What detergent do you use to wash your car?

[Big Dave]

I was out washing the "Beast" the other day and thought about all the different detergents available. So I decided to ask and see what others use when washing their pride and joy.

[Monk]

My regular car I just buy what's on sale at the auto store.

[tedly]

Rain.

[oletrux4evr]

When I'm not at the quarter carwash, I use Mother's. They give me a sample each year on the Power Tour, and it's great stuff.

[1trickpony]

All spring fresh.

[bearphoto]

All I use to wash all the cars is water. I'm no expert but I hear many types of soaps remove the wax coating.

[SuperBuickGuy]

$5.00


I use the local car wash - otherwise my car wouldn't be clean for the 5 minutes of sun we get each year.

[antmnte]

Whats on sale . Once a year for the outside cars I wash with dawn then clay bar and wax,keeps them nice and shiney .

[Barry Donovan]

bathroom, kitchen and dish soap.

[TheSilverBuick]

My cars won't win beauty contests, but I use Blue Coral typically. Mostly because it's cheap, but after several years of using it I can say I trust it on my cars.

[70chevyC-10]

Meguiar's

[pdub]

RainX green stuff.

I used blue Dawn dish detergent for hundreds of years until somebody here was horrified that I was doing that. I don't know exactly why you're not supposed to use Dawn.

The RainX doesn't foam up like Dawn does. You have to keep shooting the bucket with the sprayer to make it foam up much at all.

[squirrel]

I hear many types of soaps remove the wax coating.

One day I'll put a wax coating on, then I'll have to worry about that.

I use whatever car wash soap we have, I dont remember what brand. Usually it was a door prize at a car show or something.

[Grumpy]

I don't have any show cars so Palmolive or whatever was on sale at Wal-Mart!

[70chevyC-10]

RainX green stuff.

I used blue Dawn dish detergent for hundreds of years until somebody here was horrified that I was doing that. I don't know exactly why you're not supposed to use Dawn.

The RainX doesn't foam up like Dawn does. You have to keep shooting the bucket with the sprayer to make it foam up much at all.

PW - you spend hours waxing (grease of sorts) your car and then use dishsoap (degreaser) to wash it and you have also washed off all your wax. The car wash "soaps" are designed not to strip all your wax off, supposedly just the dirt.