r3v1ls

Well i recently used Zaino for the very first time on my car and the results were pretty good. I do have a question about prepping the car. I know you're supposed to use a "high-alkaline" soap like dawn to get rid of any waxed/polishes currently on the coat of the car. Well I asked my dad to buy some Dawn but instead he bought this all natural dishwash soap from Trader Joe's. The car i applied Zaino to was also clayed so i knew all the waxes were gone. But do you guys believe that all dishwash soaps would have the same effect on cars if they're not Dawn? We will be using Zaino on our Lexus RX soon and that car will not be getting clayed because it is pretty new. Will the dishwash soap we have now do as good as a job of stripping waxes or should I go out and get myself a bottle of Dawn?

TOGWT

As a first 'prep' dishwashing liquids (regardless of brand, they are all detergents the only differences is the lanolin etc they contain to protect the users hands) have some merit in removing oils and grease, but they will do little if nothing to remove polymer sealants.

If you are using a Zaino process I would suggest Z-7 car wash followed by Z-PC Fusion.

Washing-up Liquids:
Detergents type washing-up liquids should not be used on a regular basis for vehicles bodywork as their concentrated detergent soaps and usually high sodium / alkaline content will emulsify, breakdown and leach out oils naturally found in your paint, and also any oils you have applied in the way of a polish or glaze. Most polymer sealants, synthetic and natural waxes are detergent resistant, so a dishwashing detergent like Dawn will not remove them.

Generally avoid the use of household cleaning products for automotive detailing as they are formulated for an entirely different type of cleaning. “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”. Proctor and Gamble (See also Detergents)
JonM

r3v1ls

Zaino recommends to Dawn wash the car for prep though. And after that use their z-7 wash because it does not stripp the polish. I've only used dawn once for prep, otherwise i use z7.

AMG_Fred

i would never recommend washing a car with a dish washing cleaner such as dawn or palmolive purely because since the cleaner is strong enough to remove caked on grease which is stuck to the pan from extreme temperatures; that product may be too harsh on my paint. From what i have heard, using those cleaners will dull the finish from your paint and remove oils from it..so my choice would be to get yourself a good quality car wash soap. Oh and claying and using a polish will remove any wax that is on the paint, just fyi. and polishes don't stay on the car. They polish the paint in which they remove very very tiny amount of paint which removes swirls and scratches. Understand? and once a polish is wiped off, then the polish is gone. the only thing that stays on the paint are glazes which put oils into the paint itself. the only way those are removed is if using dish washing soap or if the car is neglected such as leaving the car out in the baked sun without wax protection for a year. and waxes are simply removed from claying or polishing. If and when you apply your second coat of wax, make sure that you give it 24 hours in between for the wax to cure ( harden ) onto the paint so you won't be applying one big thick layer instead of two thin layers which is what you want. I hope your finish comes out great!

1SICKLEX

AS stated above, please do not use dishwashing soap, it strips the wax off. I recommend Meguiars Car Wash Soap, its designed for those that wax and detail their car. Good luck

Gregs210

Even if a car is new, if you want it to look its best it's worth claying and paint cleanser. They are trucked and railed to their various locations (as well as coming from overseas in many instances) and you'd be surprised the crap that accumulates on their paint in transit. If you take the extra time to clay it then you KNOW you're starting with clean paint, which we all know is the best starting point for the best finish possible.

Take care and enjoy the ride,
Greg

revstriker

If you want to remove old wax from your vehicle prior to applying Zaino, then you should use a dish-washing soap such as Dawn. Using a Car wash soap as some have mentioned is fine (and recommended) for normal washing, but will not strip off any old wax. In order for the surface to be prepped for Zaino, you must make sure it is stripped of any old waxes.

I've been using Dawn to prep my car for Zaino (once per year) and have not noticed any ill effects to the paint.

Even if your car is brand new, it may still have surface contaminates that need to be removed using a clay bar. Think of the miles that it's traveled on a truck, or train, or boat, or all 3. Brake dust, road dust, salt has surely made it's way to the surface of your paint. The first thing I do when I buy a new car is Dawn wash it, clay it, and then apply Zaino.

FYI: Zaino is not a "polish" in the traditional sense (as LnkPrkSoldier has defined it).

AMG_Fred

no. "dawn washing" or another term for using a dishwashing soap for cleaning is never good for removing old wax or even just cleaning. think about this, you are trying to remove wax correct? so that probably means you want to get a nice better shine than before, like to start fresh, new clean slab of paint correct? so you will most likely use a polish such as meguiars dual action paint cleaner to remove swirls or any defects in the paint. like i stated before, "dawn washing" will start to dull the paint. you do not notice it because after you wash it you most likely polish it and wax it. just look at all the cars parked outside of albertsons and ask them what they use to wash their car. i bet you , out of all the cars that look below average, that at least 70% of them use dishwashing soap. and yes, claying is always recommended if the car is new or parked outside all the time.

revstriker

Yes, using a polish such as the one you mentioned will also strip off any old wax. But you are also stripping off some of the clear coat with such an action. I can't see how this is less harmful for the paint than using a dishwashing soap such as dawn. The only time I use such an abrasive polish is when I have swirl marks to remove (dawn will not remove these). However, I do what I can to avoid them.

As I've said, I've been using Dawn as a prep for Zaino for quite sometime and I can assure you, my cars do not look like the ones outside of Abertsons, :p and once my process is complete, I would put it up against any other car out there.

At least we agree on claying.

AMG_Fred

lol yea, and sure. ill put my car up against yours. and mine is not black. its a tannish color. so that won't let it reflect as much but will still look better than yours :P

well he should at least clay

doesn't look dull, no swirls, no nothing. just hood with only one layer tech wax which was applied a month before hand

revstriker

Looks good! My car currently would be no comparison, as I have not been as diligent in keeping up with it. I do need to strip it, polish some light swirl marks out, and Zaino it. I meant to do it in the spring, but could not find enough time. Now it's just too fricken hot down here!

AMG_Fred

you said you would put your car against any out there... and mines not even the best. anyways, its fine. but just to test out my theory...wash your car once with dawn and dry it off. feel the surface. see how rough and dry the surface feels? next dry it with something such as meguiars gold class wash. then dry it off. notice the feel of difference. much more glossy and rich

Dvinn

Ok I'll play.

I have been always using Dawn before I apply Zaino about once or twice a year. Contrary to popular believes, Dawn does not strip off oils in the car paint. Only stubbern debries, tree saps and things like that. I have a Lexus that I wash with Dawn about 1~2 times a year for the past 5 years and I can tell you the paint looks better than most new cars just off the lot, so I can safely say that it won't damage the paint in any way.

Dvinn

The Benzo with the same type of washing but with Z-2 Pro.

AMG_Fred

looks like ive just been proven wrong. ill have a good word with meguiars after this. eh, true it works fine but i just like the feel of my wash at the moment so ill stick with that until it runs out, then ill find another...what process was done on those 2 cars? and how new is that paint?

Dvinn

The paint on lexus is about 5 years old and the Benz is a 2003 model. On the GS I've clayed the car 2 times in all these years untill now and I haven't clay the Benz yet, the paint still feel smooth enough so I skiped it.

I have been using Z-1 + Z-2 and Z-6 for the Lexus (Z-2 pro wasn't available when I had the Lexus) and Z-2 pro + zfx and Z-8 for the Benz. For car wash I use Meguires show wash and now Zaino car wash, both are good car wash though it's just a personal preference.

revstriker

Of course, I meant once my car has been detailed.

When I wash and dry my car with Dawn, it never feels as you describe. Of course, this is the first step in the process so it's pre-clay, and pre-zaino so the surface is not as smooth as it will be. I would never use Dawn to just wash my car with.

If you wash your car with Mequiar Gold Class Wash, it will NOT remove any built up wax residue. This is the point of the Dawn wash.

You are comparing Apples to Oranges here.

revstriker

Dvinn, your cars look Great! My 02 Black MB looked similar up to about 6 months ago, about the time I started going to a car wash (Limited time to hand wash). My car still looks good, but you can see some fine swirl marks due to the car wash. Maybe a bit much for the Z5 to cover, so I will have to break out the PC one of these days.

I normally use Z2+ZFX with Z6 between coats.

Chi500

About how much Dawn do you guys use in your wash water?