*** The Car Cleaning Thread ***

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CaptainRAVE said:
I like autoglyms three step pressure wash approach. Just need to try the polar seal.
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Got more details of this as i failed at a quick google.

I'll admit that i don't wash my car. The last time it was cleaned was by a mobile car wash guy in the summer of 2017 and that was only because i'd been helping my mother in law renovate a house and my car had been used as a van for 6 months and the passenger seat had been removed and left in a garage which leaked and developed some mould!

I'm not going to go out and buy hundreds of products as i know that i'll never actually use them because i'm lazy and frankly don't care enough. However i would like to get something that i can use to try and keep on top of things with fairly minimal effort.

I've been given a pressure washer and been eyeing up the Autobrite snow foam lance. From what @kindai had posted of it with his Lambo the results were impressive (i'm sure he does other things at other times too). Just something that will clear off the grime/bird poo/tree sap (we've moved house and are now surrounded by trees) that i can do maybe every couple weeks that won't take a long time.
 
Marvt74 said:
Got more details of this as i failed at a quick google.

I'll admit that i don't wash my car. The last time it was cleaned was by a mobile car wash guy in the summer of 2017 and that was only because i'd been helping my mother in law renovate a house and my car had been used as a van for 6 months and the passenger seat had been removed and left in a garage which leaked and developed some mould!

I'm not going to go out and buy hundreds of products as i know that i'll never actually use them because i'm lazy and frankly don't care enough. However i would like to get something that i can use to try and keep on top of things with fairly minimal effort.

I've been given a pressure washer and been eyeing up the Autobrite snow foam lance. From what @kindai had posted of it with his Lambo the results were impressive (i'm sure he does other things at other times too). Just something that will clear off the grime/bird poo/tree sap (we've moved house and are now surrounded by trees) that i can do maybe every couple weeks that won't take a long time.
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Autobrite snow foam lance with Autobrite magifoam are a great combination, you'd use this as a first step and leave it to dwell before pressure washing it off. This however won't remove tree sap, that needs a tar remover e.g. https://www.polishedbliss.co.uk/gyeon-q2m-tar
Ideally you'd need to do a contact wash with 2 buckets, but sounds like this may be too much for you. You can simply rinse off the snow foam and leave it at that if you don't mind baked on water spots. I wouldn't recommend trying to dry the car without doing a proper contact wash and rinse.
 
Marvt74 said:
I've been given a pressure washer and been eyeing up the Autobrite snow foam lance. From what @kindai had posted of it with his Lambo the results were impressive (i'm sure he does other things at other times too). Just something that will clear off the grime/bird poo/tree sap (we've moved house and are now surrounded by trees) that i can do maybe every couple weeks that won't take a long time.
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He does a lot more than that :p

That said, even just a quick snow foam and pressure wash will leave it a lot cleaner.
 
CaptainRAVE said:
He does a lot more than that :p
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Haha i know that. I just recall one post he made where he showed the before and after results of just snow foaming. Although i accept that other things he'll have done will have contributed to it not being as horrific in the first place.

To be honest i wasn't even planning on drying it :p
Will pick up some snow foam and a lance and see how it works. You never know it might make me want to look after it better (although the inside will still be a place where passengers require a tetanus jab)

How many washes (based on 2 cars) can i expect with the supplied 500ml bottle?
 
Marvt74 said:
To be honest i wasn't even planning on drying it :p
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If you're OK with water spots (they look really **** in the sun, fine in winter/cloudy conditions) then you can skip drying. You definitely don't want to dry after just a snow foam and rinse, my rinse bucket after a 2 bucket wash is still quite dirty.
 
The best thing for easy cleaning is to have a good base - if you got someone to clean it properly and give it a decent wax / ceramic coat, then a periodic go with the Autoglym trio of pressure washing products will keep it mostly clean.

Without a decent wax/ceramic layer though, just spraying stuff on the car won't do anything as the dirt will cling to the paint much more.
 
That could be a good shout actually.

Is there much of a difference with Snow Foam Lances? I see there's a Karcher for £15 but then there are a few others on Amazon which are similar priced to the Autobrite one but with a bigger supply of product. Reviews look decent and i've already set my stall out that perfection isn't my goal. Though if the Autobrite one will result in a better finish for my lazy efforts i'm happy to pick it up.


https://www.amazon.co.uk/Pro-Kleen-...707&s=gateway&sprefix=autobrit,aps,183&sr=8-7

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Cherry-Sha...y&sprefix=autobrit,aps,183&sr=8-2-spons&psc=1
 
Marvt74 said:
Though if the Autobrite one will result in a better finish for my lazy efforts i'm happy to pick it up.
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This.

Autobrite magifoam works best for lazy people because you can spray it on and forget about it for 15-20 mins while you make and enjoy a cuppa. Come back wash off and job done.

Ive tried countless snow foams, personally from experience:

Autobrite magifoam - best for cleaning heavy dirt, long dwell time, reasonable costing especially if you buy it in bulk (plus their easter sale will be soon so likely a good chunk cheaper!).
Sams Active snow foam - as good as magifoam, possibly made in the same lab, seems a bit thinner than magifoam though.
Bilt hamber auto foam - not as good on heavy soiling, but excellent value for money, dries out quickly though as its a thin foam and runs off quickly.
Auto finesse avalanche - good but expensive.
 
I've tried a few over the years. Currently have a 5 litre tub of Bilt Hamber Auto Foam, which seems excellent - but as above, perhaps not quite as effective as Magifoam. When it runs out, I might switch back to that for the thicker formula and longer dwell.
I still can't get over AutoFinesse Avalanche. Seemed utterly ineffective, no better than just using a pressure wash alone. It was so bad that it still annoys me and I mention it every time the discussion of snow foam comes up :D
 
It's the product (snow foam) that will actually do more than anything.

Get a snow foam lance like that pictured in either link - they're all very much the same just make sure it fits your pressure washer.
 
Conscript said:
I still can't get over AutoFinesse Avalanche. Seemed utterly ineffective, no better than just using a pressure wash alone. It was so bad that it still annoys me and I mention it every time the discussion of snow foam comes up :D
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I wonder if theyve changed formulations then! When I tried it, it was good but the price point meant I never purchased it again.
 
Marvt74 said:
I thnk i need to take some pictures of how it currently looks to show that water spots will be a big improvement :p

@CaptainRAVE Looking at this on Amazon, is this the 3 step Autoglym stuff you mentioned where all products are applied using a pressure washer?

https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B079QNQL1R/ref=sspa_dk_hqp_detail_aax_0?psc=1
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Yup, that’s the one. Haven’t tried all of the, yet, but it seems like the quickest way to get the best result with least effort.
 
Recently ran out of snow foam so decided to use BH Surfex HD in the snow foam lance, i must say it worked very well, not as cool looking as snow foam but worked just as well, and a hell of a lot less messy.
 
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