I put Rejex on the car a few months back. I know it lasts a long time, but if I wanted to remove it (to polish the paint, for example), I assume Dawn won't do the trick. How do I remove it? Would polishing remove it at the same time?

Carnuba was easy--it removed itself in a few washings!

 

Dawn should take most of it off.......whatever is left will come off with the polish!

 

But if Rejex is a polymer coating, shouldn't it be impervious to simple dish soap?

 

Andy-

Clay should take it off, and polish will remove the rest. You will need to reapply it after polishing. Good luck,

Steve

 

Clay, yeah, that makes sense. PITA, but it makes sense.

Guess I will do it in the fall, makes no sense to rip a new coat of Rejex off the car!

 

Polymers are not as durable as one may think....or as the manufacturers tout. On a garage queen you may get maybe a year and some weeks but on an every day driver 3 to 6 months.

Dawn will strip it off as will polishing and claying also. Wiping the car down with alcohol will also remove it.

As for carnauba paste waxes....many say they are worthless because after a week or 2 the water no longer beads on the paint but who says that water beads indicate wax? Clean fresh paint with no wax will bead water because of surface tension. Polymers tend to sheet water more than beading thsi is because polymers are hydrophilic while wax is hydrophobic, it repels water. Paint is also hydrophobic so it, even without wax, repels water. So again, how does one test the presence of wax on their paint by beads alone? Well, you can't really.

This is why many people use a polymer base and top it with a carnauba paste wax. Best of both worlds.

Anthony

 

Interesting. The carnuba wax put on OVER Rejex wont remove the Rejex? Would it make more sense to put a second coat of Rejex on, instead of piling on another layer of wax?

 

I put two coats of rejex on my car last month.....honestly I couldn't see much of a difference vs just one coat......don't think I'll do that again!

 

Polymers can be layered but carnauba paste wax really can't. The next layer will just end up replacing the first layer.

A carnuaba paste wax will not remove the polymer but it will give it a warmer look. Polymers tend to give paint a sterile, plastic look while carnauba tends to give off a wet, warmer look. What you want to avoid though is a CLEANER/wax. Stick with a fine paste wax like P21S, Pinnacle, Trade Secret, S100 and Victoria. It's best to wait about 15 to 24 hours AFTER applying the polymer before you apply a paste wax.

Anthony

 

Andy, you're absolutely correct and polymers "bond" to the clear and that bond needs to be broken. Griot's has a wax remover spray that we used on a client's black GT2 that did a decent job of removing the Rejex. IMHO, Rejex is great for wheel, but I would never use it on my finish. Once you use the wax remover, you will need to polish many times to further clean the paint and remove the Rejex. It took us about 3 weeks, 5 visits, to get the finish Rejex free and we applied Zymöl HD-Cleanse and Vintage Glaze. The car looks great and recently too 2nd at a Regional Concours. Hope this helps.

 

5 visits and 3 weeks to remove a polymer? I'm not questioning your expertise here but what did you base this on, that it was finally removed after 5 visits and 3 weeks ?

Sure polymers bond to the paint but rubbing alcohol will remove it, using a clay will remove it as will an abrasive polish. So if I knew a polymer, like Rejex was on a car, I would wash it, clay it and then polish it and it would be removed. If I wanted to be positive everything was gone I would use an acid wash. 1 visit, 1 time.

Again, not being difficult, just seeking to know how you determine a polymer is gone.

Anthony

 

The haze in the clear coat dictated when the Rejex was removed. Our methods are different than most other detail companies in our industry. We don't believe in using petrochemicals inside or outside the car. The Rejex worked adversly with our Zymol wax, a natural product. So untill we saw no haziness for a few days after polishing, we knew the paint was free from any Rejex and applied our wax. You're not being difficult. I admire your curiosity

 

Would polishing with 3M Imperial Glaze be "abrasive" enough to remove the Rejex then? Or would a claying do it more effectively?

 

Andy
I would wash-clay-polish...then wax.....that will remove any old wax...even rejex!

 

Super fine cleaning abilities of the 3M IHG. Your best option is to clay after washing and then using a mild polish like Menzerna Intensive Polish/Final Polish II or Optimum Polish

Anthony