All purpose cleaner as a presoak question ??

[Erictski]

Very new here to the forum but have a question about using all-purpose cleaner as a presoak for bugs and dirt on your car before a wash .

 

How is it safe to use as a presoak if you also are using it when you want to do a strip wash before a new coat of polish and sealer.

 

Wouldn't you then have to add a polish or reseal that area use the presoak on.

[blcksilv08]

You could use APC as a presoak but the big thing is not letting it dry on the surface as it may stain. Personally I pretreat bugs with either a dedicated bug and tar remover or waterless wash.  If I am going to do a strip wash I just add a couple ounces of APC to my soap to use as a stripping agent.  After stripping you'll be ready for clay, polish and seal, clay and seal, or just sealant depending on what you think the vehicle needs done. 

[TheBurninator]

As long as you don't let it dry on the surface it should be fine. You will need to re-apply your LSP though.

[Erictski]

Did a little bit more reading here on the forum and have found that the waterless wash makes the best or a very good presoak the only reason I had asked was I saw the all-purpose cleaner dilution in the dilutions list in the stickies

[Erictski]

Thank you for the quick comments

[Guest washemup]

If you have a good coat of an Adams LSP (Liquid Paint Sealant, Patriot, Americana, HGG, Buttery wax) on your paint and the bugs haven't been on very long, the less aggressive method of rinseless or waterless is best. If you get them really quick, you could remove with just a pressure wash.

 

I do some detailing on the side and get some of what are called "Production Details". People just wanting a wash, clay, wax (no longer do this since the introduction of HGG) tire shine, and interior vacuum & wipedown.

 

99% of the time, these customers don't take really good care of their vehicles, some have stuck on bug guts that may have been on for months.When I encounter this, Adams APC is my saving grace.

 

Spray it on affected areas and let dwell around 5 minutes. Paint should be out of direct sunlight and cool to the touch. Don't allow it to dry, then pressure wash them off. Only every once in a while I'll get one or two that don't come off. I just repeat the process and may use a bug scrubber with very light pressure if needed.

 

I like it because there probably will be etching in these areas, but I don't add additional defects to the paint by aggressively rubbing the bugs. And I'm not worried about removing LSP's, because I will finish with HGG.

 

Also Eric, the word "polish" is often misconstrued in detailing, by companies other than Adams, when they should be stating their product as glaze, wax, sealant, or whatever it actually is.

 

Polish contains abrasives, and is used to remove a small amount of clear coat from your paint, to permanently remove defects that are in it, versus masking them with a glaze or wax. That's not to imply glazes or waxes are bad. Glazes will fill defects temporarily and add a lot of shine, waxes and sealants can also fill light defects and protect your surface.

 

Adams carries Paint Correction Polish, which is used to remove swirls, scratches, light etching and water spotting. This product is designed to be used with a DA/Orbital polisher, like the Rupes, Cyclo, Flex, or Porter Cable. This product is also known as a compound.

 

Paint finishing polish is used to remove any light marring or haze from Paint Correction Polish, or when your finish only has very light defects. This is also used to achieve maximum gloss and clarity. This product is also used with a DA/Orbital polisher.

 

For people who prefer to work by hand, Adams Revive polish is offered, this can also be used for areas that you can't get a machine in, like under the door handles, etc. Also makes a great prep for any LSP's.

 

Welcome to the forum and enjoy using Adams products on your vehicle(s).

[Erictski]

Great tips thanks. I do not have a DA so probably won't try to tackle any paint correction. I have a new truck coming in a few weeks so probably going to wash, clay, revive polish, liquid paint, and H2O GG plus some VRT

[Dan@Adams]

A spam account bumped this thread and another this morning, promoting his brand of vacuum cleaners and contributing nothing to the topic of either thread. Sorry sir, you're banned.