Detergents - how bad are they?

[PhilS]

Hi All,



By detergents I mean the stuff we'd use to wash our dishes i.e. Dawn, or Fairy over here in the UK. What I'm wondering is what sort of damage they would do. I'm aware they can break down rubber window seals but is there anything else? I was thinking of using it once every 6 months, as the initial stage of a deep cleanse process, to remove all traces of existing wax. As a newbie to all of this I have just purchased a load of Megs consumer products to start me on my journey into Detailing.



Cheers,

Phil

 

[imported_Greg1]

Hi Phil-

In my eyes, there is no reason that you will ever need to use harsh detergents. If you are going to strip something off every six months, use a dedicated paint cleaner. Dawn won't remove everything there anyway. It was fashioned by Zaino users who want a completely oil-free surface before applying Z due to bonding issues. In their case, a simple water/alcohol solution will remove those trace oils.

 

[jasonatv22]

If you're going to use a polish, or anything with solvent or abrasive qualities, there is no need to Dawn wash. That said, a Dawn wash once a year isn't going to dry your car out into a raisin either.



Arguably, if Joe Average would wash his car monthly with Dawn and then wax, the paint might hold up a decade or more. But mostly the reason that Dawn gets a bad rep is because the average person, not autopian, will wash with it using their old T-shirts to scrub scrub scrub, and they'll damage their paint, not wax, and they get clearcoat failure, etc.



Rock chips are worse in my book.

 

[Lowejackson]

To quote Mr Phillips (29/10/03)

Dawn is a harsh detergent. Using simple common sense tells you that anytime you use a product that dulls the surface, you are thus working backwards, in the paint polishing process.



That is if your goal is to make the paint look good.



If your goal is maximum protection, then don't use water beading as an indicator of protection.



Water beading is only a visual indicator of high surface tension.



True, it is also a visual indicator that a film previously applied is still present on the surface, (assuming the surface didn't bead water before the film was applied), but it is not always an accurate indicator that the product you applied is actually protecting the surface from the things that would attack it.



I wrote all of the application bulletins and directions for using Meguiar's Velocity Mold Sealer and Mold Release products and this is a case where the polymers in these two products must properly bond to the surface or the company could potentially stick a mold, (a bad thing).



No where do we ever say the mold surface must be washed with Dawn, or any harsh detergent, (or mild soap for that matter), before applying the synthetic polymer Sealer and Release to the mold surface.



In fact, the last recommended step before applying these two polymer products is to polish the mold with Meguiar's #82 High Gloss Polish.



Dawn is good for dishes, bad for paint.



Of course, I always say,



"Find something you like and use it often"



So if you like washing your car's finish, (and other components made from rubber, vinyl and plastic), with a strong detergent wash then Dawn is a pretty good choice because it is a strong detergent soap.



As for me, I’ll stick to products that work forward in the polishing process.