"A quality shampoo should also have the proper conditioners for your paint unlike dish soap. Dish soap, such as Dawn, will remove previous layers of wax to start with a fresh surface, however there are downsides to washing with dish soap over time. Dish soap can dry out your paint, dry out and discolor plastic, vinyl and rubber trim, and is harmful to your clear coat."

.... but how come everyone uses Dawn?

 

Just use Dawn to strip off old wax. I only used it once before I apllied Zaino on the car. Will never use it again.

 

I agree that using Dawn is good to strip wax when you are starting over. The big problem with Dawn is that it can prematurely try out rubber components on the car.

I have been using a 50/50 alcohol/water wipedown lately for wax removal. It has the same problem as Dawn though.

-GT

 

I really think alcohol is better than Dawn as it is completely diluted and removed by water. IMHO the PH of Dawn is too acidic for paint and plastic and can leave a film that interfers with polish and wax. I use a 30% dilution of isoprophyl alcohol that is usually sold with a 25% dilution already. Look for the type without any addidtives like "wintergreen" for muscle relaxation - you can use that type when your done with the detail

 

good info!

 

Personally, I fail to understand why people use Dawn. Proper detailing or paint cleaning would remove protective products, in there entirety. This would also allow users a fresh base to begin with. Its always baffled me.

 

doesn't claybar also remove old wax?

 

Just read another series of posts on Autopia re Dawn as a wax removal aid. Seems to be a persistent myth. In any event my comment above needs to be corrected as Dawn is too alkaline, not acidic. I must have been sleeping when I wrote that. Bottom line is Dawn is not a product for your paint..

Claybar will strip wax..and a micoscopic layer of top coat. Would use it lightly, and only when you have more than wax you want off the paint. As a rule of thumb, and not myth, use the least aggressive product first, working your way up through polishes and, when really necessary, compounds for serious stripping.
Also, I found and used a 3M Wax and Glue/Tar removal spray when debadging my G. It worked much better than goo-gone and is made for automotive clear coat finishes. I think it's better than those tar removers that are filled with benzene.

 

NO, that is not what a claybar is for! It's
only purpose is remove surface crud from your paint.

 

Technically, I believe that a claybar and the 1st step method for most "3 step" product lines (ie. Meguiars 3 step, Sonus 3 step products) will be ample for removal of prior wax layers. I could be wrong, so correct me if so. But that's basically what the 1st step on 3 step programs are used for correct?

Taken from the Autopia Guide to Detailing:

Q6: Will clay remove my wax?
A6: In most cases, clay will "scrub off" wax protection. Some paint sealants are hard enough to withstand being cleaned with clay, but most are not.

So clay bars would be sufficient on removing MOST waxes, plus you get the bonus of removing surface contaminants.

Hope that helps

 

Wash your vehicle with dawn, and tell us how much wax is left on the vehicle.

That would be ZERO.

 

Here have been my findings having done this more or less full-time for four years.


-Dawn is nothing more than a stronger car wash. If you can drink the stuff straight out of the bottle with the worst thing happening being a stomach ache, I will trust it.

-Further, I use a little under 1 ounce per gallon which is a VERY light dilution (128:<1). I haven't been able to make it to the pool store yet, but I will soon test the actual pH. Also, with this, I will test other car washes, and I think a lot of myths might be debunked.

-The price is right. For around $4 for a quart, you make out pretty cheap and like I said, the product goes a long way.

-The main reason I use Dawn, and only for that matter, is prior to a complete detail. The Dawn cleans the vehicle a bit better, which in my area (NYC, lower CT), these vehicles NEED it. It helps loosen up bonded contaminants prior to claying, and in the end, removes oils from the surface so when I'm done washing, I know what I'm working with.


Should you use it weekly? Hell no. It is true that over time Dawn will eventually dry out rubber, but we are talking maybe weekly for a year before you notice anything, when in reality, neglect would serve for worse circumstances (think about that).


If you have your doubts, fine, but back them with substantial evidence (empirical is fine) before assuming.

 

Out of all the people that have posted this forum.. I would believe STILEZ lol. I heard his car is like butta, and looks flawless. SOOOO yea, there you go!

 

Stilez and Picus are the main ones that I pretty much trust concerning care care.