Car shampoos brands

[Ev Blau]

I just asked my dealer’s service guy about what product to use and he said Meguiar’s is a good brand - but they sell so many different types of car wash products! Who knew?

FYI: we bought the Auto Butler service (yeah, I know it’s a pricey dealer add-on but hubby wanted it) which means every 5000 miles the dealer takes off the clear coat and replaces it so the paint always looks pristine. At least that was their sales pitch.

So here’s my question: I found this car shampoo and it says it is safe for all paints and clear coats. Recommendations? Thanks in advance.

Oh, Generaltso, I bought the pony floor mats today!

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[tigers]

I've used that soap for years as did my father before me and never had any issue.

That said, I recently got a foam cannon and am gonna give that a try this weekend if the weather holds out.

 

[Scooby24]

I just asked my dealer’s service guy about what product to use and he said Meguiar’s is a good brand - but they sell so many different types of car wash products! Who knew?

FYI: we bought the Auto Butler service (yeah, I know it’s a pricey dealer add-on but hubby wanted it) which means every 5000 miles the dealer takes off the clear coat and replaces it so the paint always looks pristine. At least that was their sales pitch.

So here’s my question: I found this car shampoo and it says it is safe for all paints and clear coats. Recommendations? Thanks in advance.

Oh, Generaltso, I bought the pony floor mats today!

Imsorrywat

 

[SprManKalEl]

FYI: we bought the Auto Butler service (yeah, I know it’s a pricey dealer add-on but hubby wanted it) which means every 5000 miles the dealer takes off the clear coat and replaces it so the paint always looks pristine. At least that was their sales pitch.

I don't know what this is but, it sounds like a quality ceramic coat would have been better.

I use Chemical Guys products.

 

[Earplug]

FYI: we bought the Auto Butler service (yeah, I know it’s a pricey dealer add-on but hubby wanted it) which means every 5000 miles the dealer takes off the clear coat and replaces it so the paint always looks pristine. At least that was their sales pitch.

This is an outright LIE. No one, including the best Detailers in the world, remove the Clear Coat. The Clear Coat is the top layer of the painting process. The only way that comes off is by sanding it off down to the color layer.

 

[Moxiemoney]

Maybe OP means they put a clear paint protection film on the car hood and remove that?

 

[PilotMark]

I have used the meguiers gold and a foam cannon a few times. The foam cannon is fun but I don't know that it's much better than a bucket with a grill bottom.
I'll be hand washing our MME for at least the first year.

 

[GreaseMonkey]

Maybe OP means they put a clear paint protection film on the car hood and remove that?

No, looking at their web site, they spray some type of protective layer and reapply every 6 months or 5,000 miles. They do not apply a film.

I didn’t let my Ford store wash the car, let alone apply anything to the paint. My salesman was a car detailer and he begged me to let him wash the car (his OCD kicked in big time) but I politely declined and took it to the PPF store as is.

Of course, the one time my car needed repair, the dealer’s techs smeared grease on the headliner. Never fails.

 

[GreaseMonkey]

@Ev Blau , do you recall how much was the Auto Butler service?

 

[Scooby24]

Maybe OP means they put a clear paint protection film on the car hood and remove that?

not every 5k miles.... It's surely talking about some protective coating product.

 

[Ev Blau]

Thanks to all but I need to clarify my remarks because I misrepresented the auto butler services we added on to our car sales contract. I either misunderstood the process as it was explained to me or the sales guy explained it inaccurately and I was repeating what I thought was the process.

This is what I’ve since discovered: “With Auto Butler, you get up to 9 reapplications of a 2-step commercial-grade polymer sealant to protect the thin layers of paint without the hassle of applying it yourself.”

I only mentioned this purchase (a few $100) in my earlier question about car shampoo because I thought the recommendations for shampoos might need to account for this surface treatment.
Sorry if I confused the issue by mentioning this. But knowing that our car will be treated periodically with a sealant to keep its showroom appearance, my question still remains: is Maquiar’s Gold a good shampoo and one that won’t affect the protective sealant? Maybe I should just contact the manufacturer. But I hate “being sold” and was looking for experiences from real users who care about their cars. Sigh.

 

[joebruin77]

is Maquiar’s Gold a good shampoo and one that won’t affect the protective sealant?

To answer your question, Meguiars Gold Class Car Shampoo is a fine choice and I believe it will not degrade your sealant.

When researching car shampoos, try google searching their pH level. If your goal is to clean the car without degrading a sealant or wax, then you want a pH neutral shampoo such as the Meguiars Gold Class.

The only "problem" with pH neutral shampoos is that because they are gentle enough to not degrade sealants, they are not the strongest at cleaning. So if you want to really clean your car as thoroughly as possible, for example before applying a wax, sealant, or ceramic coating then you would want to use a stronger soap (more alkaline, higher pH).

While the Meguiars Gold Class is a fine pH neutral shampoo and a good value, my favorite pH neutral soap for regular car washes is Carpro Reset.

 

[eleven24]

I just asked my dealer’s service guy about what product to use and he said Meguiar’s is a good brand - but they sell so many different types of car wash products! Who knew?

FYI: we bought the Auto Butler service (yeah, I know it’s a pricey dealer add-on but hubby wanted it) which means every 5000 miles the dealer takes off the clear coat and replaces it so the paint always looks pristine. At least that was their sales pitch.

So here’s my question: I found this car shampoo and it says it is safe for all paints and clear coats. Recommendations? Thanks in advance.

Oh, Generaltso, I bought the pony floor mats today!

Honestly, any car wash shampoo is good - as long as it doesn't say anything like "strip wash" in it. The dealer likely used a spray ceramic or similar coating on your car that wears off after 9-12 months. Sure, it's a pricey add on but if there's a difference between price and the value it brings you. Not having to worry about it is a value.

Just don't worry so much about which car shampoo to use. Enjoy the car!

 

[ddeluce]

Meguiars, Griots, and Chemical Guys all make good car wash soaps. There are others as well, just don't use dish wash soap like Dawn, as it will strip the wax/sealant off the paint. When you wash your car use two buckets, one with soapy water, and one with plain water to rinse your wash mit in often. This will keep much of the dirt out of the soapy water.

Invest in quality microfiber drying towels. Griots has good ones. They are easy on the paint and make drying easy. Avoid cotton towels on the paint as they can cause very light scratching, but they work great on windows.

Cars that have good wax jobs on them will bead water which makes it easy to blow much of the water off with a leaf blower before you dry with a towel.

 

[theriddler]

I just asked my dealer’s service guy about what product to use and he said Meguiar’s is a good brand - but they sell so many different types of car wash products! Who knew?

FYI: we bought the Auto Butler service (yeah, I know it’s a pricey dealer add-on but hubby wanted it) which means every 5000 miles the dealer takes off the clear coat and replaces it so the paint always looks pristine. At least that was their sales pitch.

So here’s my question: I found this car shampoo and it says it is safe for all paints and clear coats. Recommendations? Thanks in advance.

Oh, Generaltso, I bought the pony floor mats today!

If you have ppf or ceramic you probably want to make sure you are using ph neutral soap. I have used chemical guys a lot. Currently I am using

I just asked my dealer’s service guy about what product to use and he said Meguiar’s is a good brand - but they sell so many different types of car wash products! Who knew?

FYI: we bought the Auto Butler service (yeah, I know it’s a pricey dealer add-on but hubby wanted it) which means every 5000 miles the dealer takes off the clear coat and replaces it so the paint always looks pristine. At least that was their sales pitch.

So here’s my question: I found this car shampoo and it says it is safe for all paints and clear coats. Recommendations? Thanks in advance.

Oh, Generaltso, I bought the pony floor mats today!

I have used Chemical Guys a lot. Currently I am using Reset by CarPro because it is a good neutral ph soap for my cannon.
During winter, or bad weather, I use No Rinse Wash & Shine by Optimum Polymer Technologies.

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