Now we all know that dish wash is bad for your car, how about the reverse?

[David Fermani]

Dish wash soap bad for your car? This is news to me.

I use Dawn all the time for pre/post correction washes.

Yup, me too. I've also been using it weekly on my car for almost 14 months without any problems. I think way too many people like listening to internet folklore about this product. Dawn is totally safe for your paint, glass, trim and engine compartment. Can't speak for dishes though...

[JonMiles]

Yup, me too. I've also been using it weekly on my car for almost 14 months without any problems. I think way too many people like listening to internet folklore about this product. Dawn is totally safe for your paint, glass, trim and engine compartment. Can't speak for dishes though...

Dawn contains some ethanol.

Ethanol has the potential to break down some plastics.

Ethanol dehydrates rubber.

I'd say by simple logic, Dawn is not totally safe for washing a car with. Over time it may break down the plastic trim, dry out the rubber, and cause some problems with rubber seals in the engine compartment. That doesn't mean that Dawn is unsafe on cars, but may cause eventual problems if it is used over a prolonged period, maybe faster if you don't dilute it enough.

14 months in and no problems is a good indicator that it doesn't cause short term problems, but what is going to happen at 5 years, 10 years, 15 years down the road?

[Blackthorn One]

Yup, me too. I've also been using it weekly on my car for almost 14 months without any problems. I think way too many people like listening to internet folklore about this product. Dawn is totally safe for your paint, glass, trim and engine compartment. Can't speak for dishes though...

Are you saying that Dawn does not strip wax or sealants?
I think that is what the OP meant when he said that dish soap is bad. Plus, dish soap lacks the lubricants that car wash soaps have which help prevent marring.

[RobZ71LM7]

David is using opti-coat which is a permanent coating. I just applied the consumer version to my truck. That being said this thread is full of myths. In my experience Dawn is very weak at removing most LSP's and even polishing oils at times. I can tell you it does virtually nothing to Collinite. I like using Optimum Power Clean as a presoak before a dawn wash to strip the surface.

[David Fermani]

Dawn contains some ethanol.

Ethanol has the potential to break down some plastics.

Ethanol dehydrates rubber.

I'd say by simple logic, Dawn is not totally safe for washing a car with. Over time it may break down the plastic trim, dry out the rubber, and cause some problems with rubber seals in the engine compartment. That doesn't mean that Dawn is unsafe on cars, but may cause eventual problems if it is used over a prolonged period, maybe faster if you don't dilute it enough.

14 months in and no problems is a good indicator that it doesn't cause short term problems, but what is going to happen at 5 years, 10 years, 15 years down the road?

Good point, but because "may" or "has the potential to" do something doesn't mean it will. And I do understand that's not what your saying. Especially with so many different types of plastics used. I spoke to Dr. G about the issue and he claims Dawn will not harm anything and cannot attack the plasticizers in these things.

Are you saying that Dawn does not strip wax or sealants?
I think that is what the OP meant when he said that dish soap is bad. Plus, dish soap lacks the lubricants that car wash soaps have which help prevent marring.

No. Dawn will strip wax/sealants. (it won't strip OC though) I have extremely minute(not noticeable unless searched in controlled lighting) amounts of micromarring on my car after 14 months so I'd say that the lubricity of Dawn is just fine. I also use it after every paint correction and have never noticed any marring from it either. It's actually a great product to wash with. I can use it in a 95 degree full sun environment and let the product dry on the surface without any water spotting or etching. After rinsing it off the surface sheets water and continues to mitigate the chance for spotting.

Not telling everyone to stop using car wash soaps on thier car, just giving my input that Dawn hasn't done any of the damage that people claim could happen.

[David Fermani]

David is using opti-coat which is a permanent coating. I just applied the consumer version to my truck. That being said this thread is full of myths. In my experience Dawn is very weak at removing most LSP's and even polishing oils at times. I can tell you it does virtually nothing to Collinite. I like using Optimum Power Clean as a presoak before a dawn wash to strip the surface.

Yes. I'm using OC on 1/2 my vehicle. The other 1/2 is bare.

And another yes in regards to Dawn being weak at removing many LSPs(especially fresh ones and Collinite). If you want the surface bare using OPC works great.

[PPLd]

Dear all,

Thanks for the reply.
It appears that I should stick with dish wash soap on my dishes, and car wash soap on my car...

BTW I noticed that the wordings I used for the topic is controversial... What I meant is, from day 1 I was told that using dish wash soap may strip off wax, oils on your paint, dull your paint, cause swirls/scratches. Therefore, we are recommended to use a quality car wash soap like those found on Autogeek.net to wash our cars.

For example, on Autogeek.net,
Car Wash Products, Car wash soap, car wash shampoo, car wash brush
in 2nd paragraph, they do not recommend using dish wash soap to wash your car.

Also, in the video Quik Tips Series - Washing 101 provided by Meguiar's, which can be found here:
[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SVcVpS0-Eck]YouTube - Quik Tips Series - Washing 101[/video]
at 0'30", they mentioned "never use household detergents".

[Spicy McHaggis]

Dear all,

Thanks for the reply.
It appears that I should stick with dish wash soap on my dishes, and car wash soap on my car...

BTW I noticed that the wordings I used for the topic is controversial... What I meant is, from day 1 I was told that using dish wash soap may strip off wax, oils on your paint, dull your paint, cause swirls/scratches. Therefore, we are recommended to use a quality car wash soap like those found on Autogeek.net to wash our cars.

For example, on Autogeek.net,
Car Wash Products, Car wash soap, car wash shampoo, car wash brush
in 2nd paragraph, they do not recommend using dish wash soap to wash your car.

Also, in the video Quik Tips Series - Washing 101 provided by Meguiar's, which can be found here:

at 0'30", they mentioned "never use household detergents".

People that SELL car wash products don't recommend buying something they don't sell!?!?!?!?!? SAY IT ISN"T SO!!!!

[cobalt9123]

I of course agree that Dawn will strip some weak or old waxes and sealants but I've never seen any adverse effects from using it as a stripping/pre/post polishing wash.

I am not sure about the chemistry of what cleaners Dawn has in it compared to certain rubbers/plastics on a car's finish and how they interact; but, I would say that I've seen vehicles who have used quality car soaps their entire existence but have not dressed the trim or leave it outside in the hot sun a lot and their trim looks much worse than cars that Dawn wash/dress the trim.

[Spicy McHaggis]

I of course agree that Dawn will strip some weak or old waxes and sealants but I've never seen any adverse effects from using it as a stripping/pre/post polishing wash.

I am not sure about the chemistry of what cleaners Dawn has in it compared to certain rubbers/plastics on a car's finish and how they interact; but, I would say that I've seen vehicles who have used quality car soaps their entire existence but have not dressed the trim or leave it outside in the hot sun a lot and their trim looks much worse than cars that Dawn wash/dress the trim.

I would tend to agree that how you protect the trim is more important than what you clean with with.