Is it possible to clean with just a foam cannon soak and rinse?

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jem7sk

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I just polished out my 2014 silver Subaru Impreza with 3D Speed and a week later I topped it with a coat of FK1000P. The paint is nice and slick. I've never used a Foam Cannon before but could I get away with just soaking the car in foam and letting it dwell for a short time and then rinse it or do I still need to do a 2BM wash? I don't understand the need for a foam cannon if you still have to do 2BM.

This car is my DD that sits outside 24/7 on the Space Coast of Florida.

I'd really like to maintain this finish as long as possible with a method that is quick and easy.
 
When my car is just dusty/pollen I do this very thing w/o a problem

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From my experience... Once a vehicle has any kind of road film on it, it will then need some type of mechanical intervention, i.e., a conventional wash of some nature, to get it absolutely clean.

A foam cannon and rinse will remove the "loose" stuff, but the road film will need some mechanical agitation to completely remove it.
 
Klasse Act said:
When my car is just dusty/pollen I do this very thing w/o a problem

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Same here except I use a foam gun. As long as the vehicle is LSP’d you can get a perfectly clean car granted the car was only lightly dirty.
 
If you have a spot-free system that could work for a while. Eventually you'll get a film build up on the car. Another option is foam, rinse, then "dry" the car by doing a waterless wash. It should take fewer towels and you wouldn't have to be as careful as if you did a normal waterless wash. Look up the video "15 Minute Car Wash: Water vs No Water" by Larry Kosilla.

Personally I think the best use for a foam cannon is with a dedicated prewash product to help remove as much abrasive grime as possible before you do a contact wash. An addition to the wash process vs. a replacement for wash process. I don't bother with whole ordeal at this time myself and just do a pressure rinse.
 
DetailZeus said:
Personally I think the best use for a foam cannon is with a dedicated prewash product to help remove as much abrasive grime as possible before you do a contact wash. An addition to the wash process vs. a replacement for wash process.
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:iagree::whs:
 
After a wash or two a contact wash needs to happen for sure

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Try Car Pro's Lift, it's a stronger foam than most.
 
Rsurfer said:
Try Car Pro's Lift, it's a stronger foam than most.
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I have that coming to me sometime in the next week and I am really looking forward to trying it because even though it cost a little bit more if it works the way that I think it works that will be my go to pre wash

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I use Griots Surface Wash, rinse, then Poly-Gloss, rinse. Final rinse with deionized water, then blow-dry and touch up the remaining water. Works fine with mild dirt.
 
From my experience you cannot get away with just a foam wash. I use a foam wash as a prewash just because I like to see the bubbles. I have 2 cars that are garage kept at all times and 2 that are in the driveway. The garages cars can get away w it but I know they are not 100% clean. The cars that live outside definitely need a hand wash, especially during pollen season.


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Klasse Act said:
I have that coming to me sometime in the next week and I am really looking forward to trying it because even though it cost a little bit more if it works the way that I think it works that will be my go to pre wash

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This will actually be a great soap for you. It is Alkaline in nature so it will strip topper such as 303 graphene and Griots 3-1.

The nice thing is your coating should be fine so will give you a bare or weakened top coat to add more toppers.


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Klasse Act said:
Did you notice if it weakened your current LSP?

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Truthfully no....but it was really not a concern anyway. This pre-wash step was part of a full spring detail, where I was stripping off the existing sealant.....and prepping the truck for a spray coating product.
 
The biggest mistake you can make is not doing a contact wash. Coatings, sealants and waxes will all die much much faster if you don’t contact wash it. The invisible road film will embed itself into your paint/coating and eventually deteriorate it to the point of no return.
 
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