Newbie question: Does anyone use Dawn dish soap to wash before claying?

S

Spike73

New member
Hi, I went to a small how-to clinic about how to apply zaino products, and they said that they like to wash the car with Dawn dish soap before claying, so that the clay bar won't pick up so much crud. I always thought that you should never wash a car with dish soap. Does anyone still use this practice? And he said they use soapy water as the lube for claying, and not spray lube. Any ideas on which way is better? I have never clayed a car before, so I want to do it right the first time!! :confused:
 
ehh.. so many ways to handle this.....



You have to watch out with soapy water. Some soap will eat the clay. Other's won't have any effect. I'd rather just use plain water than soapy water myself. Dawn is ok for getting all the LSP off the car. It works, I've done it often enough I should know. Why some training seminar would teach things like this is a little beyond me. Especially for a company that is so anal over proper procedures in making their products look right.
 
Well I know that stripping all the wax makes claying better, and that detergent will strip it - I accidentally did it to my wheels once. So it makes sense overall, and I've got so much sealant on my car right now that's what I'm going to use before I polish. But I have a bottle of Sonus Glyde to use with their clay, so that's probably what I'll use for that.
 
Street5927 said:
As Jake said, I use Dawn to strip the LSP, but then I will use a QD with the clay bar and have had no problems.
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Is Megs QD a good lube for claying? some have recommended ONR, but what I have in the garage right now is Megs QD.
 
Jakerooni said:
ehh.. so many ways to handle this.....



You have to watch out with soapy water. Some soap will eat the clay. Other's won't have any effect. I'd rather just use plain water than soapy water myself. Dawn is ok for getting all the LSP off the car. It works, I've done it often enough I should know. Why some training seminar would teach things like this is a little beyond me. Especially for a company that is so anal over proper procedures in making their products look right.
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I saw it on their web site, to wash the car with Dawn ultra, then apply their products. It must be their way of prepping the car for their stuff. But it does say to use it, then to put it back in the kitchen where it belongs because you will never use it again on your car.
 
Spike73 said:
Is Megs QD a good lube for claying? some have recommended ONR, but what I have in the garage right now is Megs QD.
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That's what comes in their clay kit (the red bottle not the black one). That was my first clay kit and it worked great. The Megs "Smooth Surface" clay system.
 
Passrat said:
That's what comes in their clay kit (the red bottle not the black one). That was my first clay kit and it worked great. The Megs "Smooth Surface" clay system.
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Oh, I just remembered...I bought the blue clay magic, and it has it's own spray lube. I guess I'll be using that, and if I run out, I will use Megs. Thanks for the help!
 
I wouldn't use Dawn. There's no proof or evidence that suggests Dawn would deteriorate automotive paint. One thing that is plausible is that rubber seals may deteriorate from prolong Dawn usage.



More effective in removing old waxes without harming rubber seals is dedicated automotive citrus shampoo. It does not streak and it leaves the paint squeaky clean, without harming the seals.
 
The only time I use Dawn is for degreasing during an oil change or something. The runoff when the pan runs dry,



Either way I would look for a Car Shampoo that offers LSP removal. Clay bar will remove waxes/sealents too. But I feel as if its countereffective.
 
Spike73 said:
I saw it on their web site, to wash the car with Dawn ultra, then apply their products. It must be their way of prepping the car for their stuff. But it does say to use it, then to put it back in the kitchen where it belongs because you will never use it again on your car.
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Don't use it the first time.



Use a soap that's made for stripping wax, like either of the Chemical Guy's Citrus washes at the proper dilution. Or something else that's made for doing this, not something that doubles getting your pans clean.
 
I think that if you search this site you will note that more than a few people use Dawn to remove LSPs. I'm no expert, but I'm pretty confident that an occasional wash with Dawn is not going to harm your paint or rubber.



I'm a Zaino user. I'll use Dawn for the first wash of the spring (after the Michigan winter). That's it.



I get good results using soapy water as a clay lubricant. I have read that detergents may break down the clay though. I have no idea if this true, but it doen't matter to me as I only use a clay bar a couple times before I pitch it.
 
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