Car wash with Dishsoap, will it mess up my paint? Options

[acenova]

My roomate told me using dishsoap for car wash messes up the paint and leaves spots on it. I haven't seen this happen to my car (or at least I dont think), but do you know if there is any truth to this?

[Andason]

ive heard that it is not good for your paint

[forkee]

no no no, dish soap?? thats just something u dont use. itll dry up your clear coat. u can get car soap for the same price.

[doGGy]

Well, i always use Fairy dishwashing soap for my car ) And i cant tell anything wrong about this, expet dont use it too offten, or you wount have any soap left for your dishes

[Hanyo]

the problem with using dishsoap is it removes the wax on your paint.
I use Son-of-a-gun car soap..it claims to be safe for clear coats, and doesnt strip the wax off. This stuff feels like you are washing your car with just ordinary water. But it gets the job done and i trust it.

[macavely]

i don't see anything worng with using dishsoap on your car.. i done it on other cars i have had... and if you look at the labels for both dish soap and car soap.. same stuff.. car soap just dosn't use cirtic acid... which not all dish soap has anyway..

[acenova]

cool, I will probably start using car wash soap anyway, it's just more of a matter of you dont always have car wash soap, but you do usually have dishwasher soap. Convenience. Thanks all.

[x_itchy_b_x]

it strips wax. all the nice wax u spend hours putting on. gone. its ment for dishes. not paint. i use Meguiar’s Gold Class Shampoo & Conditioner lol sounds like a fricken hair product. here what they say about it haha.
-it's like a day spa for your car! Lavish suds pamper all exterior surfaces. Delicate on even the most delicate clearcoat finish, and yet Gold Class the worst grime with ease.

[amysmojo]

Ya when I use to own my black Jetta, I used dish soap on it all the time & DAMN...after a while you could tell that the clear coat was getting ruined....Good thing I traded it in for the Celica haha! Never again will I use dish soap...bad bad idea!!

This post has been edited by amysmojo: May 26, 2004 - 9:49 AM

[Batman722]

it is too abrasive. Sometimes when I am in a pinch I use shampoo it is very non abrasive and leaves my paint with a heathly natural shine.

really though, I do use shampoo

[Uppitycracker]

DONT USE DISH SOAP, its alot harsher then car soap! I used it on my mx3 and it killed the clear coat. Thats the reason they make special soap for washing cars. But hey its your money to waste. Look it up on google and I bet you'll find alot of people saying not to do it! Besides its like 5 bucks for a jug of car soap, people spend hundreds of dollars on rims and hoods they dont need but can never spend money on the little things that matter....

And ya if I dont have car soap I have some hyper sensitive handsoap I use, a few squirts of that does the trick.

EDIT: Just looked it up for the **** of it, and found page after page saying "Do not use dishsoap on your car!". Like people already said, its formulated for washing dishes and is way to harsh for wax and glazes, so it strips down to the clear coat leaving it unprotected, and then who knows what its doing to the actual finish.

I would recommend dishsoap for the interior though, to get all that caked on protectent off and start fresh. Or if your painting and want to strip the wax off of parts, or the car itself.

This post has been edited by Uppitycracker: May 25, 2004 - 9:11 PM

[Uppitycracker]

[Junior]

Use dish soap if you plan on waxing or polishing your car. This will remove any old wax and allow.