What car wash to use before clay bar?
- Thread starter DreamerGT
- Start date
- Status
Originally Posted By: DreamerGT
Does it matter? I always see dish washing liquid come up.
Keep the car wash soap in the garage, and the dish washing detergent in the kitchen! There is no benefit to using dish soap on a car...not even to strip wax. What are you plans after clay? Clay can/will abrade the surface, stripping some wax. Are you going to use a polish? Polish will certainly strip wax! Definitely follow up with wax/sealant of your choice.
Does it matter? I always see dish washing liquid come up.
Keep the car wash soap in the garage, and the dish washing detergent in the kitchen! There is no benefit to using dish soap on a car...not even to strip wax. What are you plans after clay? Clay can/will abrade the surface, stripping some wax. Are you going to use a polish? Polish will certainly strip wax! Definitely follow up with wax/sealant of your choice.
You clay then polish to remove any imperfections left from claying.
Dish washing liquid is the best to use before claying, strips all the wax leaving bare paint to deal with.
Yes it can damage your paint but thats from using it too often and it will TAKE YEARS TO DO any damage.
Dish washing liquid is the best to use before claying, strips all the wax leaving bare paint to deal with.
Yes it can damage your paint but thats from using it too often and it will TAKE YEARS TO DO any damage.
Dish soap is for dishes.
Car wash is for cars.
Car wash is for cars.
If you wouldn't use it repeatedly, then why use it once?
Originally Posted By: rooflessVW
If you wouldn't use it repeatedly, then why use it once?
The Dish soap would take numerous uses (probably 100s) before it would harm the paint (possibly).
There are a few on this board-very few who don't drink the Kool-Aid.
If you wouldn't use it repeatedly, then why use it once?
The Dish soap would take numerous uses (probably 100s) before it would harm the paint (possibly).
There are a few on this board-very few who don't drink the Kool-Aid.
Originally Posted By: CKN
Originally Posted By: rooflessVW
If you wouldn't use it repeatedly, then why use it once?
The Dish soap would take numerous uses (probably 100s) before it would harm the paint (possibly).
There are a few on this board-very few who don't drink the Kool-Aid.
Which Kool-Aid is that?
Originally Posted By: rooflessVW
If you wouldn't use it repeatedly, then why use it once?
The Dish soap would take numerous uses (probably 100s) before it would harm the paint (possibly).
There are a few on this board-very few who don't drink the Kool-Aid.
Which Kool-Aid is that?
Harms the finish not the paint would be more accurate.Supposedly dish washing detergent is recommended when you want to strip the wax off. Car wash soaps can be inexpensive enough to just use them vs harsher dish soap.
Chemical guys used to make a great soap that would strip all waxes and surface things to prepare for a proper clay/polish/wax
They still do but you don't hear much about it lately. I think it was their Citrus Wash. Plus they have one called Clean Slate and a Bug and Tar Wash. I wouldn't mind trying some of them.
Also the owner of Zaino Detailing products recommends using Dawn dish soap prior to a detail. Not for use for maintenance washes obviously.
Also the owner of Zaino Detailing products recommends using Dawn dish soap prior to a detail. Not for use for maintenance washes obviously.
Originally Posted By: CKN
Originally Posted By: rooflessVW
If you wouldn't use it repeatedly, then why use it once?
The Dish soap would take numerous uses (probably 100s) before it would harm the paint (possibly).
There are a few on this board-very few who don't drink the Kool-Aid.
It seems about every bottle of car soap I read, it will read something like will not harm finish like dish soap or other harsh detergents.
Are you THAT guy?
I used to know a guy, back around the year 2000 he had an LS1 Trans Am (so 1998 1999) and he would spray Castrol Super Clean (the purple stuff) over the car and pressure wash it. You cool with that?
Some stores are practically giving away some car soap (e.g. thrift stores, Big Lots, discontinued, etc) so a few bucks for a bottle that will not expire and you know you're going to use it more than once. I cannot really understand the intentional avoidance of doing something at least half-correctly.
I am kind of interested in what you are applying the dish soap with. A deck scrubber, old dish towels, steel wool? lol
Originally Posted By: rooflessVW
If you wouldn't use it repeatedly, then why use it once?
The Dish soap would take numerous uses (probably 100s) before it would harm the paint (possibly).
There are a few on this board-very few who don't drink the Kool-Aid.
It seems about every bottle of car soap I read, it will read something like will not harm finish like dish soap or other harsh detergents.
Are you THAT guy?
I used to know a guy, back around the year 2000 he had an LS1 Trans Am (so 1998 1999) and he would spray Castrol Super Clean (the purple stuff) over the car and pressure wash it. You cool with that?
Some stores are practically giving away some car soap (e.g. thrift stores, Big Lots, discontinued, etc) so a few bucks for a bottle that will not expire and you know you're going to use it more than once. I cannot really understand the intentional avoidance of doing something at least half-correctly.
I am kind of interested in what you are applying the dish soap with. A deck scrubber, old dish towels, steel wool? lol
Last edited:
Dawn dish soap, good for using prior to waxing. Nice in the spring and fall for doing the twice a year detail. Or just once a year detail job. No reason to split hairs over this.
Normal car wash soap or rinseless wash is fine. No special prep is needed.
If you're planning on doing a full claying, then I'm going to assume that you also plan on following with come kind of paint correction (polish, compound, or cleaner wax).
If this is the case, then honestly, it doesn't matter WHICH kind of soap you use - Dish soap or car soap - since the claying and correction will ultimately strip anything left behind by any kind of soap.
If you're NOT planning on following with some kind of correction, and will be moving on from claying to some kind of wax/sealant, then I'd say that whichever kind of soap you use, make sure it's one that does NOT include any kind of wax or shine enhancer, since you don't want anything left sitting underneath your wax that might interfere with it.
Dish soap is commonly used prior to claying since it 1) does not leave any wax or shine enhancer behind 2) is strong enough to clean pretty deep and strip at least SOME of the existing wax.
The thing is, dish soap is not some sort of magical wax stripping beast.. it will strip SOME of the wax, but it will not strip it all.. it's just not strong enough. It will also not strip paint, or damage paint.
It's SOAP, people. I've used Dawn a few times on my Fusion prior to claying and waxing, with no negative effects. Heck, I've even washed my car using car was with just a little Meguiar's D101 APC mixed in, and it's done nothing but strip the wax. I can show you pictures of the shiny finish on my car to show proof that even the APC isn't hurting anything.
To OP - Dish soap is fine, just don't go nuts with it. If you're really concerned it might hurt something, then use something like this:
The key here is.. avoid bottles that say something like "Wash & Wax".. you just want "Car Wash"
If this is the case, then honestly, it doesn't matter WHICH kind of soap you use - Dish soap or car soap - since the claying and correction will ultimately strip anything left behind by any kind of soap.
If you're NOT planning on following with some kind of correction, and will be moving on from claying to some kind of wax/sealant, then I'd say that whichever kind of soap you use, make sure it's one that does NOT include any kind of wax or shine enhancer, since you don't want anything left sitting underneath your wax that might interfere with it.
Dish soap is commonly used prior to claying since it 1) does not leave any wax or shine enhancer behind 2) is strong enough to clean pretty deep and strip at least SOME of the existing wax.
The thing is, dish soap is not some sort of magical wax stripping beast.. it will strip SOME of the wax, but it will not strip it all.. it's just not strong enough. It will also not strip paint, or damage paint.
It's SOAP, people. I've used Dawn a few times on my Fusion prior to claying and waxing, with no negative effects. Heck, I've even washed my car using car was with just a little Meguiar's D101 APC mixed in, and it's done nothing but strip the wax. I can show you pictures of the shiny finish on my car to show proof that even the APC isn't hurting anything.
To OP - Dish soap is fine, just don't go nuts with it. If you're really concerned it might hurt something, then use something like this:
The key here is.. avoid bottles that say something like "Wash & Wax".. you just want "Car Wash"
Originally Posted By: SirTanon
I can show you pictures of the shiny finish on my car to show proof that even the APC isn't hurting anything.
That reminds me, is the car still in the shop? I haven't seen any updates lately. Get back.
I can show you pictures of the shiny finish on my car to show proof that even the APC isn't hurting anything.
That reminds me, is the car still in the shop? I haven't seen any updates lately. Get back.
- Status
