The Legend of Dawn

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trekkeruss

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I always see the brand Dawn brought up as a way to strip wax from a vehicle. When did this start, and why is only Dawn mentioned, as opposed to any other brand of dish washing liquid? As far as I know, there's nothing truly unique about Dawn. Consumer Reports says, "All of the brands that we tested performed equally well regardless of price. So, really, the best advise http://pittsburgh.cbslocal.com/2011/04/19/consumer-reports-puts-dishwashing-liquids-to-the-test/#from us is just go buy whatever's on sale."

Mind you, I have no intention of buying Dawn or any other dish soap to use on my car. I'm just curious.
 
My guess would be most commonly used name brand. Kind of like Kleenex is associated with all facial tissue, or Xerox with photocopying.
 
Honestly I think Sal is to blame, he states you should use it as part of the prep for Zaino. Coming up on 7 years, 4 months without anything new on the "What's New" page there.
 
I think it just became one of those common paradigms that just "stuck" in people's minds. I use a mixture of Car Wash, Dawn and APC when I am stripping. And at the end of the day I don't really care if everything is stripped off the paint. All I know is that I have sufficiently weakened whatever LSP is on the paint to make the next step in the detail process more timely and efficient overall.

I found this on the Internet...

"(22) Zaino can withstand many harsh chemicals and solvents. Yes, you can use WD40 to remove bugs from a Zaino finish, although I have never had to, because WD40 will not strip the Zaino finish according to Sal. Neither will Liquid Dawn, although, due to the surfactants in Dawn (what reduces water spotting on your glasses), it may lose its beading ability until they are washed off with a regular car wash."

I highlighted the part that makes my last point.... Dawn leaves a film on the paint in-and-of itself and with the use of APC and regular car wash I figure something is keeping that film from staying on the paint. I'll never know for sure.
 
trekkeruss said:
I always see the brand Dawn brought up as a way to strip wax from a vehicle.
Click to expand...

mwoolfso said:
Dawn leaves a film on the paint in-and-of itself
Click to expand...

We had a good thread about this here, I'm not sure if it was the one that Swanicyouth started with his mirror, but I know PiPUK explained it well, that Dawn etc. will likely strip waxes but that they attach to sealants and kill the beading, making you think the sealant is gone when it isn't. I guess it's backwards of what happens with the waxes...with the waxes the detergent molecule attaches to it and pulls it off the paint, while the sealant's bond to the paint is stronger than the detergent to it, and the detergent sticks to the sealant/paint.
 
Wonder is anyone has tried Wolfgang Auto Bath to clean their dishes?
 
Setec Astronomy said:
We had a good thread about this here, I'm not sure if it was the one that Swanicyouth started with his mirror, but I know PiPUK explained it well, that Dawn etc. will likely strip waxes but that they attach to sealants and kill the beading, making you think the sealant is gone when it isn't. I guess it's backwards of what happens with the waxes...with the waxes the detergent molecule attaches to it and pulls it off the paint, while the sealant's bond to the paint is stronger than the detergent to it, and the detergent sticks to the sealant/paint.
Click to expand...

So other than claying what is the sure fire way to remove wax and sealants by washing?
 
I think it's just a word used, kinda like Kleenex. Where your just asking for a paper to clean your nose. Not an actual piece of paper that HAS to be a Kleenex.
 
I can tell you for a fact that the use of Dawn pre-dates both the internet and the famous Exxon Valdez oil spill of 1989, when Dawn was used to clean the waterfowl.
Back in 1981, when I first became interested in detailing, I bought a book called "Secrets of Show Cars" published by Michael Bruce. In the first "get dirty" chapter, he mentions "a good grease-dissolving dishwashing liquid like DAWN". In the days before every household had an electric dishwasher, Dawn's advertising focused on its grease-removing power, more than it's kindness to women's hands like the other brands.

Bill
 
Kind of unrealated (but not at the same time), but do you guys recommend using a strong washing detergent on a vehicle that you plan to polish (1 step or multi step). Or does it not matter because the foam pad/polish will cut through the wax easily.
 
Products like Bug Squash seem to do a great job of removing sealants. I have hosed down my car, misted the wet surface with Bug Squash, and then washed with regular car wash. Seemed to do a fine job of providing a good starting point for claying or polishing.
 
For a product that does not seem to remove much oil from your hands washing dishes, I wonder if it really makes much different on paint.
 
Has anyone ever actually verified this apart from CG marketing claims?
 
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