jace1969 Posted December 28, 2019 Share Posted December 28, 2019 Do people use it still as i have Demon shine stuff which is a foam spray but i just put it into a bucket and wash with a mitt and rinse off with normal hose pipe strong spray. Time is a big thing for me so getting the jet wash out just for the foam spray takes time and does the normal way do a better job with the mitt, next door does both and says the mitt is a lot better and gets the dirt off better. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frembrit Posted December 28, 2019 Share Posted December 28, 2019 Hi, The point of the snow foam is for it to soften dirt on the car before you pressure wash it off, this helps get rid of as much dirt/grit as possible before you even touch the paint with a mitt and therefore less chance of inflicting damage/scratches. However, as you've mentioned, it does all take time. An alternative is to use a pump sprayer with a snow foam/water mix and spray that over the car first and then pressure wash or hose off after a few mins. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Finance Guy Posted December 28, 2019 Share Posted December 28, 2019 I personally don’t like snow foam - used it on my motorbike for a while but it always left it a bit greasy, like there was a residue. Never bothered on the cars because I didn’t want that residue on my windows. Could just be the particular brand I used, and of course personal preference. Do what you’re comfortable with. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zain611 Posted December 28, 2019 Share Posted December 28, 2019 I find snow foams a nice way of removing any thick bits on the car before contact washing. I also like to blast a little more snow foam on a panel before I contact wash as it adds lubrisity to it hopefully reducing you inflicting scratches. I use Bilt hamber auto foam which is I heard the best one plus great value for money. Actually going to clean the car today funnily enough so will take some pictures Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zain611 Posted December 28, 2019 Share Posted December 28, 2019 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AndyDC Posted December 29, 2019 Share Posted December 29, 2019 Another option is Traffic Film Remover (TFR) which is the strong detergent used in "touchless" wash cycles of carwashes. It's a very strong detergent and is designed to loosen the dirt such that when water jets then touch the dirt it's removed more effectively than just the jet itself would manage. It's nasty stuff if it touches your skin etc, you don't want to breath spray of it either. If you have the hose with a decent spray it may be enough to loosen dirt, rather than the bucket method where you cannot avoid physically moving the dirt about before it's removed. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TomsFocus Posted December 29, 2019 Share Posted December 29, 2019 TFR is too harsh for 'nice' cars really, it'll strip everything including previous waxes, wheel sealants and even the lacquer off your alloys if there's a small imperfection for it to get in. If you use it, you have to be so careful and then make sure to reapply waxes afterwards. It's fine for commercial vans etc. I don't find the jetwash blasts the dirt off sufficiently either myself...always end up wiping dirt around with the mitt. I've got some bug & grime spray (weak TFR presumably) but that doesn't seem to have enough impact. Still yet to try snowfoam but as long as you've got some decent foam and give it a few minutes to soften the dirt, that should the safest option, although probably not the quickest if you're Kim Woodburn with the mitt. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frembrit Posted December 29, 2019 Share Posted December 29, 2019 On 12/28/2019 at 11:14 AM, zain611 said: I use Bilt hamber auto foam which is I heard the best one plus great value for money. Actually going to clean the car today funnily enough so will take some pictures I've used Bilt Hamber Auto Foam too and found it to be good, though I had to use more than expected to get a decent thick foam, but that's similar to the others I've tried too except even more with the Bilt Hamber. Using Ultimate Finish snow foam now (was given a free bottle once and it's quite cheap for 5 litres) A bit of history as to why I use snow foam...Before I got my current car (6 years ago), I would just wash the car with zipwax and a sponge, although I would polish it many times a year with Autoglym Super Resin Polish, so it did look quite good. But when I got my current car, I found that it would always look dull after a wash and that's when I began to learn a bit more about polishing, waxing, ceramic coatings, safe wash techniques etc. As I didn't have the time, experience nor the equipment, I had the car professionally polished and ceramic coated and the result was amazing...and this is why I now spend the time to look after it. It does involve a lot of time and money, I've even got two DI Vessels for water softening as the water round here is very very hard and trying to dry the (black) car in the summer before the water dried (and left marks) was impossible. I can leave it to dry now without any water marks. If I had a busier life then I doubt I would bother and probably just wet the car, wash with two bucket method and dry, then wax once a year. I still wouldn't take it to a hand car wash or auto car wash though. Tom, worth a try if you can borrow a foam lance and snow foam, assuming you have a pressure washer already. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TimST2 Posted December 29, 2019 Share Posted December 29, 2019 As others have said, snow foam is a pre wash. It means you're car is cleaner by the time you do a contact wash but does take more time. It's also a lot of fun I've settled on a routine now: snow foam - rinse - fallout remover on the wheels - rinse - shampoo - rinse - wax - wheel sealant. EDIT: Having used both Auto Finesse and Autoglym snow foams, I rate the Autoglym higher (I do still love my Auto Fitness snow foam lance though). 2 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jace1969 Posted December 30, 2019 Author Share Posted December 30, 2019 So a lot of people use both then on the same wash,i blast mine first with a jet normal hose water then soap/mitt and water spray again and seems fine after and beading effect. When i wash it its as good job as possible in less time as i can't be outside for hours as i have caring stuff to do,if i wash then dry I'm in the house and wax either later or another day. As it does leave a great beading when rinsed off im running out so will look at another one. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TimST2 Posted December 30, 2019 Share Posted December 30, 2019 If you want to do the bare minimum you just need a good shampoo. Rinse - shampoo - rinse Adding wax or sealant after acts as a hydrophobic barrier and stops dirt clinging to the paint so cleaning next time is easier. You can get shampoos with wax in them to do it all in one go (not as good but it removes a stage). I use Autoglym Aqua Wax which you spray on after while the car is wet. Given that I dry it anyway it doesn't add any time. I also use Autoglym Wheel Sealant - same deal but an aerosol that takes no time at all to apply. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TomsFocus Posted December 30, 2019 Share Posted December 30, 2019 One of my neighbours popped out 5 minutes ago in a filthy car...then just returned with it nice and clean... Automatic carwashes are looking so tempting right now! 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TimST2 Posted December 30, 2019 Share Posted December 30, 2019 7 minutes ago, TomsFocus said: One of my neighbours popped out 5 minutes ago in a filthy car...then just returned with it nice and clean... Automatic carwashes are looking so tempting right now! Or do that. I enjoy pampering my cars, but if you dont, why bother? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TomsFocus Posted December 30, 2019 Share Posted December 30, 2019 2 minutes ago, TimST2 said: Or do that. I enjoy pampering my cars, but if you dont, why bother? Why bother? Partly because it costs money at a carwash...and mostly because I've never used one, don't know what you have to do and am kinda scared of them!! Seriously though, the paint on the Golf is awful, you can see the swirls through the dirt! And the bonnet is so peppered with stone chips it'll never look good without paint now. But then I see clean cars on Instagram and in the posts above (especially yours tbf...though I think the HDR has helped lol) and think I want that! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Turvey Posted December 30, 2019 Share Posted December 30, 2019 4 hours ago, TomsFocus said: One of my neighbours popped out 5 minutes ago in a filthy car...then just returned with it nice and clean... Automatic carwashes are looking so tempting right now! Dangerous things!!! 🙄😄 2 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TomsFocus Posted December 30, 2019 Share Posted December 30, 2019 2 hours ago, Turvey said: Dangerous things!!! 🙄😄 Well, I think we've found the only benefit of the Golf not having an exterior aerial!! How much did you pay? I passed a hand car wash in slow traffic today and was surprised to the cheapest basic service for a 'small' car was £8!? I was expecting like £2-3! . Wish I could ask the neighbour where he went but I'm too much of a ***** to do that. :sad:. He also appears to be about 12, I'd feel like a pensioner trying to talk to him. Annoyingly I'm now tempted to clean it myself tomorrow. Thanks @TimST2 😒 Does the aquawax contain any gloss or fillers or is it really only to maintain the shine underneath? If it'll cover my awful paint I might grab some from Halfords... 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TomsFocus Posted December 30, 2019 Share Posted December 30, 2019 So I've just YouTube'd carwashes and found a video of Keith Lemon getting his new ST washed. Video does contain scenes that may be disturbing to some! 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TimST2 Posted December 30, 2019 Share Posted December 30, 2019 On 12/30/2019 at 1:36 PM, TomsFocus said: Why bother? Partly because it costs money at a carwash...and mostly because I've never used one, don't know what you have to do and am kinda scared of them!! Ah, I was imagining a car wash might be cheaper than all the products I use. I've no idea actually - I've not used one either On 12/30/2019 at 1:36 PM, TomsFocus said: But then I see clean cars on Instagram and in the posts above (especially yours tbf...though I think the HDR has helped lol) and think I want that! Yeah the HDR filter does capture the shine nicely. On 12/30/2019 at 7:36 PM, TomsFocus said: Does the aquawax contain any gloss or fillers or is it really only to maintain the shine underneath? If it'll cover my awful paint I might grab some from Halfords... No it's really just a quick top-up wax. I don't think it will cover bad paint. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jace1969 Posted December 31, 2019 Author Share Posted December 31, 2019 That's the 1 thing i will never do even if my car is 8 years old and a few marks,well a nice few marks is a brush car wash as i had a old vectra and it ripped the arial off the top the whole mount as i removed the whip. I love cleaning my car even if its only a quick was at least i can only blame me for messing it up not some person with a bucket full of mud/grit or a robot. Seen these cordless power washers and one on other 18v/20v on amazon just a bucket full of soap or even foam then rinse 94 to 340psi. Anyone tried one. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TimST2 Posted December 31, 2019 Share Posted December 31, 2019 On 12/29/2019 at 4:22 PM, TimST2 said: I've settled on a routine now: snow foam - rinse - fallout remover on the wheels - rinse - shampoo - rinse - wax - wheel sealant. That's how we wash the GLC and ST anyway. I'm going to take a different approach with the Seven... rinse - fallout remover on the wheels - rinse - shampoo - rinse - sealant - wheel sealant I don't plan on using the roof much and won't be putting it on for washing (otherwise it'll need drying), so snow foam sounds messy It's also a good opportunity to try a more expensive sealant instead of wax (it's a small car so less surface area)... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frembrit Posted December 31, 2019 Share Posted December 31, 2019 2 hours ago, jace1969 said: That's the 1 thing i will never do even if my car is 8 years old and a few marks,well a nice few marks is a brush car wash as i had a old vectra and it ripped the arial off the top the whole mount as i removed the whip. I love cleaning my car even if its only a quick was at least i can only blame me for messing it up not some person with a bucket full of mud/grit or a robot. Seen these cordless power washers and one on other 18v/20v on Amazon just a bucket full of soap or even foam then rinse 94 to 340psi. Anyone tried one. Same here, won't use an auto car wash and have only used a hand car wash twice when my last car was coming to the end of its life. From what I've read about the cordless washers, they won't be anywhere near the power of a mains pressure washer, though some people seem happy with it going by the reviews...depends on your expectations I suppose. I certainly wouldn't be able to clean the patio/paths with it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zain611 Posted December 31, 2019 Share Posted December 31, 2019 You guys need to detail your cars to bring back the better than factory finish. My car is 13 years old and the paint is now immaculate after a machine polish I did a year before. Can anyone spot which pic is a reflection and other not 😜? A) B) 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TomsFocus Posted December 31, 2019 Share Posted December 31, 2019 4 hours ago, zain611 said: You guys need to detail your cars to bring back the better than factory finish. My car is 13 years old and the paint is now immaculate after a machine polish I did a year before. I guess the good thing about London driving is no stone chips! You're not gonna polish these out!! Anyway, I thought about using a carwash this morning but it was all very scary. It was pretty grim though so decided to do it myself...clean car for the new year...and only it's 3rd wash this year! Forgot how much I hate cleaning cars...always find more imperfections, can't get the alloys clean anymore, the tyres are grey now and the exhaust tips are starting to rust. Thank goodness for HDR, eh Tim! After a dry, bit of Megs tyre gel and some Poorboy's shoe shine which doesn't seem to be any better than water! 2 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zain611 Posted December 31, 2019 Share Posted December 31, 2019 @TomsFocus mine has a few stone chips but because I hardly drive and mainly drive on 30mph roads I don't think I see much. Was thinking of getting some more touch up paint to fill those in but with that uncertainty of probably not going to have the car in several months it probably isn't worth it 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TomsFocus Posted January 1, 2020 Share Posted January 1, 2020 Well that was worth it....haven't even driven it yet and I can already see bird ***** on the roof from indoors! I was just colouring in the stone chips with a Sharpie before car shows lol, but it doesn't last long before it fades back to the undercoat. I'm sticking to my 'no spending on the Golf' rule though so won't be getting a touch up for it, it's virtually worthless anyway, whoever buys it won't be bothered by aesthetics. Got an interesting choice to make this year though...do spend more money on another 'nice' car that could bring some positive benefits (motivation to go out, take pics, be sociable and go to meets, do mods etc) or do I buy something else rubbish and spend nothing on it...keeping the spend low but not getting the potential benefits mentioned above. I feel like I've completely gone off cars now but don't know if that's just because I've been stuck with this for over 18 months... 🤔 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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