2025 Car Wash Experience

[Ryom]

Yup,prepared! Lol. And the paint on my 16 year old ram,in Michigan it's entire life still looks new after washing with dishsoap and waxing with paste wax, typically once or twice a year.

What's the issue they have with dish soap if you're replacing the wax coating afterward? I'm sure it works great for removing oils from the surface and it's designed to not spot on glass. I'm half tempted to start posting that I'm using laundry detergent on mine to hear the responses. Brighter whites for your Mav, keep your colors from fading!

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[Tim d]

What's the issue they have with dish soap if you're replacing the wax coating afterward? I'm sure it works great for removing oils from the surface and it's designed to not spot on glass. I'm half tempted to start posting that I'm using laundry detergent on mine to hear the responses. Brighter whites for your Mav, keep your colors from fading!

Yup,hey it's their money,if they want to wash every week and buy ceramic coating go for it.

 

[TwuckHappens]

Dish soap is great for stripping off old sealants and waxes as long as it's soap and not detergent. The bigger crim is still using paste wax and not a ceramic spray lol.

 

[Cherokee]

I wash at home when the weather is nice.
My local full service car wash touches !
It drags the belt looking things and spins brushes against my Maverick.
The four prior years I ran my Shadow Black Bronco Sport through that same wash, never a mark, no faded spots, nothing.
At home I use Turtle wax~n~wash. Big ol cheap gallon of yellow green soap and wax mix.
I don’t rub squat. Never hand wax. Too Lazy.

 

[Shakesbear]

My '23 Lariat has been hand washed, touchless washed and gone through the 'full-meal-deal' wash and the paint still looks flawless. Surprisingly, it's one of the best paint jobs I've had on a vehicle, and I've owned 15-20 different vehicles from 7 different manufacturers over the yeas

 

[MakinDoForNow]

Oh boy, the anti-dish soap bunch are foaming.

But the dish soap buncheroos are foaming at both hands!

 

[Kidney Man]

Which dish soap?

 

[DScruggs]

Oh boy, the anti-dish soap bunch are foaming.

Depends on WHICH dish soap. Dawn removes the wax and is the BEST to use IF you plan on reapplying wax afterwards.

 

[Kenv24]

Which dish soap?

Dawn....of course...have you ever seen any other brand of dish soap clean oil off a baby duck...jeez...

 

[todd92]

Dish detergent won't remove wax. Another wives tale.

Dawn Wax Removal Test

 

[Tim d]

Dish soap is great for stripping off old sealants and waxes as long as it's soap and not detergent. The bigger crim is still using paste wax and not a ceramic spray lol.

Curious why you say it's a crime? The only crime is the extra cost of the ceramic spray. Paste wax is about 3 dollars per application and ceramic is about 50 dollars per application. If you compared 2 identical vehicles after 10 years of using each the they would look the same.

Dish soap is great for stripping off old sealants and waxes as long as it's soap and not detergent. The bigger crim is still using paste wax and not a ceramic spray lol.

 

[Dignam]

I've been using a touch wash at least weekly since I got my '25 and have not seen any paint issues with it.

I also had a '23 using the same wash and didn't see paint issues from that either.

 

[TwuckHappens]

Curious why you say it's a crime? The only crime is the extra cost of the ceramic spray. Paste wax is about 3 dollars per application and ceramic is about 50 dollars per application. If you compared 2 identical vehicles after 10 years of using each the they would look the same.

A bottle of creamic spray is about $18-$22 and one application generally lasts 6 months. The recommended uses is about 2 sprays per panel so a whole bottle will easily last you beyond a year. Many tests have compared traditional wax to spray ceramics and they don't win any category except maybe color but most hybrid sprays also have carnauba to get past that.

If you're thinking ceramic coating then something like that is $70-100+ per bottle and would reliably last 3 years with maintenance but that's a different subject - someone who enjoys the elbow grease and dedication might overlook the cons.

Cost per application doesn't make a whole lot of sense because you're not factoring the longevity and effectivity of the application. People have their traditions but I don't think you'll find many that state paste wax is a superior solution.

 

[Tim d]

A bottle of creamic spray is about $18-$22 and one application generally lasts 6 months. The recommended uses is about 2 sprays per panel so a whole bottle will easily last you beyond a year. Many tests have compared traditional wax to spray ceramics and they don't win any category except maybe color but most hybrid sprays also have carnauba to get past that.

If you're thinking ceramic coating then something like that is $70-100+ per bottle and would reliably last 3 years with maintenance but that's a different subject - someone who enjoys the elbow grease and dedication might overlook the cons.

Cost per application does make a whole lot of sense because you're not factoring the longevity and effectivity of the application. People have their traditions but I don't think you'll find many that state paste wax is a superior solution.

Thx for the breakdown. Not saying paste wax is superior,just saying one wouldn't be able to tell the difference at 10 years which vehicle used which. And, paste wax is much cheaper.

 

[TwuckHappens]

Thx for the breakdown. Not saying paste wax is superior,just saying one wouldn't be able to tell the difference at 10 years which vehicle used which. And, paste wax is much cheaper.

Sure but I'm saying the much cheaper isn't true either. If you're saying ceramic coating sure but slcersmic spray or a spray sealant? Nah. Especially if you factor in time to apply.

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