Is it bad to use dishsoap to wash your car with?

1998GT · 06-14-2003

Is it? Thanks

7DMACH1 · 06-14-2003

It won't hurt it but it takes all the wax off. Remember, dish washing soap cuts grease. Wax too. RAY

Twister · 06-14-2003

YES!!!! It removes wax, and waxprotects your paint

David L Gary · 06-14-2003

Try this, Wash it with a strong soap then wax it with turtle wax color match wax and chip stick. It will look like new again.

stangtime · 06-15-2003

Dish soap will do a great job of getting everything off your car, including wax, make sure that you wax it afterwards to save the cars finish.

rdgdawgGT · 06-15-2003

IF you decide to use dish soap (I NEVER would- way too many potential particles that can scratch or strip paint), be sure to wash it with regular car wash soap (I swear by Meguiars (all products), had a detail business years ago- Zymol & Mothers are good too), then polish, then wax. I apply wax every 2-3 weeks, will apply the polish every 4-5 to keep it having that mirror/wet look. Even after two straight days of rain, someone made a comment over the weekend how shiny my paint looked!!

Hope this helps...

1998GT · 06-18-2003

ehh, i've been using dish soap for hella long.. eh, its good now though..

Julian Moore · 06-18-2003

THE ONLY dish soap you should use is DAWN. It will remove all the wax and dirt particals but is not as acidic as other brands. If you wash with dawn, you better get a coat of wax on asap, as your paint will be exsposed. I use the dawn every 2 years to strip it all off then I clay bar and then I go Zaino crazy..the stuff is expsensive but rules.
Jules

vibred93vert · 07-09-2003

Dawn dishwashing soap is SAFE for your car let me repeat SAFE. It will remove all your wax and leave the finish ready for clay, cleaner, polish, and then waxing. It is the most important step in a new wax job IMO. For washing in between waxes use Meguiars Deep Crystal Car Wash. It will provide your car with the proper oils and minerals to keep your paint healthy, its PH balanced, and won't strip your wax.

CragarShinoda · 10-20-2003

Quote:

Originally posted by rdgdawgGT
IF you decide to use dish soap (I NEVER would- way too many potential particles that can scratch or strip paint), be sure to wash it with regular car wash soap (I swear by Meguiars (all products), had a detail business years ago- Zymol & Mothers are good too), then polish, then wax. I apply wax every 2-3 weeks, will apply the polish every 4-5 to keep it having that mirror/wet look. Even after two straight days of rain, someone made a comment over the weekend how shiny my paint looked!!

Hope this helps...

Uno problemo. If you use dish soap and then use a good wax, then you are up to even more money than if you simply purchased a good car wash soap. Don't skimp. I go with a good car shampoo (Boyd's makes a great one!). Wash the car completely, then polish with a good car polish such as Meguiar's and finish it off with a wax (Meguiar's Gold Class). I usually apply with an orbital polisher and applicator and then remove the wax with a terrycloth bonnet. After that I go over the car once more with a wool or simulated wool bonnet to remove oxidation and finally with a clean terrycloth hand towel to make sure that all of the wax has been removed. I agree with you, rdgdawgGT, wax 2-3 weeks and polish 4-5. Just remember guys, what will save you in the mean time will cost you in the long run. $300 for wet sanding and polishing... $2000+ for painting... just not worth it. Use good stuff and you will get good results.

rdgdawgGT · 10-20-2003

Good points all... and agree with Cragar too. I lleft out one crucial step... ALL I use to wash is Meguiars Car Shampoo...

and right now I've got so much wax on it I've got a dull sheen.... comes from waxing a black car with the paint too hot, so will apply Meguiars Quick Detail to cut through it, then buff with a clean cloth...

meatball · 11-28-2003

Go to the Zaino website and read their instructions for prepping pre-application of Zaino products - you definately want to consider the clay bar approach regardless of what you decide to do for wax.

Sargin · 12-16-2003

I start out by washing with Dawn which strips all wax and dirt off the paint. Then I clay bar the surface twice to remove all brake dust, fallout, and all the debris that regular washing cant remove. The clay bar is the most important step IMO and is what makes your car silky smooth. If I have any minor scratches I will rub them out by hand with a mild compound. If swirls are present I will machine buff the whole car with my high speed buffer. Depeding on the color and condition of the paint, I will use either a Mequiars Professional compound or Meguiars #9 Swirl Polish. 90% of the time I can get serious swirls to be a thing of the past. Then once the paint has been prepped and swirls are gone, I polish it with either Klasse AIO Polish or Meguiars Professional Swirl Free Polish. This adds an incredible shine and depth to the paint. I then add a coat of glaze with Klasse Sealant/Glaze or Meguiars Show Car Glaze. This adds more shine and protection. I then go one step further and add a top coat of S100 Carnauba Wax by hand which adds shine along with protection against weather.

Been doing that for as long as I can remeber.

myfast05 · 02-25-2006

I quit agree, I use these products on all my Stangs....I would never think of using dish soap

Quote:

Originally Posted by rdgdawgGT

IF you decide to use dish soap (I NEVER would- way too many potential particles that can scratch or strip paint), be sure to wash it with regular car wash soap (I swear by Meguiars (all products), had a detail business years ago- Zymol & Mothers are good too), then polish, then wax. I apply wax every 2-3 weeks, will apply the polish every 4-5 to keep it having that mirror/wet look. Even after two straight days of rain, someone made a comment over the weekend how shiny my paint looked!!

Hope this helps...

jbspeed86 · 02-27-2006

I usually only use dish soap at the same time I am planning to wax my car. This way it gets all the old wax and everything off beforehand.