I was reading this older post on AG from two guys that seem to be either chemists or just really knowledgeable. They were saying that even when you use a high alkaline base product (a prep soap for example), and remove a sealant, just because the water doesn't bead doesn't technically mean there is no sealant left. I forget the other technical parts of it, but it was interesting. It seems to me that the only way to remove an existing sealant is to polish. There is little getting around that.
It is harder to remove a sealant chemically than people think. A true paint cleaner will. TAC System has a good one. I've seen guys on YouTube that treat a panel with a sealant and then apply all kind of APC's etc and it is still there and beading.
Bottom line: it is harder than most think to chemically get rid of a sealant.
This post however was from 2013. So unless these prep soaps contain other ingredients that help breakdown sealants, rather than just relying on the high pH, I have to assume they only work to a very limited extent.
It is harder to remove a sealant chemically than people think. A true paint cleaner will. TAC System has a good one. I've seen guys on YouTube that treat a panel with a sealant and then apply all kind of APC's etc and it is still there and beading.
Bottom line: it is harder than most think to chemically get rid of a sealant.
This post however was from 2013. So unless these prep soaps contain other ingredients that help breakdown sealants, rather than just relying on the high pH, I have to assume they only work to a very limited extent.