Best wash soap to not strip wax?

[Oro_O]

So school me on the honest deal on what soap to use. I have a couple cars and generally what I do is at first: 1) Wash car a couple times over a week to get it very clean. Soap (dish) and water, clean auto sponge. 2) Do a 3-step wax with Meguairs or Mothers products, decent buffer with clean pads changed frequently. 3) Wash a few times a year when filthy with soap/sponge as in 1) 4) Wax again 2-step with buffer 1x a year. I live in western WA so temps are mild (rarely outside of 40F-80F range), cars are indoors (garage) and out, one car stays out all the time. Rains a lot Nov. to April but no ice, snow, salt, etc. really ever. Would it be beneficial to use a milder car-specific soap so as not to strip the wax between the 1x a year I wax any of them? Or does rain/road grime strip it so much that that is not a big deal. I am not washing the cars weekly or even monthly at all. I do wash the wheels that often to keep brake dust and road grime off the alloys. I clearly don't want to spend more time washing than I need, just enough to keep them presentable and protect the paint. I generally find in this climate, unlike back east, a 2-step wax (once the paint was prepped well to begin) once a year holds up reasonably well.

 

[raytseng]

The dish soap is undoing all the work you did. You seem to have a lot of waxing equipment, and putting in a lot of time waxing, but where did you pickup the bad habit for doing step (1) so frequently. You only do step (1) when you need to strip wax in order to laydown a very specific different wax, sealant or polymer that you want on the base of the car. You say you like meguiars/mothers products, just pick up a jug of their car soap. You will find that by not doing step (1) you can change your (2 and 4) to be a 1-stepper.

 

[abycat]

good advice raytseng. I wash frequently with a sodium metasilicate based soap. I have a pressure washing business so my regular powder soap works great. Then I dry and use my quick detailer to make the black stand out and provide a bit of a protectant. Once a year Cut polish with fine or final step but Don't burn or remove clear coat. That's the short version of my cars routine. Other steps are added as needed. Looks pretty much like the day I bought it. my truck is a different story. Wash it once a year pretty much when I get mud on my pants.

 

[skyactiv]

I've used Meguires Gold Class and replaced it with Black Magic Wet Shine. Black Magic makes my wife's black Audi and my VW look better. Neither of them strip wax, but there are other car wash soaps that contain wax which some people like.

 

[jaj]

I use sopping wet microfiber towels and plain water. 18 months in, the car still looks new enough that I get questions about "gee - is this another new car?" The OEMs spend a lot of money delivering shiny new cars with high quality paint jobs. Then we come along and slap wax and detergent residue all over them and wonder why they haze over so quickly.

 

[Sam_Julier]

Originally Posted By: raytseng

The dish soap is undoing all the work you did. You seem to have a lot of waxing equipment, and putting in a lot of time waxing, but where did you pickup the bad habit for doing step (1) so frequently. You only do step (1) when you need to strip wax in order to laydown a very specific different wax, sealant or polymer that you want on the base of the car. You say you like meguiars/mothers products, just pick up a jug of their car soap. You will find that by not doing step (1) you can change your (2 and 4) to be a 1-stepper.

+1 Please lose step 1. I used Mequiars for years with great results. Switched to Griot's Garage. Slightly better results with less effort.

 

[Oro_O]

Okay so no harsh soap. But what do you use as a cleaning routine? Are you saying skip washing entirely, or to do it with a specialized product?

 

[cashmoney]

Never use dish soap except to strip wax. Any of the better quality brand name car wash soaps will do a good job. I have used Mothers and Turtle Wax car wash liquid soaps for years with excellent results.

 

[raytseng]

Originally Posted By: Oro_O

Okay so no harsh soap. But what do you use as a cleaning routine? Are you saying skip washing entirely, or to do it with a specialized product?

It's specialized, but it's not expensive. Just walk into any car-care aisle, and there's jugs of all your favorite brands right there. Like $10 will set you up. You can also use it to make suds to wash all sorts of general outdoor things, like your windows.

 

[SilverC6]

P21S Bodywork Shampoo is my favorite.

 

[gregk24]

Originally Posted By: jaj

I use sopping wet microfiber towels and plain water. 18 months in, the car still looks new enough that I get questions about "gee - is this another new car?" The OEMs spend a lot of money delivering shiny new cars with high quality paint jobs. Then we come along and slap wax and detergent residue all over them and wonder why they haze over so quickly.

Hmmm, I dont think this is right.

 

[gregk24]

To the OP, I would use a name brand wash/wax product. It wont provide much, if any additional wax but it sure shoulnt strip any off either.

 

[Oro_O]

OK, got it guys. Thanks. Tomorrow I'll stop at the store and get some Meguairs, Armor All, or Black Magic. Last question, and reason I asked this today: Tomorrow is dry and relatively warm I was going to wash her car, then put it in the garage to dry and wax it with a cleaner/polish, then wax. So: to start fresh, should I use the special wax, or some dish soap to get it bare? I.e., any reason not to use a wax-enhanced specialty wash prior to cleaner/polish and then a carnuba wax?

 

[eagle23]

No dish soap, period. Just use the car wash you choose and then polish/wax it from there.

 

[cashmoney]

Agree - no reason to strip off any remnants of remaining sealant and wax.

 

[Robenstein]

Originally Posted By: jaj

I use sopping wet microfiber towels and plain water. 18 months in, the car still looks new enough that I get questions about "gee - is this another new car?" The OEMs spend a lot of money delivering shiny new cars with high quality paint jobs. Then we come along and slap wax and detergent residue all over them and wonder why they haze over so quickly.

I have worked for dealers...I have seen how they treat new cars....swirl mark city. Usually they slap a coat of polish with lots of filler to cover it up when they deliver a car. If it has been on the lot for a while it has seen their automatic car wash, a brush car wash, which is death on paint since it rubs in the dirt.

 

[Unicorn01]

The maker might have a great paint job, but two things. First plain water doesn't remove all dirt. At all. Anything that is oil based, like much of the stuff from the road won't come off. Even pressure washing doesn't remove everything without a surfacent. Second, wax doesn't cause hazing unless you don't buff it properly. UV, bird droppings, some of the chemicals spilled on roads and splashed onto your car, salt or de-icer in cold climates, air pollution... all that can damage paint and something between your paint and the outside world is a pretty good thing. 18 months really isn't that long either. Unless you put a lot of miles on it and it sits outside 24/7 also.

 

[SteveSRT8]

My last fleet truck sale buyer was amazed that an 05 Silverado so clean had NO WAX on it. No swirls or scratches, either. Never been in a garage in its life. Always washed with 200 degree hot water at about 900-1000 psi with just a squirt of mild detergent on the dirty spots. NEVER wiped with anything. Rinsed and blown dry with a leaf blower. Works great with clear coated vehicles...

 

[razel]

Originally Posted By: Oro_O

Tomorrow is dry and relatively warm I was going to wash her car, then put it in the garage to dry and wax it with a cleaner/polish, then wax. So: to start fresh, should I use the special wax, or some dish soap to get it bare? I.e., any reason not to use a wax-enhanced specialty wash prior to cleaner/polish and then a carnuba wax?

Since you plan on going over the car twice you might as do it efficiently. I'd dedicate more of your arm energy on the polish (pre-prep: to clean the paint) rather than the wax since MANY modern syn/polymer waxes only need a very thin layer. I recommend primarily because I use them and they are OTC: Mother's Ultimate Step 2 or Meguiars Ultimiate Polish. Mother's is great for cars that spend a lot of time outside. It's a lighter paint cleaner and fills in swirls. Then use any wax your prefer. If you plan on buying either of the above you might as well use their companion waxes Mother's Step 3 or Meguiars Ultimate Wax just for completeness. The only reason to not use a wash that has a wax, prior to starting is that it becomes a waste, but in your case feel free to use dish soap prior to waxing.

 

[KitaCam]

2nd mistake (after dish soap) most make is using too much soap...a capful/tablespoon of car wash soap per gallon is enough.