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I'm thinking about using some engine degreaser on the other half of my car before starting the sanding. I have a feeling it may be from turtle wax applied recently. Or the large amount of soap in my water I washed the car with. But I have to go for black, its the OEM color and I have to change my title and registration and insurance if I paint it and I don't wanna go through the trouble.





An odd thought just struck me... OK... do you know how to clean a windshield that has wax on it ? The answer is AMMONIA - that high smelling liquid.

Most windshield cleaners make use of ammonia to cut grease and wax off a car's windshield. In fact, when I am buying windshield cleaner like Windex, Bon Ami and others.. I always make sure that it says 'ammonia' on the can or bottle - to ensure that it will get the windshields squeaky clean and wax and smeer free.

Soooooooo... I was thinking... maybe you might want to try adding a bit of pure ammonia to a bucket of water and using that for a thorough wipe down ( instead of a dampened mineral spirit cloth ).

The recommended solution for ammonia to water is 5% to 10%. You can not use higher percentages of ammonia because it not only stinks like h*ll, but in a 100% form it is capable of etching glass and metal. So it is pretty potent......

I would suggest that a 5% to 10% solution of ammonia to water should strip just about any wax or greasy chemical that is clinging to the surface. This could be the nuclear bomb of paint wiping down... as wax, grease and silicon things should not survive this solution being wiped over it.

I would make sure that you do it in a well ventilated area. I would even go so far as to suggest that you take one of your wife's, mother's or girlfriend's yellow latex dishwashing gloves to protect your hands during the wipe down. The stuff is pretty potent - even in a 5% to 10% solution and it could cause skin irritation.

I am not sure if ammonia in a 5% to 10% solution can discolor clothing like bleach does. But I would take care to wear some crappy clothes that you really don't care if they get discolored by the ammonia diluted water.

DO ME A FAVOR THOUGH... definitely try this on a test panels or test spot that is low on the car. Because I really can't guess in advance how this 5% - 10% solution may react with 'relatively fresh' paint ( or primer for that matter ). My initial thought is that on a shiny coat of paint it may remove the surface gloss of a freshly painted area. But in theory it should just clear off the surfactants without doing any harm to the paint when you keep things in the 5% to 10% dilution range.

And I would definitely give the car a good chance to fully evaporate and dry after the wipe down... just to make sure that none of it is left on the car.

Last edited by Marq; 09/07/09 08:03 PM.