People on other forums recommend using Dawn Detergent Dish Washing Soap to wash my ca

[Duckman]

People on other forums recommend using Dawn Detergent Dish Washing Soap to wash my car?

Hi all. I was wondering... everyone suggests the use of Dawn dish soap for removing wax etc... why Dawn specifically? why not Sunlight or Palmolive etc? any reason?

Thanks,
Nick

[travisdecpn]

To be honest, i wouldn't use dawn or any other dish soap to remove wax, you would be better to use clay and cause less damage to your surface. Dish detergents tend to dry out the paint.

[the newbie]

dish soap..........

NEVER USE DISH SOAP FOR WASHING YOUR CAR!!!!!

you don't use gear oil to wash your hair with??

the degreasing elements in dish soap will harm your paint finish on the long run!

ciao

Rick

[Andy M.]

Just don't do it!!!!!

[Duckman]

I totally agree, I would never do it, and have never done so. But I'm reading around here and autopia and keep seeing people talking about using Dawn dish soap to clean off wax from pads etc...

[travisdecpn]

I've also heard of people washing their pads with dawn, i think that is why many of them are seeing the adhesive dissolve and their pads separating prematurely. I wash my pads in hot water and car wash soap. I think dawn should stay in the kitchen.

[Mike Phillips]

Hi Duckman,

Dawn is somewhat famous for it's strong detergent cleaning action enabling it to remove grease from dishes and pans. The idea being if it will remove grease, food and things like cooking oils from your dishes, it will be strong enough to do a stellar job of cleaning your paint before you begin a detailing session.

There is also a certain camp of people that recommend with a zeal, the use of Dawn to wash your car before the application of some paint protectants to insure some company's polymers will be able to bond to the finish.

The problem with using strong detergents to wash your car is that not only do high alkaline, strong detergent soaps like Dawn dull your car's paint and strip off wax/polymer protectants, it also dries out all of the non-paint components such as vinyl, rubber and plastic.

Meguiar's car washes clean effectively, and more importantly, safely, so you don't have to resort to antiquated and harsh methods of cleaning your car, truck or s.u.v.

The finish on this neglected Mercedes-Benz could have been harmed even more than it already was had a strong detergent wash been used on it in it's starting or Before condition.

Before



As you can see, the paint already looks much better after merely washing it with a Meguiar's car wash.


After washing with Gold Class Car Wash Soap



Richness, color and clarity have been increased just by using a high quality car wash soap.My own personal experience tell me washing paint as neglected as the paint on this car with a detergent like Dawn Dish Washing Soap would have made it look worse, not better.

See the rest of this extreme makeover here,

Blast from the Past! - The dead brought back to life!


After












Hope this helps...

Mike

[xjdmb16a2six]

off topic: so you dont have to use dawn before clay baring your car?

[Rick]

Originally posted by xjdmb16a2six
off topic: so you dont have to use dawn before clay baring your car?

No never use dawn or any dish detergent for that matter. Use a high quality automotive car wash and then clay bar. This will remove anything thats on the surface as it is anyways.

[onnfire]

Re: Dawn Soap

Any Soap you use in the kitchen should not touch your car. I know its an old thread, but it bears repeating. Not everyone understands this, as car washes for fundraises always seem to use dawn or some other soap.

[Bullitt4814]

Re: People on other forums recommend using Dawn Detergent Dish Washing Soap to wash m

So what is the most effective way to strip wax from your vehicle? Will a clay bar remove the wax itself or does it glide over the wax and remove contaminants on top of the wax? Its been a couple of months since my car's last waxing and I want to start from the bare clear coat and do the 5-step system.

[Michael Stoops]

Re: People on other forums recommend using Dawn Detergent Dish Washing Soap to wash m

If your car hasn't been waxed in several months then odds are there isn't much wax left on the surface to begin with. Wash with a quality car wash soap and then clay it. The claying will remove the bulk of what's left, if not all of it, and any paint cleaner will speed the balance with no effort at all.

[Andrew C.]

Re: People on other forums recommend using Dawn Detergent Dish Washing Soap to wash m

As Mike Stoops said, claying should remove the wax but if for some reason you really really have the need to use a wax stripper as your wash soap, do not use dawn, but there are a few soaps out there that claim to remove wax and are car wash soaps. One I believe is Chemical Guys Citrus Wash and Clear. I'm not too sure how harsh it is, but its probably better than Dawn. I've used it a few times before and I couldn't tell if it stripped wax but it definitely took off the dressings on my plastics which led me to believe it did the same for the wax.

But in reality, clay barring is really all you need to remove the wax and if you are doing correction steps, there is not way that you will have any wax left by the time you are ready to do your LSP.

[Garage Troll]

Re: People on other forums recommend using Dawn Detergent Dish Washing Soap to wash m

I can honestly say that my Dad taught me this at a very young age so I have never let dish soap touch my cars.

Thanks Dad!

[J. A. Michaels]

Re: People on other forums recommend using Dawn Detergent Dish Washing Soap to wash m

Yeah, it just never made sense to me. Thern after I joined the forum. I found out why. So I never use dawn on my vehicles, never.