Foam Cannon Car Wash: SHOULD YOU RINSE YOUR CAR BEFORE FOAMING?
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 26 มิ.ย. 2024
- Should you apply foam to your paint dry? OR, should you rinse the area first and then foam? These are questions I get all the time, so I decided to make a video and cover this exact topic. The argument for applying your snow foam dry is that it is able to contact the dirt and buildup on your vehicles surface without being diluted by any extra water on the surface. I strongly agree with that and show a side by side comparison. However, there are cases where foaming on to a dry panel doesnt always make sense... ENJOY!
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ITEMS IN THIS VIDEO:
MJJC FOAM CANNON PROv2 - dtlrsupply.com/products/mjjc-...
MJJC FOAM CANNON Sv3 - dtlrsupply.com/products/mjjc-...
ON AMAZON - amzn.to/44SlwwV
Koch Chemie Active Foam - dtlrsupply.com/products/koch-...
ON AMAZON - amzn.to/3UUnNEb
Gyeon Bathe - dtlrsupply.com/products/gyeon...
ON AMAZON - amzn.to/3UWzpGZ
Kosh Chemie Gentle Snow Foam - dtlrsupply.com/products/koch-...
ON AMAZON - amzn.to/4bdT0YE
TIME CODES:
0:00 - SHOULD YOU RINSE YOUR CAR BEFORE FOAMING?
0:31 - SIDE BY SIDE TEST
2:14 - WHY YOU SHOULD APPLY YOUR FOAM DRY
4:32 - RESULTS FROM THE TEST
6:52 - WHEN TO USE A SNOW FOAM
8:12 - WHEN AND WHY I PRE RINSE FIRST
8:58 - PRODUCTS I USE
10:45 - WHY I WON'T APPLY FOAM DRY ON A CAR
13:15 - SHOULD YOU RINSE FOAM AWAY BEFORE A CONTACT WASH
#FOAMCANNON #CARWASH #CARDETAILING #SNOWFOAM #PREWASH
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Disclaimer:
Due to factors beyond my control, I cannot guarantee against improper use of the information I share in my videos. (IMJOSHV) assumes no liability for property damage or injury incurred as a result of any of the information contained in this video. Use this information at your own risk. Any injury, damage, or loss that may result from improper use of these tools, equipment, or from the information contained in this video is the sole responsibility of the user and not (IMJOSHV) or any business affiliated to (IMJOSHV). - ยานยนต์และพาหนะ
Thank you for this precise and uncomplicated explanation of foaming vs not foaming...this continues to be a hot topic in the industry but imo is pretty easy to understand..it's completely situational and to the detailers discretion... look at the condition of the paint and go from there!!! Great video!!
I love pre foaming with bilt hamber. It works amazing. Great video!
Thanks brother for sharing your different scenarios. It’s always great to hear your tips
Great video as always! I originally was doing a touchless wash (mostly fleet vehicles) so I’d foam, let it dwell foam again let that dwell and then rinse clean (manufacturers recommendation)
But I’ve since switched to ph neutrals and I’ve adopted the foam rinse foam technique and I have to say for my auto details it’s been working incredible.
I find the foaming a dry vehicle really helps boost the cleaning and lifting of the grime. And it makes the contact wash even safer since most of the heavy contaminants are gone
Foam is just perfect! Before another layer of foam, pre rinse then contact wash 🚿 it makes everything go by more effectively🙌🏽!
Thnx for the comprehensive session!
Super helpful as I was one of the peeps wondering about this...
I'm glad you did this video, it's good to hear advice from the pros, Ivan from DIY detail recommends foaming first, but you bring up some good points, at the end of the day, we all have our methods of madness, so best to keep learning and happy detailing.
Yeah I agree with foaming on first and having that help to lift dirt to reduce any potential damage, but before we had foam cannons, we would always pre rinse and I don’t ever remember damaging anything like that. I still do prefer to foam first now though whenever I can.
Very good, thorough, well thought out video, Josh. Thanks!
Thanks so much
Thank you Josh for another lesson in doing it right another great video
Glad you liked it!
ALWAYS...pre-rinse. Period.
Thanks for the great insight. Over the past few months, I have been doing the pre-wash foam wash, followed by the rinse; then a second foam followed with contact wash. This gets me the best result. The downside: more products is used and wash time is longer.
Not worth it. Never was. Never will be. Wash with good car wash and a mitt if your paint is special. Dry with chamois blow if u have to and drive only on not rainy or dusty days. Ridiculous..
I do this as well.
To put it into perspective though, I’m washing a small Porsche Cayman that’s more dusty than dirty.
I also use the first foam application to catch the cracks and crevices with a detail cleaning brush. By the time I’ve finished, it’s time to rinse off the foam. The second foam application is when I start hand washing.
@@ubeuonly Most people do not have luxury of foregoing driving based on weather lmaoo. ridiculous..
Thank you Josh. I have always rinsed first either to cool down the car (living in Nevada always means hot panels) or to get the big chunks off first. And being in a generally hot and sunny climate, by the time I foam the car, most of it has dried. I guess I'm getting the best of both worlds! 🤔
I recently started pre treating with GS on the lower or heavier contimated panels then foam rinse then contact. I did notice GS helping out in the rinse process knocking down some of the heavy mud and dirt. Next wash pretreating whole vehicle with rinse less before foam or put some rinse less in the foam cannon
Good video there! In the UK we've got a fairly big culture of pre-wash foaming, we'll tend to use something more like Super Foam in terms of pH levels, but we'd very rarely pre-rinse (unless there is thick mud). Obviously I don't speak for the whole nation 😂 but people who are properly into their detailing will always foam, and most will use something with a high pH. But now AF is in 1L (hopefully here soon) I will definitely give this a go!
I always do a gentle pre rinse, then get the suds on, wait 10 mins, then hit the power washer.
I'm a foam on the dry surface guy. I then rinse and do another foaming for the contact wash. Really like the Sonax snow foam product and then i go with CarPro reset for the second foam and contact wash.
I Pre rinse because I work in my driveway and its almost always sunny when I detail a car so keeping the panels cooler outweighs having a slightly more diluted product. Doing a contact wash is going to work better than just foam regardless so its kind of a moot point.
Saving water and time and getting a better result. Great Video once again Josh!
I love how clean your “very very dirty car is!”
Thanks for the info, I haven’t been pre rinsing..
Thanks Josh!!!
Very informative!
Nice small wand Jos,
Another very informative video!! How much AF do you use in your foam cannon and what is the dilution ratio? I have the Adam’s foam cannon which is 35 oz and i just bought some AF after watching your other pre foam video. Thank you.
Yeah especially as now in FL we are going into Summer time i tend to use rinseless washes. Unless i can wash the vehicle early in the morning. I prefer to wash in the evenings.
Apex Detail did a video about the acidic nature of pollen and recommended pre foaming with a higher ph soap to naturalizer it. I like the concept behind it.
Thats makes sense, in my dide by side the pollen was able to wash away easier and was broken down more on ths ide that got foam on the dry panel.
I just tried Labocosmetica products for the first time, particularly Primus 2.0 (Alka) and Purifica (Acid) and was blown away how effective it is! I highly recommend them!
Great vid. I've always been a good car wash soap in a bucket and wash mit guy. Been happy with the results. I'm now learning about car wash soap and foam cannons. Learned a lot in your vid. What, in your opinion, should be the max PSI when using a pressure washer to clean your car. Thanks. Scott.
I wish i lived in San Diego so i could pay you to come detail my car, and learn from you, but im on the other side of the country 😭 But i'm watching all your vods and learning alot.
Love your videos brother... quick question how long do you take on a full wash and polish. How much would you charge?
Great video...thankyou
Good video, Josh. I've always been in camp dry-foam, but maybe that's not the most effective. I still think it's the safest method and the best for an only slightly dirty surface.
yea dry foam definitely showed a better clean in the test and i do agree with it being the safest in most cases!
Hey Josh, great video! If foam does dry on the surface do you typically have to polish the panel or will claying remove the spots? I've had issues with hard water spots and soap dried on older paint before.
i really enjoy AF, i like using the ik foamer to spread the soap so it doesnt get diluted with more water,i always pre-wash (except when its super hot, spray water first to cool down a bit)i also have the super foam for grimier stuff, instead of adding green star to AF... and then do a rinseless after, for best of both worlds.. my cars are not ceramic, i wash it weekly and like to add different protection during the drying stage (drying aid)...
Wow! So many products & methods! Here’s my method. 1) Pre-Rinse Lightly (NO high powered hose). Start with the top, glass, working down. 2) Use two buckets (one filled with a good quality car wash & one filled with water). Personally, I use a bucket with a grit guard (Meguair’s). Dip a microfiber wash mitt in the soap bucket & let it soak for 2 minutes. 3) Starting again at the top, linear strokes & do the top & all glass. 4) Rinse with no high pressure. 5) Wash sides & rinse. 6) Wash rear & rinse. 7) Wash front & rinse. If you have bugs that cannot be removed with your mitt, use a SOFT brush, add a little car wash to the brush for scrubbing if needed & rinse. My brush is long handled & VERY soft. 8) Do the rims & finally the tires. I use the soft brush on the tires. 9) I use a large towel designed for automotive to soak up the water on the flat surfaces. 10) Grab a clean microfiber towel with Griot’s Speed Shine & use sparingly (shining & drying as you go). I use Tire Shine at about every third wash. Wipe off residue with Detail Spray. That’s it! A couple of tips. If after washing/drying your car it feels slightly rough/gritty, you’re going to need to Clay Bar. It’s easy. Just break off a small chunk & form it in your hand to where it’s flat, grab your detail spray & lightly rub it on (again no circulating patterns), just simple linear strokes. Nice & easy. Of course, this will remove all remaining wax! But, your finish will be free of contaminants. Apply wax again. Cheers Mate!
I personally always pre-rinse before doing my foam. Like you say, yeah it could dilute the foam down but it's rather marginal in my eyes. I put a little more soap in my foam cannon than I used to so I find the foam comes out rather thicker then it used to before when I used less soap. I think it's about prespective right? Yeah, on one hand you can say it dilutes the foam/ soap down if you pre-rinse first. However, you could also use the argument that you're "wasting" some of that soap by foaming first as it's loosening up or carrying off loose contamination that would be washed away with the pre-rinse. I always detail outside PLUS consider that my clients drop their vehicles off in the mornings meaning extra drive time leading to a warmer engine. Another reason why I like the pre-rinse, along with the fact it blows off all the loose dirt that isn't benefiting from a foam first regiment. I want the foam to dwell and work on the tougher, more stuck on dirt and contamination. Either way, you're going to follow up with a contact wash, but I want as much off the paint as possible to avoid further swirling and scratching. That's just from my experience
Thank you
My perfect combo has been to pre rinse with rinseless wash solution and pressure wash it off and then do a contact wash using rinseless solution. Works great in the Phoenix heat
Awesome, I wouldnt have thought about that, but figuring out what works best for your own situations is a great way to go!
I live in Casa Grande and my biggest challenge is the window of opportunity for washing my truck. Early morning or evening. Stupid sun. lol
Excellent vid. My question if you were to foam first without pre-rinsing, then start your agitation wash, do you risk scratching the vehicle?
Jezzuz, this is so much like the makeup/skincare vids my girlfriend watches. Man up already.
This topic has come up dozens of times with other TH-cam influencer detailers..
Do what YOU want or like doing , honestly it makes very little difference in the real world if you foam a wet car or dry car...there's no right or wrong.
I ran a apc around handles down . Let dwell a minute or two and then rinse. Then foam . I feel where you live has alot to do with the process. My state and my county has alot of dirt roads . Most driveways are dirt . Mud season, snow . You name it . Unless the vehicle is coated I don't worry about marring. Won't be anymore than claying . Expeacialy of I'm putting a machine to it .
Great video, thanks Josh. What would you recommend for a black, ceramic-coated car? I've been using the KC GSF - is AF safe for ceramic? Up to now, I've been foaming with GSF, agitating, rinsing.
Ya teased me with the Ram in the thumbnail lol
Can you link that little angled pressure wand attachment. I love how small it is 😊
So Josh, what is your take on spraying rinseless wash from a pump sprayer onto the panels prior to foaming a car instead of pre-rinsing? I've used this method for the last three washes and have come to love the cleaning abilities before a mechanical wash. I've followed this cleaning up with a rinseless wash and have found very little contamination on my Eagle 350s! Products used are ONR version 3 or 4 and two different soaps, Stjarnagloss SNO and P&S Frostbite from an IK Foam Pro 12.
Josh, not only does the soap work better when applied to a dry car, it saves an extra step and thus, time.
I thought the whole point of foam first was to add some lubrication so you're not blasting the dirt particles into the paint with the power washer
That doesn’t happen though.
I usually pre-rinse with a more runny foam mix
Living in the desert makes me scared to omit the pre rinse. I always start with a pressure washer to get rid of any surface dirt that might scratch when I start using a mitt.
Just as a curiosity, I live in a wet environment, so road dirt get's really bad after rain. Do you experience the same where you live? And is there a way to get it cleaned without mechanical brushing? Cool video, I've obesrved the same thing with rince no rince. I do dilute my cheap soap 50/50 in the cannon.
Some prerinse to remove some loose dirt. However, if you prerinse the existing water can carry some of the foam away-catch 22.
Foam and wait 2-3 mins. Foam and contact wash with 2nd coat of foam - no bucket needed. Rinse thoroughly and dry with blower. If there’s excessive road film and road salt, start the process with high alkaline foam then follow steps above. I’m not a pro detailed, but my car looks almost showroom new and it’s 4 years old. Helps keep my close to 20 SUV looking spiffy too.
hey man, What do you think about the Masterson's brand?
Nice1..JOSH & thank u
I’ve begun to use GS added to ph neutral Turtle wax hybrid solutions pure
I would recommend doing a rinse first if the paint surface is hot.
In the UK citrus pre washes are popular. Do you think a citrus first, rinse, foam (no rinse) and straight to the mitt would be safe?
Josh what dissolution ration do you use in foam gun with active foam. Thanks
Hey Josh what soap do you normally use for maintenance washes on clients?
I've always rinsed and then foamed....and completely see that it's the wrong way round. But after I've foamed i do a hand wash and I somewhat use the foam to see what I haven't done ;)
I always prefer Rinseless and rarely do foaming 😁 I have been doing it for years
You can foam on some rinseless washes like DIY Rinseless. It increases the dwell time and makes it easier to see where you've contact washed.
@@TheBreakfastLover yes, that's the one I preferred since Yvan had it. I used ONR v3 with a bit of APC too on the lower panels.
I’m blown away that you did the ceramic your own car lol
Hi Josh. I just had a question about the 300 GSM Edgeless Micro Fiber - GRAY (12 Pack) that you have for sale on your website. Can you give me some advice on what those would be best used on? Would they be best for drying a washed car? Cleaning windows? (I think waffle weave are best for windows though?). Or is there something else they should be best used for? Also should they be prewashed before doing anything? Thank you very much!
can you do a video on Malco CW-37 Carwash concentrate ?
I think it's an older soap but I'm using it and it's amazing. only need like 15 20 ml of soap to foam. and it's usable up to 400:1 for other applications ! and it's like 35$ a gallon. slick and sudsy n won't remove new wax or sealant
How do you like Carpro products? Reset, reload 2.0, etc
On a cry dirty car I first use P & S PROFESSIONAL DETAIL PRODUCTS Absolute Rinseless Wash as a pre-treatment before I spray off with water and then you my car foam etc, I think it works well to pretreat before foam,
I'm new to this cleaning regimen. In my younger days, just a bucket of water and some Dawn was enough to clean my cars. Thinking about the spray foam process but have a really basic question...after foaming and rinsing, would I still need to manually soap up the vehicle and hand wash? What soap is recommended for hand washing? Another complication is that my water source is well water.
prefoam if its very dirty and shaded, pre rinse if its hot and not that dirty, and both if its hot and dirty, got it.
Whats a good car brush with a water hose connection. most of the ones on amazon have low ratings, are there any really good ones?
What do you think about the Gyeon Bathe + Sio2 versus the regular Gyeon Bathe?
I do a pre-foam, rinse, foam again, and do a contact wash.
The prefoam gets a bunch of the grotty stuff off the paint, so my contact wash isn't knocking off all that big grit.
Either works really, obviously pre rinse if the paint is hot from the sun but if you're in the shade with a cool vehicle I'd foam first
After watching tons of videos of different youtubers, I haven't found the answer to this question yet, When is it better to use a lower ph car wash soap? Or it doesn’t matter at all? In some comments, I read it is good to disolve salt. Is it true? When use neutral? I guess for pre wash, it is better a high ph soap.
What’s your Active Foam dilution in the MJJC S V3??
Exellent content and comments. I'm looking for my first foamer... any suggestions? Thanks.
I highly recommend the mjjc foam cannons!
Soo do you a different soap for pre wash like a APCleaner than the hand to wash soap
Hey Josh I have a 2022 Chevy Silverado. Was wondering how you would go about washing a bigger truck and being quick about it so it does t get spotted up?? Love your videos!!
I got a 23 silverado myself. When i do it i start from top to bottom, washing and rinsing one panel at a time starting from roof, windshield and hood. I also do vertical panels on all the top halves first and then come back around and do the bottom halves since the bottom halves have more dirt and mud on it, so theres less risk of picking that dirt up and scratching up the upper panels. And to avoid the spots, get an inline mineral removal filter from amazon, it screws inline with your water hose, and i put a articulating hose joint, theyre made of plastic or metal, i put mine inline with my pressure washer at the hose inlet. The filter will remove the minerals from your water so when it dries, it wont leave mineral water spots. Same with washing, you don’t want the soap to dry on the paint, so go one panel at a time. Wash in shade or overcast, or before the sun gets too hot in the morning or if you can keep the paint cool as the sun goes down. You just dont want to let it evaporate before you rinse it. They do sell blowers specifically to dry cars after washes. Mine got a 9” lift with 37s, so its a pain in the ass to wash, especially on the roof, id recommend ceramic coat also, makes things much easier between coats.
Thank you I’ll have to look water removal products. I’m usually good during cooler months but it’s starting to warm up so the panels will air dry a lot faster. I always tried keeping the truck wet as I rinse off but sometimes it’s not possible. Thanks for the info
Do you recommend the v2 or v3 cannon?
What do you use to remove the baked on bugs
Foaming before rinsing with pressure washer on a dirty vehicle is also the safest method. Foaming allows the surfactants to encapsulate the dirt particles, making for a safer removal. Think of blasting dirt directly into the paint at 1000 or greater psi. It can make a big difference on black and softer paint types.
exactly
You can also raise the PH level by using warm water in the foam cannon and with a really good soap might not need to do a full contact wash
@Yorkiepoocharlie warm water raises the PH level
Hello, How long should leave spray foam on my vehicle before rinse off? Thanks
what would be the best product to use for removing all that grime off REAR Motorcycle RIM? I dont usually reach to this area especially on Harley Touting (with bags and pipes, etc.), just noticed that when my tire was changed and mechanic could not remove all that grime. any idea? thanks.
Wouldn't there also be some dilution of the foam from the rinsing?
What kind of wand extension is he using for the hood?
Can you use this active foam with ceramic coated vehicles? I have a brand new Ford F150 and I use Chemical Guys, carbon force which I’m extremely pleased with that how slick it is. I just don’t want to damage the coating which should I use with a foam Canon? I bought a mtm hydro pf22.2, I was just going to use Mr. pink and then after wash I use Chemical Guys hydro speed detailer or any high quality ceramic detailer like Mcquires or Adams etc? Is Active foam 9.5 ph ok for ceramic coating??
Good sheet dog 🎉🎉 🤩🤩
When I pre-foam, I turn up the water mixture a little so it's not so thick to let it break down loose dirt, then rinse, then full power foam, agitate, then rinse and dry.
That’s a good idea
New drinking game!
Take a shot of your favorite adult beverage every time he says, "and again," "right," or "kinda" and see who if anybody is still standing at the end of the video. :}
Still using Adams strip wash in spring and megafoam after the foam is rediculous. Need to give koch chemie a try.
mega foam is great!
I tried this on my car that is washed & waxed all the time and my wife's car that is not. I find that using the dirt cannon on a dry car that has wax on it comes out much better that the dry car that has little to no wax on it.
Does active foam hurt a Ceramic coated car?
Pre-rinse also dilutes your current product ratio no? I would assume that's why the non pre-rinse maybe works better.
It is not a dilution, but rather foam uses water molecules to penetrate dirt so foam can kick off loosing dirt particles through expansion and separation. Plain watering before foam just saturates dirt filling pores with water molecules so foam can’t get much into dirt but rather covers it over.
Your definition of "very very dirty" is a lot different than mine... I would classify that as "lightly dirty"... "Very very dirty" would be where it was a bit "chunky" after having gone off-road...
To be honest I don't see any difference if i use a snow foam or not, not even higher ph or something, I'm doing everything ok, all dilutions all that and i still don't think it makes a difference. However using snow foam instead of the 2 bucket method is way more efficient. And yes i do it in all sorts of vehicles and i still don't see a lot of difference. Even using it to clear some polishing dust after a heavy correction, all the dust is there unless i agitate it. For me, snow foam just for lubrication and show.
👍
Not me trying to answer your rhetorical questions at home like an idiot thinking this was a live zoom haha