I've heard differing opinions. If I'm going to wax today should I use regular dish soap to remove everything and then apply wax? I've used it before, but that was when I rubbing compounded and clay bar'd and then waxed.
Side question- I'm using one of these clay bar "mit" things. It's not clay bar though. Anyone with experience?
You mean, use dish soap on the car to help strip the wax?
I wouldn't, a lot of dish soap supposedly contains salt as a thickening agent.
The clay bar process will remove basically all the wax anyway so I don't see much of a point trying to use other processes to remove the wax on top of it.
Yes that is what I meant.
I've used Dawn liquid to wash every car I've ever owned. And Simple Green for tough stains or engine bay. It seems to work fine. No residue remains after drying.
I've been using simple green to strip wax and buildup for my paintjob, works fantastic, leaves no residue, but I don't know how good it is for the paint. Not a big deal for me, but it sounds like you actually like your paint job.
I have a clay bar mitt that I used just a couple of weekends ago. Some tips: make sure the car is in shade and not hot. Even with spraying lubrication down (quick detailer spray) it would 'stick' sometimes on the hot metal, and I was left with residue that I had to get off with a microfiber and elbow grease. It was much much faster than a traditional clay bar, and much less chance of dropping it on the ground.
As for the rest, I do the dish soap (dawn), clay bar/mitt, polish with a porter cable DA polisher (if I have time) and then sealant with the polisher again (I like Wolfgangs sealant).
I do my claybar'ing in the garage. Last time I did it in the sun my "clay lube" would evaporate before it hit the car.
My question about the mot thing isn't so much about if the design works, but rather the material. It's not claybar material. It feels like the grippy stuff they use on those cheapo work gloves. I don't know. I skipped the waxing day this weekend due to heat (97°). This coming weekend should be cooler.
I use Dawn for the first wash of the spring on my cars. After they have wax/sealant on them, I switch to Meguiars soap, I forget which one. The Megs will clean it without stripping the wax. Dawn will take everything off, which is OK when you are going to be applying new protectant anyhow.
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