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OCD NI Citrus Preclean - sealant safe?

5K views 3 replies 3 participants last post by  MEH4N 
#1 ·
My car hasn’t been washed since the start of October and sits under a tree most nights, so you can probably imagine what it looks like by now. Oh, and did I mention it has white VAG paint?

Last time I tried to remove this much grime my regular snow foam mix didn’t even make a dent in the layer of crud on the surface, so I feel a stronger prewash applied by pump spray would be better. The only true prewash I have is OCD Citrus Preclean, but I hear there is still a question over its compatibility with waxes – does this mean it will affect sealants also, or only at certain dilutions? I have AS G101 and Glimmermann APCs but feel they would definitely be too strong for a prewash.

Car has been wearing 2 coats of Z2 since August, which has been regularly topped up with Z6 and Z8. Can still see visible beading on the surface, which makes me think there is still a good deal of protection remaining, but could citrus preclean (or any citrus prewash/APC) affect sealant layers, if at all? Or does it really matter seeing as I will probably be finishing with Z6/Z8?



Thanks,

R.
 
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#2 ·
Ok guys, seeing as no one is biting on this one (presumably because not many of you are familiar with the particular product) I will word the question slightly differently.

In general - are citrus prewashes likely to break down synthetic sealants in the same way as waxes? I know Valet Pro say their prewash is wax-safe, which presumably means its sealant safe also. But VP is the only one I’m aware of – does this mean most/all citrus based prewashes will affect LSPs to some degree?



Thanks,

R.
 
#3 ·
Every wash product will degrade an LSP, to some extent. If you use a citrus product, as instructed, and it strips a wax, your wax is pretty crap. If it strips a sealant, your sealant is really crap! If you wash with them 20 times, then you might expect a noticeable decrease in performance.

The 'wax-safe' thing is almost nonsense. There are products which claim to strip but simply leave surfactants that make it look that way. People would say they are not wax safe but the truth is otherwise. I have yet to encounter a product which will strip a good sealant in one go, every time. That includes tar removers. Stripping is hard!!
 
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