Time to Break Out the Foam Cannon

[chefwong]

After a 500 mile excursion.....front end is littered with -splats-, all dried up and such...

I'm a big fan of HP rinse.

IME, foaming does nothing just short of a big mess on the floor for me.
However....in the condition that it is in, I will foam it - maybe for the placebo effect.

What's your take.
Do you see the benefits when you pre-foam

 

[Bill D]

I don't just pre foam, I foam throughout the duration of the wash. I also never used a foam cannon, a foam gun is key

It's constantly running the foamy solution of the foam gun that provides a safe barrier with which to wash. Just foaming the car and rinsing does nothing. Running the foam gun throughout the duration of the wash is what gets the safe results and what uses up a lot of soap

It's a matter of learning to use a foam gun. It's not for everyone but it's one tool I'll never be without.

 

[chefwong]

Is the hose draped over your shoulder while using the -flush- method...

My hoses are 3/4 but they are high quality stuff....it's so thick it feels along the size of a 1" hose...
I can't fathom using this hose in the -flush method-
It would be too unwiedly

 

[Bill D]

You could drape the hose over your shoulder but it’s not mandatory. Just don’t touch the car with it.

I’ve used a foam gun with a 3/4 hose without issues and without draping it over my shoulder. I just stay cautious.

 

[Coatingsarecrack]

I think a pre foam with an acidic or alkaline foam makes a huge difference in cleaning power.

The PH neutral stuff most use I believe works to. Softens the grime but I think it helps lubricate and keeps stuff your rinsing off from scratching.

Water isn’t the greatest lubricator and then folks blast stuff across the paint with a PW. I picture tiny minuscule rocks being skipped of my clear coat. Would rather have some foam protecting it.

But that is for the 1 percent. I’ve fallen into the 5 percent and just try to be cautious in what ever method I use…


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[opie2]

Im also a believer in using a pre foam and then pw rinse before i move into my rinsless. I do this every time and aside from doing the one towel per panel wash method i believe that the prefoam/pw rinse routine is instramental on why i still have no visable marring that ive noticed on any of our vehicles but especially our black buick. Pure black shows everything.

Imo high alkaline is better for cutting road grime and such over acidic and then ph neutral soaps.

No doubt there are other methods that work as well, like bill d. For me though this is personally what i like/works for me.

I have friends that ive recently done paint corrections for, and one of them i just ran a light over the paint to see how f'd up it is....and its already marred. Its only benn a month or two at most! Why you ask? Cuz he used a ceramic detail spray or ww to wipe it down, it was only lightly dirty not caught in rain. But he also does not use proper wipedown technique

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[chefwong]

Don't you hate it when it blips and you lose a drafted reply....

Starting over on typing

BillD - Hard to explain unless you have see the 3/4 hose I am using. It's golf course grade....easily can be taken for a 1" hose or larger
The weight would definitely make contact no matter how careful. It just drops vert down from the nozzle as it's just that heavy....

I am familiar with a 8 ply contractor grade hose and even with that, I'd be weary to use it for Foam Flooding..
I would probably buy a 1/2 15 footer hose to couple if I was doing the flood foam rinse.

Off to start another thread - or rehash the thread, which is more about touchless wash routines...

My journey with foam started years ago, with the standard GH Foam Gun
Then came the foam cannons.

I imported a bunch of the top raved soaps that the guys from DW UK were talking about, in hopes to get a touchless wash
If memory recalls, CG did make something locally to that effect but stopped due to VOC laws.

My results with said foaming soaps was it aids as a prewash, a contact wash was still required.

So then, I started tinkering with just a HP rinse, and foaming as prelude to the contact wash.
I did not like this as there was SO MUCH FOAM that I found at times, I missed some parts of the panel after rinsing as I was not able to accurately gauge when:where I was making contact with the mitt just due to the sheer density of the FOAMED UP CAR.

So , for the most part, I have skipped foaming in general and just do it if I feel the car is extra dirty and that best practice might help in this situation.
Foaming, itself is not part of my general wash routine at all
That cars are pretty clean in itself, except for long treks where grime just get's baked in...

The only other time I do foam is really during the winter salt washes, as every extra bit helps when it comes to salt, sand and whatever brine, etc.
I can't decide which one is worse. The salt crust or just the fact that as much as I wash the car during the winter.....salt, sand and brine is in the airborne air, so it kinda is semi-pointless to wash (corrosion aside). Car looks dirty the minute you pull it out of the garage

 

[Optimus Grime]

I think a pre foam with an acidic or alkaline foam makes a huge difference in cleaning power.

The PH neutral stuff most use I believe works to. Softens the grime but I think it helps lubricate and keeps stuff your rinsing off from scratching.

Water isn’t the greatest lubricator and then folks blast stuff across the paint with a PW. I picture tiny minuscule rocks being skipped of my clear coat. Would rather have some foam protecting it.

But that is for the 1 percent. I’ve fallen into the 5 percent and just try to be cautious in what ever method I use…


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Agreed. I use Bilt Hamber Touchless or Auto Foam and if I use it at 4% PIR my car is damn near spotless when I’m finished and then I always follow up with Reset and a contact wash for that pristine clean. I highly recommend either of those pre-washes to all customers with black paint because it’s the best weapon against any marring before going in for a contact wash.