GenVibe - Community for Pontiac Vibe Enthusiasts

I heard this tip from a car washing Guru. He said hair shampoo is the best thing to use. Something to do with ph levels.

I used to use dish soap to wash my car until I found out it strips the wax off your car. I know hair shampoo is great for getting oil and things like that out of your hair but I'd be afraid it might do the same thing as dish soap.I'd just stick with a good car wash soap. It's made not to affect the wax.

The first time I saw my Mom use Dish Soap to wash her car, I flipped out. I went out and bought her a big bottle of real car wash soap. Dish soap does horrible things to the surface.. especially black cars! Makes them dull and shows all the scratches.

I agree with all of you using "car wash soap" specially designed for this purpose but I read on MotorTrend (very old issue) about a guy in California hand washing Ferrari, Porsche, etc... using IVORY liquid dishes original formula (white liquid soap, not clear...) and having great result. Been using this for while now and have great result too.

well, i'll be, i am headed to autozone right now to get some car wash soap.....thanks guys, i'd have never known....i've been using dish soap since i can't remember!!!!so what's the best car soap to use?????

quote:so what's the best car soap to use?????I don't use anything in particular, but I personally buy Armor-All's Car Wash product. It won't strip the wax and is safe for everything. Suds up real nice too. Basically just make sure it is a "Car Wash" soap and safe for clear coats and won't strip your wax.

well i went out and got meguires (spelling) spent 4.99 for half a gallon. asked the guy at the counter what's the best.... he says well some people swear by eagle one others swear by turtle wax. i said so am i getting a better wash because i'm paying more or am i paying for a name...he said i'm paying for the brand.....but meguire's has never treated me wrong before so i spent a few extra bucks and got it....then went home and washed my car.....don't think it mattered much, but atleast it didn't strip my wax......

Good choice Meguire's or Mother's Gold..Take it from a guy that spends at least $300.00 a year on detail products and slaves in the sun just to keep his car looking nice no matter what I'm driving

i know what you are saying, its costing me more to keep my car looking nice then any of the darn mods i wanna do......

quote:so what's the best car soap to use????? I used it (Armor All) for a long time and it's very good!
[Modified by vibesalsa, 8:53 PM 8/27/2002]

Shampoo actually does do a good job cleaning the car. In fact, its a trick used car dealers use to make cars look nicer. Something about residue it leaves behind that makes it shine. But why bother when you can get a gallon of Spotless car soap for the same price.

Now you've got me worried. I've always added dish-washing detergent to my windshield washing solution. I have my own 2 gallon container, which I carry in the car. I use the -45 C methyl hydrate solution year round - that way, I don't have to worry about dumping the container's contents every spring.Some of this stuff gets on the paint as it's sprayed, so I must be damaging the paint throughout the year. However, I've never been too concerned about washing my car much until recently. Now that I have a power washer, I'll probably do it more frequently - at least in the spring, summer and fall.I'll switch to soap designed for cars, but I don't know how much overall good it will do, as the methyl hydrate will probably continue to damage any paint it touches. Unfortunately, I need the strong stuff, as it regularly goes down to -20 to -30 C where I live, between December and March.

Going back to my high school days (about 16 years ago) I remember my science teacher telling us how bad some shampoo's were for your hair. To demonstrate he took a bottle of Prell and dumped some on a car they were working on in auto shop. After about 30 mins the paint started bubbling up. The shampoo was made to strip all the oil from your hair to make it lighter and fuller looking. It also broke down the oil in the paint similar to paint thinner. Not sure if it would still work as I am sure that the shampoo formula and painting methods are different now but remembering that demonstration I would never use any type of shampoo on my car.

I just use McGuires Gold Class. It's a little expensive ($10) but it works really well and it has oils in it that help make/keep plastic trim looking new (the oil does make the windshield wipers a little less effective though). And do not EVER, EVER, EVER use dish soap to wash your car. Removing grease is good for washing dishes but it will also remove the oils from your paint and strip the wax.

Meguiars is really good.does a great job and Great shine all the time!...I buy it at Walmarts for like 7.50 Canadian for half a Gallon!

if yall use that there hair shampoo do ya have ta use a conditioner after?

Meguiars is NOT a hair Shampoo!

quote:Meguiars is NOT a hair Shampoo! Has anyone tried to use it in their hair?

Ok everyone, here's a real shocker. Use hair shampoo in your hair and car wash soap on the car ! Seriously, a good car wash soap is the best thing to use on the car. I have used several and found that zymol is the best car wash in my opinion. Rather expensive, though. Mother's gold class and Meguire's are good quality ones that cost less. The better car soaps will not remove your wax and will enhance the shine. The zymol stuff seems to nourish the clearcoat as well. Please don't go using dish soap, hand soap, laundry soap, shampoo, gasoline, diesel fuel, kerosene, etc. to wash your cars with. Just use a decent quality car wash soap. If your Vibe develops dandruff, maybe some special shampoo could be used but otherwise, stick to the common sense stuff. Dish soap and laundry soap will dry out the paint's surface and strip off the wax that is protecting the finish. Please don't use these things. I have had experience with many of these types of cleaners on automotive finishes. Trust me, you want to use automotive car wash soap.

Uhh so if I use Herbal Essence to wash my Vibe, it won't have an org@$m?

use any hair nomal hair shampoo(stayaway from the dandruff removers) to wash your car. use a bucket full of DEIOINZED water and shampoo and you wont have any streaks. use the meguiers three step formula in the shade. the no name shampoos diluted down are pretty good deals. those left over PLEGE GRAB IT MITTS that my wife is done with make great car wash scrubbies

quote:Uhh so if I use Herbal Essence to wash my Vibe, it won't have an org@$m? I don't think the Vibe was engineered to have org@$ms...

I use Eagle One and love it!

lol.....good one!

My water is so bad it doesn't matter what soap I use. We have really acid well water that runs through an acid filter (limestone bed) which loads it up with calcium. Then through a softener to take the calcium back out, but if lots of laundry and baths that day - no help. Then through an UV light to kill all the bacteria (QUIZ TIME! Guess where the bacteria is coming from? - eeeeew! ). By the time it gets on the car its instant spots!

quote:Uhh so if I use Herbal Essence to wash my Vibe, it won't have an org@$m? Umm... no. And Dr. Ruth probably won't pop out offering to wash your car for you, either.

vibenorth wrote: ↑Tue Aug 06, 2002 4:32 am I heard this tip from a car washing Guru. He said hair shampoo is the best thing to use. Something to do with ph levels. We should also not forget to wear our durags like the durags from this link from open. This will help to protect our hair from the harmful rays of the sun, especially when we can't hide from the sun while washing our car.

Hey there!

That's an interesting tip! Using hair shampoo for car washing due to its pH levels is a neat trick. It's always fascinating how everyday items can have unexpected uses. I'll give it a try next time I wash my car. Do you have any other car care secrets to share, or is there a specific type of hair shampoo that works best according to the guru?

Thanks for passing along the advice!