Rinseless wash, clay barring and buckets...

[mk7GTI]

Hey all,

New poster to the forum, but have lurked around for a few years and have found lots of good info. I'm definitely an amateur at detailing, mainly just wanna keep the paint on my car looking good, but it doesn't need to be a show car finish. Long story short, a really great detailer I go to turned me on to the Optimum No Rinse Wash and Shine, as well as Autogeek and I haven't looked back.

I searched here and on google, but didn't have any luck and to be honest wasn't sure how to phrase my questions for a search engine. So here it goes... I use a two bucket setup with the Optimum No Rinse, after the nasty winter we've had here in the Northwest, I want to clay bar my car and then wax.

I waxed it at the beginning of winter, I'm guessing all the old wax is gone, do I need to use Dawn to cut whatever old wax is left first? If I do use Dawn, should I use a separate bucket from what I normally put the Optimum in to avoid contamination?

My plan was to wash with Dawn, clay bar, wash with Optimum, then wax. Now I'm having second thoughts about starting with the Dawn as I don't think it will clean the current road grime off as well as the Optimum and might be more prone to damaging the finish

Thanks for any suggestions you can offer!

 

[PaulMys]

Just wash as you normally would with your shampoo of choice, then clay.

The clay will strip whatever LSP you have remaining on the car.

And welcome to AGO!!

 

[bill110]

And as a side note, Dawn is for dishes. Stick with a quality car soap. They are designed to help lift the dirt away from the paint which if washed properly will help to reduce swirls.

 

[mk7GTI]

Thanks guys! I wasn't sure if the clay would strip whatever wax that might be left, but that makes sense. It'll make my life all around easier by removing the extra soap variable.

Also, I was a little hesitant with the Dawn, but I'd heard or read somewhere (maybe here, maybe not) that it was good for removing old wax before applying a new coat. Definitely wasn't my first choice

Thank you again. O

 

[irvsmith]

I have read that as well. The dish soap would remove historical sealants/waxes.


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[oneheadlite]

It's a debated topic (dish soap). The general consensus here is that (as Bill110 mentions) Dawn is for dishes. While the old thought was it removed old waxes, what some have found is that it merely masks their beading characteristics because of the surfactants it leaves behind.

The easiest way to ensure your last LSP is gone is to use an abrasive of some form (clay, polish, etc), which will also help remove road film and just generally brighten up your paint.