Help! Used Dish Washer Soap!

I accidently used dish cleaning soap to wash my white Acura Integra. Dont laugh. No one ever told me dish washer soap strips your wax!! What can I do now to restore the gloss and shine I once had? Please help ASAP!

Thank you

Dont worry,you didnt do anything that bad. Some people actually do it on purpose every once in a while before they wax their car.

What you did do though,is take out some of the original oils in the cars paint. So what you could do that will make it look like it did before is simply wax/polish the car as usuall with a good product. If you want it to look just a bit better,you could clay it.(Optional)

I clayed my car yesterday. TOOK ALL FREAKIN' DAY. Seeing as I have crappy paint, I should do it more often...

I clayed my car yesterday. TOOK ALL FREAKIN' DAY. Seeing as I have crappy paint, I should do it more often...
all day!? lol maybe a tractor trailor, but it only takes me an 1 1/2 hour to do mine :iceslolan

Holy smokes....All day ? Even 1 1/2 hrs is a lot ! Im at about 20 minutes....

I have new paint and I need to buff on it

20 min.....I got it down to 3.764 seconds....its an world record :) j/k .....I use Meguires or 3M liquid wax and it works great. Call here... 1-800-548-4321 if you need a good supplier.

Ive had jobs with a clay bar that turned into 10 hour jobs because of cement and sap that was stuck all over it. This one customer works in concrete his trucks is always an all day job when he trades in. And then after that I have to power polish a crap load of level 3 and level 4 scratches.

On average, it takes me approx. 30 minutes to do a thorough clay job on an average sized car.

As for the dish soap issue...Dawn Dish Liquid Original (The blue liquid) is used by many to strip the car of any old waxes when they want to start with a fresh slate! Washing twice will ensure you get better coverage! Otherwise, I would use anything but dish washing detergent to wash a car! As most will strip wax, but Dawn has got the most power IMHO!

it took all day because the painter got overspray on the ENTIRE CAR while I was on vacation.... stupid painter...

Ok...Dumb Question...
? CLAY ?
What is it? How does it work?

Ok...Dumb Question...
? CLAY ?
What is it? How does it work?

Hey CR777,

Clay isn't a polish or a compound, it is a surface preparation bar that smoothes the paint and exfoliates contaminants.

Clay bar products are most frequently used to remove paint over spray or contamination on a car. Contamination consists of tiny metal shavings from rail dust, brake dust and industrial fallout. This contamination affects all paint finishes and can cause serious damage when left untreated. Paint contamination can be felt as a "rough or gritty" texture on the paint's surface and can lead to tiny rust spots.

There is no wax, natural or synthetic, or any chemical treatment that can prevent or protect against this contamination. Compounding with an abrasive polish may remove this contamination but it can only be performed a few times before removing too much of the top, clear coat finish. The solution to this problem is a clay bar, which safely removes over spray, and industrial fallout by "pulling" it off the surface. What differentiates a clay bar from other abrasive polishing or compounding solutions is that it does not perform any abrasive actions.

Today, professional detailers and body shops use clay bars as a simple, safe way to remove over spray and surface contaminants from painted surfaces, including chrome and glass.

If you would like to try this, do NOT FEAR! It's easy and I say you will have the hang of this in about 1 -2 minutes!

First step..TRUST ME!

Second Step - Get the Meguiar's Quick Clay System or the Mother's California Gold Clay Bar System!

Both kits comes with a poly clay bar and a bottle of Instant Detailer which is used as lubrication for the clay bar! The Mothers also comes with a small bottle of cleaner wax which you don’t really need, but can be handy for some small tasks!

Third Step - Wash the car really good! Dry if you wish or you can work with a wet car! I prefer to dry as much as possible first! Move the car to a shady cool area!

Fourth Step - Start on the hood...hehehehehe (evil grin)

Spray a very generous amount of Instant Detailer onto the painted surface! Place the clay onto the sprayed area and move it back and forth in long, and light pressured strokes (front to back) (Never circular) over the lubricated area! You might hear what sounds like a scratching sound. Do not panic..it's the contamination coming out of the paint and up into the clay!

You might even feel the clay running over like little bumps etc...it's grabbing the crap in your paint! It should still glide even though. If it's grabbing or sticking badly, you need more lube!

Continue for an area..Let’s say a quarter of your hood! Remember lube as often as required! And make sure you do a complete job of each area. Only use more pressure when you feel comfortable to do so, but there is no need for excessive pressure!

Wipe the area you clayed clean with a soft 100% Terry Towel. Feel the paint..is it smooth? Should be smooth like glass if not..do it again but I doubt you will need too,,,feel the area you did not clay! You'll see and feel what I mean! Look at the clay surface! Is it dirty? That's the crap it removed! It's amazing!

Now you can do the rest of the car the same!

Couple of important notes:

PLEASE USE LOTS OF LUBE! If you have to buy a separate bottle of Instant Detailer, but one bottle should be more than plenty! You just don’t want to run the clay into any dry areas of the paint! Keep it wet baby!

Look at your clay often..If it is extremely dirty, then turn or mold the clay to fold the dirt into the middle of the clay! This will prevent the surface of the clay from becoming an abrasive. One clay bar should easily do a whole car!

Another tip...Break the clay into three equal pieces and flatten each piece a little to make it a little bigger. This is in case you drop a piece of clay; you have not just trashed the whole piece! If you drop a piece..THROW IT OUT! Do not re-use! So pretend it's gold you are holding onto, or put something down on the floor by the surface you are working on to keep it grit free should you drop it!

Sheeesh...I don't think there is anything more I need to tell you! If you're not sure about what I have said then ask away! I might have missed something but I don’t think so!

Listen..This is not as hard as it sounds! It's actually pretty easy and you will amaze yourself!

Have Fun!

WOW! Thanks! That was really helpful!
I think I will try it. There are a few scratches in the paint. Will this make a difference in those spots? Does it help or hurt scratches?
Do you wax after?

CR777,

You're Welcome!

Clay will not remove scratches, but if minute dirt is trapped in the scratches it will remove it and the scratches may appear less noticable. So...It's no harm nor does it have a super benefit for scratches! It's just a darn good way to clean you paint prior to polishing or waxing!

So...after you clay the whole car...maybe get some clean rags and wipe the whole thing over again just using clean rags and the Instant Detailer! Or you can wash the car again! Your choice! There should be very little mess left from claying because you're wiping it up as you go!

And YES I would suggest that you do put a coat of wax on after claying! Any wax that might be on the finish now, will be removed with the clay as well, so It's a great idea to add a new layer of wax!

Again..I have to stress..LOTS O' LUBE WHEN CLAYING! And turn the clay to expose a claen area if it gets dirty quickly!

There you go..your all set! But if you have more to ask, do not be shy!

;-)

Using a clay bar is too tidious. Griots Garage has a clay bar attachment for a buffer. Works wonderfully. Arms are not sore.

Dawn is not needed to strip wax as claying and polishing will also remove wax and alot safer also.

For a clay lube just use water and car wash soap in a spray bottle. No need for a "Clay Lube"...that's just a waste of money.

In fact you can clay right after you wash your car, while it's still wet, then rinse it down and begin detailing.

Lastly, washing with DAWN does NOT strip your car of "oils". Most cars today, at least 90% have a clear coat. No polish will "replenish vital oils into the paint" as some claim. When a detailer or body shop speaks of "oils" they mean, or at least should be speaking of, oils within the polishing product. Many polishes, like Meguiars #7 and #9 contain oils that act as fillers to hide, not remove, light scratches and swirls. 3M's Imperial Hand Glaze is the same thing.

Anthony

I agree with Anthony the way to use clay bars , soap and water instead of a clay lube hes right it will save you money as well. Always best to wax after claying sometimes contamenants get draged and do fine scratches.

Paint is like humans it needs nutrients. Think of any soap you use on your car as how it effects my skin..Use Carnauba wax whenever possible