At one point, I heard it is good to wash your vehicle with dish soap to remove old wax off your vehicle if you are planning on appling fresh wax. Is this true? Will using dish soap hurt or scratch the paint or clearcoat in any way?
All info is appreciated.
Thanks

 

I use it when I want to strip the wax off. Doesn't hurt anything really,unless you wash it every time with it. I do mine twice a year,before I do a major polish and wax. At that time I would be using a clay bar,so it also takes off a little more junk than regular car wash concentrate would.,,,,98

 

I've also heard that Dawn works better for taking wax off than some of the more generic dish soaps. This won't work on polymer based 'waxes' though like nu finish.

 

I've used both Dawn and Lemon Joy to remove wax without any problems.

 

Dawn seems to work quite well. I don't think there is anyway it would hurt the clearcoat, just be sure to rewax it.

 

... and don't let the soap dry on the paint or it WILL streak; I know for most this is obvious but other may not know.

 

i have used dish soap to wash my truck since it came off the lot. I use mostly Dawn. But I have not seen a real problem, three years later and my truck still looks brand new. I do use Nu Finish car wax, if that makes any difference.

 

I cringe whenever I see fund raising car washes. I think back to when I was in highschool. We used car washes to raise money for the various clubs in school. We used dish detergent. Never realized what we were doing back then until just a few years ago.

At least, these days, I see the kids using car wash detergent.

 

You should only use dish soap for a reason...to strip any old wax. In order to do that you must use a dish soap that has no dyes or perfumes in it. Blue label DAWN is the only one that comes to mind. Any dish detergent will work to an extent but all those dyes and perfumes will leave behind a residue.

I would only recommend washing with DAWN 1-3 times/year. They strip oils and wax off your truck which is good if you are re-detailing. But continuous use could be harmful to paint finish.

DAWN will not remove some types off wax (polymer types - ZAINO, KLASSE). These must be removed by a paint cleaner (Pinnacle Paintwork cleansing lotion), or 50/50 alcohol/water.

These days good old carnuaba wax is on the way out. It is being replaced by high tech longer lasting polymers (ZAINO, KLASSE). These last much longer, provide a better more "pure" shine, and they do not "yellow" over time and with heat.

www.autopia-carcare.com can provide a ton of info on detailing.