Do you Dawn wash??

[Brad B]

My gosh people make such a big deal of this. And it isn`t. This is something you do ONCE to clean the old waxes of your car. Nobody says wash your car every day in it. Sure, it`s too harsh for that. It`s far less invasive than polishing your car to remove waxes. It`s not taking off surface material, in some cases it won`t even take off quality sealants like Zaino or Klasse.





I posted this before. Here`s what a institutional cleaners chemist reported:



"I might have mentioned in some earlier post that I am a formulations chemist working for a large chemical company in the area of household and institutional cleaners-dish liquids and car wash soaps included. Just to quell some of the paranoia that seems to be circling around the use of hand dish liquids on auto paint, let me just clarify a few things. In a nutshell, car wash liquids and dish liquids utilize the same type of surfactant system (without getting too technical). They also contain what are called builders (salts), foam boosters for asthetic purposes (foam is another myth in itsef as it has nothing to do with cleaning, it is a consumer perception) and in some instances an amount of solvent in the form of an alcohol. What makes certain dish liquids more agressive than others, Dawn in particular, are the levels in which the grease cutting surfactants are used and also the concentration of the product itsef. Dawn is an industry leader and a premium brand with a fairly high concentration of actives. Other brands, particularly private label brands (store brands) are perfectly safe for car washing and in some cases might actually be more mild than a typical car wash do to their decreased concentration for cost purposes. Believe it or not, hand dish liquids in some instances are more sophisticated than car wash formulations (We used to sell our surfactant waste to car wash institutions.) So, the ingredients in dish liquids are not going to dissolve away your paint, and in some cases won`t strip the wax they are the same ingredients in car wash detergents. Hope this was a learning experience."



If you don`t want to wash with Dawn, don`t do it. That simple. I will continue to do so if I decide to start a new wax regime on a car and want a virgin surface.



Don`t degrade people who choose to do so and please don`t flame manufacturers who suggest the procedure. I would suggest they have more facts in their hands than we do.



Let`s move on, please?:nixweiss Keep the forum constructive.

[svanderbilt]

Brad, you say that manufacturers "have more facts in their hands than we do".



I would surmise that the makers of Dawn have the most facts, wouldn`t you? And why would they dissuade us from using their product on our cars? Manufacturers want us to pour it down the toilet; anything to use and buy more. But the Dawn website, in their Q&A section say (and it`s been quoted before but I`ll quote it again):



"Your car surface and the dirt that gets on it are a lot different from the food soils and dishes that dishwashing liquids clean effectively. We don`t recommend them for cleaning your car."



Brad, I humbly and respectfully submit that if you followed your own logic, you wouldn`t use Dawn, because the makers of Dawn would have the most knowledge of the limitations and applications of their own product, and "have more facts in their hands than we do."

[imported_memnuts]

Dawn usage on a vehicle. To REMOVE Oily substances. No one mention to "clean" your vehicle with it.



Guess what the public response would be if Dawn recommended using its product for a degreaser (de-waxer). Answer: If it good for grease it must be good for all types of dirt. "Hey Sweetie, pass me your Dawn, I need to wash the car"!!!

P&G understanding this mentality rather error on the side of no usage recommendation.

Heck, we, car detailing freaks, can not even fully comprehend the one-time usage statement in the Zaino instructions. :nixweiss

[dternst]

Originally posted by beau

Brad, you say that manufacturers "have more facts in their hands than we do".



I would surmise that the makers of Dawn have the most facts, wouldn`t you? And why would they dissuade us from using their product on our cars? Manufacturers want us to pour it down the toilet; anything to use and buy more. But the Dawn website, in their Q&A section say (and it`s been quoted before but I`ll quote it again):



"Your car surface and the dirt that gets on it are a lot different from the food soils and dishes that dishwashing liquids clean effectively. We don`t recommend them for cleaning your car."



Brad, I humbly and respectfully submit that if you followed your own logic, you wouldn`t use Dawn, because the makers of Dawn would have the most knowledge of the limitations and applications of their own product, and "have more facts in their hands than we do."

Follow this logic:



Procter & Gamble recently introduced, at the 2003 SEMA, what it calls an easier and better way to care for a vehicle`s finish with the Mr. Clean AutoDry Carwash system, a new technology designed specifically for automobiles that guarantees spot-free results with no hand drying.



The Mr. Clean AutoDry Carwash system combines proprietary polymer soap, a pure-rinse water filter that removes impurities from the final rinse and a hand-held sprayer that delivers the soap and filtered water without the need for a filthy bucket.



Mr. Clean AutoDry Carwash System retails for $19.99-$29.95

Mr. Clean AutoDry Refill Soap reatails for $8.99

Mr. Clean AutoDry Refil Filter reatils for $9.99



Dawn Dish Soap retails for $1.50-$2.00



P & G hoped that consumers would purchase this new system for $30.00 over a product that sales for $2.00. To aid in the campaign for consumers to flock to the AutoDry System, they added the statement to there website:



"Your car surface and the dirt that gets on it are a lot different from the food soils and dishes that dishwashing liquids clean effectively. We don`t recommend them for cleaning your car."



Think about it...



David

[jaybs02]

I don`t see what the difference is .... if someone wants to use it let them use it.

I heard people talk about the cost....

Dawn costs approx $.12 per oz

Meg`s NXT costs approx $.13 per oz



For the extra $.02 per car wash I`ll be a sport and treat my car to a "car" wash.



Just my $.02 (no pun intended)

[Scottwax]

dternst-just FYI, at the retail level, the Mr. Clean Auto Dry, filter and soap are cheaper than the list. Still not nearly as cheap as Dawn though.



I would agree that once or twice washing with Dawn isn`t going to hurt anything but there are some who begin every detailing session with it. That is what I don`t get. :nixweiss

[Brad B]

Originally posted by beau

Brad, you say that manufacturers "have more facts in their hands than we do".



I would surmise that the makers of Dawn have the most facts, wouldn`t you? And why would they dissuade us from using their product on our cars? Manufacturers want us to pour it down the toilet; anything to use and buy more. But the Dawn website, in their Q&A section say (and it`s been quoted before but I`ll quote it again):



"Your car surface and the dirt that gets on it are a lot different from the food soils and dishes that dishwashing liquids clean effectively. We don`t recommend them for cleaning your car."



Brad, I humbly and respectfully submit that if you followed your own logic, you wouldn`t use Dawn, because the makers of Dawn would have the most knowledge of the limitations and applications of their own product, and "have more facts in their hands than we do."

They don`t want people washing cars with it every day because it will strip their wax off.



That makes sense to me from their standpoint and mine.

[audio1der]

Because I apply carnauba WAYYYYYYYY too frequently during the summer months I use Dawn before applying my Zaino winter coat.

That`s the only time.

Zaino is such a thorough system that works best together, I have learned to trust Sal`s word, and do as told. He says Dawn wash prior to 1st application, so I do.

(and for the Zaino nay-sayers) If he decides to jump off a bridge, he`s alone on that one though...

[RedondoV6]

Originally posted by Scottwax



... I would agree that once or twice washing with Dawn isn`t going to hurt anything but there are some who begin every detailing session with it. That is what I don`t get. :nixweiss

I agree with you on this Scott. After spending hours detailing, the last thing I am going to do with any newly applied LSP is to wash it regularly with Dawn! I will still use Dawn as a cheap, relatively gentle and effective degreaser, when I want to prepare the surface for a sealant and do not need to polish part or all of the vehicle, or as a quick "shampoo booster" when cleaning tires and wheels.

[redfish]

The Zaino instructions are the only reason I`ve ever used Dawn on my cars/trucks. But I`ve only used it prior to Zainoing and that`s it. Now that I`ve found this website... I`m thinking differently about the whole Dawn step.

[Don]

Most of the cars I detail are the ones that never see a detail, let alone a good wash. Most of them also have tons of greasy/grime on the lower panels, near the fenderwells, between panels etc. In other words, these cars are extreme cases.



9 times out of 10, I will only use a DAWN wash on a vehicle that I`m detailing for the first time, to help break down the heavy build up. I used DAWN once on my own car this summer after driving on 5 miles a freshly tarred highway in a light rain for a week (my whole car was black & sticky from all the residue), but that`s the exception. Otherwise it`s strictly a dedicated car wash soap.

[kempie]

I used the dawn wash prior to Zaino two years ago.

As stated previously the ONLY time I have ever seen it suggested is before the first application of Zaino. Any other use is at your own risk as with all products that are not used per mfg.s specs. This would include layering different types of wax and sealers.

Sure would be a dull site without that expermintation.

[imported_Burlyq]

Not as a habit but in a pinch it isn`t going to harm anything, it would better to use dawn to strip old junk than to seal over junk. But obviously there are better products out there. It has high ph but its not hydrocloric acid. You have to remember you are washing the product right off so it doesn`t have time to hurt the paint. Now after you polish, seal, wax it would be a crime, probably a low felony, to use dawn.

[gto78]

I have no problems using dawn. I only use it if there`s a lot of wax on the car, or if I just waxed and something happened to the car where I suddenly need to claybar it, and start all over, like paint overspray getting on it. It strips the wax off, suspends dirt, and dries nicely. From all the reading i did, yes i read all of the posts in this thread, i see that dawn has a ph of 8 when mixed very strong, and a ph of 9 when undiluted. That is not nearly as strong as acid rain.... i`m not worried, if my car is in such bad shape that i need to start checking the ph of everything that touches the car then I have a bigger problem somewhere else.

[sgo]

I never use Dawn. The claying, polishing, and cleaning processes will remove everything anyway.