measuring the solvent power of hydrocarbon fluids - From Wiki;

"The kauri-butanol value ("Kb value") is an international, standardized measure of solvent power for a hydrocarbon solvent, and is governed by an ASTM standardized test, ASTM D1133.[1] The result of this test is a scaleless index, usually referred to as the "Kb value". A higher Kb value means the solvent is more aggressive or active in the ability to dissolve certain materials. Mild solvents have low scores in the tens and twenties; powerful solvents like chlorinated solvents and naphthenic aromatic solvents (i.e. "High Sol 10", "High Sol 15") have ratings that are in the low hundreds."

From this site https://cool.culturalheritage.org/byauth/burke/solpar/solpar3.html, the Kb values of white spirit and turpentine are about 37 and 57. Xylene and toluene are way up at around 100. MEK must be appreciably higher.

I've searched the web for a Kb value for IPA and cannot find one (I'd guess it might be around 5).

If you go looking for Kb values, please note that the designation "Kb" is also used to measure something to do with acid and bases.


No answers yet to my question, " is panel wipe just neat IPA?".