M.J

i still have some residue from my old wax in dots can any one tell me about a specific product you guys try, and don't tell me use dawn coz i don't want to use dish saop on my car !!!!!!

wily

Not understanding how you got wax in dots?

M.J

i used spraywax (meguiars) then i left it for 15 minutes , when i came back to wipe it i found that i apply a lot in some places, so as i was trying to remove it i found that there was dots here and there left over , before two days i used dawn but the dots are still there when i try to remove one of them by hand i remove it , do you think calying the car should remove that ? plus i have some birds spots i can see some after i wash it will clay clean these stuff ???

vraa

Try to clay. Clay rocks. I love clay bar.

M.J

after claying should i polish or no need to. by the way i just got my car one month ago

vraa

You don't have to. A polish is an abrasive. I would order Zaino and do the entire Zaino procedure for your car.

M.J

ricky did you use preston wax before ? we don't have meguiars nxt and ofcourse zaino wax over here although nxt will be available next month but i am using preston for now any idea ?

revstriker

Dawn is very good at stripping old wax off of cars. Whatever is left after a "Dawn Wash" can normally be removed with a Clay Bar.

After claying your car, it will have no protection, so you do need to do something to protect it. As ricky stated, a conventional polish contains abrasives which remove a thin layer of the clear coat. Unless you have swirl marks, or your paint appears dull, I don't believe this is necessary. I would recommend a high quality car wax, or a polymer sealer like Zaino (although Zaino markets themselves as a "polish", it is not in the conventional sense as it contains no abrasives). I would also highly recommend dawn washing and claying your car if you have not done so already. Even a brand new car needs to be clayed. Think of all the rail dust, salt, and over the road dust that has settled on your car between the manufacturer and the dealer. Claying is really the only way to remove these embedded materials from your clear coat.

Buellwinkle

Dishwashing soap is a little hard on the finish. If claying is too much work, rubbing alcohol will remove anything wax like from your car. Also, bodyshops use Prepsol to remove any wax like stuff off the car before painting. I use that before touchups because I have it but alcohol will work well too. Don't use spray waxes, they are no good.

revstriker

When you say "hard on the finish" what do you mean? There is nothing in regular dawn for example that should cause harm to the paint or the clearcoat.

Anthony Orosco

Spray waxes are fine but as with any thing, some are good and some stink.

Next time you use a spray wax spray, wipe, buff off....don't let it sit.

Clay your car and then continue with your choice in polish or sealer.

Anthony

vraa

Never heard of preston.

Big Kahuna

I don't know how bad the dots are, but I've found that spray on quick detailer sometimes does the job. Otherwise, I agree you'll probably have to clay the car.

M.J

after i clay the car the dots disappear , the dots came from nxt spray wax i dunno why but it leave dots behind it .

rlee02135

why dont you want to use dawn?
it wont hurt the paint, just cleans it before a good wax!

Jayhawk

The biggest problem w/ spray wax is that it doesn't last very long, but if you follow the instructions on the bottle, it will not streak or blot. Regarding dawn dishwahing detergent, I would definitely keep it away from a car's paint finish--stick to dishes. (They don't call it dishwashing detergent for nothing.) I know there is a raging debate about whether to use it on car finishes, but on all of the numerous threads I have followed here, on Autopia, DetailersClub, and elsewhere, regarding Dawn, the professionals (except for Sol Zaino) all say "don't do it!."

revstriker

But no matter what some uninformed people say on an internet forum, there is no ingredient in Dawn dishwashing liquid that will hurt your finish. It will remove wax which exposes your finish to the elements (which is why it's not a good product to use for regular cleaning), but it does nothing to the paint or the clearcoat of the car. If someone says it does, I would like to know specifically what is contained in dawn that will "hurt" the finish.

Jayhawk

It is called detergent, as in Dawn dishwashing detergent!

revstriker

Yes, and the definition of a detergent is a "cleaning agent", usually describing a cleaning agent that is able to emulsify oils, hold dirt in suspension, and act as a wetting agent. The term detergent itself does not describe a specific ingredient, and certainly the term alone does not describe something that that is damaging to the finish on your car.

As I've said earlier, using Dawn will not do any damage to your clearcoat or paint finish. However, if you were to wash your car with Dawn all the time, your car would be unprotected from the elements.

Jayhawk

Okay! I give up... You do your Dawn, and I'll do mine.

Dawn Marie

TA-9FF

I have those dots too from that stupid spray wax.......but not on my paint, it's on the lining bar where the windows and doors meet. How do you remove those silly dots!!!! I tried Dawn on that lining and it's still there!

You can kinda see the spots on the lining bar thingamabob......

revstriker

LOL! : I don't think THAT Dawn would hurt your finish either!

Kar don

DAWN should not be used regularly as some people say it does break down some components of the clearcoat. I am not sure if there is any scientific data proven on this but I haven't used dawn on my vehicles more than a couple of times...

revstriker

The harshest chemical component in Dawn is a small amount of Ethyl Alcohol (Ethanol) which should not have a negative affect on a polyurethane clear coat finish. Granted, ethanol is a corrosive (a rather mild one when compared with methyl alcohol {methanol}), and a long term exposure to it could cause some damage to painted surfaces, and even to a clear coat. But the small amount contained in Dawn, and using it to wash your car in a normal way (wash and rinse) should not damage the clear coat. In theory, parking your car outside in the natural light is more damaging to the clear coat than dawn.

That said, I am NOT suggesting that anyone switch from a detergent manufactured specifically to wash cars, to one like Dawn for general use. Dawn should be reserved for when you need to strip off old wax build up, probably at the most, once per year.

Jayhawk

I would say it is time to sell all of that stock you must hold in Dawn. The Dow is at near-record highs at this moment, and you could make a fortune!