Oh yes bottom to top I get those comments every video your explanation is spot on Doctor snowfoamburger missing my best mate I’ve got the Waxstock blues 😢😢
Agree with you and Paul -- same info & reasons as Alan (Mr President) Medcraf conveys at all his demos. 👍 I apply APC/CItrus first on dry paint and then foam on top to soak while i get the buckets ready -- need to adjust timings for these tropical summers we get in sunny Aberdeen just now, when letting it dwell.
Completely agree with this method of applying and rinsing, and well explained too. I can tell you that this does make a difference for me. In the winter time my car doesn't get too many hand washes, and will mostly get a citrus / pre wash, with foam straight over the top of that, and then rinse off. Before, when I rinsed from top to bottom, there would definitely be less dirt removed than when I rinse from bottom to top, because it's more methodical and for me it means I don't miss bits that I would if I were just rinsing off the foam, as opposed removing dirt from the car. Wet or dry to begin with? Seen some fair old arguments about this on DW, I do both as I see fit, and again, there are cases for both. If you have some thick mud on the car for example, no point foaming onto that the foam can only clean what it touches, and won't necessarily penetrate through thick mud. I don't really follow the argument that the foam is further diluted when applied to a rinsed car, because I find that a rinsed car which was really dirty, will actually start drying fairly quickly on those still dirty areas - mostly around the lower regions, and any of the now cleaner areas don't matter if the foam is further diluted by a fraction of a percent. I also don't really follow the argument that you are scratching the paint by pre rinsing, I have seen people claim that you are literally blasting dirt into the paint at thousands of psi, when the truth is that there is nothing like that amount of pressure hitting the panels, if you are keeping the right distance from the paint. Getting my own lab coat on here but......those talked about "thousands of psi" are what is inside the pressure washer, many industry experts will tell you that there is actually no pressure when it leaves the gun, and that it is now velocity rather than pressure. Of course, you could argue that it reverts to pressure when it hits something, such as your car, but that pressure is greatly reduced by then.
This was very interesting and spot on. I have lost count the number of UA-cam presentations that I have seen where they just gestimate the amount of product to employ, whether it is snow foam, wash shampoo, compound, polish or scratch remover, etc. then they criticise the product or claim that it has limitations against what the manufacturers claims are. It is just the same as those who buy a flat pack, put it together without reading the instructions and wonder why it hasn't turned out as expected. In relation to whether you rinse from the bottom or rinse from the top first. I hear the logic and views of different people. However, I don't see anyone making a tissue wipe test to demonstrate which method removes the most dirt or is the most effective. My view is if you are happy with your routine and it gets the result you wanted. Then that is fine don't listen to the critics, unless they can demonstrate that their way is better than the viewers. I completely agree with you, it depends on what dirt you are tackling light road film, versus mud splash and lumps. I agree what you say that it is personal preference regarding pre-rinsing. Some argue that dirt is different according to location, time of year, time of day, type of driving, now concentrated the dirt is, etc. I have lost count how many times I have heard this argument, but what I seldom hear is what tests were carried out by the product manufacturer! when testing their product. I do wonder when I see a contact wash product used as a contactless foam and then compared to a contactless foam, to then conclude that the contactless foam is better! First thing I consider is what the product manufacturer advise for the best result. Then from my own findings what works best. This was a really interesting presentation and brilliant take on how to approach product use, I loved it, and you speak many a true word.
Just on the note of wet or dry car application for snow foam. I think you're right. It doesn't matter too much. What I find makes the biggest difference is the protection on the car. If the car is, say, ceramic coated and not too dirty, I would foam first. If it's a car with zero protection and covered in mud, I would rinse first, then foam. Just my 2 bobs worth lol. Great video 👍
@@phoenixautodetailingscotla2159 rinse first with a hose, not a high pressure machine. You don’t want to approach a dry car (mud) with high pressure water. That can push/shift dirt into panels, giving minor to noticeable scratches.
11:06 its funny, no matter where in the world, If you wash your car there will ALWAYS be a person walking by saying that you could wash there car too 🤣
@@SpeckyMcSporran Haha I hired an industrial carpet cleaner from local hardware garden chain (Bunnings) Upon return two security women asked who's gonna clean our rugs. Replied I am not that kind of girl. Both laughed cause I am a guy 😂 really informative, great work
I find it's much better to quickly rinse out the bottle first and then refill it with clean water before reattaching the bottle to the lance and running it through the pickup - this way you are rinsing the lance properly and won't still be having product going through the gauze (as you can see happening at 12:50).
I can see what you mean but there is barely any product going through the lance at that stage, it's been emptied out and clean water added, so it's just a little product residue really. But, that said, here's another couple of ways that I use. One way ( if I am only doing a quick PW) is to just run it without being connected to the bottle, so all it is drawing is clean water and air, then you can also place a finger over the end of the pick up tube to draw everything up and out of there too. The other method I use, (if moving on to a contact 2 bucket wash), is to dip the pick up tube in the rinse bucket, keep it there and run the PW for a few seconds, so it's drawing clean water through both the lance and the pick up tube. That just saves me a little time by not connecting the bottle again.
Hello Specky from Australia🙃This is a copy of my post to another detailer about my thoughts on how to do snow foaming.... "I'm sure this will open a can of worms but to help any brand of snow foam you should start like this : rear of car 1st starting at lowest areas and then carry on to the lowest areas on sides front and then work your way up till you have finished at the roof...This will give your snow foam the longest dwell time at the dirtiest areas.. When it comes to rinsing off again start at the bottom and work your way up so you can easily see where you have rinsed off rather than washing it all off in some random rinse method.. think about it it does make perfect sense". I'm glad I've found someone who shares the same thinking:)
I've seen Alan from AM Details' video demonstrating that bottom-up method of rinsing, but couldn't quite get my head around why he did it that way, apart from being able to have a better idea of how far you'd already gone, in the event your progress was interrupted. Now I get it! Makes perfect sense! Great video!
Great video as usual. I think snow foam is the biggest con out there. I’ve tried dilution ratios both in line with manufacturers instructions and not. I still use it but just as a quick prewash. I find it doesn’t do much at all and may even be pointless but just to chuck it on and leave it for a few minutes is ok.
It has it's uses but shouldn't be relied upon to replace a shampoo. As a pre-wash I think it's useful, especially for keeping the paint wet and allowing for working soft brushes around intricate areas.
Agree. I have a white Nissan Patrol and have sprayed 1/2 with foam and other 1/2 with plain water. Leave it and then pressure wash off. No visible difference but i still do it :)
Hi Specky very interesting. It all makes perfect sense except rinsing the car prior to snow foaming. I normally use the snow foam on the dry car as i feel pushing dirt around with a pressure washer could actually induce scratching, so softening the dirt as snow foam does works better for me.Thanks again for sharing the bottom to top rinse it makes perfect sense.
I like to prerinse my car with a 128:1 dilution ratio of ONR in my pump sprayer for the detergent effect and the surface lubrication, the sheet high volume/low pressure water to rinse it off.
Dr Beaker McSporran , quality as ever and this is the kinda thing thats never spoken about often so idiots like me just plod on maybe doing it wrong . Dilution , for me using a foamer , it can vary the results . Some brands require far more than required on a lance to get more than dish water thickness foam that just rolls off the panels without really gripping the panels at all and thus removing nowt . Removal of foam is where I feck up more , given how far the car is from my home , think Ive shown you before , Id need a 90 ft plus hose pipe and power lead thus Im rinsing it down using a watering can . If its REALLY dirty and baked in mud etc , Id take it the local BP and foam it there and blast off using their lance . Ive been told to NOT bring buckets etc if its busy as Im hogging a bay and not paying so mostly rinse it off , and 1/4 of a mile home and use the buckets there . Not ideal , but my car rarely gets so dirty it needs this , wife n sons often are different
I only use snow foam to get as much shite off the panels as possible. Keeping my mits & other cloths cleaner, meaning less likely to scrach the panel if I was to use shampoo first. It's just to get everything lose & get lose grime off. That's all I use it for pretty much as a pre wash.
Have you got any ideas I can use for my brake discs every time I wash my car they go rusty then I drive down the road and theres rusty bake dust all over the my black wheel. So Frustrating when you spent hours cleaning your car.
It's the Panel Impact Ratio, the percentage of product that actually leaves the foam lance. Watch my other video about snowfoam and you'll get the full explanation and how to work out your own PIR.
Great video specky. Top bravery marks for standing outside with a lab coat on. I feel I'm being watched after spending hours outside, I often laugh to myself and think they must think I'm nuts, I've been outside for 5 hours washing the car and everything else that goes with it.
Both this and the Part One video were very interesting, informative and well expained. I'm not a fan of pre rinsing before snow foaming for the simple reason I don't want to pressure wash dirt-bourne grit off the panels in order not to induce scratches. Instead, I see the job of the SF to soften the dirt and carry it down. Even if it has to be done twice. Neither am I looking for the SF to remove road film. That's the job of my contact wash. Regardind PIR, pre soaking blows that away as the dirt would now be soaked, therefore the PIR has been reduced. No?
I take it you need a lance attachment for any snow foam application? Meaning you cannot get away using the cleaning bottle which comes with a pressure washer?
Good question! There are some pressure washers that include a foam bottle or perhaps a detergent tank but they're either useless or fall very short of producing the foam. There are tons of foam lances on the market made by many different companies which should make it fairly easy to find one compatible with your equipment. Once you have the right tool for the job you'll get much better foam.
@@SpeckyMcSporran yeah found this out by experimenting. Doesn’t work and found that using this way it didn’t draw any of the dirt off. Ended up using the soft brush. But one interesting method I’m seeing that some mention pre jet washing to loosen the dirt. But some insist to spray onto the dried on dirt using snow foam which I would expect will cling more to the car. As the pre wash will only draw off the soap quick? And not get into the dirt. I suppose a pre wash wouldn’t be necessary if you’re just spraying on wet snow foam essentially
My theory is this - if you can see dirt actually sitting on the paint (rather than just road film) then you'd likely get a better clean by pre-rinsing the car first. If it's just road film then you can apply a snowfoam to the dry car and pressure rinse off after 5 - 10 mins of dwelling.
I do my wheels and tyres with fallout remover first, then rinse and then put on alloy wheel cleaner and snowfoam over that when I'm doing the rest of the car then I rinse off the lot, seems to work well at bringing up the wheels without any need to scrub with a brush.
@@SpeckyMcSporran I'll have a hunt for it thanks. I'll tell you the biggest problem I'm having this year is I will wash and wax the car and have it gleaming but 2 days later it's covered in a fine orange dust. Must be something in the atmosphere but it's really beginning to piss me off.
@@rodpanhard it's usually very fine sand from the Sahara desert that gets blown up into the atmosphere when they have high winds and then deposited (over the rest of Europe usually) when the wind, temperatures or rain drops.
@@rodpanhard also the reason for using fallout after a rinse/wash is so it can get to work on the stubborn brakedust instead of being wasted on some of the looser upper layer. You may find using it this way round might save you some product too.
Sounds like the Sahara sand, we don't get it blowing this far north. If your car is well protected then a simple snowfoam and rinse should have it looking good again.
Thanks for your video. I have a couple of questions please. Do you need to dry the car off after rinsing and also, does pressure hosing damage the paintwork in the long run?
It's a personal preference but I like to dry my car after a wash so I don't get water spots. As for the damage question, I think if that were a real risk we'd know about it by now.
The thing i found is once a year clean the lance head as it get all gunged up and dries into a thick mess. I am using Chemical Guys snow foam so it maybe just that compaired too other makes.
Great video as always. Dr Specky could you apply the lab coat to Pre wash - APC, Citrus, TFR etc - Are they pretty much the same or are they specific dependant on what type of dirt you are looking to remove?
This video was very simple and straight forward and full of info in more ways than one. If i can sum it up, this one is a very good basis if your wondering on how to wash ur vehicle properly whether ur a detailer or an enthusiast. Well done@
I need some test about how different types of snow foam, with different PH levels remove waxes and moreover if diminishing beading is different from the actual protection of the wax or sealant.
Point of snow foam , to dwell soften and encapsulate loose dirt and grime ,so if it's done it's dwell time then roof down is sense , but hitting the dirty lower half first and letting rest run down is ok I get it , I don't foam but pre wash if dirty or just thoroughly rinse wash rinse dry etc job done
Why do I get streak drips when I’m done and drying ? I did half the car this time to be faster and same result . Foam , spray down , pull in garage and blow dry. It has streaks I have to towel off.
Another great video Dr McSpecky. Some more really good geeky insight on the joys of snow foaming. I have tried both with and pre rinsing and still not decided which is best as not sure it made that much difference and it goes against the grain not washing of the loose dirt first. Now I have a few different snowfoams after waxstock it’s time to play.
On a cold day no need to pre rinse just throw snow foam straight on the panel on warm and hot days pre rinse to take any residual heat on the panels so snow foam doesn’t hit a warm/hot panel
I like the honesty regarding pre-rinsing, too many people want an exact answer or recommendation. Experimentation is the key, work out for yourself which method better is for your own situation. My car is rarely dirty so pre rinse with water is a waste for me. The wife's car is another matter and I pre-rinse that with a citrus pre-wash. The top to bottom debate, if its been dwelling for 5mins and rinsing takes a couple imo makes no difference.
Never heard of snowfoam until today but after watching this just ordered some autoglym snow and a cheap Nilfisk foamer. (It’s the only one for my cheap nilfisk power cleaner. Thanks
The best part about living in the UK is you don't have to worry about sun drying soap and water on your car, leaving spots. The week of sun goes by pretty quickly XD
Cheers specky Things I've noticed, I get better results foam going on dry, and actually using less pir is working out better which I can't work out 2% pir with my bilt hamber seems to be better than 4% I just don't get it
What make/brands were the two lances? Is there a reason the first one looked thicker over the second? Which one is better, more desirable, as I would prefer the first?
The first was from DetailedOnline and the second was from Duel. Watch my previous video and you'll see why the difference between them, but basically some lances just do a better job of creating foam.
When washing the car on the drive using snowfoam of choice, is it safe when it runs off the car and into lawn or plants. Will it have a detrimental affect on soil as it is a chemical. Just asking thanks.
Good question. There are biodegradable products that will not have any detrimental effect on the ground, plant life or water course. There are also those which can do the opposite. Personally I haven't seen any negative effects on any of my grass or plants.
Sorry for my ignorance as maths is never my strong point, but how many mls of snow foam do you put in the bottle before filling the bottle up please? Or how many cap fulls of snow foam ? Thanks
If you watch the video before this one then you'll find out how to measure the flow rate of your own foam lance and that will help you work out how much product you'll need.
What if the snow foam manufacturer does not have a PIR (which is rare) and has a general dilution ratio. In the case of the Snow Foam I am using the dilution is extremely weak.
My question is, do you have to buy the applicator or can you just use the soap dispenser thats supplied inside the unit where you just turn the nozzle to the soft setting that sucks the foam up through the hose? I have a karcher pressure washer. Cheers from Australia 🇦🇺
The foam cannon S V3.0 i just bought it today and what do I see? a youtuber waits for 5 minutes after this product foams the car and says that the body is dry. In other brands or in the previous foam cannon of mjjc, this problem has grown and the vehicle remains wet. I'm depressed. Is this going to harm the car? I'm curious about your opinion on this.
The MJJC cannons can make thicker foam than most others, but that foam is quite dry. You can avoid this by turning the top dial to allow more water through the nozzle which will make a wetter foam. I know thick foam looks great but wetter foam is more effective.
Great question! There's no industry standard for domestic pressure washers so you'll need to make sure you get the right connection for your machine. I converted my Nilfisk to the 1/4" quick release system so all my lances are bought with that adapter in mind.
If you're ordering a lance from a detailing website, they will usually have a drop-down box listing the different connectors you can get with it. The price may change accordingly too!
You'd be surprised the dirt does sit as I found out yesterday but does not stick like it does on an untreated car. Just a side note and I'm sure you have tested them, do you not think Autoglym Polar Wash and Blast are a bit pointless as individual products when Autoglym themselves say you can use both as a shampoo.
My m8 is a detailer, and he did a test on snow foam .He put white blankets on the floor to test if snow foam removes dirt ,and it don't, it's a waste of money and another stage you can save by not using it ,only thing is it just looks good ,just prewash then use a contact wash
@SpeckyMcSporran I know that you're better off just jet washing. Snow foam is a waste of money, and by not using it ,it's another stage saved ,all just money making byq detailing companies,
Well I have snowfoam that works so I can't agree with you completely. Though I am aware that some snowfoam products are not suitable and are more for show.
@@SpeckyMcSporran he's teated lots and some top brands, cracks me up when ppl want thick foam that don't even drip off ,I've stopped using it altogether, just another money making product that don't work and ppl get caught out with ,just jet wash your car then contact wash then jet wash ,I've even stopped using waxes as this attracts dirt ,found that I'd you just let your clear coat do its thing your car stays cleaner for longer ,I've been caught by all the hipe on detailing lol
Foaming first has to do more with not inducing swirls and micro scratches in the pain. Theory is the pressure washer will drag the dirt, grime, salt across the paint and cause micro scratches. Adding the foam lifts dirt and provides a lubrication layer to the paint so the dirt doesn't scratch the coatings. Now I couldn't tell you how much of an issue this is because I track my car and scratches and dings on the paint is just part of doing business. However if my car does get dirty enough that a foam rinse, foam rinse, dry isn't going to clean it enough then a pre rinse isn't going to do anything anyway.
Liked the slip into local non youtube accent when speaking to the passer by 😂 dread to think how my teuchter accent would come across! Bilthamber autofoam at 4% basically works as a touchless wash for me up here in winter, need to try the GT stuff though!
Technically yes, if that's as far as you want to go. Snowfoam can't reliably remove 100% of the dirt and grime on your car but it can help to remove a good amount before you need to perform a contact wash. By "pre-washing" with a snowfoam or TFR you're minimising the damage that may be done to the paint in the contact stage.
Now I know why you and civicky asked me at Waxstock which way I applied and rinsed snowfoam. And I replied bottom up and stated why. At the time I thought it was just a random question.
Great video.Could i use the same bottom to top mothod when i take a shower 🚿. I like to be as clean as possible for the girlfriend in the chance i might get lucky😀
Some age old debates here 🤔 After much thought about rinsing top to bottom or bottom to top and if to pre rinse or not.. I don’t think there is any right or wrongs, like you said the differences are marginal and depend on the situation/dirt levels you are dealing with. More important to use good products and be thorough with rinsing than whatever way you choose to do it.
True mate, there aren't any hard and fast rules but I know what I like and why I like it. If you're happy with your results at the end of the day then that's all that matters.
Totally agree Nick. People will always find pointless cack to argue about. Just get on and wash your bleedin car! If you prewash and the result is unsatisfactory, why not just do it again! People really do make pointless points, usually on a Friday night on Facebook when everyone else is at the pub with real people. 😁
Hi sir, just stumbled across your channel & it is very informative. Would like your take on the use of metering tips for foam cannon like the griots metering tips. It is claim to automix the solution without diluting them. Thanks in advance
@@SpeckyMcSporran ah thanks, I've just upgraded my cannon, will I be able to use Simonize car shampoo and wax in the foam cannon?, id just bought 5ltr of it.
Another great video I love the geeky side Especially as I’m Steve McMahon Aka Geeky detail reviews Great to meet you at Waxstock on the weekend. Was a pleasure
Perhaps not much of any performance difference of simply waiting longer overall before rinsing from the top in one go vs going from the bottom in stages, for the sake of leaving the foam on longer. Some good tips there, thanks.
I use 100% soap, with arm and hammer soap. Don't care about the cost. But it mixes with water anyway even if you use 100% soap. The water is the propellant.
That makes things easier for me. I'm a fan of Nilfisk pressure washers, they're no nonsense and get the job done. Ava pressure washers look really good too, I've got a review coming of the Easy P40 which looks like it'll have everything you need. Aim for around 120bar of pressure, it'll be enough for the home and got vehicles. As for a foam lance, if your machine doesn't supply one then Detailed Online do one for around £25 and it's really good.
That's a good question, I have a few but I'm partial to my DetailedOnline lance, or the cheap one I bought on eBay haha. I'd avoid the MJJC if you're new, the foam is too thick and dry and it may set the wrong kind of precedent.
I see what you mean with the washing bottom to top, as if you go top down just the water running down the car has washed the snow foam off not yourself with the pressure washer itself.
Rinsing from top to bottom or bottom to top, for the few seconds it takes I'm not convinced that it really matters. An extra 15-20 seconds soak time isn't going to make much, if any, difference at all.
I see no point in rinsing bottom to top. The extra 10 seconds of dwell time couldn't possibly make a difference if you've let the foam sit all over the car for 5 mins or so anyway. Plus if it's all being rinsed off what's the point of which direction you go if it's all coming off anyway? Like if the argument is that top to bottom dilutes the lower product than who cares if it's all about to be rinsed off, it's all had plenty of dwell time so I see no difference or advantage in one or the other
Don't get it. You said the bottom is usually more dirtier due to the road filth gets on it. So why not to dwell the bottom part longer by starting from top for the price of losing the visible line?
Gravity. Rinsing from the top just washes away the foam below it but bringing HIGH PRESSURE to the bottom first helps to push the grime away instead of just allowing the foam to rinse away without pressure.
I've always rinsed from the bottom. Nobody ever showed me to do it this way, I just thought it was the most logical way to do it. My wife will appear with a cuppa and I need to know where I have rinsed.
Great video Science Specky, agree with what you say, for some reason where I live we get a lot of sand in the air (fuck knows why I live in Manchester nowhere near any beaches) so I always give the car a quick blast off with the pressure washer.
It's fine sand from the Sahara desert which gets whipped up into the atmosphere during high winds and gets deposited over Europe when the winds and/or temperatures drop (or when it rains). Sod's law usually means it'll happen the day after you've cleaned your car!!
I've got the one off the vid what you called the ebay special. Ile have a play with ratios next time I use it. I was filling bottle to the 1l mark with pure solution and setting the dial to about 2/3 the way round so I can't be too far off the money on dilution rate consideration to if the flow rate is similar to the 12.7 of the one in the video. I will have to have a play around with it. Did you notice the gun type makes any difference to the consistency or is it pure ratios?
Keep in mind that the one I have could be quite different to yours. Don't just assume that the flow rates are the same, test it yourself and work out exactly what yours is. As for consistency, it's definitely unit dependant. I've got a high flow rate lance that delivers thin foam and a low flow rate that delivers thick foam. Confusing? You bet!
Pre-rinsing dilutes the product and makes it less effective as a result. It only makes sense to do it when there's so much dirt that the snow foam wouldn't reach the surface of the car.
How much water per square inch of car panel would constitute enough to dilute the pre-wash product to have a noticeable affect? Do you take into account the fact that the water would run off? What about evaporation?
Some of the dirt will be dragged off but it's main purpose is to pre-treat the dirt and make it easier to remove with a pressure washer or strong stream of water.
Dont make this into a science! If you got your p-washer and a foam-lance, just go with the recommendations from manufacturer, regarding ratios, pressure and water amount. Just make sure to make it into an enjoyable experience and dont over think everything. Have fun!
@@SpeckyMcSporran Most things are what you make it into:) Its a good thing to make ppl aware of the PIR tho! Maybe add a tip; write down the flow-rate nr on your foam-lance, if you have/use several different lances. Next time you mix 1-5% PIR it is easier to remember what ratio for what lance. Maybe even make a laminated chart, to nerd it up properly! ;)
I've been detailing friends and family cars for years.. and when i was young i also worked in a carwash.. i tried the foam trend but i never liked the result using faoming techniques,.. no matter how i mix the soap, no matter which foam soap, there was always dirts at the end.. not only that but the use of a pressure washer is a pain and maybe people aren't aware but pressure washer consume alot of electricity, so when you charge a costumer you better take into consideration the electricity bill. Also there are so many wires, hose, cord and stuff that it makes very hard at he end .. i tries to look for an easier setup, like a pressure washer that hook to a wall and a fixed reel that allow to freely move around the vehicle but those things are too expensive for home usage. ..i only use my pressure washer in the winter or when the vehicle is very very dirty. Otherwise i just use the garden hose and its strongest setting. It takes longer to wash the car with just the garden hose then i apply the soap by hand and carefully handwash the vehicle the old school way….if done right you won't leave any swirl.. For the last step I just shine the car with some detailing spray,, in the end, the car look new and shinny., Thats hiw ive been doing for years and no swirl, I did try some of those foaming that attach to garden hose nozzle,, but the foam were not sticking long enough,, the foam coming out was just too liquid.. as of today im still looking for a better setup something easy to use.. oh and the reason i don't use pressure washer is because my garage is too narrow to leave it there and i have to clear the space everytime im done washing a car. I also need the hose for my lawn.. anyway if you can Make a video compairing the two techniques (foam vs old school washing ) that would be interesting,
It's hard to compare the two as they're vastly different. If you don't like to use a pressure washer or don't like the wet foam from the hose connector ones then I'd suggest a foaming pump sprayer as they're dryer than the hose type and don't take up much space. You'll need to pump it many times but it might be useful for you.
Loving the video content lately. Product reviews are great, but at a time where numerous brands are the same re bottled Product with a different name, its nice to see some how to style content instead
Waiting for the Specky lab-coat merch next.... 🤣...and for Paul to wear one on his next video, i think his neighbours will get him collected in a padded van, i know mine would, but what a laugh!!! I'll must dig out my AutoBrite Parma Violets purple foam, looks cool and smells divine!
I would rather pre-rinse. Living on the coast a lot of what I get on the car can be fine sand, so I want as little as that sliding down the car as possible. Simply makes sense to me to remove as much as possible thereby giving the snow foam an easier job. I prefer to rinse from the top though. As long as the foam is left on for the recommended time it's fine. Sorry but I don't buy the "can't see which part you've rinsed" thing. When you rinse you remove the foam, that's your indicator! Besides, going from top to bottom, you don't really need to know, it's obvious when it's all gone.
I don't disagree about the pre-rinse but the snowfoam situation needs to be addressed. Snowfoam should be pressure rinsed rather than just lightly removing the foam, you need pressure to push the softened dirt off the paint. I'll have a new video covering this soon.
Err did you not say the bottom of car is the dirtiest, yet you are shortening dwell time by starting rinsing from the bottom. I don't think it makes that much of a difference where you start rinsing.
Oh yes bottom to top I get those comments every video your explanation is spot on Doctor snowfoamburger missing my best mate I’ve got the Waxstock blues 😢😢
I think we're all feeling the waxstock wow's Paul
Agree with you and Paul -- same info & reasons as Alan (Mr President) Medcraf conveys at all his demos. 👍 I apply APC/CItrus first on dry paint and then foam on top to soak while i get the buckets ready -- need to adjust timings for these tropical summers we get in sunny Aberdeen just now, when letting it dwell.
It's so difficult with all our sunshine! 🤣
It even says on autoglym polar blast instructions to rinse bottom upwards. 😁
Hers at 6 am😎
Watching snowfoam videos at 7.40am.... something wrong with me 😂
Your wrong lol
And me. 😂
Bless you all ☺️
you think that's weird I get home at 2am and find myself binge watching till 5am sometimes
0:15 Sunday (well, Monday)
Completely agree with this method of applying and rinsing, and well explained too.
I can tell you that this does make a difference for me.
In the winter time my car doesn't get too many hand washes, and will mostly get a citrus / pre wash, with foam straight over the top of that, and then rinse off.
Before, when I rinsed from top to bottom, there would definitely be less dirt removed than when I rinse from bottom to top, because it's more methodical and for me it means I don't miss bits that I would if I were just rinsing off the foam, as opposed removing dirt from the car.
Wet or dry to begin with? Seen some fair old arguments about this on DW, I do both as I see fit, and again, there are cases for both.
If you have some thick mud on the car for example, no point foaming onto that the foam can only clean what it touches, and won't necessarily penetrate through thick mud.
I don't really follow the argument that the foam is further diluted when applied to a rinsed car, because I find that a rinsed car which was really dirty, will actually start drying fairly quickly on those still dirty areas - mostly around the lower regions, and any of the now cleaner areas don't matter if the foam is further diluted by a fraction of a percent.
I also don't really follow the argument that you are scratching the paint by pre rinsing, I have seen people claim that you are literally blasting dirt into the paint at thousands of psi, when the truth is that there is nothing like that amount of pressure hitting the panels, if you are keeping the right distance from the paint.
Getting my own lab coat on here but......those talked about "thousands of psi" are what is inside the pressure washer, many industry experts will tell you that there is actually no pressure when it leaves the gun, and that it is now velocity rather than pressure.
Of course, you could argue that it reverts to pressure when it hits something, such as your car, but that pressure is greatly reduced by then.
This was very interesting and spot on. I have lost count the number of UA-cam presentations that I have seen where they just gestimate the amount of product to employ, whether it is snow foam, wash shampoo, compound, polish or scratch remover, etc. then they criticise the product or claim that it has limitations against what the manufacturers claims are. It is just the same as those who buy a flat pack, put it together without reading the instructions and wonder why it hasn't turned out as expected.
In relation to whether you rinse from the bottom or rinse from the top first. I hear the logic and views of different people. However, I don't see anyone making a tissue wipe test to demonstrate which method removes the most dirt or is the most effective. My view is if you are happy with your routine and it gets the result you wanted. Then that is fine don't listen to the critics, unless they can demonstrate that their way is better than the viewers. I completely agree with you, it depends on what dirt you are tackling light road film, versus mud splash and lumps.
I agree what you say that it is personal preference regarding pre-rinsing. Some argue that dirt is different according to location, time of year, time of day, type of driving, now concentrated the dirt is, etc. I have lost count how many times I have heard this argument, but what I seldom hear is what tests were carried out by the product manufacturer! when testing their product.
I do wonder when I see a contact wash product used as a contactless foam and then compared to a contactless foam, to then conclude that the contactless foam is better!
First thing I consider is what the product manufacturer advise for the best result. Then from my own findings what works best. This was a really interesting presentation and brilliant take on how to approach product use, I loved it, and you speak many a true word.
Just on the note of wet or dry car application for snow foam. I think you're right. It doesn't matter too much. What I find makes the biggest difference is the protection on the car. If the car is, say, ceramic coated and not too dirty, I would foam first. If it's a car with zero protection and covered in mud, I would rinse first, then foam. Just my 2 bobs worth lol. Great video 👍
Thanks for that, I agree with you there 👍🏻
@@phoenixautodetailingscotla2159 rinse first with a hose, not a high pressure machine. You don’t want to approach a dry car (mud) with high pressure water. That can push/shift dirt into panels, giving minor to noticeable scratches.
11:06 its funny, no matter where in the world, If you wash your car there will ALWAYS be a person walking by saying that you could wash there car too 🤣
It's a universal truth! 🤣
@@SpeckyMcSporran Haha I hired an industrial carpet cleaner from local hardware garden chain (Bunnings) Upon return two security women asked who's gonna clean our rugs. Replied I am not that kind of girl. Both laughed cause I am a guy 😂 really informative, great work
Watching detail videos for over 10 years now, this is a great inside about foaming.
Thank you!
I find it's much better to quickly rinse out the bottle first and then refill it with clean water before reattaching the bottle to the lance and running it through the pickup - this way you are rinsing the lance properly and won't still be having product going through the gauze (as you can see happening at 12:50).
I can see what you mean but there is barely any product going through the lance at that stage, it's been emptied out and clean water added, so it's just a little product residue really.
But, that said, here's another couple of ways that I use.
One way ( if I am only doing a quick PW) is to just run it without being connected to the bottle, so all it is drawing is clean water and air, then you can also place a finger over the end of the pick up tube to draw everything up and out of there too.
The other method I use, (if moving on to a contact 2 bucket wash), is to dip the pick up tube in the rinse bucket, keep it there and run the PW for a few seconds, so it's drawing clean water through both the lance and the pick up tube. That just saves me a little time by not connecting the bottle again.
Hello Specky from Australia🙃This is a copy of my post to another detailer about my thoughts on how to do snow foaming.... "I'm sure this will open a can of worms but to help any brand of snow foam you should start like this : rear of car 1st starting at lowest areas and then carry on to the lowest areas on sides front and then work your way up till you have finished at the roof...This will give your snow foam the longest dwell time at the dirtiest areas.. When it comes to rinsing off again start at the bottom and work your way up so you can easily see where you have rinsed off rather than washing it all off in some random rinse method.. think about it it does make perfect sense". I'm glad I've found someone who shares the same thinking:)
Thanks for sharing that 👍🏻
@@SpeckyMcSporran No problems. ;)
I agree, I always rinse first, snow foam, wash with new microfibre towel, then rinse off, then chamois dry.
I've seen Alan from AM Details' video demonstrating that bottom-up method of rinsing, but couldn't quite get my head around why he did it that way, apart from being able to have a better idea of how far you'd already gone, in the event your progress was interrupted. Now I get it! Makes perfect sense! Great video!
Glad it helped!
I really must get myself one of those natty lab coats! My neighbours' curtains already rustle a fair bit at how often I wash our cars!
Yes, and use a neon coloured snowfoam!
Great video as usual. I think snow foam is the biggest con out there. I’ve tried dilution ratios both in line with manufacturers instructions and not. I still use it but just as a quick prewash. I find it doesn’t do much at all and may even be pointless but just to chuck it on and leave it for a few minutes is ok.
It has it's uses but shouldn't be relied upon to replace a shampoo. As a pre-wash I think it's useful, especially for keeping the paint wet and allowing for working soft brushes around intricate areas.
Agree. I have a white Nissan Patrol and have sprayed 1/2 with foam and other 1/2 with plain water. Leave it and then pressure wash off. No visible difference but i still do it :)
Hi Specky very interesting. It all makes perfect sense except rinsing the car prior to snow foaming. I normally use the snow foam on the dry car as i feel pushing dirt around with a pressure washer could actually induce scratching, so softening the dirt as snow foam does works better for me.Thanks again for sharing the bottom to top rinse it makes perfect sense.
Thank you bro!
@@SpeckyMcSporran Cheers Mate, i always jet wash, snow form, this makes sense mate. Snow form first
They all say wet the car 1st before foaming.
@@CTMck1 No they don’t.
@CTMck1 actually no they don't, the instructions on the bottle say to apply to a dry car
I like to prerinse my car with a 128:1 dilution ratio of ONR in my pump sprayer for the detergent effect and the surface lubrication, the sheet high volume/low pressure water to rinse it off.
Dr Beaker McSporran , quality as ever and this is the kinda thing thats never spoken about often so idiots like me just plod on maybe doing it wrong . Dilution , for me using a foamer , it can vary the results . Some brands require far more than required on a lance to get more than dish water thickness foam that just rolls off the panels without really gripping the panels at all and thus removing nowt . Removal of foam is where I feck up more , given how far the car is from my home , think Ive shown you before , Id need a 90 ft plus hose pipe and power lead thus Im rinsing it down using a watering can . If its REALLY dirty and baked in mud etc , Id take it the local BP and foam it there and blast off using their lance . Ive been told to NOT bring buckets etc if its busy as Im hogging a bay and not paying so mostly rinse it off , and 1/4 of a mile home and use the buckets there . Not ideal , but my car rarely gets so dirty it needs this , wife n sons often are different
I only use snow foam to get as much shite off the panels as possible. Keeping my mits & other cloths cleaner, meaning less likely to scrach the panel if I was to use shampoo first. It's just to get everything lose & get lose grime off. That's all I use it for pretty much as a pre wash.
Spot on! 👌🏻
Have you got any ideas I can use for my brake discs every time I wash my car they go rusty then I drive down the road and theres rusty bake dust all over the my black wheel. So Frustrating when you spent hours cleaning your car.
Yes! Bilt Hamber Atom Mac! Dilute it in a spray bottle and use it after a wash to keep your brake discs looking nice!
Thank you so much 👍🏻
Deluge 1:10 is 10 %. Later the instruction says 2% in general and 3% for heavy duty. What is right?
It's the Panel Impact Ratio, the percentage of product that actually leaves the foam lance. Watch my other video about snowfoam and you'll get the full explanation and how to work out your own PIR.
Great video specky. Top bravery marks for standing outside with a lab coat on. I feel I'm being watched after spending hours outside, I often laugh to myself and think they must think I'm nuts, I've been outside for 5 hours washing the car and everything else that goes with it.
Honestly I'm sure people just think I'm a butcher that forgot to take off his coat before washing the car! 🤣🤣
the kids who live near my street make a point to shout “THE CARS FINALLY FINISHED” when they see me packing up 😅😅
Both this and the Part One video were very interesting, informative and well expained.
I'm not a fan of pre rinsing before snow foaming for the simple reason I don't want to pressure wash dirt-bourne grit off the panels in order not to induce scratches. Instead, I see the job of the SF to soften the dirt and carry it down. Even if it has to be done twice.
Neither am I looking for the SF to remove road film. That's the job of my contact wash.
Regardind PIR, pre soaking blows that away as the dirt would now be soaked, therefore the PIR has been reduced. No?
For the amount of water involved the PIR would not be affected by any water left from the pre-rinse.
I take it you need a lance attachment for any snow foam application? Meaning you cannot get away using the cleaning bottle which comes with a pressure washer?
Good question! There are some pressure washers that include a foam bottle or perhaps a detergent tank but they're either useless or fall very short of producing the foam. There are tons of foam lances on the market made by many different companies which should make it fairly easy to find one compatible with your equipment. Once you have the right tool for the job you'll get much better foam.
@@SpeckyMcSporran yeah found this out by experimenting. Doesn’t work and found that using this way it didn’t draw any of the dirt off. Ended up using the soft brush.
But one interesting method I’m seeing that some mention pre jet washing to loosen the dirt. But some insist to spray onto the dried on dirt using snow foam which I would expect will cling more to the car. As the pre wash will only draw off the soap quick? And not get into the dirt. I suppose a pre wash wouldn’t be necessary if you’re just spraying on wet snow foam essentially
My theory is this - if you can see dirt actually sitting on the paint (rather than just road film) then you'd likely get a better clean by pre-rinsing the car first. If it's just road film then you can apply a snowfoam to the dry car and pressure rinse off after 5 - 10 mins of dwelling.
I do my wheels and tyres with fallout remover first, then rinse and then put on alloy wheel cleaner and snowfoam over that when I'm doing the rest of the car then I rinse off the lot, seems to work well at bringing up the wheels without any need to scrub with a brush.
Personally I'd use fallout remover after the main wheel clean rather than before but I covered that in another video.
@@SpeckyMcSporran I'll have a hunt for it thanks. I'll tell you the biggest problem I'm having this year is I will wash and wax the car and have it gleaming but 2 days later it's covered in a fine orange dust. Must be something in the atmosphere but it's really beginning to piss me off.
@@rodpanhard it's usually very fine sand from the Sahara desert that gets blown up into the atmosphere when they have high winds and then deposited (over the rest of Europe usually) when the wind, temperatures or rain drops.
@@rodpanhard also the reason for using fallout after a rinse/wash is so it can get to work on the stubborn brakedust instead of being wasted on some of the looser upper layer. You may find using it this way round might save you some product too.
Sounds like the Sahara sand, we don't get it blowing this far north. If your car is well protected then a simple snowfoam and rinse should have it looking good again.
Thanks for your video. I have a couple of questions please. Do you need to dry the car off after rinsing and also, does pressure hosing damage the paintwork in the long run?
It's a personal preference but I like to dry my car after a wash so I don't get water spots. As for the damage question, I think if that were a real risk we'd know about it by now.
The thing i found is once a year clean the lance head as it get all gunged up and dries into a thick mess. I am using Chemical Guys snow foam so it maybe just that compaired too other makes.
Make sure you flush it through with clean water after every use and hopefully that'll stop any further issues.
Great video as always.
Dr Specky could you apply the lab coat to Pre wash - APC, Citrus, TFR etc - Are they pretty much the same or are they specific dependant on what type of dirt you are looking to remove?
Great suggestion Chris! I'll add it to my list!
I`m a mobile detailer to my car, with no pressure washer and this actually interests me, too.
This video was very simple and straight forward and full of info in more ways than one. If i can sum it up, this one is a very good basis if your wondering on how to wash ur vehicle properly whether ur a detailer or an enthusiast. Well done@
Thank you!
I need some test about how different types of snow foam, with different PH levels remove waxes and moreover if diminishing beading is different from the actual protection of the wax or sealant.
Great vid. I've always changed out the orfice to a 1.1mm and it helps produce even thicker foam
I tried my 1.1mm orifice and it stopped the pressure washer due to too much back pressure. The smaller orifice if for lower power machines.
🤦🏻♂️
Point of snow foam , to dwell soften and encapsulate loose dirt and grime ,so if it's done it's dwell time then roof down is sense , but hitting the dirty lower half first and letting rest run down is ok I get it , I don't foam but pre wash if dirty or just thoroughly rinse wash rinse dry etc job done
Why do I get streak drips when I’m done and drying ?
I did half the car this time to be faster and same result .
Foam , spray down , pull in garage and blow dry. It has streaks I have to towel off.
Another great video Dr McSpecky. Some more really good geeky insight on the joys of snow foaming. I have tried both with and pre rinsing and still not decided which is best as not sure it made that much difference and it goes against the grain not washing of the loose dirt first. Now I have a few different snowfoams after waxstock it’s time to play.
Thanks Jim! That's the fun part, trying new products and figuring out what works best for you. Enjoy!
On a cold day no need to pre rinse just throw snow foam straight on the panel on warm and hot days pre rinse to take any residual heat on the panels so snow foam doesn’t hit a warm/hot panel
I would say the pre-rinse situation is dependent on how dirty the car is, but I do like the tip of cooling the panels before snowfoam.
I like the honesty regarding pre-rinsing, too many people want an exact answer or recommendation. Experimentation is the key, work out for yourself which method better is for your own situation. My car is rarely dirty so pre rinse with water is a waste for me. The wife's car is another matter and I pre-rinse that with a citrus pre-wash. The top to bottom debate, if its been dwelling for 5mins and rinsing takes a couple imo makes no difference.
Fair points all round Keith 👍🏻
Never heard of snowfoam until today but after watching this just ordered some autoglym snow and a cheap Nilfisk foamer. (It’s the only one for my cheap nilfisk power cleaner. Thanks
I hope it works well for you 👍🏻
The best part about living in the UK is you don't have to worry about sun drying soap and water on your car, leaving spots. The week of sun goes by pretty quickly XD
Sadly true 😭
I've noticed that the British guys know how to wash cars better than the Americans.
Cheers specky
Things I've noticed, I get better results foam going on dry, and actually using less pir is working out better which I can't work out
2% pir with my bilt hamber seems to be better than 4% I just don't get it
It might be a more effective mixture for the particular make-up of dirt you get. Definitely strange.
@@SpeckyMcSporran but I never let it get bad anyway , only a work van but like it to be fresh so often wash it
What make/brands were the two lances? Is there a reason the first one looked thicker over the second? Which one is better, more desirable, as I would prefer the first?
The first was from DetailedOnline and the second was from Duel. Watch my previous video and you'll see why the difference between them, but basically some lances just do a better job of creating foam.
When washing the car on the drive using snowfoam of choice, is it safe when it runs off the car and into lawn or plants. Will it have a detrimental affect on soil as it is a chemical. Just asking thanks.
Good question. There are biodegradable products that will not have any detrimental effect on the ground, plant life or water course. There are also those which can do the opposite. Personally I haven't seen any negative effects on any of my grass or plants.
@@SpeckyMcSporran thanks. I wasn't sure but some being biodegradable is good. I've bought an RAC foam cannon and some demon snow foam to try.
Sorry for my ignorance as maths is never my strong point, but how many mls of snow foam do you put in the bottle before filling the bottle up please?
Or how many cap fulls of snow foam ?
Thanks
If you watch the video before this one then you'll find out how to measure the flow rate of your own foam lance and that will help you work out how much product you'll need.
How do you mitigate pebble/stone ricochet from the floor?
I've never really had that problem. Just be careful to direct the water jet towards the car and not onto the ground.
What if the snow foam manufacturer does not have a PIR (which is rare) and has a general dilution ratio. In the case of the Snow Foam I am using the dilution is extremely weak.
My question is, do you have to buy the applicator or can you just use the soap dispenser thats supplied inside the unit where you just turn the nozzle to the soft setting that sucks the foam up through the hose? I have a karcher pressure washer. Cheers from Australia 🇦🇺
The foam cannon S V3.0 i just bought it today and what do I see? a youtuber waits for 5 minutes after this product foams the car and says that the body is dry. In other brands or in the previous foam cannon of mjjc, this problem has grown and the vehicle remains wet. I'm depressed. Is this going to harm the car? I'm curious about your opinion on this.
The MJJC cannons can make thicker foam than most others, but that foam is quite dry. You can avoid this by turning the top dial to allow more water through the nozzle which will make a wetter foam. I know thick foam looks great but wetter foam is more effective.
@@SpeckyMcSporran i will do it. Thx a lot.
Hey buddy another great video. Just wondering if snow foam lances are universal (connection for the power washer) or are the washer specific ?
Great question! There's no industry standard for domestic pressure washers so you'll need to make sure you get the right connection for your machine. I converted my Nilfisk to the 1/4" quick release system so all my lances are bought with that adapter in mind.
If you're ordering a lance from a detailing website, they will usually have a drop-down box listing the different connectors you can get with it. The price may change accordingly too!
Try getting the Snow Foam to stick when you've Ceramic coated a car it's a nightmare, is that a bad thing?
Yes and no, if snowfoam doesn't want to sit then neither does dirt.
You'd be surprised the dirt does sit as I found out yesterday but does not stick like it does on an untreated car. Just a side note and I'm sure you have tested them, do you not think Autoglym Polar Wash and Blast are a bit pointless as individual products when Autoglym themselves say you can use both as a shampoo.
My m8 is a detailer, and he did a test on snow foam .He put white blankets on the floor to test if snow foam removes dirt ,and it don't, it's a waste of money and another stage you can save by not using it ,only thing is it just looks good ,just prewash then use a contact wash
Snowfoam is a pre-wash product, not a touchless cleaner.
@SpeckyMcSporran I know that you're better off just jet washing. Snow foam is a waste of money, and by not using it ,it's another stage saved ,all just money making byq detailing companies,
Well I have snowfoam that works so I can't agree with you completely. Though I am aware that some snowfoam products are not suitable and are more for show.
@@SpeckyMcSporran he's teated lots and some top brands, cracks me up when ppl want thick foam that don't even drip off ,I've stopped using it altogether, just another money making product that don't work and ppl get caught out with ,just jet wash your car then contact wash then jet wash ,I've even stopped using waxes as this attracts dirt ,found that I'd you just let your clear coat do its thing your car stays cleaner for longer ,I've been caught by all the hipe on detailing lol
I allwase tell people that the best way to wash form the bottom. To prevent dilution
Foaming first has to do more with not inducing swirls and micro scratches in the pain. Theory is the pressure washer will drag the dirt, grime, salt across the paint and cause micro scratches. Adding the foam lifts dirt and provides a lubrication layer to the paint so the dirt doesn't scratch the coatings.
Now I couldn't tell you how much of an issue this is because I track my car and scratches and dings on the paint is just part of doing business. However if my car does get dirty enough that a foam rinse, foam rinse, dry isn't going to clean it enough then a pre rinse isn't going to do anything anyway.
Liked the slip into local non youtube accent when speaking to the passer by 😂 dread to think how my teuchter accent would come across! Bilthamber autofoam at 4% basically works as a touchless wash for me up here in winter, need to try the GT stuff though!
Haha I don't think teuchters belong on UA-cam 🤣
What lance do you recommend for use with a karcher K4
right, so for one whom is new to this sort of car wash...this is the touchless idea right?
Technically yes, if that's as far as you want to go. Snowfoam can't reliably remove 100% of the dirt and grime on your car but it can help to remove a good amount before you need to perform a contact wash. By "pre-washing" with a snowfoam or TFR you're minimising the damage that may be done to the paint in the contact stage.
Great instruction video. Thanks for sharing. Learn’t a lot.
Do you actually wash your car by hand using a wash mit? As well as snow foam
A wash mitt or wash pad yes. Snow foam usually before the contact wash.
Now I know why you and civicky asked me at Waxstock which way I applied and rinsed snowfoam. And I replied bottom up and stated why.
At the time I thought it was just a random question.
Now you know!
I’ve watched so many videos where this happens. Mine goes on and stick for ages. I’m just using Polar Blast.
Polar blast is a nice thick foam
Great video! What pressure washer do you have/recommend btw?
Currently I have a Nilfisk C120
The lab coat always makes it sound so official like a government news broadcast lol but great info and advice top man.
Cheers mate
Coat wise you mentioned comments then your neighbour walked out wearing one😂
#0:11:04 cheeky neighbour "wash my car too" response 🤣
What is the foam cannon you are using in the video clip.
I used two in this video. The white one was from Clean Your Ride and the blue one was from Duel.
Great video.Could i use the same bottom to top mothod when i take a shower 🚿.
I like to be as clean as possible for the girlfriend in the chance i might get lucky😀
Some age old debates here 🤔
After much thought about rinsing top to bottom or bottom to top and if to pre rinse or not.. I don’t think there is any right or wrongs, like you said the differences are marginal and depend on the situation/dirt levels you are dealing with. More important to use good products and be thorough with rinsing than whatever way you choose to do it.
True mate, there aren't any hard and fast rules but I know what I like and why I like it. If you're happy with your results at the end of the day then that's all that matters.
Totally agree Nick. People will always find pointless cack to argue about. Just get on and wash your bleedin car! If you prewash and the result is unsatisfactory, why not just do it again! People really do make pointless points, usually on a Friday night on Facebook when everyone else is at the pub with real people. 😁
@@DetailingandtheBeast Brilliant, that made me laugh.
Hi sir, just stumbled across your channel & it is very informative. Would like your take on the use of metering tips for foam cannon like the griots metering tips. It is claim to automix the solution without diluting them. Thanks in advance
I'd be interested to try it but Griots availability is very limited here
Love the information and good job on your production as well! I'm ALMOST convinced about your bottom-up rinse practice! Lol
Thanks I think 🤣
What is the best snow foam lance on the UK market?
"Best" is such a hard thing to recommend. The MJJC Foam Canon Pro is hard to beat but needs to be dialled back so it's not too thick.
What product was in the 1st lance ?
It was the same product in both lances, both mixed at 4% PIR.
@@SpeckyMcSporran what was product?
I think it was Stjarnagloss Sno
@@SpeckyMcSporran ah thanks, I've just upgraded my cannon, will I be able to use Simonize car shampoo and wax in the foam cannon?, id just bought 5ltr of it.
I can't say for sure, wash & wax tends to be less sudsy so it may not foam properly but it's worth a try.
Great advice My foam will be arriving tomorrow to try . However I have washed my car today 😂
Another great video
I love the geeky side
Especially as I’m Steve McMahon
Aka Geeky detail reviews
Great to meet you at Waxstock on the weekend. Was a pleasure
It was a pleasure to meet you Steve! 🫱🏻🫲🏼
Perhaps not much of any performance difference of simply waiting longer overall before rinsing from the top in one go vs going from the bottom in stages, for the sake of leaving the foam on longer. Some good tips there, thanks.
Thanks!
Love these deep dives!
I use 100% soap, with arm and hammer soap. Don't care about the cost.
But it mixes with water anyway even if you use 100% soap. The water is the propellant.
What jet wash and snow gun are you using?
In this video I'm using a Nilfisk C120 pressure washer with a 10m hose upgrade and a stubby gun conversion from eBay.
@Specky McSporran I am looking to get a new pressure washer and snow gun for my van and jetski what would you recommend?
Are you UK based?
@@SpeckyMcSporran yes
That makes things easier for me. I'm a fan of Nilfisk pressure washers, they're no nonsense and get the job done. Ava pressure washers look really good too, I've got a review coming of the Easy P40 which looks like it'll have everything you need. Aim for around 120bar of pressure, it'll be enough for the home and got vehicles. As for a foam lance, if your machine doesn't supply one then Detailed Online do one for around £25 and it's really good.
Which lance would you recommend. Never used snow foam before !
That's a good question, I have a few but I'm partial to my DetailedOnline lance, or the cheap one I bought on eBay haha. I'd avoid the MJJC if you're new, the foam is too thick and dry and it may set the wrong kind of precedent.
I see what you mean with the washing bottom to top, as if you go top down just the water running down the car has washed the snow foam off not yourself with the pressure washer itself.
That's exactly it but so many commenters freak out when they see it!
Of you want longer dwell time, at the bottom, then why not repeating the foam stage directed at the bottom on the second round.
You certainly could 👍🏻
Rinsing from top to bottom or bottom to top, for the few seconds it takes I'm not convinced that it really matters. An extra 15-20 seconds soak time isn't going to make much, if any, difference at all.
I see no point in rinsing bottom to top. The extra 10 seconds of dwell time couldn't possibly make a difference if you've let the foam sit all over the car for 5 mins or so anyway. Plus if it's all being rinsed off what's the point of which direction you go if it's all coming off anyway? Like if the argument is that top to bottom dilutes the lower product than who cares if it's all about to be rinsed off, it's all had plenty of dwell time so I see no difference or advantage in one or the other
Don't get it. You said the bottom is usually more dirtier due to the road filth gets on it. So why not to dwell the bottom part longer by starting from top for the price of losing the visible line?
Gravity. Rinsing from the top just washes away the foam below it but bringing HIGH PRESSURE to the bottom first helps to push the grime away instead of just allowing the foam to rinse away without pressure.
Excellent. Really enjoyed that mate.
Only thing missing was your magnifying glass 😅👍🏴
I'll get one 🤣
I can't believe I have been washing my cars wrong with a bucket and sponge for sixty years how could I be so foolish!.
Times change, don't get left behind!
I've always rinsed from the bottom. Nobody ever showed me to do it this way, I just thought it was the most logical way to do it. My wife will appear with a cuppa and I need to know where I have rinsed.
I totally agree
Great video Science Specky, agree with what you say, for some reason where I live we get a lot of sand in the air (fuck knows why I live in Manchester nowhere near any beaches) so I always give the car a quick blast off with the pressure washer.
It's fine sand from the Sahara desert which gets whipped up into the atmosphere during high winds and gets deposited over Europe when the winds and/or temperatures drop (or when it rains).
Sod's law usually means it'll happen the day after you've cleaned your car!!
It certainly doesn't hurt to remove surface dirt if you have the five minutes to do it.
What lance do you reccomend?
The AmazonBasics one is fine to get you started. The MJJC V2 is very good but more money and the foam can be a bit dry.
I've got the one off the vid what you called the ebay special. Ile have a play with ratios next time I use it. I was filling bottle to the 1l mark with pure solution and setting the dial to about 2/3 the way round so I can't be too far off the money on dilution rate consideration to if the flow rate is similar to the 12.7 of the one in the video. I will have to have a play around with it. Did you notice the gun type makes any difference to the consistency or is it pure ratios?
Keep in mind that the one I have could be quite different to yours. Don't just assume that the flow rates are the same, test it yourself and work out exactly what yours is. As for consistency, it's definitely unit dependant. I've got a high flow rate lance that delivers thin foam and a low flow rate that delivers thick foam. Confusing? You bet!
Pre-rinsing dilutes the product and makes it less effective as a result. It only makes sense to do it when there's so much dirt that the snow foam wouldn't reach the surface of the car.
How much water per square inch of car panel would constitute enough to dilute the pre-wash product to have a noticeable affect? Do you take into account the fact that the water would run off? What about evaporation?
I thought the whole idea was you spray it on it runs off and takes the muck with it not cling on to it
Some of the dirt will be dragged off but it's main purpose is to pre-treat the dirt and make it easier to remove with a pressure washer or strong stream of water.
Dont make this into a science! If you got your p-washer and a foam-lance, just go with the recommendations from manufacturer, regarding ratios, pressure and water amount. Just make sure to make it into an enjoyable experience and dont over think everything. Have fun!
I don't disagree with you, but some people want to know the science. Anyone who doesn't will just scroll past.
@@SpeckyMcSporran Most things are what you make it into:)
Its a good thing to make ppl aware of the PIR tho!
Maybe add a tip; write down the flow-rate nr on your foam-lance, if you have/use several different lances. Next time you mix 1-5% PIR it is easier to remember what ratio for what lance. Maybe even make a laminated chart, to nerd it up properly! ;)
I have 5 snowfoam lances and I keep a note in my phone of their flow rate 😁👌🏻
Great video and tips. Thank you
Glad you like it!
I've been detailing friends and family cars for years.. and when i was young i also worked in a carwash.. i tried the foam trend but i never liked the result using faoming techniques,.. no matter how i mix the soap, no matter which foam soap, there was always dirts at the end.. not only that but the use of a pressure washer is a pain and maybe people aren't aware but pressure washer consume alot of electricity, so when you charge a costumer you better take into consideration the electricity bill. Also there are so many wires, hose, cord and stuff that it makes very hard at he end .. i tries to look for an easier setup, like a pressure washer that hook to a wall and a fixed reel that allow to freely move around the vehicle but those things are too expensive for home usage. ..i only use my pressure washer in the winter or when the vehicle is very very dirty. Otherwise i just use the garden hose and its strongest setting. It takes longer to wash the car with just the garden hose then i apply the soap by hand and carefully handwash the vehicle the old school way….if done right you won't leave any swirl.. For the last step I just shine the car with some detailing spray,, in the end, the car look new and shinny., Thats hiw ive been doing for years and no swirl, I did try some of those foaming that attach to garden hose nozzle,, but the foam were not sticking long enough,, the foam coming out was just too liquid.. as of today im still looking for a better setup something easy to use.. oh and the reason i don't use pressure washer is because my garage is too narrow to leave it there and i have to clear the space everytime im done washing a car. I also need the hose for my lawn.. anyway if you can Make a video compairing the two techniques (foam vs old school washing ) that would be interesting,
It's hard to compare the two as they're vastly different. If you don't like to use a pressure washer or don't like the wet foam from the hose connector ones then I'd suggest a foaming pump sprayer as they're dryer than the hose type and don't take up much space. You'll need to pump it many times but it might be useful for you.
foam is just a way of applying soap to your car without scratching it its much more efficient than using a towel to apply suds to your car
Loving the video content lately. Product reviews are great, but at a time where numerous brands are the same re bottled Product with a different name, its nice to see some how to style content instead
Thanks so much Darren, glad you've learned enough Scottish now to no longer need subtitles 😊
Can’t believe I’ve not rinsed out my SF bottle/lance as shown in this vid. Bloody obvious really! 🤦♂️
🤣
Really well presented video. Thank you
Thank you!
Whats the 2 lances you used? Links too?
The white one was a basic eBay thing I've had for years and the blue one was from Duel.
What do you mean by 4% ? Does that mean 4 parts foam to 96 parts water?
Do you not was h your car just foam and rinse does that actually work
I do wash the car, foam is a pre-wash
Im the same by rinsing from the bottom upwards
👍🏻
brilliant review thank you
Waiting for the Specky lab-coat merch next.... 🤣...and for Paul to wear one on his next video, i think his neighbours will get him collected in a padded van, i know mine would, but what a laugh!!! I'll must dig out my AutoBrite Parma Violets purple foam, looks cool and smells divine!
I would rather pre-rinse. Living on the coast a lot of what I get on the car can be fine sand, so I want as little as that sliding down the car as possible. Simply makes sense to me to remove as much as possible thereby giving the snow foam an easier job.
I prefer to rinse from the top though. As long as the foam is left on for the recommended time it's fine. Sorry but I don't buy the "can't see which part you've rinsed" thing. When you rinse you remove the foam, that's your indicator! Besides, going from top to bottom, you don't really need to know, it's obvious when it's all gone.
I don't disagree about the pre-rinse but the snowfoam situation needs to be addressed. Snowfoam should be pressure rinsed rather than just lightly removing the foam, you need pressure to push the softened dirt off the paint. I'll have a new video covering this soon.
Err did you not say the bottom of car is the dirtiest, yet you are shortening dwell time by starting rinsing from the bottom. I don't think it makes that much of a difference where you start rinsing.