Is there really any difference between the various products? What make one car shampoo or car wash preferable to another?

It seems to me that for a detailing - what ever you start with is good enough. Even Dial liquid. After all, you`re going to clay, polish, glaze and protect. The first step is just going to get the big dirt and loose stuff off. If it strips wax - that`s good.

Now for maintenance washes, I see where you want to be more careful but I have no idea what constitutes a good car wash or shampoo. Obviously, you don`t want to strip your wax. What else should I be looking for? and a silly question, is there any way to tell if the car wash strips the wax? I don`t know that I have developed an experienced enough eye to tell ...

:newbie