A paint cleaner is an either/or product - The difference between a paint cleaner and a paint polish by Mike Phillips
There's always been a TON of confusion over paint cleaners. I remember back when Meguiar's sold their 3-Step consumer line of product that included a paint cleaner, a paint polish and a wax. The paint cleaner was NON-abrasive, chemical cleaning only. (I have a story about that product). Besides Meguiar's, a lot of other companies offer a simple, chemical-only cleaning product generically called a paint cleaner.
What is a paint cleaner?
A paint cleaner is typically cleans the surface of the paint to remove light oxidization, surface impurities, built-up wax, gloss enhancers, shine ingredients, etc. It LIGHTLY cleans or REMOVES anything sitting on the top surface to reveal a fresh base of paint. This prepares the paint to accept a coat of wax or synthetic sealant. For paint in new or like new condition, that is paint that either does NOT have below surface defects like swirls and scratches, or for people that DON'T care about removing below surface defects like swirls and scratches, a paint cleaner is a necessary product to use after washing and before applying a NON-cleaning wax or sealant.
Non-cleaning waxes and sealants - Show Car Waxes - Show Car Sealants
Most of the waxes and sealants at your local auto parts stores are one-step cleaner/waxes. The online world calls these AIOs. A cleaner/wax, or a cleaner/sealant or an AIO are all the EXACT same thing, just different words to give them a name. These types of products do 3 things in one step,
- Clean
- Polish
- Protect
Non-Cleaning Waxes - Finishing Waxes - Show Car Waxes
Another group of waxes and/or sealants offer ZERO cleaning ability, at your local auto parts stores, these would be Meguiar's M21 Hi Tech Yellow Wax or Mothers California Gold Carnauba Wax. There might be other non-cleaning waxes at the retail level but historically, these are two such product that have been consistently available.
Here's the deal...
For neglected paint you can get away with a one-step cleaner/wax. But you CANNOT use a non-cleaning wax. The reasons should be obvious but if you don't know why - the paint on a daily driver gets a dirt stain on it from exposure to the world. A cleaner/wax will remove this dirt stain and leave the paint looking CLEAR and shiny while also protecting it. A NON-CLEANING wax or sealant will NOT remove road film or dirt staining. It also won't remove any oxidation or other surface impurities. In fact, it will seal all these negative substances ONTO the paint.
This is historically where paint cleaner fits into the car waxing process. If you're going to us a non-cleaning wax or sealant on a daily driver or on neglected paint, you would first use a paint cleaner.
What is a paint polish?
A true paint polish contain some form of ABRASIVE TECHNOLOGY. In my opinion and experience, the abrasive technology used by any brand of compounds and polishes is either GREAT or it's crap. There is no in-between because it either works, or it doesn't. If the abrasive technology works this means it can be moved over a painted surface where it will remove below surface defects WITHOUT leaving it's own mark or scratch. If it doesn't work, this means sure it will remove below surface defects but it replaces them with it's own defects usually called micro-marring.
Micro-marring is the kind, nice and fluffy way to say scratching.
So bad abrasive technology leaves scratches in the paint. I call this working backwards.
What is a Fine Cut Polish?
A fine cut polish is simply that, it only lightly abrades the surface to remove only a small amount of paint. Thus a fine cut polish is only for removing SHALLOW defects or for use after a more aggressive process like using an aggressive compound or a medium cut polish.
A fine cut polish can also be used in place of a paint cleaner as they will do the same thing, lightly clean the surface only a fine cut polish will do MORE than a paint cleaner as it will clean the surface AND remove shallow below surface paint defects.
Paint Cleaner vs Paint Polish
You either use a paint cleaner and move on to your sealing process OR you skip the paint cleaner and use a polish or a compound and polishes and then move onto your sealing process.
You don't use both. This would not only be redundant, it would be a waste of your time, energy and money.
And for what it's worth, I never use paint cleaners except to share what they are and how to use them.
Why?
Because for ALL the work and time it takes to apply a paint cleaner, which hardly does anything, (perfect for some paint and some people, just not me), instead I could use a fine cut polish.
- A QUALITY fine cut polish, that is a brand that uses GREAT abrasive technology, will do EVERYTHING a paint cleaner will do and MORE.
- A paint cleaner JUST lightly cleans the surface of paint.
- A fine cut polish will lightly clean the surface of paint AND remove minor defects.
You get so much more bang for the buck from your time, energy, money and results to use a fine cut polish over a paint cleaner.
But as a co-worker here at Autogeek once said to me when I first came to Autogeek in 2009,
Never spend another man's money
So I'm not saying a paint cleaner is a bad product, it's the perfect product for some people and some paint.
But for me? I know how to use a machine so for the same amount of time, money and effort I would always choose a fine cut polish over a paint cleaner.
Make sense?
And that my cyber friends is the difference between a paint cleaner and a polish.
-Mike Phillips
