John Etnier

i just got back from my local high-end body shop, picking up a wheel they refinished. I asked the guy who did the work if the fact that I'd used a silicone-based wax had caused them any troubles, or if silicone waxes were a problem for them: he said no: that precleaning with a wax remover product they use takes care of it. On 968.net there was talk a while back to the effect that these waxes made body work difficult or impossible.

Comments?

Greimann

Silicone is verboten for use at or near the bodyshop itself. The stuff can become airborne from polishing / waxing operations and cause a major failure during a re-painting job. Nothing like a big fisheye in the hood of that Porsche to spoil the painters mood.

Tom Carson

but I thought some cleaners were bad for wheels

por944trs

If they made bodywork impossible, then they wouldn't be able to sell it. It all depends on the training and attitude of the tech, if he does his job right its not a problem. I have painted for 15 yrs and never had a car I could not paint. Just got to know what you are doing, I also have silicone based waxes in my place of business , we just keep them properly stored.Hope this helps.

wheelguy

Some cleaners are bad for wheels. Most have a clear coat that is similar to the one on the fenders hood etc. Great rule of thumb is don't use any cleaner on your wheels that you wouldn't use on the fenders. Protect your wheels and you won't need anything other than car wash soap used on the rest of the car. Don't use regular car wax on the wheels because it can melt and make the dusting problem worse. I have my favorite protective coating.

William Green

As Greimann states it is the fact that these polishes can become airborne that causes the problem, not the fact that you have applied it previously.

If a car has been prepared for spraying and then any silicone based wax lands on the bodywork it will require the car to be resprayed again.

When I was looking at getting my car resprayed I spoke to a lot of bodyshops. At one bodyshop I was asked not to polish the car before bringing it in just to save on time required to remove the wax. I asked if this was a problem and was told that it was only a problem if I had used the polish that day and had not told him as this particular place had had an experience where the garage next door had been preping a car and the polish had got sucked into the air vents which resulted in small particles of the polish landing on the car body he was about to spray.

He did not realise this and it was only apparent after spraying the car that it had been contaminated.