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

[scanlessfool]

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.

I too had read to use Dawn dish washing soap on a car. Not with the intentions of using it specifically for washing the vehicle, but for striping any wax and starting on a fresh paint base with no containments (wax, polish, etc). I will admit that it was a consideration when I would decide to finally finish the car for by myself, after reading the above response, it is absolutely unnecessary! My car is a daily driver exposed to the elements and anything that was on there before is pretty much gone and a good claying would get the job done.

[Black1]

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

I'm with David on this subject.... You will find that many pro detailers use Dawn to prep/wash the vehicle before correction. That is, if they don't use a fancy citrus product like Chemical Bros.

The amount of Sodium Hydroxide (NaOH, better known as Lye) in Dawn is very small... which makes it almost negligible when mixed with 2-4 gallons of water.

[Murr1525]

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

The car wont explode if you use Dawn... But you dont have to do it in most cases either.

[Black1]

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

The car wont explode if you use Dawn... But you dont have to do it in most cases either.

True... I certainly would not use it every day, or in every detailing case (ie- if MY shop has done the car before and we know what was used to wax/seal it, we wouldn't need to wash with Dawn).

And if the car is just coming in for a hand-wash, we use Gold Class Wash. And I meant to say Chemical GUYS, not Chemical Brothers in my last post.... although they both rock. lol

[Michael Stoops]

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

I personally have been exclusively using/testing Dawn weekly on my personal vehicle for 1 year w/o any adverse effects so far. My car is in S. Florida, parked outside 24hrs/day and runs atleast 8 hours per day, 5 days a week. I believe someone on another forum compared the PH level of Dawn to other car wash soaps and found that they are comparable. What is your evidence/data supporting your statement?

Just out of curiosity, David, are you doing nothing more than washing with Dawn and then rinsing and drying? That is, you aren't putting any sort of dressing on the vinyl/rubber/plastic, no wax on the paint, etc? That would be an interesting test as so many non enthusiasts are prone to that level of care for their vehicles, and we believe that is where the use of a dish detergent starts to cause problems after prolonged use.

It is interesting that Dawn has the following on their own FAQ page:

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.

Bold is theirs, by the way, not mine.

One would think Dawn would happily market their product for car washing if they believed it to be 100% safe. And it may be that in many cases it can be, but not often enough for them to stand behind such a claim. On a personal note, I find it interesting that they recommend specifically against using it for window cleaning.

In any event, while Meguiar's doesn't believe there's a real need to use a dish soap to wash your vehicle, we are firm believers in using "best practices" for all aspects of car care.

Oh, and one last thing.... I checked the Woolite website and found no reference to use, yay or nay, on automotive leather.

[Dusted1972]

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

I would usually only use Dawn (a very small amount) if the vehicle is going to be rewaxed anyway,or if its a vehicle being prepared for paint.Just make sure you rinse it off really really good or else it tends to leave spots and streaks .