How to remove wax?

[Peter_Klim]

So before waxing a car, it is recommended to first strip the wax and then use the clay bar, right? What do you use to remove the wax? Dish washing liquid?

[Tuck91]

Re: How to remove wax?

Well, I wash the car like normal with car shampoo, clay, then wax or seal.

Some like to Dawn there car but I dont usually have time to recondition all the dried out trim.

[Murr1525]

Re: How to remove wax?

You would generaly:

1. Wash
2. Clay
3. Clean - either a paint cleaner like SwirlX, or a cleaner/wax like ColorX
4. Wax - Nxt 2.0, etc.

And so the clay, cleaner, and cleaner/wax will take care of the old wax, and prep the paint for a new wax.

[J. A. Michaels]

Re: How to remove wax?

Well, I wash the car like normal with car shampoo, clay, then wax or seal.

Some like to Dawn there car but I dont usually have time to recondition all the dried out trim.

Same here.

[Blueline]

Re: How to remove wax?

Dawn will not dry out your trim. What nonsense.

[BlackScreaminMachine]

Re: How to remove wax?

I've seen people use dawn. I have seen them do Alcohol Wipe downs and most times Claybar will bring you down to a clean surface.

Many differen approaches. What I will say is do not wash with a soap does does washing and waxing in one step. Kinda of a waste of good product.

[Blue Apollo IV]

Re: How to remove wax?

I will never use dish washing soap on my car. I always clay the surface and use a paint cleaner (if I feel it's necessary) to prep the surface for the final wax.

[Murr1525]

Re: How to remove wax?

Drying things out or not, dish soap still does not offer the lubrication to help prevent swirls.

[Michael Stoops]

Re: How to remove wax?

Dawn will not dry out your trim. What nonsense.

If your routine, weekly car wash soap is a dishwashing detergent it will speed up the degredation of vinyl, plastic and even paint. These detergents often contain some alcohol which is part of the reason this happens, along with the general grease cutting strength of the detergents. But since these detergents are designed to break down and remove grease, and since they tend to do this very well, they will do the same to wax, dressings, oils, etc.

Now, if you are fastidious about caring for your vinyl trim (ie, you're using a quality dressing after every wash with a dish detergent) then you may well be just fine. But the vast majority of people don't apply trim dressings as often as they should, and they don't wax as often as they should. And if they're washing all the time with a dish detergent, then they need to dress the trim and wax the paint every time they wash. And how many general consumers do that? But there is a difference between "never ever do this under any circumstances" and just following a "best practices" mentality.

But if you want to use a dish detergent every once in a great while to strip off the remains of whatever wax you may have left on the surface in order to prep for a detailing session, then there's probably little if any harm done.

There's a reason why Dawn themselves specifically recommend not using their dish detergent for car washing. From the Dawn website FAQ page (bold is theirs):

Can I use Dawn to clean things other than dishes?
Dawn is so effective in cutting grease on dishes that over the years, consumers have used Dawn on other greasy messes around their homes, from cleaning kitchen messes like grease build up on the stove range hood to oily spots in the garage. Dawn is not recommended for window cleaning, car washing, body wash or washing hair.

[Blueline]

Re: How to remove wax?

I
But if you want to use a dish detergent every once in a great while to strip off the remains of whatever wax you may have left on the surface in order to prep for a detailing session, then there's probably little if any harm done.

:

That was what the OP was asking. Can he use it once to strip wax?. I was not suggesting he use it every time. Some people like to scare the bejebbers out of others by suggesting that their car will turn into a dull piece of junk if Dawn (and the like) is used just once. It is not 'gonna' happen, even if used a few times.

[Bill Davidson]

Re: How to remove wax?

Either you subscribe to the philosophy of using the least aggressive method of getting the job done, or you don't.

[Peter_Klim]

Re: How to remove wax?

Either you subscribe to the philosophy of using the least aggressive method of getting the job done, or you don't.

Back my question in post #1:

"What do you use to remove the wax?"

[Bill Davidson]

Re: How to remove wax?

Back my question in post #1:

"What do you use to remove the wax?"

So before waxing a car, it is recommended to first strip the wax and then use the clay bar, right? What do you use to remove the wax? Dish washing liquid?

I'll quote your original message to try to keep things on topic.

Normally you don't need to strip the wax prior to waxing your vehicle. You just need to make sure the surface is clean. Now the question becomes how clean?

You can clean the surface with normal car wash soap (which is normally pH balanced 7, 8 at the most). After washing you can clay they vehicle. This isn't always necessary. 2 times a year is normally good enough for a daily driver. Claying is designed to remove above surface bonded contaminants. What it can fail to remove the material in the pores of the paint... this could be wax, this could be unwanted material. This Is where a paint cleaner comes in. So if you want to start with a totally clean surface this is the way to go.

The aforementioned process can be used for anything from daily drivers to million dollar show cars. In some cases washing isn't even needed before hand.

So the least aggressive method is going to depend on the condition of your current wax and the cleanliness of your paint.

I suggest you take a look at this recent detailed thread on waxing.

http://meguiarsonline.com/forums/showthread.php?t=45195

perhaps it will help guide you in the direction you wish to take. I particularly like the part where Mike mentions he a maximalist. He waxes his vehicle about once per month, without removing the previous wax. Keep in mind this is a daily driver that he is likely washing often.

[HealthyCivic]

Re: How to remove wax?

Back my question in post #1:

"What do you use to remove the wax?"

First of all, how old is the wax coat on the car? If it's months old, chances are, there isn't much left to strip anyway. If it's brand new, I'd just clay the car and proceed. Claying is supposed to remove everything on the surface - including wax. You can also use Meguiar's All-Purpose cleaner. I remember hearing that at like a 64:1 dilution ratio, it can remove wax.


Removing wax isn't that important though - don't stress about it. I wouldn't use dish soap on my car, plain and simple. Will it hurt? Probably not. But what's the point? You're on here because you care about your car, so use car products on it, not dish products. Say it does hurt... As a previous poster said, their own website says not to. Then you're screwed. If a Meguiar's product hurts... Well, a Meguiar's product never will hurt, but if it did, you'd have their backing at least.

[Black1]

Re: How to remove wax?

I use dish soap to prep all my customer's cars before detailing... That's because I have no idea what's on the paint (coinwash ****, wax, polish, sealant, etc). I like to start with a clean slate. It's always worked for me. I've found using a slightly more aggressive soap (like dish soap) helps to get most of the really bad grime (tar, bugs, grease) off the car much easier in the washing stage than having to mess with it later in the clay-bar or cleaning stage.