Curiosity ????

[f86sabjf]

Hi Gang

Getting into a discussion on another forum and some folks have recommended washing with a dishsoap first then clay and then wash with a car soap before polish and wax. This seems counter productive to me. Now in all fairness keep in mind that this would be a first attempt at detailing a car probaly full of contaminants(not for me ) So would using the dishsoap have any advantage???

Thanks
Jeff

[Shawn T.]

Re: Curiosity ????

It would thoroughly clean the surface and if doing a full detail I see nothing wrong with it. It doesn't offer the slickness that Gold Class has but it will clean all wax off the surface.

Washing again after claying is preferred by some because it elminates any residual clay lube but I've never had a problem with not washing it a second time.

Of course by full detail, I mean clay, polish, seal, dress all surfaces, etc. I would say that a regular car soap will do just fine considering the clay will remove most of the previous wax if there was any. I just wouldn't use dish soap on a regular basis on the paint becasue over time it wil dry out the paint.

However, I do use dish soap on occasion on very dirty wheels and wells. It cuts through the dirt very easily and since I always dress the wheels and wells, it's not a huge problem. Once again, I only do this on very dirty wheels and wells. For maintenace, Deep Crystal Wash works just fine.

[greg0303]

Re: Curiosity ????

Agreed with Shawn.

If you plan to clay after washing car wash is your best choice. Whatever is bonded above surface will get removed by clay. No need for dishwashing liquid.

Some detailers wash vehicle, rinse it, don't dry it but use clay on wet surface with clay lubricant.
Some wash it, don't rinse it and use car soap as a clay lubricant (they keep clay inside bucket).

But the most popular method is to wash it, rinse it, dry it and apply clay with clay lubricant. If you work on small areas (with your clay) and wipe-off clay residue with good quality microfiber towel in most case you don't need to re-wash.

[J. A. Michaels]

Re: Curiosity ????

You could on occasion use the dish soap. however I prefer to stay away from it. Just my personal preference.

[f86sabjf]

Re: Curiosity ????

I agree JA . After all the time i put into my little car i cant see being that mean to it or its 8yr old paint.

[Michael Stoops]

Re: Curiosity ????

The rare washing with dish soap isn't going to do any damage to your car, but using dish detergent is not a "best practices" situation. Will using it for an initial wash prior to flaying gain you anything? Hard to say, really. If the car is heavy with bonded contaminants (the paint feels very rough) then odds are there isn't much wax on it anyway. Other road grime will be removed with the clay unless you've got areas that are so bad you actually need a body solvent to clean them. At the end of the day though, you may not see any difference at all doing it either way. That sounds like an empty answer but the rarity is there's more than one way to go about this, no matter what anyone tells you.