My roomate was using dish soap on his car the other day. I have heard that some people like to use it on their cars because it is "soft" and others say it is terrible for the paint. I don't really care and just wash mine with auto wash from the store.

But, what do you guys think? What do you hand wash your car with? Dish soap as well?

Keith

 

Digity,

There is a whole separate section that covers your question called "Detailing 101" I bet you would find an answer there to your question.

https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...ailing-101-12/

But personally I do not use dish soap.

 

Oh no! I hope that your room mate was not using dish soap on a MINI! Please please please refer to the Detailing 101 Forum for the best car washing advice. Your MINI will thank you for it, and the world will be a more beautiful place.

I use only Zaino and Meguiar's.

 

https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...ur-cooper.html

 

Dish soap will not hurt the car. It will remove all wax/sealant that is on the car and leave it unprotected. It will also remove most road grime and grease. I have detailed plenty of cars and I would use dish soap as the initial wash before doing a detail, then polish/buff the paint, seal it with wax/sealant and never use dish soap again. Get a good quality car was soap designed to clean without removing your wax.

 

I have used dawn dish soap on my vehicles for years. I have never had a problem with it striping the wax off. The vehicles bead water like it did right after waxing it.

 

Like AXO, I've always used dish soap when washing my vehicles, except my choice has been Ivory Liquid.

ANY soap will eventually take the wax off, but I don't believe a mild dish soap will cause that to happen significantly quicker than a soap designed for washing cars.

When the water ceases to bead, it's time for a new wax job.

 

you guys just have to remember that water will bead off of a clean smooth paint. Wax/sealant only protect the paint underneath. So all the prep work you do to your paint before you wax it at the end is what the wax is protecting.

 

yes, all soaps will remove your wax over time but dish soap is much harsher then soap designed for car washing. Dish soap will remove much more wax and do it faster than a good quality car wash soap. If you don't believe me ask your local detailer or take your car to the local car wash and see how much of your wax is still left on your car, not much if any.

 

I was just over at the detailing 101 section and read OctaneGuy's thread about not using dish soap, which now makes sense. I am OCD cleaner. I wash my vehicle once a week and usually polish it once a month sometimes more. (I enjoy detailing). Plus my vehicle is garage kept. I also use synthetic polish which is harder for dish soap to strip off.

 

Today's paint really do not need waxing, they do not oxidize like finishes of the past. Waxing a car is really about getting the road film off the finish.

If you really want to take your hand car wash to the next level, wash your car using the "Two Bucket Method".

http://www.autogeek.net/car-wash-bucket.html

 

You sir are on crack. I can't tell you how many cars I see under 5 years old that the paint is failing from not taking care of it. It is almost a daily occurence to see some cars as new as 2 years old with some kind of paint failure.

 

Modern cars defiantly need to be waxed and polished. Dish soap wont really harm it for a short while but over time it will strip that wax off and leave the paint open to wearing.

I normally use this when I wash mine by hand. Once dried off it looks like you just waxed it and adds Rainx to. Its a great product and have used it on all my VWs for the past few years.

 

Yea but you live on the equator compared to clowdy Seattle. I suppose under hellacious sun paints would fail. Here they mold or grow moss!




I'll say the water-based paints are on crack - or at least they crack and chip like crazy. But for shine durability, they are not going to oxidize in mild climates to a powdery film like paint of old.





Now if you want to see water beading that will put even a bigger puddle of water in your lap when you open the door....... Try Tech Wax 2.0 and Tech Wash.

 

Wow they sure will oxidize! That clear coat is paint & will die an early death if not taken care of.

 

+1


-B.S!
you NEED to wax your cars paint. Wax protects from sun damage and road grime (ability to stick as well).

 

Something tells me he was not about to do a full detail job.

 

It depends on the dish soap. A lot of detailers will use "Palmolive" for a clay lube. 3-4 drops per 16oz. It does not strip the wax.

It is ok, but will usually strip wax/sealant off the car. Some types of soap will not have enough lubricants & can scratch. Just like some of the soaps form the drive through car washes.

While not a problem with the MINI, on single stage or older/neglected paint, dish soap can dull & haze the paint over time.

Really car soap is not that expensive, & doing a full detail can be, so use car soap.

 

This is a myth. Dish soap will NOT remove a sealant. Well atleast not one wash. Dish soap will remove a carnauba however. What needs to be clarified here is the definition of "wax".

A natural wax aka Carnauba offers far less protection than a synthetic or sealant. It's also easily stripped using Dawn soap. Part of the problem is determining whether the protection has been stripped is the visual method we use. Normally people judge whether "wax" is present by the amount of beading that remains. If it stops beading, we "assume" that the protection is gone.

Years ago, when Meguiar's came out with NXT Tech Wax, they focused on making the water sheet rather than bead with the thinking that water beads will lead to water spotting, so creating a wax that beads less is better. However all the competitor products touted beading ability (i.e. Zaino) and that's what the general consumer used as a measuring stick. They would do NXT and the next day the beading is gone, so they wrongly assumed the protection is gone too. While it's true that the wax/sealant protects the paint, a polished surface won't stay absolutely clean and smooth for very long without protection. All the polishes or glazes you used to achieve that super smooth surface will wash off during a wash or rainstorm, and your beading will be gone. The wax protection makes that last for months instead of days.


Partially true. Car wash soaps are NOT intended to remove the LSP (final wax protection). For most people, they want to wash their car and be done with it, and not wax it again. Using dish soap will remove certain kinds of waxes. I have washed paints protected with a synthetic, and after 5 successive washes, the amount of beading was severely reduced and the friction was increased. That's how I judge whether the protection is still there. A paint with no protection has a great amount of friction that can be easily felt by running a lambswool wash mitt with your favorite soap across it. No protection, the mitt has a lot of resistance. Good protection, the mitt glides. Wash it with Dawn and keep repeating until the resistance is felt.

That's what the dealers want you to believe. In the old days before paints were clear coated, if you didn't wax your paint, it oxidized. The paint became dull and off colored. Paint was "waxed" to slow that process down. Then someone came up with the bright idea that if we made a permanent wax then we wouldn't have to wax the car anymore and the cars would look great all the time....course no one thought that this "clear wax paint" could affect the way the car looks in other ways. A scratched clear coat with plenty of swirls becomes dull too!

The two bucket method isn't about taking your car wash to the next level. It's about taking extra precautions to reduce the swirls induced while washing. There are simple steps we can take to improve our washing methods. The two bucket method is one step.

Dirt or Grit Guards are also good ways to prevent inducing scratches.

Proper car wash soap with decent lubricity or with polymers can greatly impact in a good way your car looks after washing it.

Prima Hydro is a great way to end up with a "just waxed" finish after only a wash. And it helps mask and conceal certain paint defects.

I tell people the proper way to maintain your finish is as simple as paying strict attention to how you touch your paint and who you let touch it.

Let the dealer wash your car, and it all goes down the drain. Same as letting the local hand wash guys wreck your paint.

Wash your own car, and think every time you put a towel, a mitt, a sponge, etc... how are you abrading it? Maybe you should take pains to ensure that you do it safely and with the least potential for damage.

If your paint scratches easily..i.e. Jet Black...don't dry it with a towel. Using the sheeting technique and blot dry the paint with an Absorber. That will remove chances of instilling swirls in your paint.

It goes on and on and on....

Richard