Hey guys,

As with every new car i own, i go crazy on keeping the damn thing clean... no doubt ill get bored in a year and itll end up like the last one, but i'm trying to break the bad habit

ive just bought the snowfoam lance and some PH neutral Foam for the car, anyone have any hints or tips with snowfoam, as i want to get it right... Ive seen videos on Youtube of some that looks great and foams perfectly, but some also that comes straight off...

Any tips or tricks will be greatfully recieved!

Snap!

Just bought myself one also, hopefully be here today. I have also been watching videos on youtube, it seems there is a bit of a trick to getting the thickness of the foam right?

what pressure washer you using?

Karcher K2 something something lol...

Yeah from what ive heard/seen/read its about an inch of fluid and fill the rest of the bottle with warm water... why warm i dont know, but i'm not going to argue..

Some of the videos on youtube are great... theres some with lovely thick bubbly foam, and others with what looks like milk! i'm guessing the foamier the better, as it will allow for a longer dwell time...

[quote name='TDCiST' timestamp='1325762624' post='159509']
Karcher K2 something something lol...

Yeah from what ive heard/seen/read its about an inch of fluid and fill the rest of the bottle with warm water... why warm i dont know, but i'm not going to argue..

Some of the videos on youtube are great... theres some with lovely thick bubbly foam, and others with what looks like milk! i'm guessing the foamier the better, as it will allow for a longer dwell time...
[/quote]


Warm Water because some cleaning soloutions for cars have wax particals in them and the warm water helps them flow better, resulting in the better shine on your car mate,
another fantastic cleaning kit is this [url="http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/170705134366?ru=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ebay.co.uk%3A80%2Fsch%2Fi.html%3F_from%3DR40%26_trksid%3Dp4712.m570.l1313%26_nkw%3D170705134366%26_sacat%3DSee-All-Categories%26_fvi%3D1&_rdc=1"]Click Here [/url]

leaves the car easier to clean dirt off after its been applied, and very easy to maintain the shine also cool box to keep all the stuff in.

[quote name='TDCiST' timestamp='1325762624' post='159509']
Karcher K2 something something lol...

Yeah from what ive heard/seen/read its about an inch of fluid and fill the rest of the bottle with warm water... why warm i dont know, but i'm not going to argue..

Some of the videos on youtube are great... theres some with lovely thick bubbly foam, and others with what looks like milk! i'm guessing the foamier the better, as it will allow for a longer dwell time...
[/quote]

Thats pretty much what i have gathered. out of interest what lance/foam did you buy?

the one i was going to buy from i4detailing was out of stock so i ended up buying one from auto rae-chem on ebay. she used to be a member (maybe still is) of a honda civic forum, think they used to get a good deal on it

just bought myself a karcher, wanted the k3.575 but wasn't paying £200/£220 for it so i ended up buying a graded product (new but returned apparently) for £120

I bought the lance below and Valet Pro PH Neutral Snow Foam... From cleanyourcar.co.uk

[img]http://www.cleanyourcar.co.uk/php/image.php/image.jpg?width=360&image=/images/uploads/watermarked/hd_foamLance2.jpg[/img]

one place i never looked just realised my snow foam is 'mildly alkaline' dont know if it makes any difference but they seem to be selling enough of it..

just taken delivery of it 5 mins ago so im off to try it out..i cant wait

The key thing with snow foam is that it should be the first thing you do - do not wet the car or the foam won't cling and won't do its job as well.

I also make various additions to the foam depending on what I'm doing - if I'm stripping wax entirely I'll add some APC, otherwise a squirt of wax safe shampoo.

Can i add some meguiars shampoo/wash n wax to the mix?

stef123 how did your snowfoaming go??

[quote name='TDCiST' timestamp='1325852123' post='159702']
stef123 how did your snowfoaming go??
[/quote]

oh man... ive never had sooooooooo much fun you know as a kid when you got a shot of the garden hose, you always ended up soaking wet? well yeah it was the same sorta thing it was quite windy, i ended up looking like a snowman

pic i took after it had been soaking for a minute or two

The foam itself was really good, i mixed up 100ml to a litre of warm water (as per the bottle). took me about 10 seconds to get the nozzle/flow sorted but that was easy.

the foam went on nice n thick, clung to the car quite well. washed it off after 5 mins, certainly lifted some dirt!

[IMG]http://i142.photobucket.com/albums/r108/fyfie101/IMG_04031.jpg[/IMG]

Looking good mate!

The steelies for winter tyres by any chance??

did u do a normal wash afterwards? or just the foam and rinse?

I would say that's quite a thin foam - I'd be looking to get it a little thicker if it were me. That will enable you to have a 10/15 minute dwell, which will shift even more.

[quote name='TDCiST' timestamp='1325877027' post='159784']
Looking good mate!

The steelies for winter tyres by any chance??

did u do a normal wash afterwards? or just the foam and rinse?
[/quote]

It is indeed, Avon ice touring ST winter tyres on them.

done a normal wash afterwards, a bit easier than just giving it a rinse first..

[quote name='DanGull' timestamp='1325877319' post='159785']
I would say that's quite a thin foam - I'd be looking to get it a little thicker if it were me. That will enable you to have a 10/15 minute dwell, which will shift even more.
[/quote]

I was afraid of mixing it too strong incase it stripped the wax off? it went on thick to begin with but yes it did thin out quite a bit after a couple of mins

Where did u get your tyres/wheels from mate??

[quote name='TDCiST' timestamp='1325878891' post='159792']
Where did u get your tyres/wheels from mate??
[/quote]

Tyres from camskill and i bought the wheels brand new from ford (one of dealers on ebay)

cost me a fortune but im saving my summer tyres, they will last me 2 winters (3 months each year) and i should still be able to sell them on when i get rid of the car... so IMO i haven't lost anything..just an investment

They are really good though, extra rubber has made for a nice ride. only had them out on frosty and icy roads, no snow yet but im very impressed. probably get winter tyres on my next car

Ah i see... I'm tempted also, but need the funds...

[quote name='TDCiST' timestamp='1325880206' post='159796']
Ah i see... I'm tempted also, but need the funds...
[/quote]

ive got them on credit for 12 months, costing me about 30 a month, was better than paying it out in one go..

wheels and nuts were best part of £200 though

[quote name='stef123' timestamp='1325880407' post='159797']
wheels and nuts were best part of £200 though
[/quote]

For Steel Wheels!?!?!? wow!

I may talk to my dealer and see if they can offer me a package... maybe ill try get through this winter, and buy them in the summer lol! they mite be cheaper lol!!

[quote name='TDCiST' timestamp='1325880685' post='159800']
For Steel Wheels!?!?!? wow!

I may talk to my dealer and see if they can offer me a package... maybe ill try get through this winter, and buy them in the summer lol! they mite be cheaper lol!!
[/quote]

i was going to buy used ones, couldn't be bothered with the hassle.. one company was wanting about £150 for the 4 wheels new (not ford) so i just went for the ford ones. ford wanted £3 each for wheel nuts though, got these for £15 plus delivery from a 2007 car. Again i could have probably got these for alot less if i could be bothered going to a breakers

you will get the tyres cheaper in the summer..they go up a bit for winter..

Got a mid-range Karcher with an attachment from Poorboys and the I4D snowfoam, seems to work pretty decent.

Considering a citrus pre-wash foam now I think.....

I have been adding a drop of meguiars gold class shampoo to my snow foam, much better results IMO and im using a stronger mix for thicker foam. seems to lift the dirt really well, great for the winter

[quote name='stef123' timestamp='1328690980' post='165393']
I have been adding a drop of meguiars gold class shampoo to my snow foam, much better results IMO and im using a stronger mix for thicker foam. seems to lift the dirt really well, great for the winter
[/quote]

Nice tip for the megs in the mix for a better result I might try it....

How much foam soloution do you put in it the recommend one inch? Or a bit more?

[quote name='ONETrueSaturday' timestamp='1328713263' post='165459']
Nice tip for the megs in the mix for a better result I might try it....

How much foam soloution do you put in it the recommend one inch? Or a bit more?
[/quote]

to begin with i was using a 10% mix, which on my bottle is just under an inch. now im using an inch or just over of snow foam with a squirt of shampoo. dont know if its right or not but i get good results and most importantly i still have wax left on the car lol

[quote name='stef123' timestamp='1328716436' post='165479']
to begin with i was using a 10% mix, which on my bottle is just under an inch. now im using an inch or just over of snow foam with a squirt of shampoo. dont know if its right or not but i get good results and most importantly i still have wax left on the car lol
[/quote]

Thanks mate