Proper cleaning

[Ilove2race4fun]

Hey guys, I'm new to this site so please bare with me even though I may have some really dumb questions. Well here goes, just for clarity, I always figured that generally the best way to clean a car would be to use a soap designated for cars. However, I have heard that a car can just be wiped down with water only because the car already has wax on it? To me it just doesn't make that much sense. Personally, I feel that using water alone isn't good because obviously you're not cleaning anything but only wiping down the car, much like the analogy of actually taking a shower without soap (not that I shower that way). Also, wiping down the car may cause for the fine scratches since dragging a sponge or towel across the paint will cause for the dirt on the surface to cause damage.

Perhaps using water only to wipe down the car is plausible if you do it on a daily basis? Otherwise, using soap would seems more of a reasonable solution if you don't wipe it down daily. In addition to wiping it down, wouldn't it make sense to wet the car first to soften the dirt on the surface? Sorry for the random babble but I've always seen and cleaned my vehicle one way but have heard of just wiping it down. Another question (sorry guys), but if you do decide to wash your vehicle using soap, doesn't it strip the wax from the car, thus requiring you to wax it again in order to protect the clear coat? I don't really have anyone else that I can discuss such topics so I figured I would turn here to this site where all the experts are. Hope you guys can please help debunk my dilemma. Thanks in advance!

[flyinion]

Definitely do not just "wash" the car with water only. You will definitely be grinding dirt into the paint and causing scratches of all kinds. Car wash products are designed to suspend the dirt away from the paint and keep it from scratching. You still have to use common sense and not be scrubbing hard if the car has caked on dirt of course. If you want to wipe the daily dust off the car, there are products out there that you can spray on and wipe off and they behave like the car washes in that they capture the dirt so it does not scratch.

As to the wax removal question, if you are using a quality car wash (meg's, mother's, anything off the autogeek site, etc.) it should not strip any wax or sealants unless it says otherwise. Most are designed to protect your wax layer. If you are using something like Dawn dish soap however, yes that will strip the wax. I've read many times around here that people like to use a Dawn wash to strip the wax off when they are going to do a full clay, polish, seal/wax on the vehicle.

[BobbyG]

Proper washing is paramount to maintaining a quality finish. Today's car washes are formulated to dissolve and float away average contaminates and debris. These products are also designed NOT to attack sealants and waxes.

Car Wash Products, Car wash soap, car wash shampoo, car wash brush (http://www.autogeek.net/washing.html)

All purpose cleaners as well as dish liquid are harsh and will strip surface protectants like sealants and waxes so avoid these like the plague!

Water alone is OK at best but I would suggest at the very minimum that you use a Waterless Spray Wash. Water itself does not contain high lubricity surface-protecting polymers to prevent scratching. Using water alone will result imparting swirls and scratches in the paint, something we try to avoid.