I'm sure this has been covered before so appologies if your sick of this topic coming up.

 

Just bought a new Karcher and it came with a snow foam nozzle. Youtube vids are plentiful and conflicting so thought I'd ask you guys.

 

Wondering if it's worth me buying some stuff to try in the nozzle, but which stuff? Does snow foam remove much of the dirt prior to a proper wash and is the stuff expensive to buy or are the cheaper products available upto the job?

 

I'd welcome advice from anyone that uses the stuff.

 

Thanks

The  Karcher Snow foam lance is okay (especially when it came as part of your kit) but you'll get better results with a 'proper' snow foam lance/gun. 

 

I normally run a hose from the tap over my vehicle to loosen any dirt, then go over it with snow foam - rule of thumb is approximately 3cm of snow foam in the plastic bottle and top up with water- leave it to dwell on the vehicle  for approximately 5 - 10 minutes then rinse off.  

 

These people have a sale on at the moment;

 

https://www.ezcarcare.co.uk/collections/wash/snow-foam

 

I use Bilt Hamber Autofoam which is approximately £16 for 5 litres. 

 

Autoglym have brought out a new snow foam called  Polar Blast and is available from Halfords for approximately £14 for 2.5l if  you want to see if your karcher foam gun is sufficient for your needs before splashing out on a snowfoam lance. 

 

If you do decide to get a snowfoam lance ensure you order it with a Karcher connector as there are different connectors for different manufacturers. 

 

 

Check out Sam's Detailing website and get a proper PA snow foam lance for £20. 

The Karcher unit you get with the pressure washer is okay for spreading soap but won't get anything remotely thick and foamy. 

Thanks for the replies guys. Should have mentioned its a Karcher K2 full control washer I have purchased.  Is this the sort of thing I need? https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Karcher-K-Series-Car-Snow-Foam-Lance-Sprayer-High-Pressure-Washer-1LTR-Bottle-MR/263458464684?ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT&_trksid=p2060353.m1438.l2649

Edited 9 April, 20188 yr by maverick54

1 hour ago, maverick54 said:

Thanks for the replies guys. Should have mentioned its a Karcher K2 full control washer I have purchased.  Is this the sort of thing I need? https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Karcher-K-Series-Car-Snow-Foam-Lance-Sprayer-High-Pressure-Washer-1LTR-Bottle-MR/263458464684?ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT&_trksid=p2060353.m1438.l2649

Yup that will work 

I'm still not convinced that snow foam is 'ALL THAT'. I did mine on Friday and it doesn't seem to get much extra off after the initial pressure wash. Whether it makes the cleaning easier once it's been blasted off I don't know. I need to try on someone else's car. I'm not risking that it does actually do something and I ruin my finish because I can't see great globs of mud at my feet after the initial foaming. If that makes sense. I think i'll try SWMBO's daughter's lil' white Corsa.

8 hours ago, Svend said:

The Karcher unit you get with the pressure washer is okay for spreading soap but won't get anything remotely thick and foamy. 

 

I have the Karcher one - and its very thick and Foamy (using Demon Foam).  Does a very good job of lifting the stuck on dirt etc after a pre-rinse with the karcher.

5 hours ago, Bignij said:

I'm still not convinced that snow foam is 'ALL THAT'. I did mine on Friday and it doesn't seem to get much extra off after the initial pressure wash. Whether it makes the cleaning easier once it's been blasted off I don't know. I need to try on someone else's car. I'm not risking that it does actually do something and I ruin my finish because I can't see great globs of mud at my feet after the initial foaming. If that makes sense. I think i'll try SWMBO's daughter's lil' white Corsa.

I think you are expecting too much from the snow foam. It is not designed to remove every last bit of dirt...rather to gently run down the car and remove any grit before you carefully wash it.

All snow foam is supposed to do, is lift dirt from the paint surface, so you can rinse away any grit, meaning when you actually wash the car with a sponge/wash-mit that you are less likely to rub the grit in and scratch the paintwork.  It isn't designed to replace the act of washing with a sponge/wash-mit

Tried the nozzle today that came along with the new karcher. It also included a sample bottle, 500mls of shampoo. No knob on top of the nozzle to adjust how much shampoo it took and it quickly got through the full 500mls. Is 500mls about the correct amount per wash for a large family saloon?

 

Ordered the Snow Foam Lance I mentioned in my earlier post off the bay and may try the demon foam or even the carplan valet foam both cheap and from Halfords. I understand there are better products out there but don't want to spend a lot untill I've got the hang of it.

 

I found an old Autoexpress review mentioning Bilt Hamber which they gave top marks for. Maybe one for the future.

 

Thanks for the help guys.

4 hours ago, mandp said:

I think you are expecting too much from the snow foam. It is not designed to remove every last bit of dirt...rather to gently run down the car and remove any grit before you carefully wash it.

 

3 hours ago, hwr1983 said:

All snow foam is supposed to do, is lift dirt from the paint surface, so you can rinse away any grit, meaning when you actually wash the car with a sponge/wash-mit that you are less likely to rub the grit in and scratch the paintwork.  It isn't designed to replace the act of washing with a sponge/wash-mit

I’m aware of what it’s supposed to do. It’s just after the initial jet wash, the foam doesn’t appear to do owt. I’ve seen videos where there’s a great grungy splodgy mess on the floor that the snow foam has reputedly fetched off. I’ve never seen that and my car gets very dirty between washes.

2 hours ago, maverick54 said:

Tried the nozzle today that came along with the new karcher. It also included a sample bottle, 500mls of shampoo. No knob on top of the nozzle to adjust how much shampoo it took and it quickly got through the full 500mls. Is 500mls about the correct amount per wash for a large family saloon?

 

Ordered the Snow Foam Lance I mentioned in my earlier post off the bay and may try the demon foam or even the carplan valet foam both cheap and from Halfords. I understand there are better products out there but don't want to spend a lot untill I've got the hang of it.

 

I found an old Autoexpress review mentioning Bilt Hamber which they gave top marks for. Maybe one for the future.

 

Thanks for the help guys.

I probably use 300ml neat foam, 700ml of hot water. There’s always a bit leftover to do the front of my missus’ van.

I always put the neat foam (a full canister) into the foam sprayer, and let the pressure washer do the mixing etc (cold water) with the demon foam.  I know what you mean with the globs of dirt on the floor - I've only seen it once, when I'd been a bit off road at the bottom of the door edges.  Doesn't happen a lot though as the main issue with my car, is traffic film / general road grease/grime.

Gtechniq C2V3 and two coats of supernatural i can get away without touching the car with a mitt. I use this leave for 10 mins and pressure rinse off.

 

 

its true the snow foam is normally just a pre-cleanse before the two bucket method with a good shampoo, unless you have a very hydrophobic surface ie ceramic or a very good sealant and wax combo.

12 hours ago, JohnnyType2 said:

Gtechniq C2V3 and two coats of supernatural i can get away without touching the car with a mitt. I use this leave for 10 mins and pressure rinse off.

 

 

its true the snow foam is normally just a pre-cleanse before the two bucket method with a good shampoo, unless you have a very hydrophobic surface ie ceramic or a very good sealant and wax combo.

Mine's got a ceramic coating but it still needs a good two bucket wash when it's dirty.