Originally Posted By: SirTanon
If you're planning on doing a full claying, then I'm going to assume that you also plan on following with come kind of paint correction (polish, compound, or cleaner wax).
If this is the case, then honestly, it doesn't matter WHICH kind of soap you use - Dish soap or car soap - since the claying and correction will ultimately strip anything left behind by any kind of soap.
If you're NOT planning on following with some kind of correction, and will be moving on from claying to some kind of wax/sealant, then I'd say that whichever kind of soap you use, make sure it's one that does NOT include any kind of wax or shine enhancer, since you don't want anything left sitting underneath your wax that might interfere with it.
Dish soap is commonly used prior to claying since it 1) does not leave any wax or shine enhancer behind 2) is strong enough to clean pretty deep and strip at least SOME of the existing wax.
The thing is, dish soap is not some sort of magical wax stripping beast.. it will strip SOME of the wax, but it will not strip it all.. it's just not strong enough. It will also not strip paint, or damage paint.
It's SOAP, people. I've used Dawn a few times on my Fusion prior to claying and waxing, with no negative effects. Heck, I've even washed my car using car was with just a little Meguiar's D101 APC mixed in, and it's done nothing but strip the wax. I can show you pictures of the shiny finish on my car to show proof that even the APC isn't hurting anything.
To OP - Dish soap is fine, just don't go nuts with it. If you're really concerned it might hurt something, then use something like this:
The key here is.. avoid bottles that say something like "Wash & Wax".. you just want "Car Wash"
I've done car wash + APC for pre-clay washes here and there. I got the idea from Detailer's Domain, and it works well. I've been warned by others "hey, mixing might cause a negative reaction", but I've not encountered anything other than the results I'm looking for mixing CG Honeydew Snow Foam/Maxi Suds II or Adams Wash with Adams APC nor either of those two CG washes nor Meguiars Gold Class with Meguiar's D10101. It's probably overkill for use in cases where the car isn't totally filthy or about to be clayed, but both APC and car soap are safe for use in those conditions.
I follow up Sonax Full effect, after the first scrub down, with APC for the second pass too (also got the idea from DD). No troubles there either. APC is great when you need to add a boost to some other cleaner.
--Matt
