Foam Gun Pluses and Minuses

I can't think of even one reason. IMO all it does is waste soap and water, most of which will be on the ground before you get around to all the panels. The soap that comes out of a foam gun isn't special, so I fail to see any benefit from a gun vs. just loading up your wash mitt with solution, which won't be wasted. And you are right, a foam gun will use a LOT more soap. What kind of wax do you use? I use P21S soap too; love the apple scent! For beauty wax I used to use P21S but have switched to Pinnacle Souveran. Both are superb.

A foam cannon is a different animal though. It's used with a pressure washer and covers the car with "snow" which sits there and doesn't drip off much. That requires special soap and is more concentrated than what comes out of a gun. I've used both a gun and a cannon, and I just don't see the benefit of either one over just using the two-bucket method with a wash solution.

 

Personally I like the foam cannon with the pressure washer. Less time messing with the bucket, and it allows me to get the car to soak while I make my way around. It does require more soap if that’s a major concern, but I think it was something like 4oz per use total since it’s such a small car.

 

Totally agree with Dave here. I thought the foam cannon was going to be the greatest, nope. First of all by the time I set up the power washer the whole process is twice as long. My 599 is not that big, the two bucket method gets me done with the wash step in 10 minutes including the wheels. Same goes for the air cannon. If I had 4 of them running at the same time like the car wash that would be great, but I don't. I blade the car down in less than 4 minutes and then finish with chamois and micro towels. The snow gun and air cannon stay on the shelf.

 

Used a foam cannon and if you were local you could have it.

Similar comments to above. I prefer two bucket method. Let’s you get up an personnel with your car as well!

 

I was never able to to get all the way around the car properly, using the microfiber mitt to wash the car, before the foam started to dry on the other side of the car.

It’s a neat concept, but it doesn’t work in a warm climate especially.


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Foam Cannon is to pre wash to minimize marring during the contact wash. Foam Cannon will not get grime off

2 bucket wash is a bit outdated. People now use 4-5 mits and 2 buckets so you always pull out a non contaminated mitt. Mitts are cheap

Usually use 3 oz of carsoap in foam cannon, and in contact wash bucket with my 4 mitts. Soap is cheap. Scratches are not. Buy in gallon size. I'm using jaxwax graphene shampoo. Foam, rinse, then contact wash, rinse, blower dry, touch up with a quick detailer and microfiber. Ceramic coating. Makes this porcess easier

If you are just getting dust off (car has been sitting in garage) foam only step with blow dry is ok.

People think the thicker the foam the better so companies make it this way to cater to ignorant people. You actually want a runny foam that pulls the dirt to the floor and off your car




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Well, I like foam cannons and I use one regularly on my 458. It is used with low pressure Karcher power washer and Griot’s Garage premium BOSS foam cannon. I use the foaming surface wash with it (not the surface prep) and it prolongs the life of the wax on the car.

I also have a foam gun (connects to a regular garden hose), but I rarely use it anymore as the cannon is so much better. I do not care for the bucket method with the grit guards. The foam cannon loosens most of the grime and after a rinse, I feel much better about using a micro fibre mitt on the surface.

I use the one-side, one swipe approach with the mitts… They are dunked into clean water only with the soap. After a single swipe, the mitt is turned over (on the unused side) and used for one more single swipe. Then, it’s tossed into the dirty bucket and *not* reused.

Takes a lot of mitts but who cares, they are cheap and I do not want to push dirty water around on the paint. The Griot’s foam cannon also has a super high gloss foaming Poly Gloss product that is awesome… It is used after the initial foam and the mitt wipes.

The initial foam lingers for a bit and then falls off, carrying some grime with it. Then the single wipe, single side mitt protocol, then the ultra gloss foam if desired. I use Griot’s Garage products and they work well. Other products work also, but I don’t use them as I’ve used the Griots stuff for a looooong time… I actually still had hair when I first used their products on my three SonderKlasse Benzes.

I also use their deioniser (the big one that looks like a scuba tank) and I never get water spots. It’s such a timesaver and a back saver! So, I love foam cannons and consider them a critical first step before the single side/swipe mitt application. It works for me, so I keep doing it. [emoji3]

No affiliation with Griot’s, I just like their products.

Cheers!

 

I learned a lot from this thread. I should be using 4 or 5 mitts per wash and washing 11 panels and four wheels/tires (not including windows and windshield) should take me 40 seconds each!

 

Never never mix the tools you use for wheels with what you use on the car. Brake dust is very very bad for things and it can embed into surfaces. You should have dedicated mits for wheels only and a dedicated bucket for wheels that is a different color than your other buckets. Personally I use wheel woolies (get the name brand and not imitations) and a mitt for the faces and a lug nut brush. I use 3 oz of soap in a bucket.

I foam cannon the car and wheels, and as the foam dwells, I do the contact wash with the wheel bcuket and tools then rinse the whole car and wheels. Then imdo a contact wash with the multiple mitts only for the car only

Remember that the foam needs about about 5 minutes or more to dwell and pull the dirt off. I use this time to hit the wheels as the foam dwells on the car.

Wheels,are generally powder coated so they don't scratch as easily as the car paint.

You could also use a wheel cleanser. I like Jaxwax ultimate wheel cleaner. But these wheel cleaners are harsh chemicals and if you wash your wheels frequently as I described, you don't need to subject your wheels to these harsh chemicals.

Detailers or car washing services rarely do all this. They will short cut. High end detailer will and that why their washes cost so much. Typically they spray wheel cleaner, foam the car, don't rinse, contact wash with a mit and then rinse the whole thing.

Detailers are also not that worried about marring your car as they will just polish out the swirls (and charge you). I've never had to have touch up paint correction beyond the initial paint correction when I first get cars and I have held onto cars for as long as 5 years and simply use these processes.

I know my mehods sounds like a lot, but it isn't really that much more time than a regular wash by the average Joe once you get into the groove. And of course you need to find some sort of enjoyment is washing your car and having some alone time like I do.

 

I have used foam cannons and like them. Remember the main purpose of soap is to lubricate - not clean. The soap helps remove the dirt, dust and grime by lubricating the surface so you don't scratch the clearcoat. The more soap, the more lubrication and thus less scratching. As far as wax removal, the type of soap you use will be important to whether it strips your wax.

I used to do the two bucket process - too much of a pain in the a$$. I use good quality soap in a foam cannon and try to keep the car clean so there is not any coarse dirt between cleanings. If you do your research, you will find that most of the scratches come from drying the car - that is why you should use a leaf blower. There are plenty of videos from professional detailers online to help understand how to protect your paint.

 

I would add that you need to be very careful about what cleaning products you put on your rims/callipers/carbon ceramic rotors. Some of these products are fine for steel rotors, but may damage CCR’s.

For this reason, I place a cover over the entire wheel when using any foam/cleaner/gloss enhancer. This prevents any potentially damaging products from touching the rotors.

I have tried to get specific info from some manufacturers on using their cleaning products on CCR’s without success. All I can get is: “Ugh, maybe it’s ok, or maybe not.” Or something cheeky that defines the word - vague.

As a result, I will not use anything on the complete wheel/rotor assembly except deionised water. If I want to clean the OZ Racing rims, I take them off the car so there is no worry about damaging the rotors.

I just don’t trust that these types of cleaning products will not cause problems with the rotors… Maybe I’m overly cautious, but it’s better to be safe than sorry… My two pence worth, adjusted to £2.50 for inflation.

Cheers!

 

Car soap and water should be fine for carbon ceramic. All my other cars have steel rotors and I have occasionally used a wheel cleaner on them. But have not on carbon cermic. Just soap and water


http://statusdetail.com/cleaning-wheels-with-carbon-ceramic-brakes/


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I detail cars for a living. Most of the guys on this forum have spent a substantial sum of their hard earned cash on a Ferrari yet some balk at spending more than an hour when washing their car.
I spend a considerable time at high end dealerships correcting paint defects caused by poor washing techniques and equipment.
The biggest cause for paint damage i see is drying the car with a squeegee blade. Yeah its quick and easy, but!, you only need to trap one tiny piece of grit on the blade and it causes multiple damage to the paint.
Much better to blow the car down ( Makita UB1103 small compact ) then finish with a microfibre towel.
Can you guys get Autosmart products in the USA?
Most of their products are PH neutral and will not strip wax from a car, i swear by a good pre wash snow foam like Snowfoam Pro, delivered correctly via a foam lance it simply breaks up the dirt on the car whilst you get to work on your wheels.
As with any washing chemical, never, ever wash your car in direct sunlight or high temps.
Its a contentious subject washing a car, if you are happy with your regime and it gives the desired results you are after then simply carry on, its your car after all.
Different matter when its not your car and at times worth more than your house!

 

Maybe a dumb question but. So you use 5 mits and wipe once on each side and then you don't use them again. Do you throw them out when done washing and use only new mits for each wash job?

 

No. You use both sides. You have one bucket where they are in soapy water and another empty bucket. Used kits gomin empty bucket. When done you run through washing machine with a little detergent and double rinse cycle then store mits for next time.

 

So let’s say you have a mitt you use for the lower part of the car or even the wheels. Once you wash in the washing machine do you still need to keep it separate from the other mitts?

 

That's a really small blower. I use a much bigger one and no need to touch with a towel. Takes longer but better results.

 

You always work top down. Yes you can wash the mitts that you touched to the bottom of the car withe the others. Wash with a little detergent, and an ounce of vinegar then double rinse cycle.

Never mix anything used on wheels with other thing. Have a different color bucket and different color mitsfor wheels. You will need more than a mitt for wheels. I use Wheel woolies (get the real ones, not the imitations) and 1 mot for the wheels and a lug nut brush. They all live in an orange bucket and I rinse those with my hose outside.

 

Thanks for the info! Lots to learn and it is very difficult to keep from getting scratches in the paint. Every little thing you can do will ultimately help.

 

Reach out to me anytime. You can benefit from years of trial and error.