Shelf life of a solvent

Is there a shelf life to a solvent. I used some New Car Prep that I have had sitting on the shelf for quite a while now and decided to clean a panel on my vehicle before the application of a sealant. I made sure the solvent had flashed and I wiped it numerous times to make sure there was not residue. After the application what I noticed was the whole panel now is fogging up. It wipes away easy enough, but the fogging returns.
I've noticed a difference between using IPA vs New Car Prep is that the panel wasn't so grabby when I went to apply the sealant after the solvent than when I used the IPA.

There is no shelf life for New Car Prep.
It will evaporate from the container over time, which when it is all evaporated, it's gone, that's it's shelf life.
The "fogging" you see, what is the problem? Probably just high heat and humidity, but in any case, will not affect what ever product you place on the panels.
If you feel you absolutely must remove any residue of the New Car Prep,, just wipe the panel down with a 50/50 mix of IPA and wipe dry.
If you still observe fogging, it is humidity.

Hi Ron:
I am here in SoCal, Torrance area, and we are not experiencing alot or any more than normal amount of humidity. This area does not experience a great deal of humidity unless just after a storm.
This fogging I should not be happing. After the application it should be clear. Should I be waiting for a few days, will this disappear after a period of time?

I am not there to actually see the concern so any answer would be just a guess.
So, let it set and see, it may be as simple as some of the water used in washing is in the clear and it will evaporate over a short time period.

Not sure by what you mean "the water used in washing"? Did I miss a step?

Did you wash your vehicle before you started to do anything else?
Was the paint film surface hot or even warm when you applied any water to it?

Yes, sir, the car was perfectly clean before I started to polish, solvent, then OC.
The car is black, so the only time the car gets washed/waxed is the late afternoon or early morning, sometimes waxed before the sun comes up. Most of the time I blowdry after the wash

It's been a couple of days, how does it look now?
I think you said you used "wax", it may be that the New Car Prep broke the layers of wax and the cloudiness you are seeing is that wax.

Hi Ron:
Update:It took an overnight cure to take care of the fogging. I don't know why this happened but all I can think of is that there was some sort of chemical reaction between OC and the solvent. Even though I was very thorough, I think something remained behind other than the strong smell of solvent. This might explain why the surface was much slicker during the application than applying post IPA. I will have to say it was so much nicer to apply and I got the feeling OC went further, it was almost like applying another layer of wax on top of wax. I won't know if it got thinned out but time will tell.
What a relief after that first evening and the first wash. It really does look great.

So, it sounds like you had several layers of something on the finish and the product broke it down, but the residue was not completely removed.
The New Car Prep did as it is formulated to do, took off the old built up stuff.
With it, it took of the dirt/soil that had become imbedded in your OC, which would explain why you found it slicker.

With my washing down twice with NCP what do you suggest I follow up with?

Wash the car with your carwash shampoo and carry on!

Ketch22 :

My sources tell me that dishwashing detergent is too strong and will strip my wax, a big no-no.

Your comments??

~paul
WebCars! Webmaster

Read the label on a "dish washing" detergent.
It expounds about it's ability to "cut grease" etc.
If you are using a wax, it's close cousin is a "wax", so it may remove some of it or most of it, keeping in mind that most modern waxes contain a good percentage of amino siloxane resins (polymers) and they are more resistant to such products that remove grease/wax.
Just go buy some good car wash shampoo.
In the end, they cost about the same.
If one wishes to remove older applied waxes, etc, and plan on reapplying a protective coating, then go ahead and use a dish soap.
Removing the old residue of the previous applied products is actually the right thing to do.
Won't hurt a thing, just takes off the old (what's really left) wax, etc.
Too much "internet-I know because I read it on the net" stuff goes around without any real informative input.
Grumpy

Ketch22:

Cool, that's the rule that I've used. A good quality car wash detergent during my typical washing sessions and maybe I would snag some dishwashing stuff from the kitchen should I be doing a wax job after the wash.



Regards,


Paul Pollock
WebCars! Webmaster
[web-cars.com]

Try Kit Carnuba wash and wax, it is a wax safe soap and it suds up really well