SOAP WITH WAX Built In: What's the Deal With That?

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TomBrooklyn

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What's the deal with car soap with wax or polish additives built in?

I haven't bought car soap in a long time, and went I just went to get some, I saw a lot of soaps come with a wax additive, or it might be polish, or either. I didn't study it too carefully. I decided to run here and ask about it. I never saw such a thing before. I'm suspicious about such things. It sounds like a short cut for people who are more interested in saving time than getting the best result.
 
•It seems, to me, that “Wash and Wax” car
shampoos (Turtle Wax’s Zip, came to mind)
have been around for quite a while.


•And if you think that waxing a car—while
you are washing it—is something you’ve
never seen before; well...guess what?

-There are now car-care products that
are labeled: “Wax As You Dry”!


•To Conclude:
-It appears that it’s possible to add,
at the very least, a modicum of Wax
while you are washing and/or drying
a vehicle. Because Science.


Bob
 
I haven’t tried very many soaps that are labeled “wash & wax” [I tend to prefer normL car wash soaps] but of the ones I’ve tried, none of them have ever left the paint with any noticeable indications of having been “just waxed”. Not even a minimal sign of beading or anything.
 
pro 4x said:
One I have tried that is the real deal...

McKee's 37 Power Wash, foaming wash and wax
Click to expand...

I couldn’t disagree more...

57f61806f86478bb2b624f4839d12f17.jpg
 
I used to use Meg's UW&W before I knew much about detailing. Tried a few other ones too.

In my head, I guess I kind of "convinced" myself it added some shine.

Not until I started ordering good products here on AGO did I realize how wrong I was.

On a side note, I still use UW&W. Nothing makes the plastic in my wheel wells look as good. Go figure..... :dunno:
 
Such products have been out for at least ten years. Are they good? I don't know, I've only tried one and it kinda worked.
 
DTruck said:
You're not a fan?
Click to expand...

Nope. It’s cleaning and lubricity is average and the suds go weak near the end of a bucket wash. It’s 1 of the only soaps I’ve used that always seems to need to get sprayed with a jet from the nozzle midway though a bucket wash.

And as far as the “wax” component, the results look no different than any other soap and there’s absolutely no beading to see during the post wash rinse.

@$50 bucks per gallon it costs more than double of what most other quality car washes cost while performing sub par in every category.
 
Since I have to dry a vehicle every time i wash it, I don't see the point. I can lay a better wax/sealant in as I dry, than any wash and wax can provide. Why would I not use the best cleaning soap I can get? Maybe if I'm just removing dust? Ok, I see that, with a product like rinseless Uber.

Otherwise, washing a vehicle is a two step process - wash and dry. Use the best products for each step.
 
Hydrofoam is excellent at leaving legitimate protection behind. Also Stoner coating wash leaves pretty good/noticeable protection behind as well.
 
Re: SOAP WITH WAX Built In / Avoid when polish to be used?

What about if a polish finish is desired to be put on?

Must a waxy wash soap be avoided, because wax would prevent proper adhesion of the polish?
 
If you are planning on waxing anyway, the wax in a soap/shampoo would not affect bonding. If you are using something like Hydro2, the wax component can cause streaking. I’ve quit using any soaps with any type of additives as I mainly coat my vehicles and the wax in the soap interferes with the performance of the coating. CarPro Reset is my go to soap.
 
I stopped using wash/wax products when I moved to coatings, but when I was still using sealants I really liked McKee's 37 Powerwash and the old Blackfire product that had their sealant mixed in (I can't remember what it was called)

The McKee's Powerwash was the better soap over all with good cleaning and respectable lubricity. What I really liked about it was the the carnauba-like gloss it left on black paint. I also had few/no water spotting issues with it and never felt a need to do any type of shine booster. The soap did it for me. The old Blackfire product wasn't as good of a shampoo by any measurement, but it left a nice shiny sealant-like look behind that really made lighter metallic colors pop.

I wouldn't use that type of product if I was interested in adding protection, but I did see it left a nice smooth finish and a slight boost in gloss/shine.
 
IMO it’s nowhere near the level of Reset.
Meguiars Gold Class is better.
 
As I’m always using sealants/waxes as lsp’s and spray waxes every other wash, I do like the brand specific washes to complement the lsp or spray topper. I agree it doesn’t really add protection, but I do “think” it leaves behind a bit of gloss, similar to a QD, so the car looks nice after the wash. With that said, paying the extra $$$ to have all these different car shampoos is something that may not be my priority once I run out of my current shampoo selection (which will last years anyways) probably opting for a cleaning-only wash like Hyper Wash and just using QD as drying aid for the extra short term shine.
 
I should also note that this weekend I washed one of my cars with a traditional wash, it seemed like a PITA after a winter full of Rinseless washes. I tried to keep the washed parts wet while washing other parts, but still ended up with water spots (although it was cloudy when I started but the sun came out soon after). Still ended up with water spots and instead of using one large waffle weave to dry it took 3. I think I will stick with Rinseless washes most the time, and only traditional 2 bucket during the rare occasion where the car gets moderately dirty during the 6 or so days between washes.
 
Wash and wax products appeal to me because i can put some protection to areas i don’t usually put protection on. Like wheel wells and door jambs. Right now, i am using onrww. The finish is not as slick as i want to be. But it imparts a nice shine. I actually don’t see a difference in shine even after my once a month waxing sessions. So i tend to believe onrww has real wax on it.
 
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