ilogikal1 Posted January 31, 2014 Share Posted January 31, 2014 I was involved in a discussion elsewhere regarding the virtues of snow foaming mainly but also other pre-washes. As I have too much time on my hands today I decided to do a write up and thought I'd share it here too. The theory put forward was that you can achieve as much by simply blasting the dirt away with just a pressure washer as you can by using a snow foam (basically that foaming doesn't actually do anything), thus making snow foam little more than a costly gimmick. So I decided to test this theory (largely due to my enjoyment of saying "I told you so" to the proposer of this theory ). I also decided to do the same with the citrus pre-wash at the same time, just for the sake of it and I had some to hand anyway. Method; take one filthy Z, apply pre-wash to half the car, allow to dwell, rinse the entire car, present the results. Passenger side will be snow foamed, driver side will be citrus pre-washed. On the rear, half will be foamed, half will be citrus to see which, if either, is the more effective cleaner. The pre-washes in question; I was only using what I had to hand, however these are both currently widely considered to be amongst the best in their respective field. Citrus Power is used neat whereas Autofoam is slightly more involved as it requires a 4-8% solution to hit the panel to be most effective (according to posts from Bilt Hamber on Detailing World), so a bucket, 30 seconds of my time and a bit of maths later I had the correct amount of solution in the lance for exactly 5% solution to hit the panel ready to go. So we begin with one very filthy car; Autofoam was then applied to the (already slightly cleaner) passenger side, as such; And Citrus Power to the driver's side; And both to the rear; All of which was allowed to dwell for 10 minutes. Which looked like this; Autofoam Citrus Power Both The entire car was then thoroughly rinsed which left it looking like this (please note, this is the result of an entirely touchless wash); Which all looks lovely and whatnot. What you might be able to see (particularly on the Autofoam side as that had, had a little longer to sheet the rinse water) is a definite line of remaining traffic film impeding sheeting (about level with the bottom of the door handle on that side in the first picture), demonstrating that neither foam nor citrus pre-wash is a replacement for the usual contact wash stage. The car wash then left to dry for an hour or two to show the difference better. So without further ado, here are the 'result' pictures, from which you may make your own conclusions. Autofoam side; Which looks pretty even. Until you get a bit closer; I will draw your attention, in particular, to this area right above here ^^^^ It may not be obvious in the photo, but in person you can clearly see where the foam has run down the panel. And the Citrus Power side; The difference is more evident here. I will just remind you though that the foam side was cleaner to start with. And for those who are wondering what cleans better, Autofoam or Citrus Power, here are the results of that one; Autofoam side; Citrus Power side; Which better demonstrates Autofoam's cleaning power as, to me, it's fairy even between Autofoam and Citrus Power. I will add that Autofoam is, in my personal opinion, the best foam I've tried in terms of cleaning power (to quantify that statement my previous foams include Megs Hyperwash, AD Magifoam [blue & purple versions], VP PH Neutral, and AF Avalanche). So for me it comes down to cost which breaks down as such; I used exactly 400ml of Autofoam to get the 5% on the panel (which was enough to foam the entire car as well, after this test). Previously I when I've done the whole car with Citrus Power I also used roughly 350-400ml. Autofoam is £17 for 5 litres and Citrus Power is £35 for 5 litres at the time of writing. Oh, and foaming just looks way cooler too. So there's that. And anyone still reading by this point may be glad to know that I did a full & proper foam and 2 bucket wash immediately after the last photo was taken so the poor Z is all clean and shiny again, but it started raining just as I finished up so I have no evidence of that so you'll just have to believe me. 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ZEUS Posted January 31, 2014 Share Posted January 31, 2014 Wow you really did have too much time on your hands today ! Good experiment though Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
peteman35 Posted January 31, 2014 Share Posted January 31, 2014 Awesome write up I always find all prewashes a waste of time unless the car has a good coat of wax on it Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ilogikal1 Posted January 31, 2014 Author Share Posted January 31, 2014 Good point, and on that note I did forget to mention that the car in question is currently very well protected with various combinations of C2v3, FK1000P and/or AW Desirable. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GMballistic Posted January 31, 2014 Share Posted January 31, 2014 (edited) Great pictures, write up and interesting test ilogikal1 as usual. I always jet wash, then Demon wash snow foam the entire car, jet wash off, then use Meg's Gold class shampoo, then jet wash off & dry. Seems to work well for me as I get great water beading off my car in the rain & dirt doesn't seem to stick but then that may also be down to the wax I use every two weeks. What do you think? Zed look's great btw. Edited January 31, 2014 by GMballistic Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
peteman35 Posted January 31, 2014 Share Posted January 31, 2014 Good point, and on that note I did forget to mention that the car in question is currently very well protected with various combinations of C2v3, FK1000P and/or AW Desirable. Im gunna give fk1000p a go this year.. Whats it like to apply? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ilogikal1 Posted January 31, 2014 Author Share Posted January 31, 2014 Im gunna give fk1000p a go this year..Whats it like to apply? It's an absolute delight to work with. It needs to be applied thinly for it to buff off with little effort, but it's so easy work it's not a problem getting thin layers. I always jet wash, then Demon wash snow foam the entire car, jet wash off, then use Meg's Gold class shampoo, then jet wash off & dry. Seems to work well for me as I get great water beading off my car in the rain & dirt doesn't seem to stick but then that may also be down to the wax I use every two weeks. What do you think? Personally I prefer to foam onto a dry car rather than pre-rinse as I find a wet panel encourages the foam to sheet off quicker which reduced the contact/cleaning time. That said, if it's a thick foam that tends not to run, it will be an advantage. The beading and dirt repellent effect will be due to the wax, if you're topping up every 2 weeks your car should be well protected. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GMballistic Posted January 31, 2014 Share Posted January 31, 2014 Thanks for the reply. It is a thick foam tbh and I quite like it as it seems to go on really well ~ car is totally white by the time it's all on and stays like it for a few minutes before it starts to slide off or I wash it off. Yeah I did think the beading/dirt repellent may be down more to the amount of waxing I'm doing. Never liked the look of a car as much as I do my Zed so I feel it deserves the attention, plus it's keeping me fit. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spatt Posted February 5, 2014 Share Posted February 5, 2014 Good work... interesting results.. i use neither 'pre wash' methods but i had thought about a snow foam blaster. If i got one as a gift i would use it but i think that a normal hose pipe works fine for me.. don't even use a pressure washer. Is there a product that comes in a spray bottle i can put on my car before I hose it for the first time? save me the hassle of getting out a pressure washer? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ilogikal1 Posted February 5, 2014 Author Share Posted February 5, 2014 Citrus Power comes in a spray bottle (unless you get 5 litre sizes) but works out to be quite expensive - although there are currently a few 3 for 2 offers on Auto Finesse products at the moment. A lot of people recommend Valet Pro Citrus Pre-Wash as an efficient, cost effective alternative to Citrus Power which is applied by spray bottle and you can adjust the concentration as required with that too. You'll still get the most benefit when used in conjunction with a pressure washer though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ekona Posted February 5, 2014 Share Posted February 5, 2014 Excellent write up, and a perfect example of why I don't bother with pre-washing at all. I used to use the foam, but all it did was add time when a quick rinse with a hose does pretty much exactly the same thing. I don't even bother with the jet wash any more, unless I'm doing the arches (any car) or the front rads (on the 911). For me, all it does is add time and a proper contact wash with a good shampoo and wash mitt gives a billionty percent better result. All IMHO, not knocking you at all Ilogikal as I find your take on detailing fascinating and I've picked up more than a good few hints off you over the years Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
delz0r Posted February 5, 2014 Share Posted February 5, 2014 + 1 for Valet Pro Citrus Pre-Wash. I spray it on the car if its really really dirty then powerwash off before I begin my usual wash routine. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spatt Posted February 5, 2014 Share Posted February 5, 2014 Excellent write up, and a perfect example of why I don't bother with pre-washing at all. I used to use the foam, but all it did was add time when a quick rinse with a hose does pretty much exactly the same thing. I don't even bother with the jet wash any more, unless I'm doing the arches (any car) or the front rads (on the 911). For me, all it does is add time and a proper contact wash with a good shampoo and wash mitt gives a billionty percent better result. All IMHO, not knocking you at all Ilogikal as I find your take on detailing fascinating and I've picked up more than a good few hints off you over the years +1 As i said a quick hose down for me.. its good to blast the sills, arches and underside with a power wash every now and then but if you've got enough wax on should just fall off the paint... Also washing the car twice a week helps haha Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GIXXERUK Posted February 5, 2014 Share Posted February 5, 2014 (edited) Wash it in the rain if it's dirty No need to pre wash or rinse And you confirm to the neighbours you really are mental Edited February 5, 2014 by GIXXERUK 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ilogikal1 Posted February 5, 2014 Author Share Posted February 5, 2014 All IMHO, not knocking you at all Ilogikal as I find your take on detailing fascinating and I've picked up more than a good few hints off you over the years No worries, the reason I chose to share this was so people could make up their own minds on whether they want to pre-wash or not. I'm glad I've been of some use at times though. It makes a refreshing change. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
M13KYF Posted February 5, 2014 Share Posted February 5, 2014 great write up Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
downhuman Posted February 6, 2014 Share Posted February 6, 2014 Good job mate... I've given up on snow foam as it blocks the neighbours drain and they get shirty so apc spray down for me Sent from my HTC One using Tapatalk Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stutopia Posted February 6, 2014 Share Posted February 6, 2014 Nice test and write up, also thanks for sharing. I'll be battling on with snow foam, given there's not much evidence here to suggest it's the wrong choice, and it's way more fun! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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