Help, am I doing it wrong; snow foam

[GingerMunky]

I got a snow foam attachment for my Karcher pressure washer and some Valet Pro pH Neutral snow foam, which I think was recommended on another thread. I watched this video, which shows a heavily soiled car being covered in snow foam and then rinsed, as they all do. Nearly all the dirty comes off even the wheels are clean;

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V6vcAzVkJW0

So I tried this today, mixed the Valet Pro pH Neutral snow foam 30% / 70% water as instructed. Then covered my very dirty car, left for 5 mins and washed down. Zero dirt was removed! So I tried again and left for 10 mins, washed down, again almost no dirt removed! Tried on the wife's car that was not a dirty as mine, still no effect.

So is the video staged or does snow foam really work? If it does work, what am I doing wrong? Maybe the water is to wet

[Jon1967x]

I use snow foam and very similar to the one in the video. I wet the car first with the jet wash and get the worst off, then a liberal coating is foam and leave for a good 10 mins. Then jet off again and it does seem to help lift the dirt but doesn't remove it completely. I find once done it doesn't take much to remove dirt with a sponge once foamed. Miracle.. No.. Makes life easier.. I think so.

[trashbat]

I'd go with what Jon says. Certainly doesn't magically dissolve it, but has a noticeable improvement when rinsing. Don't just wash it off, blast it off with high pressure.

[kev b]

It's never going to work like magic but the more wax you have on your car the better snowfoam seems to work.

You need a fairly beefy power washer for the best result, I find it works far better if the dirt has not dried on for days, some people put a bit of car shampoo in the bottle as well.

Are you letting it dwell long enough to soften the dirt before pressure washing it off?

[Digger]

Use warm to hot water in the mix.

It's cold weather at the moment, some heat may be required to start to release some of the detritus from the surface.

[GingerMunky]

Thanks for the advice will give it another try. Maybe I was expecting too much.

[V12woollie]

I use the snow foam neat for maximum foaming. It goes on thick and I leave for ten minutes. It definitely removes a lot of the dirt. I do think it works better on a car that has a good polish or sealant on the paintwork.

[Mr Aston Martin]

I always apply a citrus degreaser prior to the snow foam if the car is heavily soiled.

Be careful though as you may end up on the dark side of car detailing, buying exotic waxes and coatings and enjoying the application over the sensuous curves of your Aston.


www.detailingworld.co.uk


I used to pay a detailer every month or so and kept it reasonable myself in between sessions. The difference between my efforts and a professional is night and day though.

[paddy328]

With snow foam, the main objective is not so much to clean the car completely, but rather to trap the loose dirt and dust and then pressure wash it off, so all you are left with is the road film. Warm water in the bottle will help a bit with the foaming, but not so much with any extra cleaning. Of course, having the car protected will make the job a lot easier too.

There have been many cars that I've snow foamed where it's had the same effect as you've encountered, but trust me, it's worth doing. Plus, it's fun!

Francis

[davidexige]

I’ve been using a product called “magifoam” for the last few months and I’ve been astounded by the results, there was a thread on detailing world about it with a few before and after pictures, I was a bit sceptical about the results but after speaking to the suppliers I thought I would give it a go.
The following pictures show my own results, the last picture is taken after power washing the foam off the car, no washing by hand has taken place at this point.
I would have used the Aston as the guinea pig but I never let it get dirty enough to be able to show any before and after shots.

[paddy328]

Magifoam is what I tell everyone to use after I have detailed their car. Autobright direct do a foam lance and magifoam kit.

[Conian]

Apparently this is not how to use it.

[JBaps]

Conian said:

Apparently this is not how to use it.

Hahaaaaahahahaaaa!

Hmm. Beware Santa after he's eaten sprouts?

[mikey k]

kev b said:

It's never going to work like magic but the more wax you have on your car the better snowfoam seems to work.

You need a fairly beefy power washer for the best result, I find it works far better if the dirt has not dried on for days, some people put a bit of car shampoo in the bottle as well.

Are you letting it dwell long enough to soften the dirt before pressure washing it off?

I've experienced all this with my set up

[Gmw76]

Hi

Interested to know if Magifoam strips off all of the protective wax quickly in peoples opinion. I was using Meguires hyperwash but through fear of stripping have just switched to Valet pro ph neutral.

I fully understand a good foam prior to detail but Francis suggests MF post his work. Is it fairly gentle whilst effective?

Mark

[paddy328]

Hyper wash wouldn't ever strip it, as it's pretty much just a shampoo. Magifoam is a dedicated snow foam and won't strip any protection. Autofinesse avalanche is worth a look too.

[mikey k]

Gmw76 said:

Hi

Interested to know if Magifoam strips off all of the protective wax quickly in peoples opinion. I was using Meguires hyperwash but through fear of stripping have just switched to Valet pro ph neutral.

I fully understand a good foam prior to detail but Francis suggests MF post his work. Is it fairly gentle whilst effective?

Mark

As Paddy says magifoam doesn't seem to strip sealants or polish nor does Hyperwash in my experience
My S has done 13k miles with out redoing or topping up sealant or waxes
I reckon I'll give it hte full rework Autumn time

[Jon1967x]

I use Magifoam and can't say I've found it stripping wax. I snow foam - jet clean - but the foam is so powerful there's usually some still mixed with the water on the car and I use that instead of shampoo to clean the car - seems to work fine.

[GingerMunky]

Thanks chaps, your advice and links are much appriciated. So I need to;
- wax a bit more often so the dirt is easier to remove.
- don't let dirt dry on for days or weeks
- buy magifoam

Thanks DavidExige for the photos, I was beginning to think snow foam was a bit of the Emperors new clothes.

Conian, that's hilarious!

[Gmw76]

Thanks guys

Wasn't intending to hijack thread but worried about spending lots of time waxing only to rip it off next wash!

Regards
Mark