Breaking this question out from another thread because I want to be sure before I do this. I am about to wash, clay, amigo, and epic my Mini. It was recommended that instead of washing with mystique that i wash with dawn instead. 2 questions:

How much Dawn for 5 gallons of water?

Can I use my brand new black lambs wool mitt with the Dawn wash?

 

i wouldn't recommend on using dawn for washing the car. I haven't verified the issues but many say that it is bad for anything that is rubber. I guess it dries out rubber trimming faster.

If you want to save the mystique you can buy off-the-shelf car wash from Meguiars. Gold-class and NXT car wash is a very good alternative.

 

A wash with Dawn is recommended to strip the car of any old waxes that might have left some residue on the paint. I think Dawn dries out the rubber if you regularly wash w/ Dawn, but not if you just wash with Dawn about twice a year.

If you don't want to use Dawn, I think there are paint cleaners that do the same job, but it all depends on how much you want to spend and how much time you can wait for an order as these are not readily available at auto part stores.

I think I recall someone also saying you can use 50/50 alcohol and water. I'm sure others will give you more advice...good luck with the detail! Don't forget to post pics!

 

Yikes!! I would never, ever, I mean Ever wash a car with Dawn. If you're prposing to use it to strip off any old waxes and polish, use Paint Prep from Griot's garage. You won't be sorry.

 

Dawn will be fine, you won't kill your car with it occasionally. Just be sure to use some sort of trim protectant (Black Wow, Back to Black, Black Renew) after.

 

Thing is, don't think there is any old wax on the car. I went to Iraq soon after getting the car so whatever the dealer put on it is the only thing that could be on it. And I doubt there's any of that left after 2 years. I don't mind using the Mystique (I think even half strength since it's not too bad). My concern was the polymers masking the clay process.

 

The only reason you would use Dawn would to break down/remove old waxes. When you wash does the water bead up, or does it simply pool on the paint? If it dosn't bead then you can use your Mystique. Actually, the clay and Swirl will remove the old wax (if there is any) but that'd be a worst case senario.

 

Ok, I think the reasoning behind the original recommendation was mostly cost but I don't mind using the Mystique for this.

 

The original reasoning was because Mystique has polymers in it that gives your car a nice shine. But you're going to be starting from scratch--clay, polish, and wax, and so any bit of shine that Mystique provides will be lost during the process.

It doesn't mean you can't use it, there just isn't any reason to use it other than--that's all you've got.

In your case, Dawn or Mystique is fine. If I had to choose between the two, it would be a toss up.

Richard

 

Richard, I was hoping you'd show up. Think I'm going to go with the Mystique since I might not get back immediately to do the clay (but I'll try).

 

Oh my god............I would never use Dawn soap on a car or my hair or my body!!!! It is used for dirty greasy dishes. I use Meguire's gold wash and also on our new 2006 BMW and the Toyota Tundra. They all look great. Then use a speed shine to touch up and claying is good and then a real nice wax like Xzimole? Spelling is probably wrong as my husband gets all the good stuff on line and then I just use it.Don't wash your mini in the sun or wax in the sun and never ever go through a car wash and ask for the spray wax coat and then try to get it off your windows!!!!! My mini was bought new in April 2005 and has never been at a commercial car wash. Find a "hand" car wash if you have to. Griots is very good products too. Window cleaner by Meguire's is great too.I am from Northern Nevada dry dusty dirt and wash about every 2-3 weeks. Good luck and enjoy. Motor On Clean !!!!

 

I think that's the idea. A dawn wash before all that work would help to break down any remaining wax, even any minor oil or grease that may have splashed up off the road. Especially helpful if there's any buildup stuck down in the nooks and crannies. Thoroughly rinsing will be sufficient. It's also great for quickly removing the wax from your fingernails when you're all done. You can even double up and do the dishes while you're at it.

Appears the answer is 50/50 based on the black and white responses.

 

Keep in mind that Dawn only works on natural (Carnauba) waxes. It won't strip a synthetic wax (e.g. Epic). It is however very cheap and if you only use it twice a year I can't see it hurting the car any.

 

So here's the deal - Dawn is high pH (alkaline) so it is really good at removing grease and oil. It is also good at stripping Carnuaba wax since this too is essentially an oil (not exactly but close enough). Alkaline changes the surface tension of oils/grease so that it becomes hydrolyzed (emulsified) and releases from your paint. This is good.
High alkalinity also has a negative effect on your natural rubber pieces and vinyl trim in that it will remove the natural oils at the surface in much the same way it does with your paint. This is bad.
However with only occasional use and the application of a trim dressing the negative effects of Dawn are far out weighed by the benefits (degreasing your paint and removing natural waxes).
My original recommendation to use Dawn instead of Mystique (pre-clay) was made with regards to cost as well as the fact that Mystique, as OG pointed out, does have some polymers in it and will not leave your paint absolutely contaminate free. This is no big deal with regards to the claying process since the clay will remove the small amount of polymers left on the paint by Mystique.
That said, I prefer to start with a totally clean surface before I clay so I use a Dawn wash followed by P21S Paintworks Cleanser to chemically remove all surface contaminates as well as any remaining synthetic wax. I then follow this with clay using the Dawn wash water and then rinse before beginning the polishing step.
There will not be any issues using your wool mitt with Dawn. Just rinse well after you are done.

 

Don't sweat it... The clay will get almost everything off the surface of the paint including any trace wax. Dawn it if you use carnuba-based wax if you like, but if you use synthetic then just wash away any surface dirt/grit/grime with a mild soap (auto parts stores usually carry sample packs of the cheaper car shampoos like the Armor All - just grab 3 or 4 for times just like these) and then go to town with the clay.

 

Agreed - if you're going to clay and polish, those steps will remove any wax that may remain.

However, contrary to what people might want you to believe, you CAN use Dawn occassionally (1 or 2 times a year) if you use carnauba wax and want to strip it off and start clean. Just be sure to dress all rubber/plastic after, and it will be just fine.

But yes, as others have said, you do NOT want to use Dawn as a regular wash solution. But for this, you could use Dawn this time and be just fine.

 

I used Dawn before I clayed the other day- it's very effective. BMW is notorious for poor quality plastic, which is just one more reason not to use something that hard.