The Dawn Wash (let's be a little more clear)

[Accumulator]

Originally Posted by Neo62381

This thread is heading in a direction that I really didn't want it to go...

Happens every time, huh?

Here's a perfect example: Sunday I have a little white Geo Metro (rolls eyes) ..[in terrible condition].. I would MUCH rather use a dawn wash on this car, and possibly remove a lot of the stuck on stuff, then to wash with a regular soap..

That's what I'd use Dawn on too, unless I thought it really needed the ABC type treatment.

[Neo62381]

Accumulator, sometimes, ..........and yeah, I've been looking into some of the autoint "A" solvent, it looks really appealing, and I think I'm going to order some later on (low funding) to use on customer's cars, that are actually "REAL" vehicles.

[Setec Astronomy]

Originally Posted by xTravBx

I thought plastic and rubber are actually -made- from oils...?

Sure, petroleum is used to make a lot of things, that doesn't mean that the finished product has any "oil" in it. Manure is used as fertilizer on many crops, does that mean you are eating manure in your vegetables?

Originally Posted by pogo123

When the manufacturer of the product says "don't do it" then you probably shouldn't do it.

IMO the reason P&G tells you not to use Dawn on your car is the same reason people who make car wash tell you not to use dishwashing detergent on your car--it is more likely to strip your wax.

[a.k.a. Patrick]

Im going to add "I'd be the day Dawn touches my car" in my sig.............I dont care if "Its not going to damage anything with one use"....It still has no use or place, in my detailing arsenal.......... I shouldnt have to replace, what it removes....
And on another note, as I have seen in so many "sealant durability" threads...Why are we so concerned with what is resistant to Dawn, when we're not using Dawn, to maintain our cars appearance/finish?

[xTravBx]

Originally Posted by Setec Astronomy

Sure, petroleum is used to make a lot of things, that doesn't mean that the finished product has any "oil" in it. Manure is used as fertilizer on many crops, does that mean you are eating manure in your vegetables?

Actually yes.

http://www.cnn.com/2006/HEALTH/09/15....ap/index.html

[abbeysdad]

Originally Posted by xTravBx

Actually yes.
http://www.cnn.com/2006/HEALTH/09/15....ap/index.html

Actually NO! Organic farming and gardening is older than time. The root cause is this incident is not yet understood....and don't be fooled, your petro-chemical food is a disaster waiting to happen:
The Meatrix

Plastics are petroleum based, but do not contain oil. Plastics, rubbers and vinyls are impervious to mositure. Dawn/water does not get past the surface.
Graying caused by detergent is merely the removal of grease, dirt, grime, any dressing and perhaps some UV degraded surface material.

So lets recap.
Dawn is too harsh on the paint.
Dawn does or doesn't remove wax?
It will harm plastics, vinyl and rubber?

1) Little fluffy girls/women have their hands in the stuff every nite - seem to survive okay.
2) Dawn is a degreaser, and it may well remove carnuba - hard to say with polymers.
3) We use rubber and plastic in industry to protect against corrosive chemicals and acids - Dawn is nothing compared to most of these.
4) Saying that dawn is too harsh on paint, but then claying, polishing, etc. is too funny since these later things are far more abrasive on the finish.

Someone wrote, if you're going to polish, why bother washing with dawn?

<rhetorical> So, if your going to polish, why wash the car at all? eek

Each level of cleaning takes advantage of the previous level. I washed my mother-in-laws car and even though I was going to clay, I used a bug/tar remover to get the tar off.

I wouldn't suggest routine washing with a dishwashing detergent, but at times when a more powerful cleaner/degreaser is called for, it makes sense to use a product that can handle the task. It's the extra cleaning power of the degreaser tips the scales - and really a Dawn wash once or twice a year is not going to harm the vehicle.

[Neo62381]

Back to my original question... What does a Dawn wash consist of? Is there a measurement of soap to water that is diffrent from the measurement of a regular car wash soap? Is there a specific version of Dawn that needs to be used....(I believe that someone said blue?)

[blkZ28Conv]

1 oz per gallon
Dawn (Blue)

[UnsanePyro]

FWIW:

I saw something liket his come up within the last couple of years here, saying there is no need to use a Dawn wash if you are going to clay/polish. The poster purposely waxed over some dirt, then went back and clayed over it in an attempt to remove it, and it didn't remove the dirt until he did an excessive amount of claying on the area. I tried the same thing and had the same result (clayed 1 week later). Washed over it with dawn and it came off quite easily.

[foxtrapper]

Originally Posted by Neo62381

1. Normal car wash soaps are diluted 1oz. per gallon, would it be the same with Dawn? More? Less? If so, why?
2. Does it have to be Dawn only? Are there other dishwashing detergents (possibly cheaper) that could be used as an alternative? One's with less, or more cleaning ability maybe?

Pull the MSDS for Dawn and several "car wash" detergents. You'll find the same ingredients in the same quantity. The dilution ratio accordingly would be the same.

You can use other products besides Dawn. Heck, you can use Tide, Cascade, 409, etc. All clean well and have various advantages, and disadvantages.

My personal dislike with Dawn is the way it rinses. More specifically, the way it doesn't rinse. No matter what I do, I always get very visible streaking with Dawn.

One of these times I'm going to use Cascade. I want to see what the sheeting action is like.

[5918mike]

Pre-Autopia I used Dawn to wash my car every week to 2 weeks for 5 years and didn't see one single negative effect vs. using the car soaps I use now. I'm not planning on going back to Dawn but has anyone actually experienced or seen these ill effects from using Dawn.

[Setec Astronomy]

Originally Posted by foxtrapper

One of these times I'm going to use Cascade. I want to see what the sheeting action is like.