# Best paint cleanser



## Babalu826 (Aug 7, 2011)

Looking for a paint cleanser that has great cleaning ability while leaving a nice gloss. I have LPL and p21s cleanser. Both work good but is there better ones? Can anyone provide the link from when a member tested a bunch of these? Opinions are welcome!


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## shinie (Dec 11, 2011)

Zymols pre wax paint cleaner is pretty good. Easy to apply on and off..smells good too:thumb: like bubblegum.

Also used megs paint cleaner before which is good too.

I'd opt for the Zymols out of both the ones I have suggested, only coz it left a glossier finish on mine. _(Results may vary on paint type and colour)_


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## -Raven- (Aug 26, 2010)

So you're after a cleaner glaze?

Prima Amigo is the best one I've found! Deep and wet look, and the easiest product to use EVER! Both Black Hole and Amigo clean the same, but Amigo looks a heap better. Here is a little test I did for appearance.
http://www.detailingworld.co.uk/forum/showthread.php?t=250176

I've got the P21S cleanser too, but I don't tend to use it that much because it's pretty much a hand use only product.


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## ronwash (Mar 26, 2011)

I like swissvax meduim,thats a very good easy to use cleanser.


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## Tazz (Aug 23, 2010)

megs step 1 for me, prefer an outright cleanser


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## -Raven- (Aug 26, 2010)

Tazz said:


> megs step 1 for me, prefer an outright cleanser


that's the best outright cleanser I've found too! :thumb:


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## Babalu826 (Aug 7, 2011)

Tazz said:


> megs step 1 for me, prefer an outright cleanser


How is the usability of it? Easy on off?


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## -Raven- (Aug 26, 2010)

Babalu826 said:


> How is the usability of it? Easy on off?


Average on and off. It is a paint cleaner, just deep cleans the paint. No glaze, it will clean out anything filling swirls. Leaves the paint squeaky clean. :thumb:


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## Summit Detailing (Oct 9, 2006)

The 2 currently residing on my shelf are Raceglaze pre wax cleanser & Zaino AIO:thumb:

Both super easy to use, whilst having good cleansing properties.


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## organisys (Jan 3, 2012)

Consider Werkstat Prime Strong

Good Cleaner, Sealent and some protection.


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## AaronGTi (Nov 2, 2010)

Werkstat Prime


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## Matt_Nic (Apr 15, 2011)

Farecla G3 Detox shampoo removes LSP's and a lot of road grime. 

£6 from Halfords too.


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## dooka (Aug 1, 2006)

G3 is a good shampoo for sure. AF Rejuvenate is a very good paint cleanser..


Sent from dooka's iPhone using Tapatalk & sausage fingers..


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## cheekymonkey (Mar 15, 2008)

SP paint cleaner is excellent and not spoke of much now a days. very underrated product.


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## great gonzo (Nov 4, 2010)

Werkstat prime strong, A very very deep clean, great if your going to apply a sealant after.


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## Porta (Jan 3, 2007)

Bilt hamber - microfine.


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## John @ PB (Aug 25, 2010)

great gonzo said:


> Werkstat prime strong, A very very deep clean, great if your going to apply a sealant after.


I'd go with regular Acrylic Prime in 95% of cases, using Prime Strong if the car's really bad.


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## empsburna (Apr 5, 2006)

cheekymonkey said:


> SP paint cleaner is excellent and not spoke of much now a days. very underrated product.


I agree. A real hidden gem of a product by hand or by machine.


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## Trip tdi (Sep 3, 2008)

John @ PB said:


> I'd go with regular Acrylic Prime in 95% of cases, using Prime Strong if the car's really bad.


What's the difference between the arrylic prime and the prime strong, does the prime strong clean the paint even more deeper than the arrylic prime, just interested in the product knowledge for this one please.


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## John @ PB (Aug 25, 2010)

Trip tdi said:


> What's the difference between the arrylic prime and the prime strong, does the prime strong clean the paint even more deeper than the arrylic prime, just interested in the product knowledge for this one please.


Yes, essentially, Strong has a higher concentration of the chemical cleaners in it.

The downside is, it's stiffer to work and I find you do have to work quite small areas at a time with it, where I find regular Acrylic Prime goes on and comes off much more easily.


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## Black Widow (Apr 6, 2009)

What about Bilt Hamber - Cleanser Fluid?


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## Trip tdi (Sep 3, 2008)

John @ PB said:


> Yes, essentially, Strong has a higher concentration of the chemical cleaners in it.
> 
> The downside is, it's stiffer to work and I find you do have to work quite small areas at a time with it, where I find regular Acrylic Prime goes on and comes off much more easily.


Many thanks for your honest feedback, especially level of customer service rewarded from myself.

Kind regards

Triptdi


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## derbigofast (Dec 6, 2011)

try sonax paint cleaner it works great you can see the dirt being lifted


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## Yellow Dave (Apr 5, 2011)

based on the fact you're using LPL, I'd recommend prima amigo or britemax blackmax. I currently favour AF rejuvenate at the moment but that seems to have a bit more cut like regular LP


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## Babalu826 (Aug 7, 2011)

Well even though I'm using LPL I'm not looking for a glaze. Main concern is a cleaner that leaves it as clean as possible for a fresh layer of wax. Having a little cut isn't what I'm after. Just previous lsp removal and any dirt left behind that can be lifted.


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## Babalu826 (Aug 7, 2011)

type[r]+ said:


> Average on and off. It is a paint cleaner, just deep cleans the paint. No glaze, it will clean out anything filling swirls. Leaves the paint squeaky clean. :thumb:


Is that the crystal paint system or something like that?


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## Yellow Dave (Apr 5, 2011)

by hand, rejuvenate is very good at lifting dirt and removing previous LSP's. But prime would appear to be a deep chemical cleanser


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## Michael_McL (Aug 25, 2011)

I enjoy using dodo juice lime prime. Smells fantastic!


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## Hoppo32 (Nov 18, 2008)

Werkstat Prime, great paint cleanser. Very good on glass and exhaust tips as well.


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## Babalu826 (Aug 7, 2011)

I would love to use rejuvenate of tripple but they arent available in the U.S... that im aware of. Thanks for all of the replies, i may give prime a look


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## Babalu826 (Aug 7, 2011)

Yellow Dave said:


> based on the fact you're using LPL, I'd recommend prima amigo or britemax blackmax. I currently favour AF rejuvenate at the moment but that seems to have a bit more cut like regular LP


I have amigo but it conflicted with one of my waxes, SN, and i havent use it since.


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## -Raven- (Aug 26, 2010)

Babalu826 said:


> Is that the crystal paint system or something like that?


yes, step 1.

Im suprised you had an issue with Amigo and SN? Maybe you should try a wipedown with panelwipe or this Meg's step 1 first, before Amigo.


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## Babalu826 (Aug 7, 2011)

type[r]+ said:


> yes, step 1.
> 
> Im suprised you had an issue with Amigo and SN? Maybe you should try a wipedown with panelwipe or this Meg's step 1 first, before Amigo.


Im glad you brought up this product. Luckily i have a bottle of it on my shelf :thumb:
I never used it because i figured it was some megs garbage like many other otc products ive used of theirs.


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## Babalu826 (Aug 7, 2011)

Another question, 
How effective is IPA compared to dedicated paint cleansers? And if used as a paint cleanser, what dilution should be used? ive used 1:1 and it doesnt really pull much dirt off the paint. Should i use a stronger dilution?


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## -Raven- (Aug 26, 2010)

Babalu826 said:


> Another question,
> How effective is IPA compared to dedicated paint cleansers? And if used as a paint cleanser, what dilution should be used? ive used 1:1 and it doesnt really pull much dirt off the paint. Should i use a stronger dilution?


My view is IPA is bad! It can cloud and damage your paint at strong concentrations. I only use it at 20% strength tops, and that is only before I use 'super sealants' that need a very clean surface to bond properly.

In my experience, IPA is only good for removing polishing oils, not waxes and sealants, even at 100% strength.

My suggestion is to use a panel wipe, tardis, white spirits, mineral spirits, etc. Much more effective than IPA, these remove wax and grease easily and is much safer to the paint.


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## -Raven- (Aug 26, 2010)

Babalu826 said:


> Im glad you brought up this product. Luckily i have a bottle of it on my shelf :thumb:
> I never used it because i figured it was some megs garbage like many other otc products ive used of theirs.


some are garbage, some are great!
I never go without a bottle of this Step 1, #7 glaze, and #34 QD. :thumb:

I've tried a few other OTC paint cleaners, they are all garbage compared to this Step 1. The Mother's one was about the worst of them.....


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## Aucky (Oct 3, 2008)

I've not had to look elsewhere since using Prime Strong. 
Fantastic product.


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## Babalu826 (Aug 7, 2011)

Fortunately i believe prime is available in the U.S. Maybe ill give that a go. But im first going to try the megs step 1. IIRC it has filling properties? doesnt that make it somewhat of a glaze?


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## uzj100 (Jun 22, 2009)

Babalu826 said:


> Fortunately i believe prime is available in the U.S. Maybe ill give that a go. But im first going to try the megs step 1. IIRC it has filling properties? doesnt that make it somewhat of a glaze?


Here's a link

http://www.jeffswerkstatt.com/


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## mik73 (Jan 29, 2010)

I'm a verry satisfied Megs paintcleaner step 1 user
It cleans deep and is a good prep for a LSP.

In the picture below you can see the hood of a heavely neglected Audi A3. The owner did not wanted the car to be polished but would liked the car to have some gloss again. The hood was previously clayed and I thought that I had to polish it to get the gloss back.
However... In the corner on the right you can see the result of only using megs step 1 paintcleaner by hand where it took out a lot of dirt that was stil inside the pores of the paint.


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## Babalu826 (Aug 7, 2011)

uzj100 said:


> Here's a link
> 
> http://www.jeffswerkstatt.com/


Thanks a bunch! Going to have a look around... This may not be cheap haha


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## Babalu826 (Aug 7, 2011)

mik73 said:


> I'm a verry satisfied Megs paintcleaner step 1 user
> It cleans deep and is a good prep for a LSP.
> 
> In the below picture you can see the hood of a heavely neglected Audi A3. The owner did not wanted te car the be polished but would liked te car to have some gloss again. The hood was previously clayed and I thought that I had to polish it to get get the gloss back.
> However... In the corner on the right you can see the result of only using megs step 1 paintcleaner by hand where it took out a lot of dirt that was stil inside the pores of the paint.


Damn that's a big difference. When working that section by hand, how much time was put into that one piece?


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## TOGWT (Oct 26, 2005)

1. Zaino Z-PC Fusion Dual Action Paint Cleaner - a water-based formula with tri-particulate, diminishing abrasive system (no fillers or oils) that removes minor scratches, swirls, oxidation, wax build-up and other surface blemishes, ideal for polymer sealants

2. Dodo Juice Lime Prime Pre-Wax Cleanser - Dodo Juice Lime Prime is a pre-wax cleanser formulated to clean, polish and prepare the paint surface ready for a layer of Carnauba wax.

3. Werkstat Prime Strong - employs acrylic polymers for better durability and protection and also an incrementally stronger polishing agent to address more paint imperfections. This formula takes Prime a step toward a finishing polishes and can eliminate the need for a separate finishing polish in many instances. Prime: Strong can address light marring and swirling more effectively, yet the polishing agents--though stronger--are still gentle enough for regular use. It makes a beautiful, easy hand polish for those without machine polishers, and it works quite well as a chrome polish and sealant.

These products contain mild abrasive so will help to remove light swirl marks and scratches, used with the right pad combo can help remove more stubborn marks, including blemishes or stains on the paint

Formulated with solvents and / or very fine abrasives (Kaolin or China Clay) to remove old wax, embedded dirt and light stains from paint; they help to restore gloss and remove light surface imperfection. They are designed to be used as often as required without measurably reducing paint thickness. Some paintwork cleaner's act as 'All in One' products, so not only do they clean and polish, but also provide limited protection


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## mik73 (Jan 29, 2010)

Babalu826 said:


> Damn that's a big difference. When working that section by hand, how much time was put into that one piece?


Including wiping off the residue with a microfiber cloth, not more than 2 minutes. I was making a test spot to see if it would make a difference and I was pleasant suprised with the result.


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## Babalu826 (Aug 7, 2011)

TOGWT said:


> 1. Zaino Z-PC Fusion Dual Action Paint Cleaner - a water-based formula with tri-particulate, diminishing abrasive system (no fillers or oils) that removes minor scratches, swirls, oxidation, wax build-up and other surface blemishes, ideal for polymer sealants
> 
> 2. Dodo Juice Lime Prime Pre-Wax Cleanser - Dodo Juice Lime Prime is a pre-wax cleanser formulated to clean, polish and prepare the paint surface ready for a layer of Carnauba wax.
> 
> ...


Thanks for that post, it was very informative. I like how it tells whether it's best for carnauba for synthetic.


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## Babalu826 (Aug 7, 2011)

mik73 said:


> Including wiping off the residue with a microfiber cloth, not more than 2 minutes. I was making a test spot to see if it would make a difference and I was pleasant suprised with the result.


That's some great results. Being that I have this item I'm going to give it a go when I get a chance. Thanks for the review like that!


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## Aucky (Oct 3, 2008)

Great post Babalu


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