So, what does Dawn actually get rid of? I used it to prep my car before Zaino but was curious if it took anything off the car other than wax. Does it take off the clearcoat? It sure does get the car squeaky clean!

 

From Sal on the ZAINO Website:

I would definitely recommend you remove the wax buildup on your paint. Just use Liquid Dawn (hand dishwashing liquid) as a car wash. It has a high alkaline content which cuts right thru carnauba wax, paraffin, silicone oils, etc. This will get your paint finish squeeky clean and wax free.
I don't advise making a habit of washing your car with Dawn. But for this scenario it's fine. High alkaline products like Dawn are tough on polishes. It will never harm the paint finish though. A car wash is made specifically to clean without removing durable polishes. ALSO, Make sure you remove any water spots, before you apply my products. Because Zaino has no abrasives or harsh solvents it will not remove water spots or stains. Z-18 ClayBar is great for removing any paint surface contaminants. Re-wash the entire vehicle with Z-7 Car Wash immediately after the ClayBar Cleaning Process.

 

Not to bust shawn's bubble. But dawn is actually bad for your car. Using it once or twice isn't bad but it's not good either. Use any polish you damn wish just don't wash or car with dawn! I tried explaining this on another post and got a bunch of laughs. Dawn does cut through clearcoat over time. Sal Zanio (if he was honest) would tell you the same. I've been working with carcare products for over 15 years chemically speaking. I have also spoken to Sal about this too. Though it takes several applications to eat through a mill of clearcoat. Dawn will fade natural paint over years of washing. Polishes and Waxes do not help either. Think of dawn as an acid. Now, would you wash your car with acid? Another example is cleaning wheels. Have you ever used a wheel cleaner with a high acid contect? You can find these wheel cleaners that advertise the "spray on hose off" slogan. Now you must understand that not all wheel cleaners are like this, but their are a lot out there harsh chemicals.

This is how dawn kills your finish. Granted all of us here will not confess to this becuase we are men and we know what we are doing. At least I hope so! No matter who much we work on our cars from maintance to the almighty wax job there are lots of imperfections in everyone's paint job. Unless your car was shipped in a crate to your door step and has remained in the garage and has never seen day light. Your car has new imperfections daily. I'm going to cut a lot of fat out this post because it will be a book by the time I'm done. So I'm going to jump in to a example. Let's say you have a rock chip no bigger then a flake og dust. If you wax over it. You are protecting it from it getting worse. If you don't fix that chip and wash your car with dawn. You have strip the surface to the bone. Ingredients that you can find in dawn will be exposed to the chip. It will begin to eat at the clearcoat of your vehicle. Once it eats through it take about a couple of months to eat through the paint of that one spot, it will begin to eat underneath the paint. You will notice your paint beginning to dull then it just starts to flake off. Just like polish metal or chrome rims. A rock hits the rim putting a slight mark on the rim you use your spray on hose off wheel cleaner. A week later you start seeing the clearcoat oxidizing, then rust will appear eatting away at the clearcoat of your rims. I would say call any professional but not all of them are as educated as others. I know Griot's will tell you the same as well as turtle wax and Meguiar's.

So the next time you want to wax your car use a polish. I myself may not like Zanio but that's my opinion. I'm simply telling you the best way to care for your car. bb

 

You obviously don't know how to read....No one is saying to wash your car every week with Dawn. In order to prep for Zaino, or any polymer....including BlackFire, you need to remove old wax, grease, and anything that would not allow the polymer to properly bond. But being in the industry for 15 years, you'd know that.

Oh and BTW, sniffing paint thinner does not count as "I've been working with carcare products for over 15 years chemically speaking."

 

wow. you guys are amazing. i used dawn exclusively for years on my car. it never stripped anything except grease and bugs off my car. i guess Rain Dance could stand up to it. perhaps dawn is just harsh on Zaino products. i don't use dawn anymore but its not because it is harmful. it was just on hand and now it is not because i have a dishwasher.

i know that you all are big fans of Zaino, but i am skeptical. i will stick with Mothers. perhaps it is just old school, but unless you apply and remove with an orbital buffer, you might as well just wiz on your car.

 

Day after day the stupidity of the info presented on this site by some continues to ASTOUND me…….

 

This statement demonstrates your idiocy in a nutshell. Dawn and other soaps are alkaline. Dawn is somewhat more alkaline then other soaps. A designated car wash soap is really more acidic, not alkaline. This lesson in reality really screws up your example, doesn't it?

If you are going to give us some facts, at least get them right.