Thread: Foam It Up!
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      08-18-2019, 04:31 PM   #24
rellascout
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Drives: G30/M550ix 2019
Join Date: Sep 2018
Location: Virginia

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2018 BMW M3 ZCP  [0.00]
2019 BMW M550ix  [0.00]
Quote:
Originally Posted by gooselee View Post
Hah - YouTube vids are what got me into detailing too. Way too many hours of Pan & Larry.

Have been thinking about a true foam cannon for a while. For now I got some cheapo $20 thing that hooks up to a regular garden hose; but actually does a decent job of setting a layer of soapy film on the paint and getting most of the major gunk off.

I still go over everything with a mitt but dirt and crap just kind of sweeps away at that point.

Those of you with true foam cannons - are you actually able to just foam up the car, rinse, and be done for maintenance washes? The most back-breaking part for me is cleaning the wheels and drying. And then every 2nd/3rd wash I usually want to hit it with a quick wax or something to re-up the protection (I don't have any wrap or ceramic on mine).
The foam cannon IMHO cannot be used for simple maintenance washes. It has the potential to leave particles on the car that you will then drag over the paint surface when you dry it. It is a step in isolating and removing particulates from the paint surface. There is no real substitute for wiping the panels of the car with a mitt or micro fiber towel to get it clean.

Something like Optimum No Rinse would be a better solution for quick maintenance washes. If done right it uses less water and will protect the paint better. Using multiple micro fiber towels soaked in Optimum No Rinse can work. With this method use only use each towel side once. You use it on the panel then flip it and use the other side. It then goes into a dirties bin. You continue using new towels until you have cleaned all the panels. You do not have to rinse it and it drys without streaking. I think this works in a pinch but I am not convinced that some particles are not getting dragged across the paint even with the one towel one panel method. Every now and then would be ok or if you live somewhere like CA with water restrictions.

When I wash my M3 or M550iX I rinse it first with a pressure washer. This removes a lot of the heavy debris. From there I foam it with a foam cannon. I let it sit for about 5 minutes and make sure not to let it dry. If it is hot out I do it in sections not the entire car. I then rinse the foam off. The foam in theory frees up and coats the particulates on the car. I then rinse them off safely with a pressure washer.

From there I do a 3 bucket wash. I start with the wheels. I spray them down with the cleaner of my choice and let it dwell. I then go back to the first one I sprayed and use wheel woolies and a rinse bucket, bucket #1, with a grit guard to clean the wheels. I get in the barrel, spokes etc... I then spray off with the pressure washer and move to the next wheel. Once the wheels and the wheel wells are done I then move on to the car body. My wheels have been ceramic coated so the scrubbing is minimal. The cleaner and the pressure washer are doing most of the work because the brake dust does not stick to the wheels.

I use the standard 2 bucket method and wash the car. I use a separate mitt for the rocker panels and lower bumpers. The other mitt never touches those lower surfaces. I then rinse it with the pressure washer and dry it. It take about an hour or so to do the M3. Both cars have their high impact areas wrapped and then coated with Gtechniq Crystal Serum Ultra Black. Both make cleaning the cars easier.

Appreciate 2
claykin1579.00
gooselee162.00