I'm in the pre treat camp. It makes more sense to lift the dirt and lubricate the surface before blasting it with pressurized water and grinding it into the paint.
Honestly, both sides look extremely similar to me after drying. However, I understand the importance of knocking down heavy grime prior to the contact wash with either of these methods or foaming.
@@desertseams5886 imo it only really helps with some really bad stuff like mud, or poop/bugs other than that… nothing else is noticeable to the extent of just a pressure washer lol
It's hard to tell on camera unfortunately, but in person, the pre-treated side had a bit less of that surface dirt and grime, and also another thing that doesn't translate on camera is the added protection you get from the lubrication and the encapsulating chemistry of the rinseless wash BEFORE you spray a strong water pressure on the paint, compared to just driving that dirt in with the pressure alone. And you can also combine a pre-spray of rinseless wash, then rinse, then foam with a proper snow foam (especially snow foams with better cleaning power like Bilt Hamber Auto-Foam or CarPro Lift), and then continue with the wash process. That way the paint will really be as clean as possible before the contact wash. The goal is always to try and remove as much of the loose dirt and debris before the contact wash.
I love using CarPro Lift as a pretreatment for heavily soiled cars and quarterly on ceramic coated cars. I’m interested in trying Bilt Hamber Auto Foam too. I’ll use CarPro Reset, Koch Chemie GSF, or P&S Perl for more regular or mild pre-treatment, then use the same shampoo in my bucket. My usual routine is foam, dwell, rinse, refoam for extra lubrication, then hand wash. Many will call it overkill, but I didn’t spend multiple days perfecting my paint just to mess it up in an evening.
Using a snow foam for the pre-wash (especially snow foams that have cleaning potential like Bilt Hamber Auto-Foam and CarPro Lift) are better yes. And you can also combine a pre-spray of rinseless wash, then rinse, then foam with a proper snow foam, and then continue with the wash process. That way the paint will really be as clean as possible before the contact wash. The goal is always to try and remove as much of the loose dirt and debris before the contact wash.
@@PanTheOrganizer Looking at starting detailing, moving my arsenal to pro chemicals. I've now added Absolute Rinseless Wash to the list for a pre-wash. Based on this comment, I'll then do a snowfoam rinse before another foam contact wash. I have P&S Pearl Shampoo on the list, is this ok for doing the snow foam pre rinse? Maybe at a tad higher ratio?
Thx Pan. I watched a video with Ivan & he pre-tread the entire vehicle with ONR, then used a 1 step bucket rinse & sponge. Then finished off with a fast dry spray. The car came out perfect! IMO.. Better than a foam cannon.
Thanks for this video. It makes me feel better because I've always watched youtube videos where the snow foam and rinse leaves the car clean but every time I've done it, I always see the road grime left behind. What I have found helpful though is as soon as my car gets in the garage, I spray it down with McKee's N914 while the car is wet hoping it would encapsulate loose dirt. Then while wet, I blow it dry with the Ego blower. It doesn't leave it 100% clean but way better then letting it dry with all the salt and dirt on it. If I could, I would rinse it but I can't do that in my garage. I also notice that when I eventually get to do the contact wash, my ceramic coating isn't as clogged as if a layer of protection gets put down to serve as a sacrificial layer. I now go a step further and spray the car with Mckee's before leaving the garage going in the rain. It could just be all in my head but I have a black car and it seems to help keep it clean in between washes at least in my mind. I'd be interested in seeing you try it and get your thoughts.
No question pre-treating with a rinseless wash is superior. I also found using distilled water to dilute the rinseless wash cleans a lot better than diluting with tap water.
Pan really love your videos they truly capture my mindset of how to look/learn of a product or process. Thank you again for the time you take to think about, create content and execute a new video. Great stuff my man!!
Thanks! How did you discover my channel by the way? Welcome to my channel. You discovered one of the biggest car detailing channels on TH-cam as we surpassed 850,000 subscribers and 106 million views! I have been detailing for 25 years and I love to share my knowledge and passion with my viewers. You found the right channel to help you learn everything about detailing.
I use a pretreat when I don't have time for a full contact wash and plan on using a commercial car wash, but I only spray on the rocker panels, wheels tires. If I am washing my truck, I use it on the rear as well.
Working on varying levels of dirty vehicles daily now, I find a pre treat to be necessary on most everything to do the best job possible. Especially for the bottom most sections of the vehicle, the wheel wells and tires/wheels. Waterless wash like ech2o or go full shampoo like car pro lift. Rinse then agitation wash if clean enough with something like car pro reset or descale.
Thank you for this video as this exact subject has been in my little brain a lot lately. Yvan has been sharing a lot of knowledge and the rinseless pretreat definitely works. If the vehicle is coated than a rinseless pretreat is my first choice. If the vehicle is dirty and I am adding a wax or sealant an apc pretreat is my choice. I have been testing the DIY rinseless in my house too and the cleaning power seems to be stronger than the other rinseless washes. To be honest all of the other rinseless washes are great choices too. Take care Pan and hopefully a warm spring happens soon.
Yup. Same steps and it makes the car easier to wash the dirt off. I used to do only the pre-rinse then bucket wash and i always find my car still having specks of dirt when i towel dry it later.
And you can also combine a pre-spray of rinseless wash, then rinse, then foam with a proper snow foam, and then continue with the wash process. That way the paint will really be as clean as possible before the contact wash. The goal is always to try and remove as much of the loose dirt and debris before the contact wash.
I have similar levels of road salt here. I pre-treat with the 256:1 rinseless wash. Then, I use four microfibre mitts in two gallons of water. I never rinse in the bucket. However, I know many people do rinse in the bucket and the dirt is supposed to be encapsulated and/or sink to the bottom with a grit guard in place. I just feel safer using multiple mitts.
I've thought about trying this out as well for the exact same reasons that you made this video. I've used the rinseless method on a bird dropping and it encapsulated all the materials and wiped right off. I was really impressed with it.
Touch-Less and Auto-Foam from Bilt Hamber are probably the two best snow foams for pre-washing and actual cleaning properties before the contact wash for sure.
@@PanTheOrganizer When Using the Bilt Hamber touchless then All I have to do is a rinseless wash and the vehicle is cleaned. The pretreat gets all of the gunk and lose dirt off so a rinseless is completely safe.
Honestly thought you were going to foam cannon one side and not the use of a rinse-less was. Ether way I’d say ether option is definitely going to be better the just a pre rinse. Thanks for the awesome information!! Love your Chanel.
Nice test ! The other advantage of the pre-rinse is to lift the dirt to not scratch the paint with the pressure ! Yvan will be happy to see you applying one of his tip 😉 Merci Pan pour ces superbes vidéos
I think for extremely dirty vehicles (like what is seen on The Detail Geek channel), a pre-treat can be worthwhile. I've always thought Mitch gets too aggressive with his pre-rinses, and a pre-treat would allow for a safer rinse. For routine contact washes though, I'm just not convinced a pre-treat is really worth it. Especially since there's still the foaming step, which is intended to do the same thing.
@@bullrage74 To be fair, he does tackle some of the dirtiest vehicles I've ever seen. Far dirtier than I would ever dream of letting my vehicles get, so some level of pretreat/prerinse has to happen. I just think he relies too much on his prerinse and definitely gets too close to the paint with that wand.
@@cgraham6 yeah, absolutely! But he complains about carpeted wheel wells while only hitting them with water for 5 minutes and doesn't just chisel away the ice in wheel wells also. It's like he purposely only pre rinses vehicles without a pre soak to pander to the people who just wanna see pressure washer porn. Is he good at detailing, absolutely, but his inefficiency in exterior detailing is annoying. His channel is great for learning basic to intermediate detailing, which I did a few years ago.
Thanks! It's hard to tell on camera unfortunately, but in person, the pre-treated side had a bit less of that surface dirt and grime, and also another thing that doesn't translate on camera is the added protection you get from the lubrication and the encapsulating chemistry of the rinseless wash BEFORE you spray a strong water pressure on the paint, compared to just driving that dirt in with the pressure alone. And you can also combine a pre-spray of rinseless wash, then rinse, then foam with a proper snow foam (especially snow foams with better cleaning power like Bilt Hamber Auto-Foam or CarPro Lift), and then continue with the wash process. That way the paint will really be as clean as possible before the contact wash. The goal is always to try and remove as much of the loose dirt and debris before the contact wash.
Since watching your channel I have introduced a pre-treatment of a rinse-less wash to my cleaning process and I like the results. It appears to make a difference to me based on my previous method of just pre-rinsing with the power washer. Thanks for the tips!!
Bonjours M. Pan je vous suis depuis un petit bout et se que je viens de réaliser, avec tout ses produits ( prélavage, foam cannon, cire en spray) ce que nous essayons tous de reproduire le résultat du lavage en car wash automatique. J’y suis passé hier car je ne dispose pas d’un garage et j’ai pris le plus chère qui inclus plusieurs des traitements que vous nous présenter. Soyons clair je ne doute pas de l’efficacité ou du bien fondé de toutes les produits vendus. Merci pour tout vos enseignements M.Pan
Absolutely! In my opinion, cars are meant to be driven and enjoyed. I worked hard in my life to achieve this level of vehicle, and you can be assured that I'm driving this daily and enjoying every minute of it. And as I personally take care of it and wash it twice weekly, people can't even tell it has been through winter months when they see it clean. :)
Perfect timing. At this time of year in Connecticut, I started going to the car wash and spraying off the heavy dirt on our cars. Then I'd come home, pre-spray the cars with ONR/N-914 and gently wash followed by drying aid(Topper/Obsessed Garage or Bead Maker). It looks like My method is good. Winter has been mild here(so far). I hope it stays that way! Fantastic video, Pan! Thanks!!
That's what I do here in Detroit. Spray off the majority at the self serve quarter car wash doing the wheels and tires with my IK foamer and then drive home for my rinseless wash
I'm in GA and have to battle full sun so I try doing washes in the early morning or late evening. During the summer I found using Rinseless Wash as a pretreat is great an eliminates spotting when I do the normal wash. In spring, fall, winter I use Griots Surface Wash as Pretreat and I like the results. Thanks for sharing Pan !!!
Fantastic presentation Pan❤️👍🏻! This video emphasizes the importance of either pre-treating or pre-rinsing the surface before the contact wash, especially now during the harsh winter months!
I pre-treat all the time. The time and effort endured to correct and ceramic coat my car will never be forgotten. Proper preparation prevents poor performance and a headache!!
I'm all about a pre misting a car before the pre treatment. Water alone even a mist helps break down things then the added pre solution rinse helps prevent the chances of marking the surface. Less contaminants before the contact wash means less likelihood off surface damage. May sound a bit overkill but if you Love your ride you know the extra time (which isn't much even all together) is absolutely worth it.
Pan! Thank you for the great content and insight! Huge fan. Keep the great videos coming! You're a huge inspiration for me and my detailing business! Thank you
Excellent video Pan! I really like what I see here and just confirms more for us. Definitely you'll love the diy detail rinseless, and Incredible suds has plenty of cleaning power in a snow foam so they really knocked it out of the park. Be safe and warm!
I pre treat for sure. I use Bilt Hamber touchless in the winter in my foam cannon. In the summer when the dirt isn't as heavy I use Mckees rinseless in my ik pump sprayer. I see a noticeable improvement with both. Great video Pan love that car!!
Thanks! How did you discover my channel by the way? Welcome to my channel. You discovered one of the biggest car detailing channels on TH-cam as we surpassed 965,000 subscribers and we have over 130 million views! I have been detailing for 26 years and I love to share my knowledge and passion with my viewers. You found the right channel to help you learn everything about detailing.
@@PanTheOrganizer I've been subscribed quite a while. I think I just found you through looking up detailing questions on TH-cam and found your content to be excellent. I've been detailing since before it was called detailing lol. No matter how much of a junker I had from the age of 14 I always wanted it too look its best. I'm 57 now and I'm still enjoying the process, I love to explore new products and that's why I've stuck with your channel.Thanks again and congrats on your success well deserved!
Pan, thanks for this topic and the information. I would like to add a touch of observation, insight, and suggestion. Background, I just returned from a 1000+ mile winter trip drive from Northern Ca to central Oregon and had 3-400 miles of ice and snow driving where in Ore. they use just volcanic cinders for road traction - no salt. Our white 2017 Yukon XL was filthy. Yesterday I finished washing it and compared McKee's 37 rinseless, Optimum rinseless, Bilt Hamber Touchless, Carpro Lift, Koch Chemie Active Foam, and Chemical Guys Honeydew Snow Foam. I regularly find that a rinseless prewash to be helpful on ordinary and maintenance washes and it does noticeable get dirt off the vehicle. Insight 1: I noticed that the initial spray of my prewash caused a lot of dirt to run off. So, I now note that if your pump sprayer or bug sprayer causes dirt to run off - then the best tactic is to just first rinse the vehicle of this free dirt with water. (I am unsure if a hose rinse or pressure wash makes a difference at this stage). If little runs, then skip the water rinse. So, after rinsing the vehicle I went back to my comparisons. Observations: 1: Neither of the rinseless washes had a noticeable effect on the winter grim. 2: I was disappointed that the other snow foams hardly removed the winter grim. I repeated the foam prewash with the Active foam and the Touchless and got about 20-25% of the dirt off the panel at best. I did notice in rubbing my finger on the left over dirt - the dirt was rubbing off easier after the repeat Active Foam and Touchless vs. all the other cleaning agents. This is just a subjective observation. I would give a slight edge to the Touchless for loosening the dirt on the second go round. 3. There was little additional cleaning effect to follow the rinseless washes with the snow foams without agitation. Also, the snow foams seem to have an slight edge on loosening stubborn dirt. Insight 2: For me, the stubborn winter grim dirt can be cleaned two ways according to your personal preference. After the rinse for loose dirt, either prewash to help loosen dirt but don't expect much visual effect or just wash the car twice to effectively get the stubborn dirt you miss on the first pass. Overall, all the dirt will require effective agitation to wash off. I had hoped that the alkaline wash solutions would have been more effective. Pan, I wish to suggest to you to include a separate alkaline wash soap to your annual product review for winter grime. Thanks again. I hope this is helpful to others. Michael
A pre-treat or snow foam pre-wash doesn’t get the vehicle 100% clean. All those steps do is help to start removing a lot of the loose dirt and add lubrication before you enter the contact wash phase, to lower the chances of swirls or scratches. You ALWAYS need to follow with a hand wash stage to get a 100% clean vehicle.
I spray technicians choice purplicious (I like it pretty strong, a good 20% concentration), foam the car.. then I rinse it off and then foam again and then use a scrubber mitt on the second round of foam. Then I rinse that off and I soak the car in technicians choice tec582 at 50/50 concentration, you don't actually need much of this stuff but I like using a fair bit. Let it it sit for a minute and then rinse that off, towel dry and this lasts me quite long. The car lives outside and is sometimes under trees and most dirt falls right off for the first week. Has basically tripled my wash cycle (from every 10 days to every 30 days).
I thought the ceramic coating are supposed to do alot of the repelling of dirt and simplifying of cleaning ? Meaning that ceramic properties should remove alot of the dirt by just rinsing . I've had my vehicle paint corrected polished and ceramic coated and even after all that it spots horribly.
The ceramic coating doesn’t magically stay clean. What it does is provide self-cleaning properties, and what that means it makes the cleaning process much easier during your wash routine, in comparison to an uncoated vehicle. Also, coated cars tend to “look” cleaner compared to uncoated vehicles in the same conditions. That doesn’t mean coated vehicles never get dirty though.
@@PanTheOrganizer trust me I understand the magically not clean part but considering the expense to save me a step or two in regular cleaning just seems I'm protecting "my appearance of a cleaner car" this is just my observation only. I do appreciate all of your expertise.
I have never been a pre-treat person on a coated vehicle before but not I believe this can be done, in a controlled environment, without harming the coating. Good video sir.
A pre treat is totally worthwhile on a vehicle that’s heavily soiled. Personally I have never run into a vehicle dirty enough for me to pre treat however
When I go to the car wash in our building, I use my foam cannon first. Then I do the rest of my prep, letting the foam dwell. My car is black and shows every little scratch so I have to be super-careful. Thanks for doing this video and your explanation was spot on.
Awesome video Pan! Very relevant. Phil from Miranda Details got me hooked on pre-treatmennts. Majority of my details involve a coating or paint sealant so using a citrus apc is pretty much a standard in my wash process. 👍
Yup, APC pre-treats on uncoated cars or cars that will be protected after the wash process is fine. I just don't recommend an APC pre-rinse for regular weekly washes on protected paint, as that could eventually wear down the protection over prolonged/repeated use.
Salut Pan merci c'est toujours un plaisir de voir ton contenu ❤ faudrait faire un sondage savoir combien de personnes comprennent pas l'anglais mais te suivent grâce au contenu que tu avait mit en français aussi Personnellement je t'es connu par le contenu en français mais je suis très à l'aise en anglais (contrairement à beaucoup dans mon entourage)
@@PanTheOrganizer you should really try a round of koch tea first. Spray it on the lower parts and stop 30 cm from windows, avoid getting it on rubber. It destroy salt and the other gunk we get during the winter. Live in Norway so we a lot of snow, salt and winter grime. The combo of an petrol/solvent based degreaser and alkaline foam almost leaves a coated car 98% clean.
Is there a chance that the pre-rinse side looks better because it was wet and had a chance to sit and if you wet the water side with a light misting of water and let it sit for the same amount of time then maybe more would come off and be closer to the pre-rinse side? I know this isn’t what a “normal” process would be but then it would be “same” conditions. Just like dishes in the sink…if you wet a dirty dry dish and let it soak for a min…even without soap then it comes off way easier when just using the sprayer.
what I do is I don't water pre-rinse but instead I used no streak ph neutral foam shampoo and foam all over my car and let it dwell for at least 3 to 5 minutes, after 5 minutes I rinse it with water and then contact wash. I lessen the water usage and the time. basically, I just reverse the process of pre-rinse and foam wash. the reason behind this is if I pre-rinse it with water and then foam gun it, the shampoo will just run down fast and be less effective.
Pan, that is a great idea for pre-rinse. That never crossed my mind to use P&S Absolute and I am definitely going to order those Marolex pump sprayers.
For winter washing and going touchless at least here in Sweden a petroleum based degreaser(door handles down) is needed and then to go over with e.g Bilt Hamber touch-less. However the petroleum based I use maybe once a month, don't want to use that stuff to often. With that said never tried pre-treating! Interesting concept! Also try out KEW quick connect if you can. I am running that on my cannon, lance, gun
It's hard to tell on camera unfortunately, but in person, the pre-treated side had a bit less of that surface dirt and grime, and also another thing that doesn't translate on camera is the added protection you get from the lubrication and the encapsulating chemistry of the rinseless wash BEFORE you spray a strong water pressure on the paint, compared to just driving that dirt in with the pressure alone. And you can also combine a pre-spray of rinseless wash, then rinse, then foam with a proper snow foam (especially snow foams with better cleaning power like Bilt Hamber Auto-Foam or CarPro Lift), and then continue with the wash process. That way the paint will really be as clean as possible before the contact wash. The goal is always to try and remove as much of the loose dirt and debris before the contact wash. I made a video showing if snow foams actually work here: th-cam.com/video/8j5dJUM8Fb4/w-d-xo.html
@@PanTheOrganizer Hey buddy! I do get the benefits with the pre-treat and shall try it out! However what would be interesting is, which is very difficult to measure is how much damage there is, when 1) Power washing loose dirt first then applying foam and power washing again 2) Foaming then power washing 3) Doing a pre-treat then power wash, then foaming and then power washing again the logical would be (best approach to worst) 3 -> 2 -> 1 but I guess measuring the difference in "damage" would be very difficult. The concept of having the paint as clean as possible when doing the mechanical steps is a given! During winter time I try to touch the car as little as possible and try to keep the paint "clean" to the extent possible with a touchless washes. However as you mentioned the car does not ever get really clean with a touchless wash
I have the notion that pre-treating, let dwell, treat again, dwell, and do this so it soaks for longer, say 15 minutes or more, will release more dirt before any contact or rinsing, just like letting dishes soak. If you leave your car in the rain and it stays wet longer, it seems that there's less dirt afterward. I also think that if there's any dirt that low pressure is better, not acting as a sandblaster with a pressure washer.
@@TheBreakfastLover Agreed. If you do this while the debris is still wet, it should come off more easily, and a great idea if you don't have time for a proper cleaning, and with distilled you don't even necessarily need to dry it as no minerals are in the rinse water. If it's easy to carry your pump sprayer with you all the time, you might as well go ahead and add a bit of rinseless wash to the distilled water. Then you can rinse whenever you have a couple minutes or right after you leave a dirty environment or drive through a puddle.
The APC rinse I would only recommend on vehicles without any protection on the paint, or before doing decon, polishing, etc and applying protection. APC have a higher pH and that can start to break down the protection after repeated use. Using a pH 11 to 13 APC even on a ceramic coating will eventually break the coating. But on a non coated car, no problem. Unless you have a wax, it will break down the wax. But then you can reapply a layer after you're done washing.
Almost everyone use pre-wash But the real question is 1. Can I pre wash which pH neutral soap? Compared to let say APC koch chemie greenstar (If yes it follows question number two) Is ph neutral pre treat is safe enough for contact wash 2. Like in this video, pretreat with rinseless wash / apc VS just water Even tho it looks " abit cleaner on pretreat side" is the Pre water wash only is JUST AS SAFE TO DO CONTACT WASH? because obviously we're gonna do contact wash i prefer 2 bucket method. So is it clean to be safe enough? Lets say this discussion apply to car wash once ever 1-2 weeks
For regular weekly washes, just use a pH neutral snow-foam and you can use that same soap in the bucket for the contact wash. I would avoid using APCs as a pre-treat if you have protection on the paint (wax, sealant or coating), as APCs are very high pH and are powerful degreasers which can weaken protection and sometimes start stripping it (like waxes which don't have much chemical resistance). If you need a bit more "bite" and cleaning power from your snow foam in the pre-wash every once in a while, use something like CarPro Lift or Koch Chemie Active Foam, which are a bit higher on pH but still safe for ceramic coated cars.
@@PanTheOrganizer if im still want to do apc (not high ph snow foam) more frequently could i dilute more water to it? Yes i have sealant on my paint Because diluting apc is way cheaper in my country. Carpro and other brands are extremely expensive
Pan, I like your idea of using a prerinse treated with something like ONR to help loosen the dirt and to lubricate the surface prior to blasting it with a pressure stream of water, although I usually sheet a high volume, low velocity stream of water from a hose to rinse off the ONR. I then follow it with a foam gun solution that has the distilled water in it treated at the 256:1 ratio with ONR and then, finally, the hand wash using Optimum's M-Wash for my Opticoat Pro+ coated surface. I do a final spray rinse with distilled water and then blow it dry with the same EGo leaf blower; this I do once a week. In between washings I drive it through a carwash and just spray the Opti-Coat no rinse on the car and then pressure rinse it off and then blow it dry; since it is an all-black car that shows every little spec of dirt and any contamination on the surface. About once a month, I like to apply some Gyeon Ceramic detailer to help maintain the SiO2 top coating on my Opticoat coating. About every 6 months I like to apply the Optimum Hyperseal as a heavier duty restorer for the SiO2 layer. Thanks for all the interesting and helpful tips on car care.
Solid video. Too bad you used Absolute. One of the RW with chemistry more focused on cleaning (N-914 or DIY Detail) would have made for a better compare. Look forward to that future update.
Salut Pan, I have a video idea… I have been intrigued with 2 steps touchless wash product like Image Wash Products or Chem-X. They are 2-step wash that gets your vehicle 85-95% clean without using mitts or brushes. Now this might be a good thing for getting rid of the salt and grim in our Quebec’s environments/road and just getting that almost clean look without wasting 1-2 hours hand washing… I have a Jeep Rubicon 4xe 2022 and there’s a lot of nooks and crannies for that daily winter and off-road grim… Also, it might be a good idea for people that go to manual self-service car wash, could be applied with a pump sprayer. What do you think? Btw great video, love your work keeps it up.
Thanks for the useful comparison! I have been using rinseless washes for much of the past year, and have pre-treating the car with good success. However, watching this video makes me think that I have not been using enough solution at the pre-treatment stage (no drain in my garage for winter washes😅) Very helpful! btw I never noticed if the driver or passenger side was dirtier- just the rear🤔
Just the video I wanted - it makes so much sense to pre-treat before hitting it with the pressure washer! Do you think a stronger dilution would have made a difference in lifting the dirt?
No, as the rinseless wash needs to be specifically diluted at 256:1 for use as a rinseless. Stronger dilutions are for use as quick detailers and clay lubes.
Thanks! Welcome to my channel. You discovered one of the biggest car detailing channels on TH-cam as we surpassed 845,000 subscribers and 106 million views! I have been detailing for 25 years and I love to share my knowledge and passion with my viewers. You found the right channel to help you learn everything about detailing.
Definitely a clear difference! I've been doing this for years and have tested it side by side many times. Rinseless pre-treat wins every time for loosening dirt/film prior to pressure rinse. Have you ever tried any of the dedicated salt removal products? I've been using something called Salts Gone (applied with a foam cannon) as an additional pre-treat step prior to pressure washing. So I apply rinseless (let it dwell), then Salts Gone (give it some dwell time as well), and I also adjust my foam cannon to a narrow stream to try to get into the suspension/fender areas as well as under my SUVs as much as I can). It seems to work pretty well and I haven't noticed any degradation to the standalone spray sealants I am currently using.
Hi Jeff. I haven't tested products like Salts Gone, but I think my buddy Phil (from the Auto Fanatic TH-cam channel uses those types of products often).
Pan, DIY Rinseless, once I tried it I forgot the others, its surfactant + polymer based so have both technologies on it. Its just super effective and even more versatile. I guess that it will win you 2023 rinseless award. I have tried 914 (my previous favorite), ONR, Uber, Griots, P&S, DIY & ADG, all are good but DIY is tha best!
Using a snow foam for the pre-wash (especially snow foams that have cleaning potential like Bilt Hamber Auto-Foam and CarPro Lift) are better yes. And you can also combine a pre-spray of rinseless wash, then rinse, then foam with a proper snow foam, and then continue with the wash process. That way the paint will really be as clean as possible before the contact wash. The goal is always to try and remove as much of the loose dirt and debris before the contact wash. I made a video showing if snow foams actually work here: th-cam.com/video/8j5dJUM8Fb4/w-d-xo.html
Pretreat with Super Clean 10:1 ratio. I’ve also pretreated in the past using ONR. Today when I go outside in the rain I will try using 1oz of Chemical Guys Wash & Gloss in 2 gallons of water inside of an air pressurized Tint Keg which has the capability of foaming👍
@@redsresearch in my opinion that’s a bit too strong on the paint panels and trim.. on the back of the gallon jug . 7:1 ration is recommended for carpet and fender wells. I actually caused fading to my plasm window trim even with a10:1 ratio. So no I stick to APC for carpets and tires that’s all. Good luck 👍
Hey Pan!! I always preform my BMW first before rising. I been using Carpro lift.. always best.. the OG wash method that Matt’s does is only when the car has light dusting on the car.
And you can also combine a pre-spray of rinseless wash, then rinse, then foam with a proper snow foam (especially snow foams with better cleaning power like Bilt Hamber Auto-Foam or CarPro Lift), and then continue with the wash process. That way the paint will really be as clean as possible before the contact wash. The goal is always to try and remove as much of the loose dirt and debris before the contact wash.
I can see a pretreat with the rinseless OR the foaming before mechanical wash, but both?? I use the GTecniq foam source, let dwell, rinse then foam with the remainder and then have Gwash in buckets with microfiber towels, flipping sides when necessary
And you can also combine a pre-spray of rinseless wash, then rinse, then foam with a proper snow foam (especially snow foams with better cleaning power like Bilt Hamber Auto-Foam or CarPro Lift), and then continue with the wash process. That way the paint will really be as clean as possible before the contact wash. The goal is always to try and remove as much of the loose dirt and debris before the contact wash. I made a video showing if snow foams actually work here: th-cam.com/video/8j5dJUM8Fb4/w-d-xo.html
Thanks I really appreciate that feedback. There are over 800 videos on my channel so far, and wait until you see all the new ones I have planned in the coming weeks. 😁
I did a pure touchless wash this past weekend using only Bilt Hamber Touchless in the IK foam sprayer and power rinse off. Blown away with how good the results were and so fast. I’d say removed 90+% of road film. Perfect for removing road salt and the car will just get dirt again the next day.
And you can also combine a pre-spray of rinseless wash, then rinse, then foam with a proper snow foam (especially snow foams with better cleaning power like Bilt Hamber Auto-Foam or CarPro Lift), and then continue with the wash process. That way the paint will really be as clean as possible before the contact wash. The goal is always to try and remove as much of the loose dirt and debris before the contact wash. I made a video showing if snow foams actually work here: th-cam.com/video/8j5dJUM8Fb4/w-d-xo.html
I'm in the UK. The first and last two links are coming up in Canadian dollars for the UK section. The Canadian links are all in Canadian dollars. The US section is all coming up in British pounds! This may be down to how the sites detect your location. Just thought I'd point it out.
Pan what timing!!! I just got in from doing both our cars this morning. I live in New England so my car looked a lot like yours. My wife's car is a garage queen so it wasn't bad. But I rinsed with my pressure washer, then pretreated with ONR then did my rinseless touch wash with the big black sponge. I ended up claying my car using the 10/1 bead/dreammaker mix as my lubricant. Then dried the car using DIY's ceramic gloss spray as my drying aid and it came out great. So when I got in and saw this video I had to laugh at the timing.
Thanks Pan! I was wondering about either doing this or just using a foam cannon with bilt hamber inside of it after winter here in Wisconsin!!! Maybe both!!!!!
Bilt Hamber Touch-Less or Snow Foam will for sure clean the surface better before a contact wash. And you can also combine a pre-spray of rinseless wash, then rinse, then foam with a proper snow foam (especially snow foams with better cleaning power like Bilt Hamber Auto-Foam or CarPro Lift), and then continue with the wash process. That way the paint will really be as clean as possible before the contact wash. The goal is always to try and remove as much of the loose dirt and debris before the contact wash.
Hi Pan Another day where I learn something 😎 I will do on my future washes a pre treatment with absolut( from P&S not the vodka😂) Thanks for the tipp looking forward for the next one ☝️ Cheers from France 🇫🇷
Hi Pan: What lighting would you recommend for my garage beyond the hand held inspection light you use? My garage space is pretty dim as is. Love your channel, your attention to detail (no pun intended) and professionalism. Thanks for investing your precious time to make us all better home detailers! Keep up the good work. Your videos are truly inspirational. Kendall from Winnipeg
Thanks for the kind words Kendall. How did you discover my channel by the way? Welcome to my channel. You discovered one of the biggest car detailing channels on TH-cam as we surpassed 845,000 subscribers and 106 million views! I have been detailing for 25 years and I love to share my knowledge and passion with my viewers. You found the right channel to help you learn everything about detailing. Depending on how big your garage is, and how tall your ceilings are, high bay fixtures are usually the way to go. Some like these: bit.ly/3j0EAFr Here are other lighting solutions for the garage: bit.ly/3UdrhPl And you can watch a detailed tour of my garage where I also talk about my lighting: th-cam.com/video/wx6HTBAzeXI/w-d-xo.html
I purchased a new “toy” last year after a multi year search; a pristine low mileage 2010 M-B SLK350 (one of 3 in Manitoba; mine is the only red one) which I aspire to care for as you do for your amazing Porsche. The car is in storage now through our winter, so I’ve used the time to scour the Internet for detailing options come the Spring….Larry with Ammo NYC was my first detailing deep dive, yours my second. You’ve hooked me with your meticulous attention to doing the best in all aspects of your life, your tireless work ethic and for your unsolicited product recommendations. Your guests are top notch….Ivan Lecroix and Chris Gallahar to name a few. I’m all set to go from pre-rinse to graphene coating once the snow goes. And thanks for your lighting recommendations! Keep up the amazing work! Kendall
Pan great comparison video. I would like to see you do a Pretreat comparison between Griots Surface Wash vs. Rinseless Wash or the Griots versus a similar Pretreat product.
The best pre-wash snow foam (for cleaning properties) I have found to date is Bilt Hamber Auto-Foam and Bilt Hamber Touch-Less. As shown in my snow foams comparison here: th-cam.com/video/8j5dJUM8Fb4/w-d-xo.html
Definitely a fan of pre-treating. Especially on a very dirty vehicle. Doesn’t make sense to pressure blast all those contaminants into the paint when you can safely lubricate and incapsulate them first
Thanks for watching. How did you discover my channel by the way? Welcome to my channel. You discovered one of the biggest car detailing channels on TH-cam as we surpassed 850,000 subscribers and 106 million views! I have been detailing for 25 years and I love to share my knowledge and passion with my viewers. You found the right channel to help you learn everything about detailing.
What are your thoughts on the right out of the gate going straight to foam instead of rinsing first. Some rumors say rinsing the car before foaming makes it not quite as clean. Compared to right out of gate foaming with no rinse
please test Chem X Stars n Chem X Stripes. I use it. followed by their Snake oil ceramic protection you spray on and wash off. the stars is applied to dwell for 2 minutes. then you foam on Stripes to neutralize the Stars. let dwell one more minute and then rinse the whole car. it gets off 90 percent of grime and spots. it's the closest thing to a complete contactless wash I've used.
Merci pour cette autres excellents sujet. Question hors contexte de ce video, je vois que n’installe aucune protection plastique transparente comme 3M sur tes voitures. Je n’est vu aucun video de ta part sur le sujet. Peut t’on toute de même cirer ou ajouter des protection par dessus une pellicule plastique 3M, devrai-je en installer ou pas sur mon véhicule neuf? Je devrais le recevoir sous peu et me questionne beaucoup a se sujet. Je veux faire un entretien esthétique exemplaire et le conserver longtemps. Merci! Pascal.
And you can also combine a pre-spray of rinseless wash, then rinse, then foam with a proper snow foam (especially snow foams with better cleaning power like Bilt Hamber Auto-Foam or CarPro Lift), and then continue with the wash process. That way the paint will really be as clean as possible before the contact wash. The goal is always to try and remove as much of the loose dirt and debris before the contact wash.
Nice video Pan. I'm a Ivan convert to rinseless myself.😄 In the pursuit of efficiency, what do you think about pretreat with rinseless, dwell, then instead of rinsing, spray with snowfoam & let dwell, then contact wash since you will have the dirt already encapsulated from the rinseless and the lubrication from the rinseless & snowfoam? I'm thinking that after the 2 dwell periods, there will be hardly, if any dirt on the vehicle when you hit it with the contact wash. Then 1 rinse at the end, eliminating a rinse in the process.
I would use the pressure washer to blow off what can be blown off, then pretreatment. Then wash. Why would it have to be either or? The more dirt removed by the pressure means less dirt that needs to be encapsulated.
It's hard to tell on camera unfortunately, but in person, the pre-treated side had a bit less of that surface dirt and grime, and also another thing that doesn't translate on camera is the added protection you get from the lubrication and the encapsulating chemistry of the rinseless wash BEFORE you spray a strong water pressure on the paint, compared to just driving that dirt in with the pressure alone. And you can also combine a pre-spray of rinseless wash, then rinse, then foam with a proper snow foam (especially snow foams with better cleaning power like Bilt Hamber Auto-Foam or CarPro Lift), and then continue with the wash process. That way the paint will really be as clean as possible before the contact wash. The goal is always to try and remove as much of the loose dirt and debris before the contact wash.
What if you were to mix a rinseless wash with an APC and then foam it on. Would that give you the best of both worlds? A combination of surfactants,emulsifiers and encapsulation with the dwell time of foam seems like a possible winning combination.
Definitely pre-rinse but you should always snow foam onto a dry paint after pre-rinse treatment or would you just snow foam straight after the pre-rinse treatment?
I prefer to use the snow foam on dry paint now. Let it dwell, then rinse. Refoam, and start the contact wash. There are many different ways to wash a car. Do some tests, and find which process works best for you in your situation. Experimenting is so fun.
So what’s the ideal sequence now for a maintenance wash with a car that has protection ? Pre-treat with rinsless wash then rinse then pre-wash snow foam then rinse then foam and contact wash ?
From a distance, that car looks so clean, I can’t imagine touching it…but I see the amount of road grime, it’s awful! Pan, you need a winter driver!!! If you can’t avoid a contact-less wash, I would not waste time and money with a pre-treatment….but that’s just me.
Haha! Yeah my Turbo S is actually the best winter car I have ever owned. Cars are meant to be driven and enjoyed. I also wash it twice weekly and it’s still in mint/pristine condition. One could never tell that it has been through Canadian winters. ;)
🔥 For more quality detailing products visit: bit.ly/3BiPe3o
⬇️🔶 LINKS TO PRODUCTS MENTIONED IN THIS VIDEO ⬇️⬇️
🇺🇸 For people in USA:
P&S Absolute Rinseless Wash: bit.ly/3Cba7Lo
McKee’s N-914 Rinseless Wash: bit.ly/3CbQra9
Optimum No Rinse: bit.ly/3Wyy4V8
Scangrip LED inspection light: bit.ly/3vpZGQk
Marolex pump sprayer: bit.ly/3VBZJ6a
Kranzle 1122TST pressure washer: bit.ly/3d5kZeK
Mosmatic gun and wand solution: bit.ly/3ovIcPA
🇨🇦 For people in Canada:
P&S Absolute Rinseless Wash: bit.ly/3flwJka
McKee’s N-914 Rinseless Wash: bit.ly/3CSm8pA
Optimum No Rinse: bit.ly/3WjVYUo
Scangrip LED inspection light: bit.ly/3Q59Zmu
Marolex pump sprayer: amzn.to/3YXTgW3
Kranzle 1122TST pressure washer: bit.ly/3MgYINZ
Mosmatic gun & wand solution: bit.ly/3EBUZbI
🇬🇧 For people in the UK:
P&S Absolute Rinseless Wash: bit.ly/3flwJka
McKee’s N-914 Rinseless Wash: bit.ly/3CRFL1q
Optimum No Rinse: bit.ly/3sJ4r69
Scangrip LED inspection light: amzn.to/3GqfLvt
Marolex pump sprayer: bit.ly/3VBZJ6a
Kranzle 1122TST pressure washer: bit.ly/3MgYINZ
Mosmatic gun & wand solution: bit.ly/3EBUZbI
Watch more of my videos:
✅ Rinseless wash tutorial: th-cam.com/video/p58Y5qRd3OU/w-d-xo.html
✅ The best rinseless washes: th-cam.com/video/yNoQsRu8gYg/w-d-xo.html
✅ Do snow foams really work? th-cam.com/video/8j5dJUM8Fb4/w-d-xo.html
I'm in the pre treat camp. It makes more sense to lift the dirt and lubricate the surface before blasting it with pressurized water and grinding it into the paint.
@@laurapalmerTDGE yep.
@@kyleedgerton3698Foam Cannon would be the next step. Remove more grime and dirt and Add lubrication to the car before a contact wash.
Honestly, both sides look extremely similar to me after drying. However, I understand the importance of knocking down heavy grime prior to the contact wash with either of these methods or foaming.
I'm wondering if it's just the camera. Because he keeps saying that the ONR made a huge difference, but they look the same to me.
@@desertseams5886 imo it only really helps with some really bad stuff like mud, or poop/bugs other than that… nothing else is noticeable to the extent of just a pressure washer lol
Agree. Foaming would be better
It's hard to tell on camera unfortunately, but in person, the pre-treated side had a bit less of that surface dirt and grime, and also another thing that doesn't translate on camera is the added protection you get from the lubrication and the encapsulating chemistry of the rinseless wash BEFORE you spray a strong water pressure on the paint, compared to just driving that dirt in with the pressure alone.
And you can also combine a pre-spray of rinseless wash, then rinse, then foam with a proper snow foam (especially snow foams with better cleaning power like Bilt Hamber Auto-Foam or CarPro Lift), and then continue with the wash process. That way the paint will really be as clean as possible before the contact wash. The goal is always to try and remove as much of the loose dirt and debris before the contact wash.
I love using CarPro Lift as a pretreatment for heavily soiled cars and quarterly on ceramic coated cars. I’m interested in trying Bilt Hamber Auto Foam too. I’ll use CarPro Reset, Koch Chemie GSF, or P&S Perl for more regular or mild pre-treatment, then use the same shampoo in my bucket. My usual routine is foam, dwell, rinse, refoam for extra lubrication, then hand wash. Many will call it overkill, but I didn’t spend multiple days perfecting my paint just to mess it up in an evening.
Bill Hamber is my favorite and I'm a car pro fan myself.
@@G1275T Same here; that's what I've been doing as well.
@@no_lft_shft got the Bilt Hamber touch less planning to try it out this weekend
Using a snow foam for the pre-wash (especially snow foams that have cleaning potential like Bilt Hamber Auto-Foam and CarPro Lift) are better yes. And you can also combine a pre-spray of rinseless wash, then rinse, then foam with a proper snow foam, and then continue with the wash process. That way the paint will really be as clean as possible before the contact wash. The goal is always to try and remove as much of the loose dirt and debris before the contact wash.
@@PanTheOrganizer Looking at starting detailing, moving my arsenal to pro chemicals. I've now added Absolute Rinseless Wash to the list for a pre-wash. Based on this comment, I'll then do a snowfoam rinse before another foam contact wash. I have P&S Pearl Shampoo on the list, is this ok for doing the snow foam pre rinse? Maybe at a tad higher ratio?
Thx Pan. I watched a video with Ivan & he pre-tread the entire vehicle with ONR, then used a 1 step bucket rinse & sponge. Then finished off with a fast dry spray. The car came out perfect! IMO.. Better than a foam cannon.
Thank you for the shout out!
Any time my friend! I give credit where credit is due. Plus you are such a great person Yvan! :)
Thanks for this video. It makes me feel better because I've always watched youtube videos where the snow foam and rinse leaves the car clean but every time I've done it, I always see the road grime left behind. What I have found helpful though is as soon as my car gets in the garage, I spray it down with McKee's N914 while the car is wet hoping it would encapsulate loose dirt. Then while wet, I blow it dry with the Ego blower. It doesn't leave it 100% clean but way better then letting it dry with all the salt and dirt on it. If I could, I would rinse it but I can't do that in my garage. I also notice that when I eventually get to do the contact wash, my ceramic coating isn't as clogged as if a layer of protection gets put down to serve as a sacrificial layer. I now go a step further and spray the car with Mckee's before leaving the garage going in the rain. It could just be all in my head but I have a black car and it seems to help keep it clean in between washes at least in my mind. I'd be interested in seeing you try it and get your thoughts.
No question pre-treating with a rinseless wash is superior. I also found using distilled water to dilute the rinseless wash cleans a lot better than diluting with tap water.
Great idea! Im gonna have to try it out
What dilution rate did you us
@@roddney same dilution as tap water.
Pan really love your videos they truly capture my mindset of how to look/learn of a product or process. Thank you again for the time you take to think about, create content and execute a new video. Great stuff my man!!
Thanks! How did you discover my channel by the way?
Welcome to my channel. You discovered one of the biggest car detailing channels on TH-cam as we surpassed 850,000 subscribers and 106 million views! I have been detailing for 25 years and I love to share my knowledge and passion with my viewers.
You found the right channel to help you learn everything about detailing.
I use a pretreat when I don't have time for a full contact wash and plan on using a commercial car wash, but I only spray on the rocker panels, wheels tires. If I am washing my truck, I use it on the rear as well.
Working on varying levels of dirty vehicles daily now, I find a pre treat to be necessary on most everything to do the best job possible. Especially for the bottom most sections of the vehicle, the wheel wells and tires/wheels.
Waterless wash like ech2o or go full shampoo like car pro lift. Rinse then agitation wash if clean enough with something like car pro reset or descale.
Great point!
Thank you for this video as this exact subject has been in my little brain a lot lately. Yvan has been sharing a lot of knowledge and the rinseless pretreat definitely works. If the vehicle is coated than a rinseless pretreat is my first choice. If the vehicle is dirty and I am adding a wax or sealant an apc pretreat is my choice.
I have been testing the DIY rinseless in my house too and the cleaning power seems to be stronger than the other rinseless washes. To be honest all of the other rinseless washes are great choices too.
Take care Pan and hopefully a warm spring happens soon.
Thanks for sharing!
I've used CarPro Lift to pretreat before 2 bucket wash. It works well lifts a lot of dirt off the car before contact washing.
Yup. Same steps and it makes the car easier to wash the dirt off. I used to do only the pre-rinse then bucket wash and i always find my car still having specks of dirt when i towel dry it later.
And you can also combine a pre-spray of rinseless wash, then rinse, then foam with a proper snow foam, and then continue with the wash process. That way the paint will really be as clean as possible before the contact wash. The goal is always to try and remove as much of the loose dirt and debris before the contact wash.
Great demonstration Pan, Safer is always better!
Thanks! It means a lot coming from you sir!
I have similar levels of road salt here. I pre-treat with the 256:1 rinseless wash. Then, I use four microfibre mitts in two gallons of water. I never rinse in the bucket. However, I know many people do rinse in the bucket and the dirt is supposed to be encapsulated and/or sink to the bottom with a grit guard in place. I just feel safer using multiple mitts.
As always bru, what a fantastic breakdown. Saving the world, one detail at a time Pan.
Much appreciated!
I've thought about trying this out as well for the exact same reasons that you made this video. I've used the rinseless method on a bird dropping and it encapsulated all the materials and wiped right off. I was really impressed with it.
I use Bilt Hamber touchless as a pretreat foam and then rinse and that works very well.
I got a gallon and Excited to use Bilt Hamber touchless this weekend
Touch-Less and Auto-Foam from Bilt Hamber are probably the two best snow foams for pre-washing and actual cleaning properties before the contact wash for sure.
@@PanTheOrganizer When Using the Bilt Hamber touchless then All I have to do is a rinseless wash and the vehicle is cleaned. The pretreat gets all of the gunk and lose dirt off so a rinseless is completely safe.
Honestly thought you were going to foam cannon one side and not the use of a rinse-less was. Ether way I’d say ether option is definitely going to be better the just a pre rinse. Thanks for the awesome information!! Love your Chanel.
I already did a popular video on “Do snow foams actually work?” Here: th-cam.com/video/8j5dJUM8Fb4/w-d-xo.html
Nice test ! The other advantage of the pre-rinse is to lift the dirt to not scratch the paint with the pressure !
Yvan will be happy to see you applying one of his tip 😉
Merci Pan pour ces superbes vidéos
Merci!
I think for extremely dirty vehicles (like what is seen on The Detail Geek channel), a pre-treat can be worthwhile. I've always thought Mitch gets too aggressive with his pre-rinses, and a pre-treat would allow for a safer rinse. For routine contact washes though, I'm just not convinced a pre-treat is really worth it. Especially since there's still the foaming step, which is intended to do the same thing.
Agreed, Mitch gets awfully close with the pressure washer, which is a definite no-no if there's PPF applied.
Mitch wastes soooo much water and time during his pre rinse. It's the main I don't watch his videos anymore. His inefficiency is pretty cringe
@@bullrage74 To be fair, he does tackle some of the dirtiest vehicles I've ever seen. Far dirtier than I would ever dream of letting my vehicles get, so some level of pretreat/prerinse has to happen. I just think he relies too much on his prerinse and definitely gets too close to the paint with that wand.
@@cgraham6 yeah, absolutely! But he complains about carpeted wheel wells while only hitting them with water for 5 minutes and doesn't just chisel away the ice in wheel wells also. It's like he purposely only pre rinses vehicles without a pre soak to pander to the people who just wanna see pressure washer porn. Is he good at detailing, absolutely, but his inefficiency in exterior detailing is annoying. His channel is great for learning basic to intermediate detailing, which I did a few years ago.
I think it helps. I mean it’s not mind blowing as I hoped it would be. But over all yes big difference..❤ great video
Thanks! It's hard to tell on camera unfortunately, but in person, the pre-treated side had a bit less of that surface dirt and grime, and also another thing that doesn't translate on camera is the added protection you get from the lubrication and the encapsulating chemistry of the rinseless wash BEFORE you spray a strong water pressure on the paint, compared to just driving that dirt in with the pressure alone.
And you can also combine a pre-spray of rinseless wash, then rinse, then foam with a proper snow foam (especially snow foams with better cleaning power like Bilt Hamber Auto-Foam or CarPro Lift), and then continue with the wash process. That way the paint will really be as clean as possible before the contact wash. The goal is always to try and remove as much of the loose dirt and debris before the contact wash.
@@PanTheOrganizer agree.. with ya! For sure.👍🏻
Since watching your channel I have introduced a pre-treatment of a rinse-less wash to my cleaning process and I like the results. It appears to make a difference to me based on my previous method of just pre-rinsing with the power washer. Thanks for the tips!!
You bet! Thanks for watching!
Bonjours M. Pan je vous suis depuis un petit bout et se que je viens de réaliser, avec tout ses produits ( prélavage, foam cannon, cire en spray) ce que nous essayons tous de reproduire le résultat du lavage en car wash automatique. J’y suis passé hier car je ne dispose pas d’un garage et j’ai pris le plus chère qui inclus plusieurs des traitements que vous nous présenter. Soyons clair je ne doute pas de l’efficacité ou du bien fondé de toutes les produits vendus. Merci pour tout vos enseignements M.Pan
I love that you actually drive that car. Good for you, Pan!
Absolutely! In my opinion, cars are meant to be driven and enjoyed. I worked hard in my life to achieve this level of vehicle, and you can be assured that I'm driving this daily and enjoying every minute of it. And as I personally take care of it and wash it twice weekly, people can't even tell it has been through winter months when they see it clean. :)
Perfect timing.
At this time of year in Connecticut, I started going to the car wash and spraying off the heavy dirt on our cars. Then I'd come home, pre-spray the cars with ONR/N-914 and gently wash followed by drying aid(Topper/Obsessed Garage or Bead Maker).
It looks like My method is good. Winter has been mild here(so far). I hope it stays that way!
Fantastic video, Pan! Thanks!!
Thanks Jay!!
That's what I do here in Detroit. Spray off the majority at the self serve quarter car wash doing the wheels and tires with my IK foamer and then drive home for my rinseless wash
I'm in GA and have to battle full sun so I try doing washes in the early morning or late evening. During the summer I found using Rinseless Wash as a pretreat is great an eliminates spotting when I do the normal wash. In spring, fall, winter I use Griots Surface Wash as Pretreat and I like the results. Thanks for sharing Pan !!!
Thanks for sharing!!
Fantastic presentation Pan❤️👍🏻! This video emphasizes the importance of either pre-treating or pre-rinsing the surface before the contact wash, especially now during the harsh winter months!
Well said!
@@PanTheOrganizer 🙏🏻❤️
I pre-treat all the time. The time and effort endured to correct and ceramic coat my car will never be forgotten. Proper preparation prevents poor performance and a headache!!
I'm all about a pre misting a car before the pre treatment. Water alone even a mist helps break down things then the added pre solution rinse helps prevent the chances of marking the surface. Less contaminants before the contact wash means less likelihood off surface damage. May sound a bit overkill but if you Love your ride you know the extra time (which isn't much even all together) is absolutely worth it.
Pan! Thank you for the great content and insight! Huge fan. Keep the great videos coming! You're a huge inspiration for me and my detailing business! Thank you
Thanks Joel! I appreciate the support, and wish you a good 2023 and all the best for your business! Where are you based out of?
Excellent video Pan! I really like what I see here and just confirms more for us.
Definitely you'll love the diy detail rinseless, and Incredible suds has plenty of cleaning power in a snow foam so they really knocked it out of the park. Be safe and warm!
Thanks! Will do!
I pre treat for sure. I use Bilt Hamber touchless in the winter in my foam cannon. In the summer when the dirt isn't as heavy I use Mckees rinseless in my ik pump sprayer. I see a noticeable improvement with both. Great video Pan love that car!!
Thanks! How did you discover my channel by the way?
Welcome to my channel. You discovered one of the biggest car detailing channels on TH-cam as we surpassed 965,000 subscribers and we have over 130 million views! I have been detailing for 26 years and I love to share my knowledge and passion with my viewers.
You found the right channel to help you learn everything about detailing.
@@PanTheOrganizer I've been subscribed quite a while. I think I just found you through looking up detailing questions on TH-cam and found your content to be excellent. I've been detailing since before it was called detailing lol. No matter how much of a junker I had from the age of 14 I always wanted it too look its best. I'm 57 now and I'm still enjoying the process, I love to explore new products and that's why I've stuck with your channel.Thanks again and congrats on your success well deserved!
Thanks for the well explained video. Helps reinforce the methods we have learned. I appreciate the teachings!
Thanks Allan!
Pan, thanks for this topic and the information. I would like to add a touch of observation, insight, and suggestion.
Background, I just returned from a 1000+ mile winter trip drive from Northern Ca to central Oregon and had 3-400 miles of ice and snow driving where in Ore. they use just volcanic cinders for road traction - no salt. Our white 2017 Yukon XL was filthy.
Yesterday I finished washing it and compared McKee's 37 rinseless, Optimum rinseless, Bilt Hamber Touchless, Carpro Lift, Koch Chemie Active Foam, and Chemical Guys Honeydew Snow Foam.
I regularly find that a rinseless prewash to be helpful on ordinary and maintenance washes and it does noticeable get dirt off the vehicle.
Insight 1: I noticed that the initial spray of my prewash caused a lot of dirt to run off. So, I now note that if your pump sprayer or bug sprayer causes dirt to run off - then the best tactic is to just first rinse the vehicle of this free dirt with water. (I am unsure if a hose rinse or pressure wash makes a difference at this stage). If little runs, then skip the water rinse.
So, after rinsing the vehicle I went back to my comparisons.
Observations:
1: Neither of the rinseless washes had a noticeable effect on the winter grim.
2: I was disappointed that the other snow foams hardly removed the winter grim. I repeated the foam prewash with the Active foam and the Touchless and got about 20-25% of the dirt off the panel at best. I did notice in rubbing my finger on the left over dirt - the dirt was rubbing off easier after the repeat Active Foam and Touchless vs. all the other cleaning agents. This is just a subjective observation. I would give a slight edge to the Touchless for loosening the dirt on the second go round.
3. There was little additional cleaning effect to follow the rinseless washes with the snow foams without agitation. Also, the snow foams seem to have an slight edge on loosening stubborn dirt.
Insight 2: For me, the stubborn winter grim dirt can be cleaned two ways according to your personal preference. After the rinse for loose dirt, either prewash to help loosen dirt but don't expect much visual effect or just wash the car twice to effectively get the stubborn dirt you miss on the first pass. Overall, all the dirt will require effective agitation to wash off.
I had hoped that the alkaline wash solutions would have been more effective. Pan, I wish to suggest to you to include a separate alkaline wash soap to your annual product review for winter grime. Thanks again. I hope this is helpful to others.
Michael
A pre-treat or snow foam pre-wash doesn’t get the vehicle 100% clean. All those steps do is help to start removing a lot of the loose dirt and add lubrication before you enter the contact wash phase, to lower the chances of swirls or scratches.
You ALWAYS need to follow with a hand wash stage to get a 100% clean vehicle.
Thanks Pan. Always appreciated.
My pleasure!
I spray technicians choice purplicious (I like it pretty strong, a good 20% concentration), foam the car.. then I rinse it off and then foam again and then use a scrubber mitt on the second round of foam. Then I rinse that off and I soak the car in technicians choice tec582 at 50/50 concentration, you don't actually need much of this stuff but I like using a fair bit. Let it it sit for a minute and then rinse that off, towel dry and this lasts me quite long. The car lives outside and is sometimes under trees and most dirt falls right off for the first week. Has basically tripled my wash cycle (from every 10 days to every 30 days).
I thought the ceramic coating are supposed to do alot of the repelling of dirt and simplifying of cleaning ? Meaning that ceramic properties should remove alot of the dirt by just rinsing . I've had my vehicle paint corrected polished and ceramic coated and even after all that it spots horribly.
The ceramic coating doesn’t magically stay clean. What it does is provide self-cleaning properties, and what that means it makes the cleaning process much easier during your wash routine, in comparison to an uncoated vehicle.
Also, coated cars tend to “look” cleaner compared to uncoated vehicles in the same conditions. That doesn’t mean coated vehicles never get dirty though.
@@PanTheOrganizer trust me I understand the magically not clean part but considering the expense to save me a step or two in regular cleaning just seems I'm protecting "my appearance of a cleaner car" this is just my observation only. I do appreciate all of your expertise.
I have never been a pre-treat person on a coated vehicle before but not I believe this can be done, in a controlled environment, without harming the coating. Good video sir.
Pre-treatments with a rinseless wash or pre-washes with a snow foam, both on coated cars, is done often and is a good thing if done correctly.
A pre treat is totally worthwhile on a vehicle that’s heavily soiled. Personally I have never run into a vehicle dirty enough for me to pre treat however
When I go to the car wash in our building, I use my foam cannon first. Then I do the rest of my prep, letting the foam dwell. My car is black and shows every little scratch so I have to be super-careful. Thanks for doing this video and your explanation was spot on.
Thanks Greg!
Thanks again for the great video - always enjoy the detail you give us
My pleasure! It's nice of you to show your support with positive feedback by the way. Much appreciated.
Awesome video Pan! Very relevant. Phil from Miranda Details got me hooked on pre-treatmennts. Majority of my details involve a coating or paint sealant so using a citrus apc is pretty much a standard in my wash process. 👍
Yup, APC pre-treats on uncoated cars or cars that will be protected after the wash process is fine. I just don't recommend an APC pre-rinse for regular weekly washes on protected paint, as that could eventually wear down the protection over prolonged/repeated use.
It definitely works. I’d like to see this tested again with DIY only. I think it works a bit better at cleaning than absolute.
Great suggestion!
My Pre-treat go to is Bilt Hamber SurfexHD 😻 Great comparison Pan 😎
Thanks Luke!
Salut Pan merci c'est toujours un plaisir de voir ton contenu ❤ faudrait faire un sondage savoir combien de personnes comprennent pas l'anglais mais te suivent grâce au contenu que tu avait mit en français aussi
Personnellement je t'es connu par le contenu en français mais je suis très à l'aise en anglais (contrairement à beaucoup dans mon entourage)
During the winter, I use koch chemie teerwäsche first, let that work 3-4 min and then foam it with bilt hamber auto foam as my pre-treat.
I love BH Auto-Foam (in the winter I use BH Touch-Less).
@@PanTheOrganizer you should really try a round of koch tea first. Spray it on the lower parts and stop 30 cm from windows, avoid getting it on rubber. It destroy salt and the other gunk we get during the winter. Live in Norway so we a lot of snow, salt and winter grime. The combo of an petrol/solvent based degreaser and alkaline foam almost leaves a coated car 98% clean.
Is there a chance that the pre-rinse side looks better because it was wet and had a chance to sit and if you wet the water side with a light misting of water and let it sit for the same amount of time then maybe more would come off and be closer to the pre-rinse side? I know this isn’t what a “normal” process would be but then it would be “same” conditions.
Just like dishes in the sink…if you wet a dirty dry dish and let it soak for a min…even without soap then it comes off way easier when just using the sprayer.
what I do is I don't water pre-rinse but instead I used no streak ph neutral foam shampoo and foam all over my car and let it dwell for at least 3 to 5 minutes, after 5 minutes I rinse it with water and then contact wash. I lessen the water usage and the time. basically, I just reverse the process of pre-rinse and foam wash. the reason behind this is if I pre-rinse it with water and then foam gun it, the shampoo will just run down fast and be less effective.
Pan, that is a great idea for pre-rinse. That never crossed my mind to use P&S Absolute and I am definitely going to order those Marolex pump sprayers.
Cheers!
For winter washing and going touchless at least here in Sweden a petroleum based degreaser(door handles down) is needed and then to go over with e.g Bilt Hamber touch-less.
However the petroleum based I use maybe once a month, don't want to use that stuff to often. With that said never tried pre-treating! Interesting concept!
Also try out KEW quick connect if you can. I am running that on my cannon, lance, gun
It's hard to tell on camera unfortunately, but in person, the pre-treated side had a bit less of that surface dirt and grime, and also another thing that doesn't translate on camera is the added protection you get from the lubrication and the encapsulating chemistry of the rinseless wash BEFORE you spray a strong water pressure on the paint, compared to just driving that dirt in with the pressure alone.
And you can also combine a pre-spray of rinseless wash, then rinse, then foam with a proper snow foam (especially snow foams with better cleaning power like Bilt Hamber Auto-Foam or CarPro Lift), and then continue with the wash process. That way the paint will really be as clean as possible before the contact wash. The goal is always to try and remove as much of the loose dirt and debris before the contact wash.
I made a video showing if snow foams actually work here: th-cam.com/video/8j5dJUM8Fb4/w-d-xo.html
@@PanTheOrganizer Hey buddy! I do get the benefits with the pre-treat and shall try it out!
However what would be interesting is, which is very difficult to measure is how much damage there is, when
1) Power washing loose dirt first then applying foam and power washing again
2) Foaming then power washing
3) Doing a pre-treat then power wash, then foaming and then power washing again
the logical would be (best approach to worst) 3 -> 2 -> 1 but I guess measuring the difference in "damage" would be very difficult. The concept of having the paint as clean as possible when doing the mechanical steps is a given!
During winter time I try to touch the car as little as possible and try to keep the paint "clean" to the extent possible with a touchless washes. However as you mentioned the car does not ever get really clean with a touchless wash
I have the notion that pre-treating, let dwell, treat again, dwell, and do this so it soaks for longer, say 15 minutes or more, will release more dirt before any contact or rinsing, just like letting dishes soak. If you leave your car in the rain and it stays wet longer, it seems that there's less dirt afterward. I also think that if there's any dirt that low pressure is better, not acting as a sandblaster with a pressure washer.
Agreed. Also pump-spraying your car with distilled water after a heavy rain is almost as good a a drive-thru touchless wash.
@@TheBreakfastLover Agreed. If you do this while the debris is still wet, it should come off more easily, and a great idea if you don't have time for a proper cleaning, and with distilled you don't even necessarily need to dry it as no minerals are in the rinse water. If it's easy to carry your pump sprayer with you all the time, you might as well go ahead and add a bit of rinseless wash to the distilled water. Then you can rinse whenever you have a couple minutes or right after you leave a dirty environment or drive through a puddle.
What about an APC rinse? Would you do that on a coated or non coated car, and would you use a foam or sprayer pump?
The APC rinse I would only recommend on vehicles without any protection on the paint, or before doing decon, polishing, etc and applying protection.
APC have a higher pH and that can start to break down the protection after repeated use. Using a pH 11 to 13 APC even on a ceramic coating will eventually break the coating.
But on a non coated car, no problem. Unless you have a wax, it will break down the wax. But then you can reapply a layer after you're done washing.
Especially for us Canadians in the winter.
Totally!
Almost everyone use pre-wash
But the real question is
1. Can I pre wash which pH neutral soap? Compared to let say APC koch chemie greenstar
(If yes it follows question number two) Is ph neutral pre treat is safe enough for contact wash
2. Like in this video, pretreat with rinseless wash / apc VS just water
Even tho it looks " abit cleaner on pretreat side" is the Pre water wash only is JUST AS SAFE TO DO CONTACT WASH?
because obviously we're gonna do contact wash i prefer 2 bucket method. So is it clean to be safe enough?
Lets say this discussion apply to car wash once ever 1-2 weeks
For regular weekly washes, just use a pH neutral snow-foam and you can use that same soap in the bucket for the contact wash. I would avoid using APCs as a pre-treat if you have protection on the paint (wax, sealant or coating), as APCs are very high pH and are powerful degreasers which can weaken protection and sometimes start stripping it (like waxes which don't have much chemical resistance).
If you need a bit more "bite" and cleaning power from your snow foam in the pre-wash every once in a while, use something like CarPro Lift or Koch Chemie Active Foam, which are a bit higher on pH but still safe for ceramic coated cars.
@@PanTheOrganizer if im still want to do apc (not high ph snow foam) more frequently could i dilute more water to it? Yes i have sealant on my paint
Because diluting apc is way cheaper in my country. Carpro and other brands are extremely expensive
Pre-treat for sure. Next time , use DIY Detail Rinseless, it does a much better job than the 3 you showed.
Pan, I like your idea of using a prerinse treated with something like ONR to help loosen the dirt and to lubricate the surface prior to blasting it with a pressure stream of water, although I usually sheet a high volume, low velocity stream of water from a hose to rinse off the ONR. I then follow it with a foam gun solution that has the distilled water in it treated at the 256:1 ratio with ONR and then, finally, the hand wash using Optimum's M-Wash for my Opticoat Pro+ coated surface. I do a final spray rinse with distilled water and then blow it dry with the same EGo leaf blower; this I do once a week.
In between washings I drive it through a carwash and just spray the Opti-Coat no rinse on the car and then pressure rinse it off and then blow it dry; since it is an all-black car that shows every little spec of dirt and any contamination on the surface. About once a month, I like to apply some Gyeon Ceramic detailer to help maintain the SiO2 top coating on my Opticoat coating. About every 6 months I like to apply the Optimum Hyperseal as a heavier duty restorer for the SiO2 layer.
Thanks for all the interesting and helpful tips on car care.
Thanks for sharing your method too!
Solid video. Too bad you used Absolute. One of the RW with chemistry more focused on cleaning (N-914 or DIY Detail) would have made for a better compare. Look forward to that future update.
Salut Pan, I have a video idea… I have been intrigued with 2 steps touchless wash product like Image Wash Products or Chem-X. They are 2-step wash that gets your vehicle 85-95% clean without using mitts or brushes. Now this might be a good thing for getting rid of the salt and grim in our Quebec’s environments/road and just getting that almost clean look without wasting 1-2 hours hand washing… I have a Jeep Rubicon 4xe 2022 and there’s a lot of nooks and crannies for that daily winter and off-road grim… Also, it might be a good idea for people that go to manual self-service car wash, could be applied with a pump sprayer. What do you think? Btw great video, love your work keeps it up.
Thanks Eric! I haven't tried the products you mentioned, so I have no opinion on those hehe.
Thanks for the useful comparison! I have been using rinseless washes for much of the past year, and have pre-treating the car with good success. However, watching this video makes me think that I have not been using enough solution at the pre-treatment stage (no drain in my garage for winter washes😅) Very helpful! btw I never noticed if the driver or passenger side was dirtier- just the rear🤔
Just the video I wanted - it makes so much sense to pre-treat before hitting it with the pressure washer! Do you think a stronger dilution would have made a difference in lifting the dirt?
No, as the rinseless wash needs to be specifically diluted at 256:1 for use as a rinseless. Stronger dilutions are for use as quick detailers and clay lubes.
@@PanTheOrganizer ohh I see, thank you very much and keep up the amazing work! 👏
Thanks! Welcome to my channel. You discovered one of the biggest car detailing channels on TH-cam as we surpassed 845,000 subscribers and 106 million views! I have been detailing for 25 years and I love to share my knowledge and passion with my viewers.
You found the right channel to help you learn everything about detailing.
Definitely a clear difference! I've been doing this for years and have tested it side by side many times. Rinseless pre-treat wins every time for loosening dirt/film prior to pressure rinse.
Have you ever tried any of the dedicated salt removal products? I've been using something called Salts Gone (applied with a foam cannon) as an additional pre-treat step prior to pressure washing. So I apply rinseless (let it dwell), then Salts Gone (give it some dwell time as well), and I also adjust my foam cannon to a narrow stream to try to get into the suspension/fender areas as well as under my SUVs as much as I can). It seems to work pretty well and I haven't noticed any degradation to the standalone spray sealants I am currently using.
I feel like the dirt and grime helps hold the pre treat and let it do a better job.
Hi Jeff. I haven't tested products like Salts Gone, but I think my buddy Phil (from the Auto Fanatic TH-cam channel uses those types of products often).
I am for pre treating. It's the way to go as the first step in washing your vehicle. 💯
Thanks for sharing David!
This is a great way to save yourself from paint correction down the road.
😁
Pan, DIY Rinseless, once I tried it I forgot the others, its surfactant + polymer based so have both technologies on it. Its just super effective and even more versatile. I guess that it will win you 2023 rinseless award. I have tried 914 (my previous favorite), ONR, Uber, Griots, P&S, DIY & ADG, all are good but DIY is tha best!
I just received Absolute today. I have ONR/N-914. I will be ordering DIY soon 😬 this stuff is addictive.
Wow DIY Rinseless is that good huh might have to order it tonight!
Yes it's very good. Still testing it long term currently.
@@J1Z06 damn right it is,but rinseless are so versatile that you are going to use them anyway
@@jbpasion071 telling ya, in my opinion it is
Great vid. I always pre rinse with either diy details rinse less or absolute.
Thanks!
That was a paaaaaaaaaantastic job rite there
Thanks Mike!
Would a heavy foaming worked better? Forensic Detailing just did a similar video with a foam gun and was pretty impressive results.
Using a snow foam for the pre-wash (especially snow foams that have cleaning potential like Bilt Hamber Auto-Foam and CarPro Lift) are better yes. And you can also combine a pre-spray of rinseless wash, then rinse, then foam with a proper snow foam, and then continue with the wash process. That way the paint will really be as clean as possible before the contact wash. The goal is always to try and remove as much of the loose dirt and debris before the contact wash.
I made a video showing if snow foams actually work here: th-cam.com/video/8j5dJUM8Fb4/w-d-xo.html
@@PanTheOrganizer I’ll check it out. Thanks Pan
Pretreat with Super Clean 10:1 ratio. I’ve also pretreated in the past using ONR. Today when I go outside in the rain I will try using 1oz of Chemical Guys Wash & Gloss in 2 gallons of water inside of an air pressurized Tint Keg which has the capability of foaming👍
why not 5:1 or streight?
@@redsresearch in my opinion that’s a bit too strong on the paint panels and trim.. on the back of the gallon jug . 7:1 ration is recommended for carpet and fender wells. I actually caused fading to my plasm window trim even with a10:1 ratio. So no I stick to APC for carpets and tires that’s all. Good luck 👍
why tires and not paint
Hey Pan!! I always preform my BMW first before rising. I been using Carpro lift.. always best.. the OG wash method that Matt’s does is only when the car has light dusting on the car.
And you can also combine a pre-spray of rinseless wash, then rinse, then foam with a proper snow foam (especially snow foams with better cleaning power like Bilt Hamber Auto-Foam or CarPro Lift), and then continue with the wash process. That way the paint will really be as clean as possible before the contact wash. The goal is always to try and remove as much of the loose dirt and debris before the contact wash.
@@PanTheOrganizer absolutely!! I’m getting ready to pick up a 2023 M3 Comp in green color. I want to change things up a bit.. I am going to try that
I can see a pretreat with the rinseless OR the foaming before mechanical wash, but both?? I use the GTecniq foam source, let dwell, rinse then foam with the remainder and then have Gwash in buckets with microfiber towels, flipping sides when necessary
And you can also combine a pre-spray of rinseless wash, then rinse, then foam with a proper snow foam (especially snow foams with better cleaning power like Bilt Hamber Auto-Foam or CarPro Lift), and then continue with the wash process. That way the paint will really be as clean as possible before the contact wash. The goal is always to try and remove as much of the loose dirt and debris before the contact wash.
I made a video showing if snow foams actually work here: th-cam.com/video/8j5dJUM8Fb4/w-d-xo.html
Thanks!
Welcome! What’s your favourite video on my TH-cam channel so far Tom?
@@PanTheOrganizer All of them... I learn sooo much every video!
Thanks I really appreciate that feedback. There are over 800 videos on my channel so far, and wait until you see all the new ones I have planned in the coming weeks. 😁
Good video! You should try P&S mud blaster as a pre treat. Seen good things on it.
Love watching these videos just to drool over this stunning porsche 👍
Hehe thanks Charles! I often find myself just going into my garage, sit down, enjoy listening to some music just to look at the Porsche.
I did a pure touchless wash this past weekend using only Bilt Hamber Touchless in the IK foam sprayer and power rinse off. Blown away with how good the results were and so fast. I’d say removed 90+% of road film. Perfect for removing road salt and the car will just get dirt again the next day.
And you can also combine a pre-spray of rinseless wash, then rinse, then foam with a proper snow foam (especially snow foams with better cleaning power like Bilt Hamber Auto-Foam or CarPro Lift), and then continue with the wash process. That way the paint will really be as clean as possible before the contact wash. The goal is always to try and remove as much of the loose dirt and debris before the contact wash.
I made a video showing if snow foams actually work here: th-cam.com/video/8j5dJUM8Fb4/w-d-xo.html
I'm in the UK. The first and last two links are coming up in Canadian dollars for the UK section. The Canadian links are all in Canadian dollars. The US section is all coming up in British pounds! This may be down to how the sites detect your location. Just thought I'd point it out.
That’s usually because I can’t find the stuff in the appropriate countries so I will link sites that can ship to other countries.
Pan what timing!!! I just got in from doing both our cars this morning. I live in New England so my car looked a lot like yours. My wife's car is a garage queen so it wasn't bad. But I rinsed with my pressure washer, then pretreated with ONR then did my rinseless touch wash with the big black sponge. I ended up claying my car using the 10/1 bead/dreammaker mix as my lubricant. Then dried the car using DIY's ceramic gloss spray as my drying aid and it came out great. So when I got in and saw this video I had to laugh at the timing.
:)
Great video Pan.
Thanks Danny!
Always enjoy learning tips and products from you and other experts in car detailing industry. I gained so much knowledge.
Thanks Pan! I was wondering about either doing this or just using a foam cannon with bilt hamber inside of it after winter here in Wisconsin!!! Maybe both!!!!!
Bilt Hamber Touch-Less or Snow Foam will for sure clean the surface better before a contact wash.
And you can also combine a pre-spray of rinseless wash, then rinse, then foam with a proper snow foam (especially snow foams with better cleaning power like Bilt Hamber Auto-Foam or CarPro Lift), and then continue with the wash process. That way the paint will really be as clean as possible before the contact wash. The goal is always to try and remove as much of the loose dirt and debris before the contact wash.
Hi Pan
Another day where I learn something 😎
I will do on my future washes a pre treatment with absolut( from P&S not the vodka😂)
Thanks for the tipp looking forward for the next one ☝️
Cheers from France 🇫🇷
Cheers Francis!
Hi Pan: What lighting would you recommend for my garage beyond the hand held inspection light you use? My garage space is pretty dim as is. Love your channel, your attention to detail (no pun intended) and professionalism. Thanks for investing your precious time to make us all better home detailers! Keep up the good work. Your videos are truly inspirational. Kendall from Winnipeg
Thanks for the kind words Kendall. How did you discover my channel by the way? Welcome to my channel. You discovered one of the biggest car detailing channels on TH-cam as we surpassed 845,000 subscribers and 106 million views! I have been detailing for 25 years and I love to share my knowledge and passion with my viewers.
You found the right channel to help you learn everything about detailing.
Depending on how big your garage is, and how tall your ceilings are, high bay fixtures are usually the way to go. Some like these: bit.ly/3j0EAFr
Here are other lighting solutions for the garage: bit.ly/3UdrhPl
And you can watch a detailed tour of my garage where I also talk about my lighting: th-cam.com/video/wx6HTBAzeXI/w-d-xo.html
I purchased a new “toy” last year after a multi year search; a pristine low mileage 2010 M-B SLK350 (one of 3 in Manitoba; mine is the only red one) which I aspire to care for as you do for your amazing Porsche. The car is in storage now through our winter, so I’ve used the time to scour the Internet for detailing options come the Spring….Larry with Ammo NYC was my first detailing deep dive, yours my second. You’ve hooked me with your meticulous attention to doing the best in all aspects of your life, your tireless work ethic and for your unsolicited product recommendations. Your guests are top notch….Ivan Lecroix and Chris Gallahar to name a few. I’m all set to go from pre-rinse to graphene coating once the snow goes. And thanks for your lighting recommendations! Keep up the amazing work! Kendall
Awesome video and comparison good friend
Thank you 👍
Pan great comparison video. I would like to see you do a Pretreat comparison between Griots Surface Wash vs. Rinseless Wash or the Griots versus a similar Pretreat product.
The best pre-wash snow foam (for cleaning properties) I have found to date is Bilt Hamber Auto-Foam and Bilt Hamber Touch-Less. As shown in my snow foams comparison here: th-cam.com/video/8j5dJUM8Fb4/w-d-xo.html
I used to pre Rinse, but not pre treat onto dry panel with apc , sometimes with a foam on top to extend dwell
Should have just foamed on some diy rinseless and then rinsed
Definitely a fan of pre-treating. Especially on a very dirty vehicle. Doesn’t make sense to pressure blast all those contaminants into the paint when you can safely lubricate and incapsulate them first
Thanks for watching. How did you discover my channel by the way?
Welcome to my channel. You discovered one of the biggest car detailing channels on TH-cam as we surpassed 850,000 subscribers and 106 million views! I have been detailing for 25 years and I love to share my knowledge and passion with my viewers.
You found the right channel to help you learn everything about detailing.
What are your thoughts on the right out of the gate going straight to foam instead of rinsing first. Some rumors say rinsing the car before foaming makes it not quite as clean. Compared to right out of gate foaming with no rinse
You're in luck Haik! I made a video specifically on that topic here: th-cam.com/video/16SwGBQ29rs/w-d-xo.html
please test Chem X Stars n Chem X Stripes. I use it. followed by their Snake oil ceramic protection you spray on and wash off. the stars is applied to dwell for 2 minutes. then you foam on Stripes to neutralize the Stars. let dwell one more minute and then rinse the whole car. it gets off 90 percent of grime and spots. it's the closest thing to a complete contactless wash I've used.
Merci pour cette autres excellents sujet. Question hors contexte de ce video, je vois que n’installe aucune protection plastique transparente comme 3M sur tes voitures. Je n’est vu aucun video de ta part sur le sujet. Peut t’on toute de même cirer ou ajouter des protection par dessus une pellicule plastique 3M, devrai-je en installer ou pas sur mon véhicule neuf? Je devrais le recevoir sous peu et me questionne beaucoup a se sujet. Je veux faire un entretien esthétique exemplaire et le conserver longtemps. Merci! Pascal.
Hi Pan. I think that I saw a nail stuck on your rear left tyre. You might wanna check it.
It’s just a pebble hehe.
A year and a half already, the 911 turbo s still looks beautiful!
Absolutely! :)
I'm a big fan of using bilt hamber auto foam as pretreatment. I find it gets it 80 percent clean. Then contact wash to finish it off.
And you can also combine a pre-spray of rinseless wash, then rinse, then foam with a proper snow foam (especially snow foams with better cleaning power like Bilt Hamber Auto-Foam or CarPro Lift), and then continue with the wash process. That way the paint will really be as clean as possible before the contact wash. The goal is always to try and remove as much of the loose dirt and debris before the contact wash.
@@PanTheOrganizerwould you do this on a car that haven't been cleaned in years?
Nice video Pan. I'm a Ivan convert to rinseless myself.😄
In the pursuit of efficiency, what do you think about pretreat with rinseless, dwell, then instead of rinsing, spray with snowfoam & let dwell, then contact wash since you will have the dirt already encapsulated from the rinseless and the lubrication from the rinseless & snowfoam?
I'm thinking that after the 2 dwell periods, there will be hardly, if any dirt on the vehicle when you hit it with the contact wash. Then 1 rinse at the end, eliminating a rinse in the process.
Not too sure how the snow foam would interact with the rinseless wash if it was left on the surface. You would have to test and see.
@Pan The Organizer Ahhh...another video topic/test for ya! 😉
I would use the pressure washer to blow off what can be blown off, then pretreatment. Then wash. Why would it have to be either or? The more dirt removed by the pressure means less dirt that needs to be encapsulated.
But won't the 120 psi pressure drive the grit into or across the paint surface, producing scratches or marring?
It's hard to tell on camera unfortunately, but in person, the pre-treated side had a bit less of that surface dirt and grime, and also another thing that doesn't translate on camera is the added protection you get from the lubrication and the encapsulating chemistry of the rinseless wash BEFORE you spray a strong water pressure on the paint, compared to just driving that dirt in with the pressure alone.
And you can also combine a pre-spray of rinseless wash, then rinse, then foam with a proper snow foam (especially snow foams with better cleaning power like Bilt Hamber Auto-Foam or CarPro Lift), and then continue with the wash process. That way the paint will really be as clean as possible before the contact wash. The goal is always to try and remove as much of the loose dirt and debris before the contact wash.
What if you were to mix a rinseless wash with an APC and then foam it on. Would that give you the best of both worlds? A combination of surfactants,emulsifiers and encapsulation with the dwell time of foam seems like a possible winning combination.
I don't recommend mixing chemicals without knowing about chemical compatibility. Especially not a pH neutral cleaner with a high pH APC.
Definitely pre-rinse but you should always snow foam onto a dry paint after pre-rinse treatment or would you just snow foam straight after the pre-rinse treatment?
I prefer to use the snow foam on dry paint now. Let it dwell, then rinse. Refoam, and start the contact wash.
There are many different ways to wash a car. Do some tests, and find which process works best for you in your situation. Experimenting is so fun.
Hey Pan great video as always! Any knowledge on how to clean/maintain plasti dip paint? Whether on the car or rims
I have never detailed a plasti-dipped paint unfortunately.
So what’s the ideal sequence now for a maintenance wash with a car that has protection ?
Pre-treat with rinsless wash then rinse then pre-wash snow foam then rinse then foam and contact wash ?
From a distance, that car looks so clean, I can’t imagine touching it…but I see the amount of road grime, it’s awful! Pan, you need a winter driver!!! If you can’t avoid a contact-less wash, I would not waste time and money with a pre-treatment….but that’s just me.
I would say I wouldn’t drive my Porsche in Canadian winter… but I don’t have a Porsche and it’s always winter in Canada… commenting from south Florida
Haha! Yeah my Turbo S is actually the best winter car I have ever owned. Cars are meant to be driven and enjoyed. I also wash it twice weekly and it’s still in mint/pristine condition. One could never tell that it has been through Canadian winters. ;)