washing the car

[jjaammeess]

I use ordinary cheap washing up liquid for washing the car which you can get for 18p a bottle.It makes a very good lather.I stray the liquid all over the car straight from the bottle and then use the hose rotary car brush.Does anybody know if this does the paintwork any harm.I don't see any damage to the paint work and I have been using it for ages.Any comments would be appreciated

[ploughman]

I am the head of a large chemical conglomerate which makes millions out of car cleansing products. If cheapskates like you use washing up liquid from Aldi Netto and Lidl, we will go out of business. I havent had a good Christmas: the wife ran away with Santa Claus and the hens have stopped laying. And someone cut the nuts off my prize bull. These el cheapo products will most certainly damage your cars paintwork, so buy the right stuff, theres a good chap!!

[homer75]

If it's a good car you'd be well advised to use proper car shampoo - if it's an old plug why even bother with the expense of washing up liquid. Let the rain do the job for you.

[Quiet Man]

The rotary brush would probably do more harm than the cheap washing up stuff. If it gets the car clean then why not use it? I have used the wife's washing up liquid for years and she dosen't know it. An old timer I know puts a spoonful of diesel into the bucket and he says it puts a nice shine on it paintwork and his car is always shiny.

[v64paul]

a bit of conflicting advice here, washing up liquid is said to contain a lot of salt with the obvious downside. and the old wives tale i heard said plain water, a drop of paraffin and a good old chamois leather. me, i do neither. the mondy gets a trip to the local car wash especially in this cold weather. althogh that flash de-ionised water jet thingy really works according to what i've read elsewhere. any damage to the paintwork is done by whatever crud is on the body work no matter how you clean it.

[Impret-Sir]

If you love your car, you should NEVER use washing up liquid to wash it. All washing up liquids will damage your paintwork, they are far too harsh and will strip out all the paints oils. Plus, as v64paul has said, they contain salt, which is hardly an ideal thing to be washing your car in! If you value your car wash it in Meguiars Gold Class shampoo and conditioner, (www.meguiarseurope.com )this is specially designed to protect and enhance car paint finishes, been using it for years, and it really does make a difference. Sure its a lot more expensive than Tesco washing up liquid, but when you come to sell the car you will more than get your money back, IMO.The Gold Class liquid polish is also excellent, and produces a hard smooth finish that you can actually feel under your finger nail, its smooth like glass, plus a fantastic 'deep' shine, especially on dark colours. I would never use a car-wash with those big whirly brushes, either, those things are never cleaned and have lots of accumulated grit in the bristles, a bit like washing your car with fine grade sand paper!

[Skids]

I'm guessing Impret-Sir is salesman for Maguiars car care products, but he's right in the sense that you should a decent shampoo specifically for cars, although any shampoo will degrade the paint finish if used too often. Wash your car once a month at most with a decent car shampoo, all other times just rinse it with clean water to remove abrasive dirt. Don't forget to wax/polish after a good shampoo, improves the protection no end.

[Impret-Sir]

Well Skids youd be wrong, Im just someone who has tried lots of different car products over 20 odd years, and has settled on what I believe to be the best. Personally I think once a month is not enough, I wash my car at least once a fortnight, maybe once a week during the winter. And there is a big difference between a car wax and a car polish. I use the Gold Class polish just three times a year, and that is all it needs to maintain the finish. Rinsing with plain water will do very little to remove road grime and dirt as it is by nature greasy, plain water will just run off it.

[Electrochem]

As someone who has formulated cleaning products in the past, I would not advise anyone to use washing up liquid to clean a car. It is much harsher in its cleaning action. There is far less salt in washing up liquid than there used to be, but it is quite nasty when applied to paint.

Most cleaning products are formulated for a specific job.

[skintbiker]

Well as is the general concensus in this thread in my oppinion the use of washing up liquid is a no no. It strips any silicone there might be on the paint surface and increases the chances of the paint becoming cloudy and faded.

As an ex valeter now paint sprayer panel beater i would say that the washing frequency is down to if it is dirty, what time of year it is etc, any mechanical tools (car wash / brushes etc) will cause damage to the paint. As a valeter i often had to mop (mechanical poilisher with correct compounds) cars with flat paintwork due to car wash brushes.

The best defence is a good quality shampoo, then a good quality polish, aviod polishes with a chalky drying finish, they can ruin the apearance of your plastics. If your paint work still seems flat, comon with non metalic colours, then having it mopped by a valeter (aprox �35) should bring it back up.

[Alltorque]

I always use Autoglym products and their Conditioning Shampoo is excellent. Hose the rough stuff off before you wash. As for waxing...................Spring and Autumn is enough, after every wash is excessive and un-necessary.

[madein1978]

You should never ever use Fairy liquid to wash a car, it contains salt which is highly corrosive, it also contains other surfactants which will dull and ultimately destroy the paint finish, you should always use a car shampoo designed for the purpose of washing cars, even if its cheap stuff from poundland!!