I'm not sure if I have found a favorite yet. It depends on what I'm trying to do.
For an inexpensive everyday wash, it's hard to beat Megs Gold Class when you can get it on super sale at Target or Wally Mart. I tried Megs Mirror Glaze #62 car wash years ago that was very nice but Gold Class was so good for the money that I didn't buy more.
I am just playing around with Optimum car wash, which has a nice scent and leaves the finish with a very clean reflective finish. I'm not sure if it has the cleaning power of some other washes, but it doesn't change the look of the wax on my cars and leaves one of the better reflective finishes. It did a very good job of removing brake dust from my wife's bimmer rims so it should have good cleaning power overall. I will be giving this a longer term trial as I really like the finish.
I used OG Wash and Wax for years but I had to apply extra to the wash mitt to get the lubrication and suds that I wanted. The paint always looked good with a little wax added to extend the time between waxings.
I much prefer OG's new Blue 33 car wash to the OG Wash and Wax. It has reasonable lubricity, good cleaning power, doesn't strip wax and leaves a very nice reflective surface. I am actually looking for alternatives to this wash.
DG's 901 is a very cool car wash. It has great cleaning ability, good lubricity and leaves some type of coating on the paint and windows which looks pretty cool on some paint. Water seems to sheet off the paint with 901! 901 seems to change the look or finish of some waxes/sealant on certain colors. I sense an acrylic sealant look which has a little glow to it. When I used it on my wife's champagne beige car, I liked it a lot. When I used it on my arctic white bimmer that is waxed with Fuzion, I didn't like it as much. I have not tried it on reds, blacks, yellows, blues and greens but I would guess that it could look awesome with some colors and a corresponding sealant/wax. I don't really like them smell of cherry cough syrup. If is definately a car wash to try.
I have samples of Ultima and Sonax car washes that I will use over the coming weeks. I am really looking forward to trying the Ultima but it is supposed to rain today and tonight so why wash today? Bummer.
I have never tried the Pinnacle, Wolfgang, DP, P21 and a few other car washes as I thought them to be expensive compared to other options. I'll probably pick up one of the AG family brands as a sample with a coming order based on some of your comments.
I use CG Citruswash and Gloss for stripping wax from my vehicles rather than Dawn. I probably spend more money than necessary but it smells good, seems to strip well and has very good lubricity. The paint is left squeeky clean and glossy. At 1 oz per gallon of water, I can make 128 gallons of stripping wash for under $20. A word of caution, you want to measure this carefully if you use it for everyday use. It cleans really well, so it might be a good idea to use a spray wax or apply a fresh coat of wax more often or after every wash. It is not and probably will never be my everyday car wash.
Where would I be without mentioning ONR. I use it for rinseless washes, as a clay lube and as a prewash treatment (clay lube dilution) for my rims and lower quarter panels when I'm washing the car. It really makes my rims sparkle and I don't normally need to use a wheel cleaner. As an aside, I use a wheel sealant on the rims and recently starting using OPC on the tire's rubber. I prefer OIDE as a QD.
I have samples of both OOC and UWW+ as waterless washes that I will also be trying soon.
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