I've been using my Karcher and a Foam lance for a good 5 months now. I've tried a few different products. I'm all up for peoples reviews, durability and cost effectiveness of products. There's nothing i like more then trying a variety of products. 

 

Do i really need it though? 

 

Now i always snowfoam onto a dry car, it clings better. But! Do i need to snowfoam? My car is a little dusty, cleaned a week ago. I Machine polished 8 weeks ago. Its sealed with Sonax NPT, Waxed with FK101 and i use BSD as a QD. 

 

I'm finding im going to ditch the Snowfoam lance, my pressure washer and snowfoam all together. 

 

My alternative will be VP Cirtus prewash using a hand pump and then rinse with a hose and then wash 2bm. 

 

Now im not saying its completely pointless, if my car was caked in alot of muck and had not been washed in 2 month i could see the need But its not. I use methods/products that remove and lift muck as much as possible without interfering with products already on the car.

 

 

Give me your views! Do you snowfoam, Pre wash or send it down the road and get it cleaned for £5. 

 

Robbie. 

Never used snow foam myself but I just bought a pump spray bottle for some pre-wash. Looking at the VP citrus too

snow foam all the way for me.... therapeutic.

Truth be told I think it makes the washing process easier.

IMO it has it's place - e.g washing in the summer months when the suns out. Or if I'm revisiting a previously Detailed car with soft clear coat I'd go with it - not as a pre wash but just to aid the actual washing process in terms of having not only a slick shampoo but a snowfoam layer between paint & mitt.

 

In all other scenarios a thorough rinse with the PW is more than sufficient.

I bought a hose end sprayer for applying pre-wash for this exact reason, I like to have the option for both depending on soiling.

I am now using a prewash far more often than snow foam though.

Good post, sometimes snowfoamania can make it seem there is only one way to detail a car.

Haha good food for thought, been pondering snowfoam for ages - Mostly on the side of its not for me.

 

Had the car approx 18 months from new washed virtually every week. Either with PW or hosepipe on 'blast' to get all the main debris off the car then one bucket method :P

Always used a washmit - Just upgraded to a huge CYC bucket with scratch shield guard.

 

Got a few broken swirls, but not many by my standards anyway - Maybe when the car is 2-3 years old it would benefit from a good machine polish.

 

Will find out more about this pre-wash malarky!

 

I'm a keen car cleaner, not a full on detailer. Although the wife and neighbours would disagree! 

Having a white car I wash it every week, but I think I'll only be foaming it depending on how bad it is... I have just washed it after a trip to the south coast, drove through what can only be described as a dense swarm of midges that coated the windscreen and turned the front of the car black ! The foam lifted all this off without any elbow grease needed. If it's just dusty it'll get the wash mitt treatment and a Aquawax afterwards.

I use both, and they seem similarly effective. The snow foam is much more satisfying (read 'fun') to use, though I love the smell of the citrus pre-wash. I still prefer to use the pressure washer over a standard hose gun, so I'm more likely to use snowfoam. What really helps is having a good sealer/wax/LSP that means the dirt comes off easily whichever method you use.

 

 

Give me your views! Do you snowfoam, Pre wash or send it down the road and get it cleaned for £5. 

 

Robbie.

Take it down the road and pay a fiver, you can then post another thread in 6 months time on how to get rid of all the swirl marks they've created!

On a slightly more serious note, I use snowfoam as a matter of course-do I need to use it every time....probably not but it is fun and there's no doubt in my mind it does leave less contaminates to get rid of at the shampoo stage which can only be a good thing as that helps reduce the chance of creating any swirls from dirt/grit trapped in your wash mit.

I also have citrus spray, but only use that first if the car is particularly dirty, followed by snowfoaming etc.

You pays your money.....

I do both. Bilt hamber foam prewash

then Valet pro foam after. To the absolute delight of the two young

boys across the street who have their faces pressed against their

living room window when they notice I'm washing the car.

I told them I'd do their bikes if they brought them over.

Take it down the road and pay a fiver, you can then post another thread in 6 months time on how to get rid of all the swirl marks they've created!

 

 

You would be posting that, not me. I never asked what i should do. 

 

Just after peoples views on snowfoaming and when/if  its necessary. 

Ooops...... I did say on a slightly more serious note after! I wouldn't take mine to the bucket & scratch mob under any circumstances.

So a silly question

Do u use snow foam

Then shampoo and mit

Then ur polishh wax n potions ?

Or snowfoam and use ur mit on that so no bucket of shampoo ?

So a silly question

Do u use snow foam

Then shampoo and mit

Then ur polishh wax n potions ?

Or snowfoam and use ur mit on that so no bucket of shampoo ?

Wash mitt & bucket of shampoo still required

So foam it

Then wash as normal yeah

Pm this way if you want to sell it on...

I have been cleaning/detailing my cars for years and have never "snowed" although I can see the pros and cons of the argument. For me the answer is relatively simple and very well summed up by dbg400:

What really helps is having a good sealer/wax/LSP that means the dirt comes off easily whichever method you use.

Both my cars are sealed with GTechniq c2v3 and as a result, firstly the dirt doesn't cling as much as it would with non-protected paint; the water just beads and runs off taking the dirt abd grime with it. Secondly if anh dirt does remain on tbe paintwork eg lower rear valance etc, it washes off much easily, sometimes too easily, by hand.

Just my 2p.

For me the extra safety that Snow Foam application gives me, is my main reason

I prefer that rather than rely totally on protection alone

On the topic of snow foam... Can anyone see why this shouldn't be bought? Looks very similar to the ones on cyc etc; http://bit.ly/1eq5bjO

On the topic of snow foam... Can anyone see why this shouldn't be bought? Looks very similar to the ones on cyc etc; http://bit.ly/1eq5bjO

Depends on the quality of the parts used really. Still quite a bit of cash to take a punt on...

quote name="kiddy1" post="3747553" timestamp="1398207550"]On the topic of snow foam... Can anyone see why this shouldn't be bought? Looks very similar to the ones on cyc etc; http://bit.ly/1eq5bjO

This 1 looks very similar to the 1 I got off ebay about 18 months ago and I've had no problems with it. Gives a good thick foam when used with valetpro snowfoam. Think the bottles are a bit thinner that the autobrite one though.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Pressure-Washer-Jet-Wash-Nilfisk-Kew-Alto-A-R-Compatible-Snow-Foam-Lance-/271367371334?pt=UK_Home_Garden_PowerTools_SM&hash=item3f2ec17a46

Looks absolutely fine

Buy with confidence

Im just a child and find it fun

Don't get me wrong guys. Cleaning dirt off my car is very easy. I take pride in the bodywork and keep the protection up to date.

Through winter it has served me great. Come summer time I think valet pro citrus pre wash from a pump bottle, wash with the jetwash and then the 2 bucket method wash after is more than suitable.

Absolutely fine Robbie

I personally prefer Snow Foam

In the Winter, with salt on the roads..Citrus Pre wash is a good stage prior to Snow Foam