What is the best Car Wash Soap that you have used?

[conquistador]

I clearly missed this the first time around! A few thoughts for you:

1) There is no magic 'wax safe' option. I'll be blunt - I know of nothing water soluble which will definitely strip wax (or have even the slightest chance against a polymer sealant), when diluted down beyond 20%. Those things which do have that chance will be sufficient to strip the paint, were you to use them neat. These products which claim to strip wax are misleading you. I have demonstrated this again and again - they leave a film of surfactants which make it look like the wax has been stripped. If you know about this, you can get that film off and 'recover' the water repellency of the previous LSP. As a corollary to this, if I (as a chemical manufacturer and access to almost everything chemical cleaning) am unable to strip the LSP products which I have tried, and you are convinced that you can, then the difference must be the LSP and you cannot avoid the conclusion that your choice of LSP is just rubbish.

2) General cleaning - I am a bit stumped by people jumping up and down about shampoos. We see reviews where people talk about the cleaning power of shampoo. How is this so? Every single shampoo I have used has succeeded in getting the car squeaky clean. The cleaning in this process is done by your wash media (sponge/mitt/etc). The shampoo solution is mainly a lubricant to the process. I am just perplexed by how someone has found that one particular shampoo is much better than the other for cleaning. The best thought that I would have is that they have used insufficient shampoo to get the lubrication required which then results in the user failing to do enough work with the wash mitt.

I want to personally thank you for your insight. Unfortunately as you pointed out marketing has a far greater influence than science in the realm of auto detailing. Seems as though everyone is ready to drink the new flavor of koolaid when it hits the shelf.

[sulla]

DP extreme soap.

was there any change since 2011 ? I used it back in 2011 and it's only good for foaming only... lubricity and cleaning power is just so so on par with most otc products like TW or AA.

I clearly missed this the first time around! A few thoughts for you:

2) General cleaning - I am a bit stumped by people jumping up and down about shampoos. We see reviews where people talk about the cleaning power of shampoo. How is this so? Every single shampoo I have used has succeeded in getting the car squeaky clean. The cleaning in this process is done by your wash media (sponge/mitt/etc). The shampoo solution is mainly a lubricant to the process. I am just perplexed by how someone has found that one particular shampoo is much better than the other for cleaning. The best thought that I would have is that they have used insufficient shampoo to get the lubrication required which then results in the user failing to do enough work with the wash mitt.

I tried to double the dilution for the last otc shampoo i tried (kit wash&glow) to try if double dose gave more lubrication and no it didn't... doubling the dosage only gave me more soap residue that is harder to rinse. My regular shampoo is optimum car wash and it's unique that it's actually quite acidic the ph is around 5-6.

[Dereksdtail]

Onr,D114,maxi suds,hyper wash boom!

[PiPUK]

I tried to double the dilution for the last otc shampoo i tried (kit wash&glow) to try if double dose gave more lubrication and no it didn't... doubling the dosage only gave me more soap residue that is harder to rinse. My regular shampoo is optimum car wash and it's unique that it's actually quite acidic the ph is around 5-6.

I'd have to point out that, with a name like wash & glow, I assume that it has gloss additives. In this case, that is indeed a risk when you increase use rates.

[Soundwave]

My fav/best that i have used has been DoDo Juice Supernatural Shampoo and Victoria Wax Super Soap. CG's Citrus wash and Gloss get the Honourable mention too.

[PA DETAILER]

[WAXOFF]

I use this. When it's on sale I but 4-5 gallons. Last time I got it for 3.99. I get plenty of suds and seems to work well.
Wash your car with an auto car soap from Purple Power.

I have CG's Honeydew also.

[WAXOFF]

I want to personally thank you for your insight. Unfortunately as you pointed out marketing has a far greater influence than science in the realm of auto detailing. Seems as though everyone is ready to drink the new flavor of koolaid when it hits the shelf.

Well spoken. I don't know why we all get in an uproar about the soap. After we wash it we Iron X it then clay bar then polish etc. We do all these "cleaning steps" before we even start to think about the final process which is the wax or sealant. I think the soap is a small part of the process IMHO.

[Bunky]

1 part Maxi Suds + 1 part H20 = Mr Pink.

Mr. Pink's dilution is different than others (1 ounce to 2 gallons). Even at that dilution, it felt less substantial than many soaps.

[ski2]

But you can't use it until May!!!!