Coating unclogging (3pH/2pH)

Summary: An overview into when and how to do a coating unclog wash

Over time you will see your multi year coating perform worse and worse, even if you follow regular maintenance and washes or even use a topper on it.

This is due to it clogging up with contaminants and coating degradation over time. Coating degradation can only be slowed by correct washing and is the inevitable cause of death for any coating, A clogged coating in the other hand can be unclogged with a 3pH (alkaline, acidic and pH neutral), 2 pH (alkaline and acidic) and or decon wash.

The things clogging your coating are mostly the same things we do a chemical decon for and often are specific to your dirt environment. Here are a few examples of things that can clog your coating:

• Tar
• Iron
• Organic Film
• Sap
• Mineral deposits

For some of these a 3pH/2pH wash is the remedy but for others a full chemical decon is needed (Paint Decontamination Guide)

What does a 3pH wash consist of and what makes it unclog your coating?

3pH washing consists of an Alkaline pre wash that can tackle organic dirt like regular road grime, bugs, traffic film,… and is often already part of your normal wash process.
This provides mostly the safety to work with the other products by removing most heavy contamination that can scratch your paint before the following steps. This is always the first step and should always be followed by a rinse.

The further steps are ambiguous and depend on what system you follow. They will contain of a contact wash and an acidic cleaner (2pH) and optionally (3pH) a pH neutral shampoo.
The acidic cleaner performs like a weakened version of a waterspot remover, removing mineral residue that is the biggest source for clogging on well maintained coatings. Unlike a waterspot remover these are not as aggressive, so the risk of weakening your coating from the chemical is far less. However that can also lead to them not being strong enough in some cases. The pH neutral step is to remove any contaminants that require a contact wash to be removed (e.g. traffic film) and can be omitted if you have an acidic shampoo capable of doing a contact wash. This is not recommended as the pH neutral shampoo has much better cleaning against regular contaminants and safety against marring.

The order of the last two steps can vary by system, some systems mix both chemicals into one step or even fully omit the pH neutral shampoo. Follow your manufacturer’s instructions. If your car still is contaminated (check the beading on the final rinse and check the paint for obvious contamination when clean and dry) a full chemical Decon (Iron remover, Tar remover, Waterspot remover) can be in order, please see our guide on this.

Claying and polishing both are not advisable methods to unclog a coating as they run a risk of marring the coated paint or outright abrading the coating.

Be careful with the dilutions of the alkaline and acidic creamers as too strong concentrations can degrade your coating.