2011 STI prep questions

Ok, Im doing a 2011 Sti tomorrow, No correction as far as I know, he just wants it cleaned up, sealed and waxed ect. But my question is stripping off the dealer LSP. The car is 5 days old, he says you can see the residue which I know how to deal with. (ill be checking out the car tonight)

My question is I guess is best way to strip it, I have use dish soap in the past and it worked fine, but Im really hesitent to use it on a black Sti. (not sure why, just have a wierd feeling)

Plus Im trying to get away from using dish detergent anyway.



Should I just foam, wash as usual then just do a IPA wipe down? Do I even need to wipe it down? Can I blast it with IPA diluted 50:50 then rinse?


Im not planning on claying it becuase I don't think it needs it and since IM not polishing it I don't want to introduce more marring etc.



Suggestions?

 

I'd suggest sticking with the dawn soap wash. It works well and your not going to damage the paint. Usually I do a mix of APC, Dawn, DP Xtreme Foam in my foam cannon. I also typically clay the car. So between the two it will strip any of the previous LSP.

I'd do the dawn wash and if your really not wanting to clay, then do an IPA wipe down to ensure you got everything off. Just be careful to use quality MFs as you can mar the paint if your not careful.

Whenever I seal a car I always clay it. Even new cars from the dealer can have industrial fall out and contaminants in the clear.

 

what ratio do you use? not really worried about damaging the paint, but more door seals ect, ive been stripping lsp with dawn for years, i guess im looking for a new method

Yeah, I have more then enough MF 530 GSM towels LOL

 

If you have Zep citrus laying around, you could throw some of that in the foam gun as well, and then spritz the whole car with Zep diluted 4:1, and then rinse to help strip the old LSP. I also agree that you should clay the car. New cars suffer from fallout, raildust, and diesel soot just like cars on the road.

 

^ thats exactly what i wanted to know. thanks. yeah ill be claying it, i dont know what i was thinking not claying it lol.

 

First off, clay the car regardless of polishing or not polishing. Not only is that essential for proper LSP application, it also does help abrade away some LSP during the prep stage.

Stripping LSP. A lotta guys totally over do or under do this step. First know that Dawn dishsoap will not harm paint, remember this is the same stuff they clean ducks with who get caught in oil spills, poor ducks, they never hurt nobody:angel:

I have found the biggest thing to worry about is an APC type product that your using for pre-soaks if you do, dont make the mix too strong, APCs can have very strong cleaners that can cause etching or discoloration on delicate finishes, quickly mind you in hotter weather.

IPA is your friend, take advantage of him! Some strong soap during the was process (citrus based or DAWN) followed by claying should do an okay removing some LSP. Now just get a solid mix of IPA and distilled water 8 parts alc 2 parts DI water and do 4-5 wipedowns and then check if there is still any protection on..


Good luck soldia' :cig:

 

Thanks DSMS, yeah, those poor ducks......

Ok, Im not sure why im so weirded out about this, but this not my first car Ive done, maybe because Im thinking too much LOL

Ive never broken protocol on the process of detailing , not sure why today I had a brain fart.

 

You are thinking too much, its not a dark art, its common sense thats all.

As for protocol that is something that can get you into trouble. Dont think of detailing as a whole, think of it as each individual car and paint finish that your working on. Your like a chef preparing a steak. Yes steak is steak, fire is fire but there will always be things you need to do to get certain steak to cook a certain way for a customer who ordered it.

There will always be steps you need to add or subtract from your protocol depending on the car you are working on.

Be as efficient as possible with your steps too, for example drying a car before claying and then re-drying it after isnt efficient, the car doesnt need to be dry to clay so eliminate that step.

 

good tips! thanks. Im all for economy of motion, I try to focus on the parts not the whole....... I agree 100% on that.

 

Does using dawn dish-soap create hard water spots?

 

No, it strips the LSP on the car, If its used too much it supposedly can cause the door seals to harden up but I have not seen any proof. If you wash it with dawn and let the unfilter hose water sit on the car it can spot. But dawn itself does not create spots.

 

You would have to wash a car seveal dozen times with dawn to see the effects of dried out trim if at all.... It's not a one time thing.

 

hard water creates hard water spots