Your luxury vehicle is an important asset. Not only is it an investment, but it is a special interest piece in your life. For these reasons, your top priority for your luxury vehicle should be to keep it in pristine condition for as long as possible. Regular maintenance and cleaning are two of the most effective approaches for achieving this collective auto enthusiast goal.
For many luxury brand car owners, hand washing is the only way to go when it comes to a car wash. Automatic car washes, even ones that advertising to be “touchless” can cause structural and aesthetic damages to luxury vehicles, especially low profile cars like Porches and Lamborghinis. So, if you opt to wash your car manually, you are making a safe choice. That is, so long as you do not use dishwashing detergent, even a mild one.
Continue reading to learn why using dish soap to wash a luxury car is a bad idea, and what to use in place of store-bought detergents.
The Dangers of Dish Soap Car Washing
There are many reasons why you should never use dishwashing detergent or liquid dish soaps to hand wash your luxury car. Not only can they remove your precious and vital automotive wax and clear coat, but they can also weaken automotive paint UV-resistance, cause rust formation, fog up headlights, pollute the environment, and even pose certain health risks.
Using Dish Soap on a Car Can…
► Remove Car Wax
Most dish soaps, even mild formulas, contain harsh ingredients designed to eliminate grease. So, they can easily strip automotive wax after just one application. Overtime, repeated use of dish soap on a luxury car can remove the layer of wax and clear coat, and eventually lead to paint damage.
► Reduce UV Protection
Repeated use of dish soap to wash a car can negatively impact the automotive paint’s ability to resist damaging UV light. As a result, paint will fade, peel, and crack. It also makes your cabin a lot hotter in the warmer seasons of the year.
► Lead to Rust Formation
Oxidation is a common consequence of using dish soap to wash cars. Oxidation is rust, and it forms due to a combination of sunlight, moisture, and oxygen exposure. When automotive wax and paint are jeopardized or in poor condition, dish soap applications can quickly lead to rust formation.
► Cause Foggy Headlights
Dish soap can cause your car’s headlights to fog up because of the suds produced during the cleansing process. Soap residues will buildup on the surface of the headlights overtime, causing a hazy, cloudy appearance that is not easily reversed.
► Pollute the Environment
Most dish detergents are not safe for the surrounding environment. Even mild solutions contain man-made chemicals and stringent ingredients that can be harmful to plant life, wildlife, and the atmosphere. Soapy water runoff can enter the local sewer systems and storm drains, which can lead to further pollution to our underground water tables, ponds, oceans, lakes, streams, and more.
► Threaten Your Health
Believe it or not, using dish soap to wash your beloved car on a regular basis can be bad for your health. Detergents, as mentioned, contain harsh chemicals and ingredients that can be toxic to the environment. Well, they are just as toxic to our health. Ingredients like DMDM Hydantoin, formaldehyde, and sulfuric acid are common in dish soap, and proven to be harmful.
What to Use Instead of Dish Soap
Always use a detergent that is specially designed for car washing. You can buy these products at any local department store, auto parts store, or online retailer. Make sure the detergent is compatible with your particular car wax and paint.
Are you looking for specialized auto repair for your luxury European vehicle? Contact Autohaus Dierolf at 317-571-0800 for European auto services in Carmel, Indianapolis, Indiana. We work on all European vehicles, but specialize in BMW, Mercedes, Volkswagen, Porsche, and Audi repairs and services.
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