Cleaning with snow foam review

[chipperhead]

I managed to get a pressure washer and patio cleaning attachment through hotukdeals for £40 just after chrimbo so decided it would also be a good time to invest in a HD Lance and some snow foam through the Autobrite group buy going on at detailing world.

I got the Lance, 500ml of Super Snow Foam and 10l of Magifoam which is the snow foam of choice at the moment for £59.



This picture is a bit misleading as the car doesn't look that dirty but it was fairly bad.



Up close you get a better idea.



This is the second time I've used snow foam and it didn't really touch brake dust last time so I gave the wheels and tyres a quick squirt with some Viro-Sol All Purpose Cleaner and a quick brush to agitate the dirt, this can't have taken longer than 2 mins.



Car foamed up, I left it about 15 minutes to dwell, time for a quick cuppa.



You can see the foam changing colour as it draws out the dirt



A quick powerwash off and underneath we have



Spotless, although I did apply some tyre gel.



Here's a couple of vids, applying and removing foam.

The first time I used the snow foam I didn't foam a part of my car but still power washed it afterwards to see if it was actually the snow foam that cleaned it or was it just the power washing. When it was all washed and dried the part I didn't foam was still dirty so it definitely works.

 

[chipperhead]

Its come out well, never works for me that good tho

I put 100ml snow foam, 300ml hot water and the setting on max, this gets me about 40 seconds (ish) worth of foam, I figure this is enough time to cover the car, at £20 for 5l delivered it works out at 40p per wash.

You wash the car afterwards or not?

Wow... you seriously didn't clean it afterwards? That's VERY impressive!

No hand wash, just what you saw in the pics and vids.

I last washed it about a week ago, people seem to get mixed results.
I think one of the problems is people running the mix to weak or with the dial setting too low. Maybe in summer when it's dried caked on dirt it will struggle a bit more.

 

[chipperhead]

on my karcher jet wash i have a hose which i can put into a jug/bottle and turn down the lance and it will come out at a mixed rate.

would this super foam be ok to use like this or do i need a separate bottle like you ?

I can only go on what I've read on the forums at detailing world but to get a decent quality consistent foam you definitely need the foam lance.

 

[chipperhead]

I've seen people mention this stuff but never used it myself. Is this designed as a prewash before you use a bucket and sponge or does it replace that step?

I think it's both, after I foamed it today there really would be no need to wash it by hand. Maybe because of the damp conditions and it was only a week since I last washed it, the foam was enough.
Perhaps with a dirtier car and dried on dirt it might have needed a second wash by hand.

 

[chipperhead]

my snow foam always runs off the car within 2minutes...

What mixture do you use in the bottle and setting on the lance?

 

[chipperhead]

Super Snow Foam from CYC
and medium on the lance, also from CYC.

Nilfix 130c6 or something like that. 130bar.


It will probably stick to my car now, because i think the wax has worn off, but when its freshly waxed it doesn't cling on at all it seems

How much foam do you put in the bottom, about a inch?
Also do you top the bottle up with water aswell?

My 100ml of foam and 300ml of water and the lance set to max only lasts just long enough to give the car a coating, maybe 40 - 50 seconds.

 

[chipperhead]

Is it just me or is part of the reason people think snow foam is so good is because you can take pictures of your car covered in foam, rather than any miraculous cleaning ability. I'm speaking from experience here and a flickr account with various cars covered in foam.

I know what you mean and I do really enjoy foaming my car however I am seriously impressed with the results.

 

[chipperhead]

Linky?

Would you like me to send you 100ml of magifoam as a little sampler, gratis of course
I bet I sound like a bloody salesman, thing is I don't want anyone spending there hard earned on something I've raved about and be dissapointed.

 

[chipperhead]

That is awesome! Can you provide a link to the lance you bought, and the tyre gel please?

This is the group buy over on detailing world

http://www.detailingworld.co.uk/forum/showthread.php?t=183611

The tyre gel was Autobrite berry blast tyre gel, I use a tiny bit on a piece of cut down sponge to apply it.

 

[chipperhead]

I'd be most grateful, although I fancy 100ml might just cover one alloy

email in trust

I've sent you a message in trust.

 

[chipperhead]

I don't understand people saying you always need to wash after snowfoaming like it's going to damage the paint or something if you don't.
Like MrLoL said for a quick winter clean it's fine, in fact as per my photos and vids above, the car was spotless when I finished, there was no need for further cleaning.

 

[chipperhead]

you need to wash if you intend to dry the car with a towell etc..

If you dry it like that, you'll just end up rubbing grime all over the car.

Ah got you, yeah it's a quick winter clean or to use as a pre wash.

 

[chipperhead]

This is what I do as well, despite owning a snow foam lance. The snow foam is great fun and looks cool but I didn't see any advantage over a normal pressure wash for taking dirt off whether before a clean or not. I love how you get pictures saying "Look at the dirt that has come off into the foam after a 15 minute soak" - this dirt would have been gone in 2 seconds with the normal lance!

But as I said as internet motoring forum fads go it's great because you can take cool pictures and they make you look and feel like a pro. They are a lot cheaper and have more impact visually than winter tyres anyway.

100% disagree with you here, first time I used it on my car I left the door with out snow foam on. I then pressure washed the car down including the door, after it had all dried the rest of the car was gleaming the door was still dirty.

 

[chipperhead]

It's best to apply to a dry car so the foam can dwell longer, so the theory goes over at detailing world anyway.

 

[chipperhead]

does the dial control the thickness of the foam

Yes, I put the dial to full minus for maximum foamage, then put 100ml of foam into the bottle and I top up with 300ml of water to give me 400ml in total.
I'm not sure why people fill the bottle right up as 400ml of mix in the bottle gives me roughly 40 - 50 secs (total guess) of foam time which is enough to cover the car.
Some people fill the bottle right up and have the dial set to a weak pickup and wonder why they get rubbish foam.

 

[chipperhead]

full minus? surely that draws up less from the bottle? I use full plus, which means it empties the bottle in no time at all..

You'd have thought so but on the Autobrite lance the more minus you turn it, the quicker it picks up the foam.