If I am planning on clay / swirl remover polisher / sealant do I need to strip the old wax with dawn first? Will the polisher take it off anyway?

 

Your instincts are correct. The polish and clay steps will remove your old sealant.
Wash, clay, polish, and protect.

 

So is using Dawn highly recommended, or one of those things that is a personal preference? Seems like some people bark at the idea and say that it will dry up moldings and stuff.

 

Thanks -

Any way to gauge how much cutting power you will need to remove swirl marks?

I started with an OTC (Megs #9) and it is not getting the stuff out. It is rated as a 3 on scale of 1-10.

 

For the 111234324 time...

Dawn is DISHwashing liquid and should stay in your kitchen.

 

Dawn isn't going to hurt a thing if used once a year .. there is no need to use it pre clay/polish .. and whatrs left of most waxes after 3 months is close to nill anyway ..

If you want to remove old wax for any other reason is an AIO or 50/50 Ipa / water.

 

yep... i use it to take off any old wax...it is a little bit stronger then car soap ...so only use it when you want to rewax the car

 

AIO?

 

Klasse All In One ... or something like PoliSeal .. same idea .. I'll use either as a pre sealant cleanup/prep step. Notice these aren't cleaner "waxes" but all in one products that leave a sealant behind.

 

So is AIO a wax stripper? How does it compare to dawn which strips all the wax?

 

Calling AIO a wax stripper may be a little harsh. Its chemical cleaner, with some protective qualities. So in its working process, it will remove existing protectants.

 

Would using something like this not allow a protective sealant to bond the way it should since the AIO may leave a light protectant on the finish?