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Virtually no one recommends it. Consensus is that it will strip wax, but about a dozen different explanations of why it can also damage the finish.
Since many good car wash formulations remove wax, albeit less agressively, theres little reason to do it.
Dawn will not dry out the oils in the paint. The paint is cured and Dawn won't hurt it. Using Dawn as the only car wash isn't recommended because it will remove any types of sealants, waxes, protectants. If it's used all the time, the paint will become damaged since there's no wax/sealer on it.
Since it works as a degreaser, Dawn is perfect for the home detailer who will be doing an exterior detail a couple of times per year. Most aren't willing to pay $20 for a concentrated bottle of degreaser they'll use so little and Dawn is usually sitting around the house. A quick squirt in a bucket filled with warm water and you're good to go.
I haven't used wax in over 20 years at least. In fact the last time anyone used wax in our house was my son to shine up his tractor for a parade. I'm surprised I still had it my shop cabinet. Mothers Original. He scraped off the top crusty layer then applied it to his tractor. I live a few miles off a dirt road. I travel dirt roads. I go to the carwash once a month basically to get the undercarriage free of excess mud. If the weather is nice I'll use my pressure washer. No soap.
I haven't waxed a car in 24 years. Back in my high school days, I would wash my car once a week and do the whole 3-step Meguiar's wax with an 8" random orbit polisher (still have it). Life got busier, developed an affinity for white cars (hides the dirt and swirl marks), and got use to just hosing the filth off the car with a basic nozzle sprayer.
Now that our 10 year old cars are pretty much stripped of wax and I have more time now, I've been using a foam cannon with our pressure washer and developing a little love for good car hygiene. Between Black Friday and Cyber Monday, I picked up a Griot's Garage G9 polisher, some compound polish, clay mitt, some microfiber cloths, and I'm going to give that new Turtle Wax Hybrid spray wax with Graphene a try.
Wax on, wax off, just like the Karate Kid, once a year with Nu Finish car wax in the orange bottle. It lasts about a year. First I use a toothpick to pick off any peeling/bubbling clearcoat, touch up paint where necessary, wash, dry and wax. I buy round waxing sponges to apply, and a couple old T shirts to remove within 30 minutes. Best done in the shade or on a cloudy 70 degree day with low humidity. better to buy the liquid bottle and not the paste can type, as the paste type has a short shelf life after it is opened, but the bottle will keep for a year if you have some left over.
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