Panel Wipe & IPA

Panel wipe is the last step between polishing and protection. It strips polishing oils, old wax and fingerprints so that a coating or sealant bonds to bare clear coat. The range includes Koch-Chemie Panel Preparation Spray, CarPro Eraser, an intensive oil and polish cleanser, AutoBrite Prep-It in a 1L bottle and Angelwax Stripped Ease, a wax removal system.

How to choose

• Wipe or wash: panel preps go on with a microfibre, panel by panel, after polishing. A stripping shampoo takes old wax off the whole car at the wash stage instead.
• IPA: neat isopropyl alcohol is diluted with water before it goes on paint, so check whether a bottle is ready to use or needs mixing.
• Glass: clean a windscreen with a plain cleaner from Glass Cleaners before a rain repellent from our Glass Sealants.

Good to know

• Panel wipe also removes wax and sealant, so use it only on panels that get fresh protection straight after: see Paint Ceramic Coating and Paint Sealants.
• Wipe on with one microfibre and off with a second, then check under a light: bare paint shows any swirls the polish was only filling.

Is panel wipe the same as rubbing alcohol?

Not exactly. A panel wipe is made and labelled for taking polishing oils off paint before a coating or sealant. Isopropyl alcohol (IPA) does a similar job, but neat IPA has to be diluted with water first.

Related: Preparation & Accessories, Polishing Microfibres, Paint Inspection Lights, Masking Tapes. Popular brands here: Koch-Chemie, CarPro, Angelwax.