Detailing noob here. Upon searching about car soap, I seem to find that some of you guys out there are using a soap specially for car washing. I have a brand new MINI about a week old now, still with its original coat of wax that I just want to give a nice quick wash with soap. Previously on cars, I used the dish washer detergent ... it always seemed fine. But I want the best for my MINI, so does the soap really matter? If so, what should i go for? THanks.

 

The best car soap I've ever used (for the last 30+ years) is Murphy's Oil Soap mixed in water - and use loads of it. It feeds the paint. I know this sounds odd but just try it and see for yourself. It even says is it to be used for cars.

 

Dish soap or dishwasher detergent? I would be careful with dishwasher detergent... it's abrasive. As for dish soap... Dawn will remove the old coat of wax from your car, useful when you want to apply a new coat.

 

NO!




Bad idea. Dish washer detergent is the last thing you want to use on your brand new MINI, or any car for that matter. Among other things, it strip off any wax protection your car has, leaving the paint with no protection whatsoever.



Don't use dish washing soap.


If you have something like a Pep Boys in your area, go invest in some Gold Class Soap, or NXT Wash, or ANY other car washing soap. Any brand will be better than dishwasing soap. I prefer Gold Class because I can buy it buy the gallon, and it's pretty effective .

 

In addition to getting the car clean, your soap also acts as a lubricant between your wash mitt and the paint, so that moving the mitt across the paint doesn't grind small particles of dirt and grit into the paint. As others have pointed out, dishwashing soap is also very alkaline and will strip the wax from your finish.

The biggest mistake I see people making in regards to car wash soap is simply not using enough of it. Two or three squirts in the bottom of the bucket isn't going to do it. Read the directions, most brands recommend one ounce of soap per two-and-a-half gallons of water, or even one ounce per gallon. If you have a five-gallon wash bucket, that's between 2 and 5 ounces of soap, which is more than you think. Use the proper amount of soap, and you'll be amazed at how much suds you get, how long they last, and how much more easily your wash mitt glides across the paint, allowing you to "float away" the dirt from your car's surface without scratching it.

As for brands, I just finished off a half-gallon of Meguiar's NXT and switched to Griot's Garage Car Wash. I like the Griot's well enough that after using up the 8-ounce bottle I bought as a "tester", I've bought a gallon of it. Either brand is great, I just think the Griot's feels a little bit slicker between the mitt and the paint.

Scott

 

If you haven't watched my video on how to wash a MINI using the 2 bucket method, then go watch it now. It's free.

www.ShowCarGarage.com near the top of the page.

Be sure to set aside 30 minutes to watch it.

Richard

 

I used the 2 bucket method yesterday for the first time and it worked great...no dirt in the soap bucket at the end, it was all in the rinse bucket. That was without the grit guard too. Your video really helped me Richard, I was worried about making swirls on this brand new paint. I followed up with 2 coats of Ice and the shine was better than the day I picked up the MINI. Once I have a little spare cash I'm going to spring for some Zaino stuff, but for now the Ice worked fine very easy on and off, and no white residue on the black trim. Thanks!

 

i use the GoldClass car wash, the same shampoo used in the
Octaneguy's vid. the Griot's is also nice... nice slick
slippery soap solution and smells good. but don't want to
use that on my commuters. will save it for the MCS and
G35C.

the key word is the amount of Lubricity.

 

Griot's Car Wash and Zaino Z7 are my preferred car shampoos - the lubricity of both are up-to-par with my OCD standards.

Using a dishwashing detergent like Dawn is an easy way to strip previous wax applications to start fresh. The high alkaline content isn't going to hurt your car at all, but it does mean more work in terms of reapplying wax (especially if you do multiple coats). Then again, you will want to wash with Dawn and start afresh every now and then anyhow.

Just another way that our MINIs are time-sucking blackholes!

 

Chimera
Glad the video helped! That's why I make them. =) I will be releasing other short videos on various car care subjects in the coming months.

Latte Hiatus
Re: Using Dawn to start fresh again.... this is a funny concept to me that makes little sense. In the 3 years I've owned my MINI, I've only used Dawn once and that was to "prep" the MINI for Zaino. But after switching to Meguiars, there has never been a need to strip anything off and start fresh. If I want to "strip" my wax, just use claybar to remove everything, then polish to remove swirls, then protect with wax, or use a one step product to remove swirls and protect with wax.

I know the Zaino "experts" say use this method, but wax protection wears down naturally (including everytime you touch your paint). I can't see a need for this unless I'm switching between brands, say Zaino to Meguiars, and if Zaino is so durable, yet can be broken down with dish washing soap, then what's the soap doing to your paint?

Just my 2 cents.

Richard

 

Same here - the only time I've ever used dishwashing soap was prior to the initial Zaino treatment, since the manufacturer warns that it's not supposed to be applied over wax.

Now, if I were to test out a new wax on a car that I'd previously Zaino'ed, I'd probably use dish soap afterwards before going back to the Zaino.

I don't think claybar will necessarily remove all traces of wax, but as long as the wax left behind is perfectly smooth and has no impurities embedded in it, I really don't care.

So in summary, I'd use the dish soap first if you're applying Zaino over wax. If you're not switching back and forth between various products, then you don't need to strip it down just for the sake of stripping it down. Just keep applying additional layers of whatever product you use, and claybar it a couple of times a year.

Scott Gardner

 

One thing I did learn from the "2-bucket technique" vid- "lubricity" is your friend (i looked it up, and yes, it's a real word!!) Although I'm already using Meguiars' Gold Class... I was not using enough soap! (ack!)

 

Informative video. I'm one of those that puts the soap in the bucket before adding water. Thus creating suds. Not anymore. I also use the same soap in the video. Wow. I always guess but now I realize I don't use anywhere near enough soap per gallon.

 

i still do... but i don't spray the water into the bucket but pour it
in with the hose to minimize suds. and just mix the rest with my hand.

that dixie gauge mentioned in the vid is a good idea.

 

I use the Mr Clean gun thing that attaches to the hose. I'm currently using Dupont car wash stuff in it. It mixes the soap and water, and I get a nice sudsy spray. I also don't ever have to deal with (even semi-) dirty buckets of water.

 

I've used generic "automobile" soap in the past. When I go my Mini, I used the Zaino soap and then the soap that came with my Mr. Clean kit. I then order some Mequiars Hyper Wash and noticed something interesting. All the soaps cleaned the Mini just fine. But after using the Mequiars, the black trim pieces around the bottom of the car stayed black longer and did not need touching up as soon!!!.

 

Yes, using Dawn to strip off carnaubas is far more efficient than claying your car. And if you truly want to see what differences other waxes have on the look of the paint you should stip off previous wax coats so you are getting purer results. If you are just applying additional coats of the same wax it doesn't matter and there is no need to totally strip off old stuff.

And BTW, Zaino, as well as many other polymers, will not wash off with a Dawn wash.

 

what to use to remove polymers?

I used Griot's PaintPrep and seems to get all NXT off... hope I used
the right stuff.

 

I have Paint Prep. Good stuff. Smell it and you can smell the solvents. It also contains alcohol. I use it a lot to prep test panels for wax testing. Works fine.

Yes, it will easily remove NXT.

 

Thanks!

 

You make a very valid point. Please keep in mind, however, that carnauba wax and synthetic polymers such as NXT and Zaino are not intended to be permanent. As OCD as I am, I figure I've been using Dawn to clean my dishes for years without detrimental effects on the clearcoat glaze of the ceramics. As such, there is little concern to me that I will be stripping off the clearcoat of my car anytime soon.

Washing with Dawn twice a year to start over is something that I've done, regardless of whether I'm using carnauba wax or more recently, synthetic polymers. It saves a little bit of time and effort when claying, and the thought of starting fresh appeals to me. Applying a couple of coats of wax from scratch is easy, and I rather enjoy what Mr. Richard Griot dubs "detailing therapy".

 

Richard,
This is a mis-read many people make about Zaino. As Brad pointed out, Dawn is only used to remove the carnuba efficently from the car prior to the first Zaion application. On subsequent applications you need not use dawn. If you are adding coats of Zaino in between your semi-annual polish/claybar work simply wash the car with Z7, dry, apply Z6 and then apply as meany Z2 coats as you feel is needed, spaced with Z6 between coats (up to 3 in 24 hours). This is a good way to "touch-up" your sealant prior to a show or GTG.

When doing semi-annual work, you are 100% correct that dawn is going to do little to aid in removal of a sealant as most of it has been "weathered" away, and/or being removed as part of the claybar/polishing process. On a car I am simply maintaining every 6 months I only spot clay anyway as the polish and PDCA will have a far greater effect on removing contaminants than the clay will ever have. Let alone a dishwashing soap!

 

always wondered... if dish soap, does it have to be Dawn or
can you use Ivory or Palmolive or watever's on sale that week?

(not that im going to use dish soap).

 

Dawn has been a traditional favorite because it a high alkaline surficant and doesn't leave a film like some brands with softening oils in them. I am sure other brands can be found to work, Dawn just had the right set of ingredients.

 

Dawn became popularized for wax/polymer removal because of its alledged high alkaline content to remove silicones, waxes, synthetic polymers, etc. There's no reason you can't use any other liquid detergents as long as it doesn't contain any additives (e.g., hand moisturizers, bleach , etc) that would either be harmful to the paint or prevent optimal adhesion for the wax/polymer you will apply. I consider Dawn and other dishwashing soaps to be a cheap version of paint prep.