Comparing Pre-Wax Cleaners - P21S vs SP Paint Cleanser vs Optimum Poli-Seal

Hello Folks,

Introduction
Being as there are often questions asked about pre-wax cleaners and it's not
really detailing weather outside, here's my take on 3 products that have been
in my armoury over the past few years.

The products...

P21S /R222 Gloss Enhancing Paintwork Cleanser

...removes rain spots, minor stains and surface contaminants. It adds
essential emollient oils back into the paint and prepares the paint for P21S
Concours Look Carnauba Wax. It is a thick, rich, white creamy pre-wax
cleaner (polish) that works equally well with any other quality Carnauba wax.
The gentle chemical cleaners make this one of the finest and most gentle
polish available. It should be used about twice a year for most cars.

P21S /R222 Gloss Enhancing Paintwork Cleanser is available from the
MoreThanPolish web site at £14.99 for 350ml, exc. delivery

Serious Performance Ultra Gloss Paint Cleanser

...is a non abrasive, non filling paint cleaner designed to safely remove
contaminants and oxidation quickly and easily from the paintwork after
washing. It restores depth and colour, and utilises optical brighteners to
further enhance the clarity and shine from your paint, prior to sealing.

Serious Performance Ultra Gloss Paint Cleanser is available from the
Serious Performance web site at £7.95 for 250ml, exc. delivery

Optimum Poli-Seal

...is the most remarkable, all-in-one product ever produced! This zero dusting,
buttery-smooth formula is the ultimate, one-step product. It creates gloss
and long term protection that is second to none. Optimum Poli-Seal contains
micro abrasives that eliminate (not hide) minor surface imperfections. It
provides swirl mark removal, the final polish and a durable wax/sealant all in
one step!

Optimum Poli-Seal is available from the CleanYourCar web site
at £8.95 for 8 fl oz, exc. delivery

The Test Mule
... is a 2004 Mercedes C Class Saloon in metallic silver / grey.

http://s5.postimg.cc/rafv2yzav/merc1303.jpg

I should mention that although the Optimum Poli-Seal is an All-in-One, it is
essentially a paint cleaner. It's also the only one of the three products to
contain abrasives, although there is some chemical cleaning involved too.
I've included it here also because Optimum products are under-represented.

The car is a farm workhorse, with its paint subjected to a fair amount of
neglect being out in all the weather that Cumbria can throw at it. Over the
past 5 or 6 years it has often presented a cleaning challenge for me, so that's
why it's the subject here.

I didn't take many before pictures, but this one gives a pretty good idea
of the car's 7 to 8 month interim neglect...

http://s5.postimg.cc/owtby7vhz/merc1202a.jpg

On my arrival on the farm at the beginning of May 2012, the car, though
quite filthy, still looked like it had some protection on it. A quick jet wash
with plain water confirmed this. I didn't have time for any polishing on this
visit, so it would only receive a pre-wax cleaning treatment.

Even so, I was quite surprised at what came off the car's horizontal surfaces,
with these Serious Performace pads used for application of the 3 cleaners.
The picture below shows the results on brand new pads with their respective
PWC product bottles behind...

http://s5.postimg.cc/53p2yeuk7/sppadstest1.jpg

The picture above may give an impression that loads of pressure was used;
this was by no means the case. Evidence of this can be seen with the white
bits on the right.

For reference, the P21S pad did the entire bonnet, the other two products
shared a clean-up of the car's roof. I do promise you, the car had been very
thoroughly cleaned first! After its jet wash, I went round doing a close ONR
clean. I then did a decon with iron & tar remover where needed and gave
that a good rinse off with CG Hose-Free Eco.

The Products In Action

P21S - this is a chemical cleaner that is quite thin, so some care is needed
to not spill any when loading the pad. All you need do is gently spread it over
the area to be worked to allow the chemical cleaning to begin. Once fully
spread you then fairly briskly work the product in to remove any oxidisation
or roughness in the surface. It can be worked for a while, though I'd keep
the pad moist if the surface is heavily oxidised.

SPPC - this is very similar to the P21S but a slightly thicker liquid which you
use a little less of per panel. Again, you work it the same though it requires
little pressure to get the surface feeling smooth. The amount of dirt removed
can be alarming, so make sure you have a rinse bucket to hand.

OPS - for this product I would strongly recommend that you thoroughly prime
the pad with warm water first. With its fine abrasives you can get an
extremely good finish, though it will take some work by hand. Because of the
AIO properties, it's impossible to gauge whether the surface has been
smoothed naturally, or by the finishing wax.

You will need a bucket of warm water for all three products, just to rinse out
the crud that these products remove.

Conclusions

All three products represent a good buy in their own right and are about equal
in the value for money stakes.

The P21S I found to be a little difficult to control in terms of loading the pad.
As a cleaner it's probably the easiest to use in terms of effort.

The OPS is a terrific product that works exceedingly well. It does take a fair
bit of effort and the results look and feel really good. However, when I'm
cleaning paint, for me the wax finish gets in the way. I've had no bonding
problems with any follow-up LSPs. I've not tested the longevity of its wax;
on this car I feel I'd be pushing my luck to do so.

Of the three products, the one I constantly replenish, even though I've had
my head turned by the effectiveness of a clay cloth, is the SPPC. I now use
it on paint that I don't feel is clean enough after a clay cloth treatment,
preferring to stand by my maxim of only using the most gentle of cleaning
methods. My gammy hands tend to demand this anyway!

As I'm physically unable to use a machine, I try to avoid inflicting any damage
during the decon and cleaning stages of a detail. While the clay cloth can
work extremely well at cleaning paint, I'm happy to have a fall-back of pre-
wax cleaners or something mildly abrasive for things like water-spotting or
oxidisation. Although nothing can compare to a machining, I've not been
defeated too often.

The completed car didn't look too shabby...

http://s5.postimg.cc/u72w3954n/merc1209.jpg

Regards,
Steve