Road Rage

I kid you not. It has all the elements needed. Gentle, suspends dirt, barely removes any wax. It often has anti-static elements, water-softening, even sunscreens. Look for ones high in the following substance: cocamidopropyl betaine.

It is actually a sugar-derived substance from coconuts.
http://sci-toys.com/ingredients/coca...l_betaine.html

Some of the more expensive car wash products, like P21S, use this as a "secret ingredient" - but the cost over a shampoo is 10X more!!! So RR has de-mystified yet another "knowledge is power" technology - P21S makes a big deal over this ingredient (or one of its relatives - they are not specific), so you may save many a $ if you find the shampoo works for your needs, yur car, your water.

Ron: I know this is a bit off-topic, but I thought it generic enough for this Forum - if you want to move it tyo Wash and Wax, I am OK with it. Thanks!

Ron A

Since you put me on the spot, I am definitely going to move it-tomorrow morning. Leave it here a while to see if anyone reads your stuff (lol)

rets

RR, thanks for your info. I never thought of the shampoo could be used on cars...


(P.S. You may need to put all MODs' names next time. I'd move it right away if Ron didn't see this... )

Road Rage

OK - I did not mean to offenfd anyone - I think all you guys do a super job - I just had Ron's name on the tip of my tongue since I had just read a helpful post of his.

Props to ALL the mods.

Ron A

Wow! This gets farther and farther away from a 3G thread with each posting.

direk_04TL

and if you use Head and Shoulders, it even eliminates dandruff!!!

of course, im kidding, no flames please!

04TLMan

Interesting, But I would think it would take off wax. No scientific evidence, but I guess I thought that if it takes oils from your scalp, it may break down the wax also. I used to think dishwashing liquid would be good to use. Actually 20 years ago (or so) there was an article in a road mag that said to use dishwashing liquid because it was mild to your hands. But now we know it will suck off the wax faster than a belt sander. I guess I will try one and see what it does.

Road Rage

Dish detergents are highly alkaline* - if you recall your basic chemistry, you will know that alkaline substances can be very potent - lye for example. Alkaline substances cut through wax like a hot knife through butter - that is certainly true. But perhaps the notion of "pH balanced" shampoos rings a bell. Shampoos are designed to be non-irritating to billions of users, used hundreds of billions of times a year. If you read the link, you would see that the specific detergent is particularly kind to the skin, let alone to car finishes. Oils and skin and pollutants on the hair and scalp are removed by these benign detergents, surfactants, etc. - they are not chemically scrubbed. I have no objection to your musings about something you read 20 years ago, but 20 years ago i knew that dish detergent was a bad idea, based on its chemistry, not whether it was "mild to the hands". That muddle-headed and highly unreasoned thinking is not my style, and now i feel my hands are dirty from being rhetorically linked to it. i need to wash up - now where's that lye?

Your final conclusion rings true - give it a try - I promise you it will not hurt your car, and you can decide if you like the results. In some areas of particulary stubborn dirt, you may well need spot cleaning with tirte cleaner, wheel cleaner, and even dish detergent - just keep it away from the waxed and painted surfaces.

*The Zaino-philes will instantly recognize this as correct - Sal Zaino, Polish Deity, specifically recommends Dawn detergent as a good way to strip off old wax, and even the duirable acrylic resins that are Zaino. However, even this extremely potent cleaner will not remove it all - I had to do it several times to remove whatever crud my dealer put on my car. It is great for removing chemical haze from windshield however - my favorite technique is still Bon Ami.

MrGQDieselNY

Cool i cant wait to put some zaino in my hair

Brewmaster

Rage .. Dude .. got a little scary there....

leeherman

Actually, it eliminates paint chips...

04acura tl

so which shampoo do you recommend??

campIIIMAF

yea, which shampoo?

Ron A

Moved to Wash & Wax.

HuKaShI

RR, your advise has been confirmed by the detail gurus over at autopia.org

http://www.autopia.org/forums/showth...690#post425690

exceldetail

If i can get car shampoo for $5.00 a gl, why would i want to use Hair shampoo ????

Road Rage

Quality, not quantity. What product are you talking about? Be specific.

Red04TL

And the best part is:

"It has antibiotic effects, and is used in personal sanitary products."

With the flu season approaching, I feel safer already.

Road Rage

Jeez, is there nothing peeps can do on their own? 40 ounces for $4. Look in the "close out" sections in the drug store for great bargains. U want one high in coca betaine, and not with a lot of crap or waxes - I found Tresemme I used tresemme today, and a small amount made plenty of suds in a 3 gal. bucket - it felt very slick, and floated off the dirt effectively. The value porposition is there - use very little (< 1 fluid oz) and you should find it competes favirably with car "washes" - plus, i never needs to be more powerful than you need. Other products make a guess - on a well maintained car, all you really need is a mild solution, to "float" the dirt in liquid suspension untilk you rinse it free of the finish. The wash's main job is to do this without allowing the dirt to scratch the surface.

exceldetail

Ive been using Armor All car wash soap, "Safe for clear coats" for years now. Its like $3.98 at Target!look here....

CLpower

if you even move up, I use megs gold class and it's 8$ at target. Probably the best car shampoo i've used

exceldetail

I havent tried GC yet, Ive heard its an excellent wash. I bought a case of AA way back and still have about 1.5 gls left, next i will try GC.

Red04TL

Same here. I found it on clearance a couple years back after I ran out of Zaino Z-7 car wash. I just couldn't justify the $8.95 shipping charge for more Z-7 when it only costs $7.95 and I had plenty of the other Zaino products on hand.

Armor All car wash seems to play nicely with the Zaino polish - I haven't noticed any difference in the time I need to reapply Zaino since I switched over from Z-7.

dashotgun

an interesting response from autopia
:


The Acura guy is correct. Hair shampoo is very mild. It will not strip off the wax or harm your vehicle. The downside is that it is not strong enough to remove diesel blow bye, grease, & built up silicone on tires. Also, the mild surfactants are easily affected by the grease & dirt and their performance will die out quickly. So, If you are a fanatic washing your own car every other day, it will work fine.

If you are a detailer at a detail shop and want something that will remove grease, silicone, some brake dust, etc and you want to use it on 3 or 4 cars, the hair shampoo won't work. You need a detergent blend that can handle a tougher job.

I don't know about pricing. I know I can purchase a great car wash & wax for $11.00 per gallon and I dilute it at 80:1. That's about 14 cents a gallon!!.\\




here is the link http://www.autopia.org/forums/showth...690#post425690

mastertl

road rage is so badass...this guy is so helpful

te3point5

do you use a loofa too? lol

I don't use shampoo on my car, I use it on my rims though, because its PH balanced, it will maintain the finish on them.