# are they waxed from the factory/dealer?



## feh (May 29, 2011)

Need to wash the car before applying Zaino sealant, and I'm wondering if I need to use Dawn dish soap to get down to the paint.

Thanks!


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## WHITECO (Mar 31, 2011)

I am no expert...but I have heard that you should never use dishsoap on your car....if it were me I would claybar it....when I did mine the claybar pulled alot of stuff out of the paint.

and no they aren't waxed from the dealer at all....my paint was really rough from the factory


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## cruze2011white (Feb 2, 2011)

Your dealer may have waxed it and/or polished it. Some do some don't. I use zaino and I would wash it with Dawn or any other dish washing soap to remove it just in case they did wax or polish it, and then use a clay bar before applying the zaino. 

Also dishwashing soap will not hurt a cars finish (people have been saying this for years and its not true) I been using it for years and never have a problem. The only thing it will do is strip off the wax and polish but will not hurt the finish unless like any other soap you let it dry in the sun before rinsing.


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## feh (May 29, 2011)

WHITECO said:


> I am no expert...but I have heard that you should never use dishsoap on your car....if it were me I would claybar it....when I did mine the claybar pulled alot of stuff out of the paint.
> 
> and no they aren't waxed from the dealer at all....my paint was really rough from the factory


You claybar'd your new Cruze and pulled a bunch of stuff off of it? I can't think of a reason why a new car would have its paint job polluted like that.


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## WHITECO (Mar 31, 2011)

feh said:


> You claybar'd your new Cruze and pulled a bunch of stuff off of it? I can't think of a reason why a new car would have its paint job polluted like that.


Because the dealer didn't clean it properly from the cross country transport road grime and stuff all over it!!


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## robertbick (Jan 1, 2011)

cruze2011white said:


> Your dealer may have waxed it and/or polished it. Some do some don't. I use zaino and I would wash it with Dawn or any other dish washing soap to remove it just in case they did wax or polish it, and then use a clay bar before applying the zaino.
> 
> Also dishwashing soap will not hurt a cars finish (people have been saying this for years and its not true) I been using it for years and never have a problem. The only thing it will do is strip off the wax and polish but will not hurt the finish unless like any other soap you let it dry in the sun before rinsing.


Exactly!


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## Aeroscout977 (Nov 25, 2010)

feh said:


> You claybar'd your new Cruze and pulled a bunch of stuff off of it? I can't think of a reason why a new car would have its paint job polluted like that.


The cars still get rail and road transported to their final destination from the factory. Out of my 2 new cars that I claybar'd the first day I got them I pulled out a lot of junk as well. 

A lot of people use dish soap as well after a fresh paint job. If it were me I'd claybar the car anyways just because you never now how it was treated before you received it.


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## nbkan (Jun 21, 2011)

I plan on claybaring mine right after delivery. Thankfully I am on Thursday, well atm scheduled off.


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## feh (May 29, 2011)

*one more question...*

Ok, sounds like I'll be barring the car after I get it (in an hour!).

I've never used a clay bar before. How do you know if crap is being picked up by the bar?

Thanks.


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## WHITECO (Mar 31, 2011)

feh said:


> Ok, sounds like I'll be barring the car after I get it (in an hour!).
> 
> I've never used a clay bar before. How do you know if crap is being picked up by the bar?
> 
> Thanks.


You will know once you do it....you can see the stuff right in the clay


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## mikemaj82 (Mar 6, 2011)

and the surface will feel like glass.


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## gman19 (Apr 5, 2011)

feh said:


> Ok, sounds like I'll be barring the car after I get it (in an hour!).
> 
> I've never used a clay bar before. How do you know if crap is being picked up by the bar?
> 
> Thanks.


Once you spray the clay bar lube onto the finish, very lightly glide the clay bar across the lubed surface. You need not apply any pressure, just use your fingertips to move the bar back/forth. When the bar literally "glides" across the surface, as if "on ice", it is clean. Wipe the cleaned area with a microfiber and proceed to the next area. I usually do one panel at the time. You also DO want to wash the car before claying. This will help prevent unnecessary scratching and make the clay bar last longer. If the clay bar becomes dirty during use, simply fold it over and flatten it out to expose a cleaner surface. 

Rail/Road dust are the main culprits on a new car, so mine will be clayed when it arrives as well.

And yes, I have also used diswashing soap (Dawn) for years to remove wax/polish....it has never caused problems with the paint.:jump:

The Equinox in my garage was photographed immediately after I spent a couple afternoons working on it.
It was washed, dried, clayed, paint sealer application, then waxed.
All the plastic/trim and interior was also cleaned/detailed.


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## NBrehm (Jun 27, 2011)

Dawn dish soap is used to get off any old wax and polish which is a must if you are using Zaino (to do it correctly anyway). depending on dealer prep you may not need to use a clay bar, mine did a really good job on my car and the bar came off clean when i tested it on each panel. But yeah I'd do at least dish soap, a quick hit of ZPC then for the first go I'd do 3 coats of Z2 or Z5 with the activator (depending on color of the car) and then seal it if you so choose. Mine came out really nice, I was pleased. Just make sure on the second wash you stay away from dish soap, otherwise you will be starting over from scratch.


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