DFB
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- Aug 12, 2019
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Bilt Hamber Touch-less v2
While I was late to the Bilt Hamber Touch-less party, I now see it as valuable addition to my cabinet. Touch-less is a sugar-based biodegradable pre-wash soap that contains no phosphates, solvents, nitrilotriacetic acid (NTA) and caustic soda. This makes it's safer to use, and unlike solvent-based soaps, is free rinsing. Touch-less also contains corrosion inhibitors.
The main claim to fame with Touch-less is it's ability to make the subsequent contact wash considerably easier and safer. It's important to note that while the product is called "Touch-less", that doesn't mean completely touch-free washing, rather you "touch" the car "less"...............if that makes sense.
There were two reasons why I resisted Touch-less, the ultra-high alkalinity and the convoluted process of arriving at a dilution ratio. The pH concern is valid, but it seems the alkalinity of Touch-less works very differently to other high-pH products. Touch-less was designed to work with modern surface protection, it can break down surface level dirt and grime but leave your coating or sealant intact.
As for the dilution process, well that is a little more complicated. Rather than offering a recommended dilution ratio, Bilt Hamber want you to calculate a specific number to suit your individual application methods and achieve an accurate "Panel Impact Ratio" (PIR). Doing it this way helps account for your specific foam cannon, pressure washer or pump action sprayer, which then means the soap will work as designed.
The latest v2 version of Touch-less now available, which is significantly more concentrated than before to help account for high flow pressure washers. For the original version, I had to run at near full strength due to it being diluted too much by my setup. So, let's look at how we calculate the desired PIR when using a pressure washer and foam cannon. Bilt Hamber want you to achieve between 0.5 and 2.0% PIR's, for dirtier vehicles go straight to 2.0%, then adjust down as needed.
First, you need to measure the flow rate of your pressure washer and foam cannon set up. A higher flow pressure washer will naturally dilute the soap more, a lower flowing machine the opposite. To start, fill up the foam cannon bottle to the full mark, which is typically 1000ml. Also make sure the foam dial is set to maximum. Next, discharge the foam cannon into a bucket until the cannister is empty. If your bucket has a lid, use that to partially cover the bucket and prevent splashing. Also, make sure the syphon straw is not sucking air when you as you approach empty, you will skew your measurement otherwise.
From here, you need to measure out how much water was discharged into the bucket(s). In my case, I'm running a Kranzle KHD/10 that flows 10-litres per minute (2.64 GPM), paired with an MTM FP22.2 foam cannon. In this test, this setup discharged 17-litres / 17000 ml into the bucket.
From here, we get into the numbers. To achieve a 2% PIR, 17000ml is multiplied by 0.02 to arrive at 340 ml of Touch-less and 660 ml of water. At the other end of the scale, a 0.5% PIR would be 17000 x 0.005 to arrive at 85 ml of Touch-less and 915 ml of water. Obsessed Garage also provide a PIR calculator on their web listing for Touch-less, you just select your unit of measurement, the foam cannon discharge number and desired PIR.
So, while it might sound complicated, once you have measured the flow of your foam cannon, you can write the various PIR rates on the bottle and you are set.
How to Use -
Touch-less is best applied to a dry vehicle and allowed to dwell for as long as possible. You will unlikely use a full 1000ml of Touch-less on a single vehicle, you should get two to three cars per dilution, so having a separate bottle to store this in is a good idea. The longer Touch-less is on the surface, the more it will break down contamination. I would however caution against letting it dry, you certainly don't want that. I've found you can lightly mist sections that are drying faster than ideal to keep it active. After the dwell period, thoroughly rinse the car and move onto the contact wash.
You will notice Touch-less is a runny foam, not shaving cream thick. This doesn't necessarily mean your PIR is too weak or compromise the dwell period. It does however help with the rinse-off.
I have tested Touch-less on a filthy service loan car, foaming it on, leaving to dwell, then rinsing off. I then hit it with Hydr02 and air dried the car. The end result was a loan car that went back clean and shiny, and a stunned service advisor..................all without even touching the paint.
You can see the dirt has been emulsified and drawn from the vehicle in this image -
Stupidly, I didn't take an end result image, so you will have to take my word for it regarding the results. Would I have taken a towel to the paint after that without a contact wash, unlikely. But what it did do is demonstrate the products ability.
Touch-less is a product you won't always need. For a well-maintained garage queen, I have never needed it. But on heavily soiled vehicles driven in all conditions, Touch-less significantly reduces your effort come contact wash, easily removing bugs, road film, dust and dirt without the need for specific products. Yes, it is expensive, but NO other soap of this type can come close to Touch-less.
While I was late to the Bilt Hamber Touch-less party, I now see it as valuable addition to my cabinet. Touch-less is a sugar-based biodegradable pre-wash soap that contains no phosphates, solvents, nitrilotriacetic acid (NTA) and caustic soda. This makes it's safer to use, and unlike solvent-based soaps, is free rinsing. Touch-less also contains corrosion inhibitors.
The main claim to fame with Touch-less is it's ability to make the subsequent contact wash considerably easier and safer. It's important to note that while the product is called "Touch-less", that doesn't mean completely touch-free washing, rather you "touch" the car "less"...............if that makes sense.
There were two reasons why I resisted Touch-less, the ultra-high alkalinity and the convoluted process of arriving at a dilution ratio. The pH concern is valid, but it seems the alkalinity of Touch-less works very differently to other high-pH products. Touch-less was designed to work with modern surface protection, it can break down surface level dirt and grime but leave your coating or sealant intact.
As for the dilution process, well that is a little more complicated. Rather than offering a recommended dilution ratio, Bilt Hamber want you to calculate a specific number to suit your individual application methods and achieve an accurate "Panel Impact Ratio" (PIR). Doing it this way helps account for your specific foam cannon, pressure washer or pump action sprayer, which then means the soap will work as designed.
The latest v2 version of Touch-less now available, which is significantly more concentrated than before to help account for high flow pressure washers. For the original version, I had to run at near full strength due to it being diluted too much by my setup. So, let's look at how we calculate the desired PIR when using a pressure washer and foam cannon. Bilt Hamber want you to achieve between 0.5 and 2.0% PIR's, for dirtier vehicles go straight to 2.0%, then adjust down as needed.
First, you need to measure the flow rate of your pressure washer and foam cannon set up. A higher flow pressure washer will naturally dilute the soap more, a lower flowing machine the opposite. To start, fill up the foam cannon bottle to the full mark, which is typically 1000ml. Also make sure the foam dial is set to maximum. Next, discharge the foam cannon into a bucket until the cannister is empty. If your bucket has a lid, use that to partially cover the bucket and prevent splashing. Also, make sure the syphon straw is not sucking air when you as you approach empty, you will skew your measurement otherwise.
From here, you need to measure out how much water was discharged into the bucket(s). In my case, I'm running a Kranzle KHD/10 that flows 10-litres per minute (2.64 GPM), paired with an MTM FP22.2 foam cannon. In this test, this setup discharged 17-litres / 17000 ml into the bucket.
From here, we get into the numbers. To achieve a 2% PIR, 17000ml is multiplied by 0.02 to arrive at 340 ml of Touch-less and 660 ml of water. At the other end of the scale, a 0.5% PIR would be 17000 x 0.005 to arrive at 85 ml of Touch-less and 915 ml of water. Obsessed Garage also provide a PIR calculator on their web listing for Touch-less, you just select your unit of measurement, the foam cannon discharge number and desired PIR.
So, while it might sound complicated, once you have measured the flow of your foam cannon, you can write the various PIR rates on the bottle and you are set.
How to Use -
Touch-less is best applied to a dry vehicle and allowed to dwell for as long as possible. You will unlikely use a full 1000ml of Touch-less on a single vehicle, you should get two to three cars per dilution, so having a separate bottle to store this in is a good idea. The longer Touch-less is on the surface, the more it will break down contamination. I would however caution against letting it dry, you certainly don't want that. I've found you can lightly mist sections that are drying faster than ideal to keep it active. After the dwell period, thoroughly rinse the car and move onto the contact wash.
You will notice Touch-less is a runny foam, not shaving cream thick. This doesn't necessarily mean your PIR is too weak or compromise the dwell period. It does however help with the rinse-off.
I have tested Touch-less on a filthy service loan car, foaming it on, leaving to dwell, then rinsing off. I then hit it with Hydr02 and air dried the car. The end result was a loan car that went back clean and shiny, and a stunned service advisor..................all without even touching the paint.
You can see the dirt has been emulsified and drawn from the vehicle in this image -
Stupidly, I didn't take an end result image, so you will have to take my word for it regarding the results. Would I have taken a towel to the paint after that without a contact wash, unlikely. But what it did do is demonstrate the products ability.
Touch-less is a product you won't always need. For a well-maintained garage queen, I have never needed it. But on heavily soiled vehicles driven in all conditions, Touch-less significantly reduces your effort come contact wash, easily removing bugs, road film, dust and dirt without the need for specific products. Yes, it is expensive, but NO other soap of this type can come close to Touch-less.
