Im going to kill my wife.....

J

JayC

Member
A few weeks ago, as some of you may have seen in the click and brag section, I did the full winterize detail on my wife's car. Clayed, UPP, Tropi-Care TC3x2 and topped it off with a coat of Collinite 476.



So yesterday, while I'm at the gym, my wife decides she wants to wash her car. She grabs the bottle of Dawn I had stuck WAYYYYYYYYYYYYYY in the back of my detailing products, bypassing Tropi-Care CAR WASH and Meguiars Gold CAR WASH and proceeds to wash the car with the Dawn.



I'm going to go sit in a corner now and rock for a while but I needed to vent.
 
Aww, man, dunno what to tell you 'cept that I feel for you. She probably thought she was helping you out too. :(



Thanks for posting, I think a lot of people on these boards will now take precautions so that their s/o doesn't do the same. "bypassing Tropi-Care CAR WASH and Meguiars Gold CAR WASH and proceeds to wash the car with the Dawn."--that really hurts...
 
I'd just explain the wash thing (what to use, how to do it, etc.) to her. Look on the bright side- there are plenty of spouses who aren't interested in helping with such stuff.



The Dawn might not have even stripped everything off. It sure doesn't remove 476S for me, so I think you'll be pleasantly surprised. I wouldn't expect you to need anything more than another quick coat of the Collinite, and even that probably isn't really necessary.



Heh heh, time spent educating family members and friends about car care is time well spent, for all sorts of reasons ;)
 
BigLeegr said:
But Wait!...... Isn't Collinite "Detergent Proof"? Maybe you're still ok?
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I actually wondered about that. Car still felt really slick.. I'd never have known about the Dawn thing but I was running my hang along the paint and I thought "Man, this is slick" and I asked her what it was and then was like "What the heck??!!" (Not really but what the f is censored here)



In a lemons to lemonade moment, however, I decided it would become my rolling test bed for Optimum Spray Wax. Already went outside and put a coat on the car.
 
well hopefully the collinite isnt 100% removed as everyone else stated, and also, hopefully your wife used a good technique as to not put in any swirls... i know how long it takes to do a good detail especially on your own car, and id be frustrated as hell if i were you.. good luck tho.
 
I wouldn't take it out her for such a mistake. Obviously she meant well if she wanted to keep her car clean, and it definately shows that she appreciates the work that you had put into it before.



Dawn probably seems reasonable to many "non-enthusiasts", as it is what they readily reach for whenever they have any type of cleaning needs. Most people just do not realize that it will cause more harm that it will benefit an automotive surface.



To rectify the situation, I would kindly explain to your wife why Dawn is not a good car wash. It would be helpful to explain to her that using a quality auto shampoo will be more beneficial to her car in the long-run and it will definately make the surface look much better than compared to Dawn!



:up
 
Easy man. It's not a big deal.



Just give it a wash (20-min) and a of wax (15-min) and it's back to where it was before. The Dawn probably didn't even remove the entire coat of wax anyway. When I used it back a couple of years ago when I first started with Zaino, it would take 2 or 3 washes to remove a fresh coat of wax.



Seriously though, that's some pretty strong language there. I can't think of anything that my fiance could do to a car that would illicit such a strong response. Hell, if she used a shovel to take the snow off ... I'd laugh and just think how silly she was!
 
Oh yeah, since she reached for it first...



Let me guess, she does the dishes in the household. She probably reached for it since she's familiar with it!
 
paco said:


Just give it a wash (20-min) and a of wax (15-min) and it's back to where it was before.
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Guess you must not have used Collinite before. You might get one panel done in 15 minutes. Plus, it's an SUV :(



Anyway, its not that big a deal and I didn't beat my wife or anything over it. Just went out and put some Optimum Spray Wax on the vehicle and that will have to do for the winter, unless we get another nice day here.
 
My guess is she probably diluted it as she would have if she were washing dishes. So probably it wasn't strong enough to remove much wax. You have to use Dawn at a pretty high concentration to remove very much wax. Even at a strong concentration it would take several washings to remove all of your wax.



I don't agree with Collinite's claim that it is detergent proof. It might last longer than most other carnaubas, but it's still going to be gone in 2-3 months no matter what detergent you use. Another coat of Collinite is the worst you'll need.
 
~One manâ€â„¢s opinion / observations~



Iâ€â„¢m not so sure I subscribe to the theory that â€Ëœ a Dawn wash will remove wax /sealantâ€â„¢, it has a pH of 8.0 compared to the average car wash concentrate that has a pH of 7.1-7.5. I donâ€â„¢t see the point at all of using any household cleaner for vehicle cleaning, but perhaps we are over reacting on the Dawn thing.



~Hope this helps~



Knowledge unshared is experience wasted [each one / teach one]

justadumbarchitect / so I question everything/ JonM
 
JayC--don't despair--I did my Explorer with DACP/NXT topwith Collinite--after 4 months thought I'd start over (because of other factors); Dawn--in hot water and washed twice didn't dent the Collinite--beading was just as strong as before I started--put another coat on and enjoy the winter
 
Joe K -- 01 Green said:
JayC--don't despair--I did my Explorer with DACP/NXT topwith Collinite--after 4 months thought I'd start over (because of other factors); Dawn--in hot water and washed twice didn't dent the Collinite--beading was just as strong as before I started--put another coat on and enjoy the winter
Click to expand...



Wow.. guess I better stock up on PrepSol for the spring.
 
JayC said:
Guess you must not have used Collinite before. You might get one panel done in 15 minutes. Plus, it's an SUV :(



Anyway, its not that big a deal and I didn't beat my wife or anything over it.
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Heh heh, glad to hear you didn't get too ticked off about it. Like Paco, nothing my wife could do to her car could make me truly angry, but then Accumulatorette has been well-schooled in carcar so it's easy for me to say that.



As for the 15 min/panel thing...you might be putting the 476S on too thick (IMO almost everyone does). I use it a lot (and on some fairly large vehicles too) and I always find it very quick and easy to use, maybe 5 min/panel if I really take my time on a big panel. Like Meg's #16, if you put it on thin, as in, Zaino/KSG-thin, you get all the protection and looks with hardly any work. FWIW, I apply it by PC/Cyclo. Thin thin thin, that's the trick.



JayC- Whatever polish you use to remove the (almost inevitable) marring from the winter will just cut the wax right off. Only time I've ever needed PrepSol was when I was doing paintwork. Even something like Pinnacle PCL or AIO will take it right off.
 
I think you'll find that washing with Dawn, while not recommended, didn't take off any of the Collinite. I tested the "detergent proof" #476s on a portion of my hood & next time it rained I couldn't discern any difference.



I found the 2nd & 3rd layers of #476s went on / came off much easier than the 1st and used the WOWO method.



I applied each layer as thin as I could by hand & took off residue with a PC by trapping a MF towel against the paint ... incredibly easy.



Collinite Cust Service recommends using PrepSol as remove any Collinite wax, though I'm sure that answer was intended for non-detailing oriented people. A chemical cleaner or polish with a light abrasive content, something like AIO, FPII, or SSR1, would probably work just as well.
 
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