TM, you beat me to it. I just wait for the rain to rinse off the dust and mud. Twenty five years ago, I used to use something called TurtleWax or something like that. The modern finishes put on cars these days will outlive the rest of the car. I still haven't waxed my '02 Suburban and the paint looks fine.

That doesn't work here in AZ. The rain is really mud with all the dust in the air. LOL

I leave it to the experts.....

Amen...

I was told to never use dish soap to wash your car. It will strip off the wax - not a good thing.

I also have heard that polymer wax is much more durable, but won't give you that mirror finish. You have to use a good quality carnauba wax for that.

Don't tell anyone I said this but..

As someone who manufactures both dish soap and vehicle wash detergents, the correct answer to that old wive's tale is , unless you intend to spread the dish soap on the finish then rinse it off. Just don't start using floor stripper or a heavy duty degreaser though.

I would agree on the waxes, although most good carnauba waxes actually rely on polymers for both slip and longevity. The carnauba content does add to the depth of finish without making it greasy like dimethylpolysiloxanes do.

Is this true for all dish soaps? I was told that Dawn is the most damaging. Could be an old wives tale ...

My detailer told me to use a mild car wash soap. His reasoning is that a strong soap will remove the wax. I also heard that dealer applied polymer treatments are worthless and there is no way the product stays on the car for 5 years - basically you're buying the warranty, which has lots of exclusions.

I do believe that it makes sense to buy a fabric sealant with warranty for leased vehicles. The warranty covers the owner for stain damage to the fabric (seats, headliner, carpeting, etc. The paint isn't going bad in three years and neither is the vinyl/leather. The fabric will get stained and you don't want the leasing company to bill you for the damage - just claim it on the policy.