Grizzle.

1/ What is snow foam? How is it applied?

2/ If a sponge/brush might "inflict" scratches, why doesn't a sheepskin mitt?

I'm obviously a bit "old school" but I live in the countryside, drive on roads that are invariably muddy, and have a hobby that means my car gets extremely dirty very often. All these things you mention seem to take ages to do, and by the sound of it I'd be doing mine every week!

Grizzle.

1/ What is snow foam? How is it applied?

I also wondered this Graham and found all these images on Google images. Akin to this:

Also look at this detailed thread on detailing a Å koda Octavia Scout:

http://www.detailing...ad.php?t=175071

Yikes!!!!!!

there is a whole section on this on Briskoda - life beyond the Yeti threads dare I say it?

The sheepskin when combined with the grit guard and two bucket method will help reduce scratches. Personally at this time of year I snow foam mine, then go and have a cup of tea and then come out and just hose it off. Anything else is pointelss with salt on the roads. So actually I reckon my method is quicker than your warm water, fairy liquid and sponge

OK. All makes sense..... As a combination of things to do these all work nicely together. From snow foam to claying et al. But for the general person out there (that don't touch their paint to feel how smooth it is! ) a normal wash and rinse should suffice I'd guess. It has for me for many years. But then, had I gone and touched the paint on all those cars it might not have been as perfect as it looked. But end of the day I only look at my cars and don't touch them! So I'm happy with having just done the wax now for the first time ever!

as you have a new car I'm guessing it won't affect you so much, the marring will become more evident as the years progress and so the second or third owner will be left with the swirls and paint defects, and then they can go check out the detailing threads on here! My wife's nine year old audi is all dull and the paintwork has swirls all over the place. Water doesn't bead off it and basically it is a picture of what happens over a prolonged period of time with the things you say don't matter to the general person. As long as you move the cars along in time, you are probably right.

But I guess we are at risk of becoming non yeti specific here

as you have a new car I'm guessing it won't affect you so much, the marring will become more evident as the years progress and so the second or third owner will be left with the swirls and paint defects, and then they can go check out the detailing threads on here! My wife's nine year old audi is all dull and the paintwork has swirls all over the place. Water doesn't bead off it and basically it is a picture of what happens over a prolonged period of time with the things you say don't matter to the general person. As long as you move the cars along in time, you are probably right.

But I guess we are at risk of becoming non yeti specific here

I've never ever had swirls on my cars as from my experience you only get these if you are foolish enough to put a car through an automated wash. A hand wash (by yourself or others) can't create these swirls. And yes that means I have never put any of my cars through an automatic wash.

Really?.....

Really?.....

Not exactly a scientific method is it? ALL my cars have been washed for decades now in hand washes, some places use the silicone wipes others don't. I even own a silicone wipe and have never, not once, on ANY of my cars noticed scratches due to the wash place or me using a silicone wipe. So that report did not hold water for me when I saw it on TV nor does it now.

Using the coin operated brushes at a fuel station, fine, perhaps. These things fall on the ground and you have no idea what the previous person did with it. Automated washes cause swirls over time so a no go as well for me.

Grizzle, I've been thinking of buying a snow foam lance to go on my power washer but I'm concerned it will strip off the Supagaurd I have put on the car or is there a safer / less potent snow foam available that won't strip the supagaurd / wax?:S

I just hand wash mine most of the time. I have used a couple of garage car washes.

I actually washed mine on Sunday and put another coat of that Autoglym cream polish that is easy to apply. They have 2, I have both but can't remember the names.

If I use the Autoglym product do I really need to use this other product you talk about above, the 841 one?

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So Snow Foam has to be put on with a pressure washer.

I think I will stick with my supermarket jet wash or my bucket and sponge!

I don't own a pressure washer.

I don't have a garage.

I don't have a drive.

I can't use a hose.

Now if someone wants to come to Llani and do it for me...............

Decent paint will survive quite well so long as it is kept free of Bird lime, tree sap, and salt. Proper washing and waxing will help keep a good shine for longer.

Only those who enjoy it should involve themselves in detailing, I do and yet do not expect others to.

For those who don't wish to get into the world of detailing may I make a couple of suggestions?

Never use fairy liquid-it is a combination of detergent and salt and can actually harm the paint surface.

Always rinse the car first if you can -hose or pressure washer so you are not trying to soften a muddy layer and wipe it off at the same time.

Wash from top to bottom.

Give a blast of the hose around the sills and wheel arches to reduce build up of muddy/salty deposits.

A good waxing will make the next 3 or 4 washes much easier.

Never use fairy liquid-it is a combination of detergent and salt and can actually harm the paint surface.

Always rinse the car first if you can -hose or pressure washer so you are not trying to soften a muddy layer and wipe it off at the same time.

Wash from top to bottom.

Give a blast of the hose around the sills and wheel arches to reduce build up of muddy/salty deposits.

A good waxing will make the next 3 or 4 washes much easier.

Good advice JCP.

As I said I've never done it before but I must say I did get a great deal of satisfaction in getting the Golf that shiny!!! So I can totally get why one would want to get into detailing a car to the degree that Scout was done in the link I posted above... But then it rains (I have no garage) and you drive around the block and the thing looks just like before you spent a whole day cleaning it. Argh no!!!! So at least it is only a tenner every few months for me (this was only his fourth wash in nearly a YEAR!) and the Monster is clean again with no hard labour from my side apart from driving to the place! Thankfully being the colour he is my Monster always LOOKS clean from afar!

All the things you list above the Eastern European cleaners do to my car... they even spray a bit of token wax on it! So I'm happy. And just putting the final wax layer on myself at home is no great hardship. So I'll continue cleaning the Monster this way.

Thanks JCP.

I don't use washing up liquid but a proper car shampoo.

Unfortunately I would need a VERY long hose at my house, so if I am doing there it gets a couple of buckets chucked at it first. One of the reasons when it is very dirty, as now, that it gets done at the supermarket.

Plus that doesn't leave a huge amount of mud on the road outside!!

After avoiding the supaguard/whatever treatment offered by the dealership due to not wanting to pay a stupidly expensive price for something i actually like doing, i decided to spend a 3rd of the money saved in getting some nice product to do it myself. Having done a lot of researching, i decided that as i had always used autoglym and been happy with the products, i would go for their high definition range, which having shopped around I finally ordered online.

After about a week of waiting due to it being to sunny, i got up bright and early and began, starting with a pressure wash, body shampoo, rinse and chamois, then after some drying time i started on the claying, having never done it before I was quite nervous as to the effect it would have, but it was amazing, all those little tar spots that never come off, came away with ease, but my god it was hard work, hours it took me, and my thumb was out of use for days, after that the cleanser and wax from the HD range were easy, but by the time I finished doing the top dressing and sealing the alloys the neighbour's that had spoken to me on the way to work that morning were coming home for the evening and with only a half hour break for lunch! But my god it looked amazing and still looks good over a month and a few washes since!

I'm one of those people who really likes seeing my car nice and shiney, maybe you can tell!

After avoiding the supaguard/whatever treatment offered by the dealership due to not wanting to pay a stupidly expensive price for something i actually like doing, i decided to spend a 3rd of the money saved in getting some nice product to do it myself. Having done a lot of researching, i decided that as i had always used autoglym and been happy with the products, i would go for their high definition range, which having shopped around I finally ordered online.

After about a week of waiting due to it being to sunny, i got up bright and early and began, starting with a pressure wash, body shampoo, rinse and chamois, then after some drying time i started on the claying, having never done it before I was quite nervous as to the effect it would have, but it was amazing, all those little tar spots that never come off, came away with ease, but my god it was hard work, hours it took me, and my thumb was out of use for days, after that the cleanser and wax from the HD range were easy, but by the time I finished doing the top dressing and sealing the alloys the neighbour's that had spoken to me on the way to work that morning were coming home for the evening and with only a half hour break for lunch! But my god it looked amazing and still looks good over a month and a few washes since!

I'm one of those people who really likes seeing my car nice and shiney, maybe you can tell!

What the dealers charge for Supagaurd 100 is shocking, absolute robbery, some are in the region of £200. I am unsure of how good it is as I have heard varying opinions but I picked up 5 x Supaguard 100 applicators for £16, 1 is more than enough for a Golf sized car, so I reckon I have enough to last 15 years according to the manufacturer.

I will add its easy to apply but time will tell if its any good, but certainly worth a try at £16.

Bringing things back to Yeti territory, whatever you decide to do you need to take particular care with the gloss black plastic trims that cover the A post (windscreen) and D post (above rear lights) as they scratch terribly easily, as can the plastic headlamp covers. Also beware - do not use any polish or other product that warns you not to use it on unpainted plastics. Some of those products can actually attack the surface chemically, turning it matt. :'(

Decent paint will survive quite well so long as it is kept free of Bird lime, tree sap, and salt. Proper washing and waxing will help keep a good shine for longer.

Only those who enjoy it should involve themselves in detailing, I do and yet do not expect others to.

For those who don't wish to get into the world of detailing may I make a couple of suggestions?

Never use fairy liquid-it is a combination of detergent and salt and can actually harm the paint surface.

Always rinse the car first if you can -hose or pressure washer so you are not trying to soften a muddy layer and wipe it off at the same time.

Wash from top to bottom.

Give a blast of the hose around the sills and wheel arches to reduce build up of muddy/salty deposits.

A good waxing will make the next 3 or 4 washes much easier.

So you've no objection to me popping round so you can have a go at Harry then?

If anyone has forgotten the Yeti that got detailed it's here: http://www.detailingworld.co.uk/forum/showthread.php?t=152964

So you've no objection to me popping round so you can have a go at Harry then?

Absolutely not! If it is fine on Saturday message me and join in a session-I'm tied up on Sunday though.

John

If anyone has forgotten the Yeti that got detailed it's here: http://www.detailingworld.co.uk/forum/showthread.php?t=152964

Awh!!! That is Aerofurb's Yeti!!!

Absolutely not! If it is fine on Saturday message me and join in a session-I'm tied up on Sunday though.

John

i was thinking more along the lines of i drop Harry off and collect him when he's all shiny!

but it would be interesting to see what this detailing lark is all about.

i'm thinking it's about what i do for the bikes?