[geewhiz]

Dawn or Ivory liquid. I find Dawn works well if the car has a lot of road film on it.

 

[geewhiz]

To spend a lot of money on a liquid soap that says CAR SOAP and looks/smells nice is a waste of money. To me soap is soap.

 

[geewhiz]

You're either blind, lying, or only wash tanks.




This is not entirely true. A soap for dishes is for...well...dishes. Baked on finish that has forks being scraped across it all of the time.

For a car the soap doesn't actually "clean". What is important with the soap for a car's finish is the lubricity. Dirt and grit scratch and micromar paint and when they are scrubbed across a car's finish (regardless of what anyone says) with inferior instruments then they are only going to damage your finish even worse.

When washing a car your wash mitt is what actually removes the dirt...not your soap. The soap should lubricate and suspend the dirt and grit once you remove it from the surface of your finish, allowing the contaminants to simply glide off the car when you rinse.

Also, when using whatever brand car wash liquid you prefer be certain to follow the recommended measured amount for the proper dilution. If you mix too strong then you're going to strip your last step product. If stripping your LSP is your goal to apply a fresh coat then that's fine...but if you're just doing a maintenance wash in between details then you want a soap that has good lubricity but isn't too aggressive when diluted properly.

Edit: And for the record...right now I use Meguiar's Gold Class simply because it's slimy and Wal-Mart has it on the cheap.

I have to agree with w3ap0n-x. The dish soap, after repeated use, can actually dry up rubber trim on the car. The dish soap is just too strong for a car.

It's important to have a good condition washmit/microfiber sponge and soap. If you use an old ratty sponge with the mesh over it, chances are you're putting fine scratches into your paint.

I also use Meguiar's Gold Class and it does a really good job.

Okay.

 

[geewhiz]

Your quote box made it look like I was being rude and I wanted to make sure people don't think that.

I can assure you that I did not think you were being rude. The use of "emoticons" can help use as we write on forums to express feelings.

My

Okay

was a validation of your and dantheman65's comments. If we all feel the same way about every topic on any forum the forum would not be of any help. I have been washing cars for quite a long time and I (IMO) feel the difference between "Car wash soap" and "liquid dish soap" is nominal, where the difference in price is significant.
The other members here can choose any soap they want and try both if they want to decide on their own. All opinions are welcome.

So I'll end my rant with some confusing emoticons, if you don't mind no wait I'm lost car soap sand paper cleans too