Pre-Soaking Vehicle?

[AustrianOak82]

For those of you that encounter poorly maintained vehicles that clearly haven't been washed in several years, are you pre-soaking them prior to the hand-wash? I have had a couple cars lately that were heavily oxidized and had years of bug residue, among other stuff everywhere, and was wondering if there was a way to make my life easier. Thanks!

 

[HUMP DIESEL]

I usually do it even on one that is well maintained. I use Auto Finesse Avalanche Snow foam, but I am sure there are others. I put it in a foam lance and let it rip.

I usually do this and then while it dwells, I get my 2 buckets with wash and mitts ready.

HUMP

 

[wdmaccord]

Agree with HUMP. I do it regardless. I usually use 6 oz. of CG Citrus Wash Red and 2 oz. Megs APC then add 24 oz. water in my 32 oz. foam gun. Set to middle setting. Foam once and let soak. Rinse. Then I foam a panel or two and wash with MF mitt, rinse, then on to the next panel or two.

 

[Audios S6]

I snow foam every vehicle that's not in for a maintenance wash. I use CG citrus wash & gloss with Bilt hamber surfex HD in the foam cannon. While it dwells, I dump my wheel bucket, put away wheel brushes, then get all the tight spots with a small brush and APC (emblems, grills, mirrors, handles, gas cap). Before rinsing, I'll get my area set up for drying and claying. Then rinse and jump into a 2BM wash; if necessary I'll re-treat lower panels with degreaser or tar remover just prior to the 2BM.

So in some cases, I actually pre-soak twice using different chemicals since one degrease may not be effective on all contaminants (although surfex HD is pretty awesome stuff)

 

[JWilliams.RadiantDetail]

I spend an extra few minutes and pre soak every vehicle by default. I use CG Honeydew, it works good. I just switched to ONR+W, will probably figure out a good dilution ratio to use here for a pre-soak. I don't do anything different with the Honeydew, I use the same stuff in my foam gun I'll do the actual wash with.

 

[conman1395]

I don't do this for a living but what I do with my own car or others cars is go to the coin operated wash and use that to the best of its ability. Then I come home and use the appropriate products (Tarminator, IronX, Citrus wash, Degreasers). Obviously if you do this for a living then you'd have a foam cannon or at least foam gun; I do not.

 

[VISITOR]

if you don't have a pressure washer, it's time to purchase one. if i was doing this as a business, there's no way i would be without one...

 

[Dr_Pain]

Agree with HUMP. I do it regardless. I usually use 6 oz. of CG Citrus Wash Red and 2 oz. Megs APC then add 24 oz. water in my 32 oz. foam gun. Set to middle setting. Foam once and let soak. Rinse. Then I foam a panel or two and wash with MF mitt, rinse, then on to the next panel or two.

I have different product selections, and use a foam cannon instead, but in essence that is what I do snow foam + APC and let it dwell

 

[Sicoupe]

I have different product selections, and use a foam cannon instead, but in essence that is what I do snow foam + APC and let it dwell

so you add the APC with the soap in the cannon?

 

[JMP]

Foam cannon with Detailers Extreme Foam....works well on the cars...but I have not seen one with years of bugs and such....

 

[Loach]

I completely agree with VISITOR. The pressure washer is so incredibly useful at just blasting a good deal of that stuff right off the paint without agitation. Even if you don't pre soak it with anything. Most of the time I'll use a tar-based removal product and hit the lower panels and maybe one on the front for bugs and then go to town with the pressure washer after.

 

[HUMP DIESEL]

Even if you are using ONR, if the car is really dirty, a pressure washer to break down the big stuff is a great idea.

HUMP

 

[lawrenceSA]

I always pre-wash, regardless of the condition of the vehicle. To me skimping out in this step means that there is an increased chance of causing swirls during the wash, and for all I know, it will be during the wash that I do, that I cause DEEP swirls, which will take more time/product to remove, than the pre wash does.

Here are some pics to illustrate the point, taken from the most recent detail I did this past weekend. http://www.autogeekonline.net/forum/show-n-shine/86973-true-red-mazda-3-mps-detailed-lawrence.html#post1191433

So this what the car looked like before I started washing.

After HP rinsing only

After a pre-wash followed by another HP Rinse