Great video as always! I originally was doing a touchless wash (mostly fleet vehicles) so I’d foam, let it dwell foam again let that dwell and then rinse clean (manufacturers recommendation) But I’ve since switched to ph neutrals and I’ve adopted the foam rinse foam technique and I have to say for my auto details it’s been working incredible. I find the foaming a dry vehicle really helps boost the cleaning and lifting of the grime. And it makes the contact wash even safer since most of the heavy contaminants are gone
I'm a foam on the dry surface guy. I then rinse and do another foaming for the contact wash. Really like the Sonax snow foam product and then i go with CarPro reset for the second foam and contact wash.
I Pre rinse because I work in my driveway and its almost always sunny when I detail a car so keeping the panels cooler outweighs having a slightly more diluted product. Doing a contact wash is going to work better than just foam regardless so its kind of a moot point.
I think the issue isn't dilution. That sounds pretty absurd to me. The real issue in my opinion is that absorbent dirt clumps will fill with water and practically resist the soap from entering.
Thanks for the great insight. Over the past few months, I have been doing the pre-wash foam wash, followed by the rinse; then a second foam followed with contact wash. This gets me the best result. The downside: more products is used and wash time is longer.
Not worth it. Never was. Never will be. Wash with good car wash and a mitt if your paint is special. Dry with chamois blow if u have to and drive only on not rainy or dusty days. Ridiculous..
I do this as well. To put it into perspective though, I’m washing a small Porsche Cayman that’s more dusty than dirty. I also use the first foam application to catch the cracks and crevices with a detail cleaning brush. By the time I’ve finished, it’s time to rinse off the foam. The second foam application is when I start hand washing.
Thank you for this precise and uncomplicated explanation of foaming vs not foaming...this continues to be a hot topic in the industry but imo is pretty easy to understand..it's completely situational and to the detailers discretion... look at the condition of the paint and go from there!!! Great video!!
Thank you Josh. I have always rinsed first either to cool down the car (living in Nevada always means hot panels) or to get the big chunks off first. And being in a generally hot and sunny climate, by the time I foam the car, most of it has dried. I guess I'm getting the best of both worlds! 🤔
I recently started pre treating with GS on the lower or heavier contimated panels then foam rinse then contact. I did notice GS helping out in the rinse process knocking down some of the heavy mud and dirt. Next wash pretreating whole vehicle with rinse less before foam or put some rinse less in the foam cannon
bucket and mitt is the only time i feel you should pre rinse. incidentally, i feel this way about engines too! i do like your MO with engine details, but i get tremendous results with no pre rinse...just degreaser. now i use a more harsh degreaser than you do (though still non-solvent), so i becomes necessary to follow up with car wash soap to neutralize. i will put my results up against anyone. same with my tire dressing skills. in both cases i DO NOT rinse, as it just dilutes. another fantastic vid! i have had this argument with ppl.
Good video there! In the UK we've got a fairly big culture of pre-wash foaming, we'll tend to use something more like Super Foam in terms of pH levels, but we'd very rarely pre-rinse (unless there is thick mud). Obviously I don't speak for the whole nation 😂 but people who are properly into their detailing will always foam, and most will use something with a high pH. But now AF is in 1L (hopefully here soon) I will definitely give this a go!
My perfect combo has been to pre rinse with rinseless wash solution and pressure wash it off and then do a contact wash using rinseless solution. Works great in the Phoenix heat
Hey guys this is so over my head it's ridiculous I have a 2012 white Tahoe and the body is pretty much Immaculate as far as any chips are damaged I have a Portland Harbor Freight pressure washer and it comes with the foaming gun. I have obviously been using a local AutoZone car wash and then a car wash brush and my garden hose. Question one if I switch to the pressure washer technique and I bought one of these good foaming concentrates and foamed my Tahoe down dry I assume you guys mean touchless as in foam it down let it sit rinse it off let it dry? Question 2 contact means I would foam it down let it sit and then use my car brush and brush it or a wash mitt then rinse it off? Last but not least what do you recommend for the little black spots of Road Grime that hit the front and around the sides of the panel near the floorboards
Apex Detail did a video about the acidic nature of pollen and recommended pre foaming with a higher ph soap to naturalizer it. I like the concept behind it.
No pre rinse here. If I do that, it will remove a bit of surface crud but the car has Si02 and topper on it. As soon as I spray the car with water the hydrophobicity returns a bit and the foam doesn't want to stick on the panel. This means I have to use more soap. Having said that, I fom the car, rinse and foam again. The second foam is either for clay block or washing depending on what I am doing.
I wish i lived in San Diego so i could pay you to come detail my car, and learn from you, but im on the other side of the country 😭 But i'm watching all your vods and learning alot.
I personally always pre-rinse before doing my foam. Like you say, yeah it could dilute the foam down but it's rather marginal in my eyes. I put a little more soap in my foam cannon than I used to so I find the foam comes out rather thicker then it used to before when I used less soap. I think it's about prespective right? Yeah, on one hand you can say it dilutes the foam/ soap down if you pre-rinse first. However, you could also use the argument that you're "wasting" some of that soap by foaming first as it's loosening up or carrying off loose contamination that would be washed away with the pre-rinse. I always detail outside PLUS consider that my clients drop their vehicles off in the mornings meaning extra drive time leading to a warmer engine. Another reason why I like the pre-rinse, along with the fact it blows off all the loose dirt that isn't benefiting from a foam first regiment. I want the foam to dwell and work on the tougher, more stuck on dirt and contamination. Either way, you're going to follow up with a contact wash, but I want as much off the paint as possible to avoid further swirling and scratching. That's just from my experience
I just tried Labocosmetica products for the first time, particularly Primus 2.0 (Alka) and Purifica (Acid) and was blown away how effective it is! I highly recommend them!
Yeah especially as now in FL we are going into Summer time i tend to use rinseless washes. Unless i can wash the vehicle early in the morning. I prefer to wash in the evenings.
Foam and wait 2-3 mins. Foam and contact wash with 2nd coat of foam - no bucket needed. Rinse thoroughly and dry with blower. If there’s excessive road film and road salt, start the process with high alkaline foam then follow steps above. I’m not a pro detailed, but my car looks almost showroom new and it’s 4 years old. Helps keep my close to 20 SUV looking spiffy too.
Living in the desert makes me scared to omit the pre rinse. I always start with a pressure washer to get rid of any surface dirt that might scratch when I start using a mitt.
This topic has come up dozens of times with other RUclips influencer detailers.. Do what YOU want or like doing , honestly it makes very little difference in the real world if you foam a wet car or dry car...there's no right or wrong.
Yeah, usually for myself I’m looking at foaming the car dry, rinsing it off very carefully, and then foaming it again and using my wash mitt and bucket, I found that it’s the safest way and the fastest way to getting a clean clean car the first go, your really just using the wash mitt for fun sometimes 😂
I've always rinsed and then foamed....and completely see that it's the wrong way round. But after I've foamed i do a hand wash and I somewhat use the foam to see what I haven't done ;)
Maybe just pre rinse to remove any heavy stuff and follow with a quick blow dry, no need to remove 100 percent of the water, just enough to avoid water spots and then hit it with the foam. This way you get the pre rinse and the foam and only add a minute or two for blow drying. Thanks for the video.
Foaming before rinsing with pressure washer on a dirty vehicle is also the safest method. Foaming allows the surfactants to encapsulate the dirt particles, making for a safer removal. Think of blasting dirt directly into the paint at 1000 or greater psi. It can make a big difference on black and softer paint types.
I ran a apc around handles down . Let dwell a minute or two and then rinse. Then foam . I feel where you live has alot to do with the process. My state and my county has alot of dirt roads . Most driveways are dirt . Mud season, snow . You name it . Unless the vehicle is coated I don't worry about marring. Won't be anymore than claying . Expeacialy of I'm putting a machine to it .
Put a rinse-less in a sprayer - spray the vehicle and give the rinse-less some time to encapsulate the dirt then use your power washer to rinse then foam and contact wash. Great results
Good video, Josh. I've always been in camp dry-foam, but maybe that's not the most effective. I still think it's the safest method and the best for an only slightly dirty surface.
On a cry dirty car I first use P & S PROFESSIONAL DETAIL PRODUCTS Absolute Rinseless Wash as a pre-treatment before I spray off with water and then you my car foam etc, I think it works well to pretreat before foam,
It is not a dilution, but rather foam uses water molecules to penetrate dirt so foam can kick off loosing dirt particles through expansion and separation. Plain watering before foam just saturates dirt filling pores with water molecules so foam can’t get much into dirt but rather covers it over.
When I pre-foam, I turn up the water mixture a little so it's not so thick to let it break down loose dirt, then rinse, then full power foam, agitate, then rinse and dry.
I do a pre-foam, rinse, foam again, and do a contact wash. The prefoam gets a bunch of the grotty stuff off the paint, so my contact wash isn't knocking off all that big grit.
To be honest I don't see any difference if i use a snow foam or not, not even higher ph or something, I'm doing everything ok, all dilutions all that and i still don't think it makes a difference. However using snow foam instead of the 2 bucket method is way more efficient. And yes i do it in all sorts of vehicles and i still don't see a lot of difference. Even using it to clear some polishing dust after a heavy correction, all the dust is there unless i agitate it. For me, snow foam just for lubrication and show.
Another very informative video!! How much AF do you use in your foam cannon and what is the dilution ratio? I have the Adam’s foam cannon which is 35 oz and i just bought some AF after watching your other pre foam video. Thank you.
I tried this on my car that is washed & waxed all the time and my wife's car that is not. I find that using the dirt cannon on a dry car that has wax on it comes out much better that the dry car that has little to no wax on it.
I love how detailers call cars "filthy" that wouldn't even be considered "sort of dirty" by normal standards. That "very very dirty" Telluride has like 12-16 hours worth of 1 day's pollen based on my experience on the east coast. It makes their advice non-credible. If your car is ACTUALLY dirty you absolutely should pre-rinse with a power washer because there's an entire layer of stuff (not to mention tree sap and bird poo stuck on there) that the foam won't even get to the first time around.
Your definition of "very very dirty" is a lot different than mine... I would classify that as "lightly dirty"... "Very very dirty" would be where it was a bit "chunky" after having gone off-road...
After watching tons of videos of different youtubers, I haven't found the answer to this question yet, When is it better to use a lower ph car wash soap? Or it doesn’t matter at all? In some comments, I read it is good to disolve salt. Is it true? When use neutral? I guess for pre wash, it is better a high ph soap.
Wow! So many products & methods! Here’s my method. 1) Pre-Rinse Lightly (NO high powered hose). Start with the top, glass, working down. 2) Use two buckets (one filled with a good quality car wash & one filled with water). Personally, I use a bucket with a grit guard (Meguair’s). Dip a microfiber wash mitt in the soap bucket & let it soak for 2 minutes. 3) Starting again at the top, linear strokes & do the top & all glass. 4) Rinse with no high pressure. 5) Wash sides & rinse. 6) Wash rear & rinse. 7) Wash front & rinse. If you have bugs that cannot be removed with your mitt, use a SOFT brush, add a little car wash to the brush for scrubbing if needed & rinse. My brush is long handled & VERY soft. 8) Do the rims & finally the tires. I use the soft brush on the tires. 9) I use a large towel designed for automotive to soak up the water on the flat surfaces. 10) Grab a clean microfiber towel with Griot’s Speed Shine & use sparingly (shining & drying as you go). I use Tire Shine at about every third wash. Wipe off residue with Detail Spray. That’s it! A couple of tips. If after washing/drying your car it feels slightly rough/gritty, you’re going to need to Clay Bar. It’s easy. Just break off a small chunk & form it in your hand to where it’s flat, grab your detail spray & lightly rub it on (again no circulating patterns), just simple linear strokes. Nice & easy. Of course, this will remove all remaining wax! But, your finish will be free of contaminants. Apply wax again. Cheers Mate!
Great vid. I've always been a good car wash soap in a bucket and wash mit guy. Been happy with the results. I'm now learning about car wash soap and foam cannons. Learned a lot in your vid. What, in your opinion, should be the max PSI when using a pressure washer to clean your car. Thanks. Scott.
Imo it doesn't matter if you're going to contact wash. Also pre rinsing is just an extra step to me since you're going to rinse it again after foaming. Again, the negligible difference doesn't matter if you're going to contact wash. I think it matters more if you're not going to contact wash, or if you have literal mounds of dirt on the car but either way its getting rinsed off so I'd rather save time
Understandable but the point of pre rinse is to take a car that really dirty and safely remove as much dirt before the contact wash. If you just rinse and foam you will pick up a lot of that dirt and you have more of a possibility of scratching your car again it depends on the situation. Most cars you don't have to but some you should.
There's a few videos of someone showing a pre-rinse vs a prewash. Prewash visibly shows less dirt on the car. Less dirt on the car during contact wash = less chance of scratching paint. Meguiars Gold Class does have a lot of lubrication though so totally understand you trying to save time instead of be OCD like us lol.
Hi Josh. I just had a question about the 300 GSM Edgeless Micro Fiber - GRAY (12 Pack) that you have for sale on your website. Can you give me some advice on what those would be best used on? Would they be best for drying a washed car? Cleaning windows? (I think waffle weave are best for windows though?). Or is there something else they should be best used for? Also should they be prewashed before doing anything? Thank you very much!
Foam first with light pressure....it will loosen up the filth, bird poop, and bug guts. Then when you use your pressure washer after foaming as then you are not marring up the protective wax and clear coat from hardened foreign substances. Anyways, manual by hand is best, use low water pressure - garden hose, car soap, couple of fresh water buckets to rinse the microfiber towels, washing, and waxing your vehicle is better than those contaminated and harsh automated car washes/brushless car wash as they can destroy your vehicle with unnecessary force, bad chemicals, and recycled toxic water.
I'm new to this cleaning regimen. In my younger days, just a bucket of water and some Dawn was enough to clean my cars. Thinking about the spray foam process but have a really basic question...after foaming and rinsing, would I still need to manually soap up the vehicle and hand wash? What soap is recommended for hand washing? Another complication is that my water source is well water.
Simple answer is NO. Pre rinsing is pointless. Citrus prewashing chemicals and snow foams, are designed to work on a dry dirty car. They soak in and dissolve the dirt into the solution. Pre rinsing leaves a layer of water on the car, making the chemicals less effective. Comparing the dirt left on the car one one side which has been pre rinsed, to the other which hasn't been pre rinsed, is pointless, because you are going to rinse the paint anyway when you rinse the foam off, and that would not only remove the same amount of grime as a pre rinse would, but actually remove MORE as the grime has been broken down to a much thinner layer by the chemicals, so the rinse is attacking a layer underneath. The car wasn't very dirty at all, and had it been really dirty, a much bigger difference would have been shown.
New drinking game! Take a shot of your favorite adult beverage every time he says, "and again," "right," or "kinda" and see who if anybody is still standing at the end of the video. :}
So Josh, what is your take on spraying rinseless wash from a pump sprayer onto the panels prior to foaming a car instead of pre-rinsing? I've used this method for the last three washes and have come to love the cleaning abilities before a mechanical wash. I've followed this cleaning up with a rinseless wash and have found very little contamination on my Eagle 350s! Products used are ONR version 3 or 4 and two different soaps, Stjarnagloss SNO and P&S Frostbite from an IK Foam Pro 12.
Hey Josh I have a 2022 Chevy Silverado. Was wondering how you would go about washing a bigger truck and being quick about it so it does t get spotted up?? Love your videos!!
I got a 23 silverado myself. When i do it i start from top to bottom, washing and rinsing one panel at a time starting from roof, windshield and hood. I also do vertical panels on all the top halves first and then come back around and do the bottom halves since the bottom halves have more dirt and mud on it, so theres less risk of picking that dirt up and scratching up the upper panels. And to avoid the spots, get an inline mineral removal filter from amazon, it screws inline with your water hose, and i put a articulating hose joint, theyre made of plastic or metal, i put mine inline with my pressure washer at the hose inlet. The filter will remove the minerals from your water so when it dries, it wont leave mineral water spots. Same with washing, you don’t want the soap to dry on the paint, so go one panel at a time. Wash in shade or overcast, or before the sun gets too hot in the morning or if you can keep the paint cool as the sun goes down. You just dont want to let it evaporate before you rinse it. They do sell blowers specifically to dry cars after washes. Mine got a 9” lift with 37s, so its a pain in the ass to wash, especially on the roof, id recommend ceramic coat also, makes things much easier between coats.
Thank you I’ll have to look water removal products. I’m usually good during cooler months but it’s starting to warm up so the panels will air dry a lot faster. I always tried keeping the truck wet as I rinse off but sometimes it’s not possible. Thanks for the info
Just as a curiosity, I live in a wet environment, so road dirt get's really bad after rain. Do you experience the same where you live? And is there a way to get it cleaned without mechanical brushing? Cool video, I've obesrved the same thing with rince no rince. I do dilute my cheap soap 50/50 in the cannon.
This is masterclass in how to turn a 10 second answer into a 14 minute fluff video.
A masterclass, nonetheless
I love how clean your “very very dirty car is!”
Great video as always! I originally was doing a touchless wash (mostly fleet vehicles) so I’d foam, let it dwell foam again let that dwell and then rinse clean (manufacturers recommendation)
But I’ve since switched to ph neutrals and I’ve adopted the foam rinse foam technique and I have to say for my auto details it’s been working incredible.
I find the foaming a dry vehicle really helps boost the cleaning and lifting of the grime. And it makes the contact wash even safer since most of the heavy contaminants are gone
I'm a foam on the dry surface guy. I then rinse and do another foaming for the contact wash. Really like the Sonax snow foam product and then i go with CarPro reset for the second foam and contact wash.
I Pre rinse because I work in my driveway and its almost always sunny when I detail a car so keeping the panels cooler outweighs having a slightly more diluted product. Doing a contact wash is going to work better than just foam regardless so its kind of a moot point.
I think the issue isn't dilution. That sounds pretty absurd to me.
The real issue in my opinion is that absorbent dirt clumps will fill with water and practically resist the soap from entering.
@@nullfield1126definitely won’t happen, but I understand you thinking that
I always do a gentle pre rinse, then get the suds on, wait 10 mins, then hit the power washer.
Thanks for the great insight. Over the past few months, I have been doing the pre-wash foam wash, followed by the rinse; then a second foam followed with contact wash. This gets me the best result. The downside: more products is used and wash time is longer.
Not worth it. Never was. Never will be. Wash with good car wash and a mitt if your paint is special. Dry with chamois blow if u have to and drive only on not rainy or dusty days. Ridiculous..
I do this as well.
To put it into perspective though, I’m washing a small Porsche Cayman that’s more dusty than dirty.
I also use the first foam application to catch the cracks and crevices with a detail cleaning brush. By the time I’ve finished, it’s time to rinse off the foam. The second foam application is when I start hand washing.
@@ubeuonly Most people do not have luxury of foregoing driving based on weather lmaoo. ridiculous..
Thank you for this precise and uncomplicated explanation of foaming vs not foaming...this continues to be a hot topic in the industry but imo is pretty easy to understand..it's completely situational and to the detailers discretion... look at the condition of the paint and go from there!!! Great video!!
Thank you Josh. I have always rinsed first either to cool down the car (living in Nevada always means hot panels) or to get the big chunks off first. And being in a generally hot and sunny climate, by the time I foam the car, most of it has dried. I guess I'm getting the best of both worlds! 🤔
I love pre foaming with bilt hamber. It works amazing. Great video!
I recently started pre treating with GS on the lower or heavier contimated panels then foam rinse then contact. I did notice GS helping out in the rinse process knocking down some of the heavy mud and dirt. Next wash pretreating whole vehicle with rinse less before foam or put some rinse less in the foam cannon
bucket and mitt is the only time i feel you should pre rinse. incidentally, i feel this way about engines too! i do like your MO with engine details, but i get tremendous results with no pre rinse...just degreaser. now i use a more harsh degreaser than you do (though still non-solvent), so i becomes necessary to follow up with car wash soap to neutralize. i will put my results up against anyone. same with my tire dressing skills. in both cases i DO NOT rinse, as it just dilutes.
another fantastic vid! i have had this argument with ppl.
Foam is just perfect! Before another layer of foam, pre rinse then contact wash 🚿 it makes everything go by more effectively🙌🏽!
Good video there! In the UK we've got a fairly big culture of pre-wash foaming, we'll tend to use something more like Super Foam in terms of pH levels, but we'd very rarely pre-rinse (unless there is thick mud). Obviously I don't speak for the whole nation 😂 but people who are properly into their detailing will always foam, and most will use something with a high pH. But now AF is in 1L (hopefully here soon) I will definitely give this a go!
My perfect combo has been to pre rinse with rinseless wash solution and pressure wash it off and then do a contact wash using rinseless solution. Works great in the Phoenix heat
Awesome, I wouldnt have thought about that, but figuring out what works best for your own situations is a great way to go!
I live in Casa Grande and my biggest challenge is the window of opportunity for washing my truck. Early morning or evening. Stupid sun. lol
Hey guys this is so over my head it's ridiculous I have a 2012 white Tahoe and the body is pretty much Immaculate as far as any chips are damaged I have a Portland Harbor Freight pressure washer and it comes with the foaming gun. I have obviously been using a local AutoZone car wash and then a car wash brush and my garden hose. Question one if I switch to the pressure washer technique and I bought one of these good foaming concentrates and foamed my Tahoe down dry I assume you guys mean touchless as in foam it down let it sit rinse it off let it dry? Question 2 contact means I would foam it down let it sit and then use my car brush and brush it or a wash mitt then rinse it off? Last but not least what do you recommend for the little black spots of Road Grime that hit the front and around the sides of the panel near the floorboards
Thnx for the comprehensive session!
Apex Detail did a video about the acidic nature of pollen and recommended pre foaming with a higher ph soap to naturalizer it. I like the concept behind it.
Thats makes sense, in my dide by side the pollen was able to wash away easier and was broken down more on ths ide that got foam on the dry panel.
No pre rinse here. If I do that, it will remove a bit of surface crud but the car has Si02 and topper on it. As soon as I spray the car with water the hydrophobicity returns a bit and the foam doesn't want to stick on the panel. This means I have to use more soap. Having said that, I fom the car, rinse and foam again. The second foam is either for clay block or washing depending on what I am doing.
I always prefer Rinseless and rarely do foaming 😁 I have been doing it for years
You can foam on some rinseless washes like DIY Rinseless. It increases the dwell time and makes it easier to see where you've contact washed.
@@TheBreakfastLover yes, that's the one I preferred since Yvan had it. I used ONR v3 with a bit of APC too on the lower panels.
I wish i lived in San Diego so i could pay you to come detail my car, and learn from you, but im on the other side of the country 😭 But i'm watching all your vods and learning alot.
Thanks brother for sharing your different scenarios. It’s always great to hear your tips
I personally always pre-rinse before doing my foam. Like you say, yeah it could dilute the foam down but it's rather marginal in my eyes. I put a little more soap in my foam cannon than I used to so I find the foam comes out rather thicker then it used to before when I used less soap. I think it's about prespective right? Yeah, on one hand you can say it dilutes the foam/ soap down if you pre-rinse first. However, you could also use the argument that you're "wasting" some of that soap by foaming first as it's loosening up or carrying off loose contamination that would be washed away with the pre-rinse. I always detail outside PLUS consider that my clients drop their vehicles off in the mornings meaning extra drive time leading to a warmer engine. Another reason why I like the pre-rinse, along with the fact it blows off all the loose dirt that isn't benefiting from a foam first regiment. I want the foam to dwell and work on the tougher, more stuck on dirt and contamination. Either way, you're going to follow up with a contact wash, but I want as much off the paint as possible to avoid further swirling and scratching. That's just from my experience
Been down this road several times. My preference for a contact wash is foam on dry, rinse then foam again for my contact wash.
Thank you Josh for another lesson in doing it right another great video
Glad you liked it!
Saving water and time and getting a better result. Great Video once again Josh!
I just tried Labocosmetica products for the first time, particularly Primus 2.0 (Alka) and Purifica (Acid) and was blown away how effective it is! I highly recommend them!
Super helpful as I was one of the peeps wondering about this...
Josh, not only does the soap work better when applied to a dry car, it saves an extra step and thus, time.
Thanks for the info, I haven’t been pre rinsing..
Yeah especially as now in FL we are going into Summer time i tend to use rinseless washes. Unless i can wash the vehicle early in the morning. I prefer to wash in the evenings.
Foam and wait 2-3 mins. Foam and contact wash with 2nd coat of foam - no bucket needed. Rinse thoroughly and dry with blower. If there’s excessive road film and road salt, start the process with high alkaline foam then follow steps above. I’m not a pro detailed, but my car looks almost showroom new and it’s 4 years old. Helps keep my close to 20 SUV looking spiffy too.
Very good, thorough, well thought out video, Josh. Thanks!
Thanks so much
Niceeee video thank you for explaining. I alway pre rinse sadly. However, now I will do a form then contact wash two bucket method 🎉🎉
Living in the desert makes me scared to omit the pre rinse. I always start with a pressure washer to get rid of any surface dirt that might scratch when I start using a mitt.
Some prerinse to remove some loose dirt. However, if you prerinse the existing water can carry some of the foam away-catch 22.
I would recommend doing a rinse first if the paint surface is hot.
This topic has come up dozens of times with other RUclips influencer detailers..
Do what YOU want or like doing , honestly it makes very little difference in the real world if you foam a wet car or dry car...there's no right or wrong.
Yeah, usually for myself I’m looking at foaming the car dry, rinsing it off very carefully, and then foaming it again and using my wash mitt and bucket, I found that it’s the safest way and the fastest way to getting a clean clean car the first go, your really just using the wash mitt for fun sometimes 😂
I've always rinsed and then foamed....and completely see that it's the wrong way round. But after I've foamed i do a hand wash and I somewhat use the foam to see what I haven't done ;)
Maybe just pre rinse to remove any heavy stuff and follow with a quick blow dry, no need to remove 100 percent of the water, just enough to avoid water spots and then hit it with the foam. This way you get the pre rinse and the foam and only add a minute or two for blow drying. Thanks for the video.
Foaming before rinsing with pressure washer on a dirty vehicle is also the safest method. Foaming allows the surfactants to encapsulate the dirt particles, making for a safer removal. Think of blasting dirt directly into the paint at 1000 or greater psi. It can make a big difference on black and softer paint types.
exactly
I ran a apc around handles down . Let dwell a minute or two and then rinse. Then foam . I feel where you live has alot to do with the process. My state and my county has alot of dirt roads . Most driveways are dirt . Mud season, snow . You name it . Unless the vehicle is coated I don't worry about marring. Won't be anymore than claying . Expeacialy of I'm putting a machine to it .
Put a rinse-less in a sprayer - spray the vehicle and give the rinse-less some time to encapsulate the dirt then use your power washer to rinse then foam and contact wash. Great results
Old Telluride lol. Your success is showing sir lol
Either works really, obviously pre rinse if the paint is hot from the sun but if you're in the shade with a cool vehicle I'd foam first
Good video, Josh. I've always been in camp dry-foam, but maybe that's not the most effective. I still think it's the safest method and the best for an only slightly dirty surface.
yea dry foam definitely showed a better clean in the test and i do agree with it being the safest in most cases!
I’m blown away that you did the ceramic your own car lol
Ya teased me with the Ram in the thumbnail lol
I thought the whole point of foam first was to add some lubrication so you're not blasting the dirt particles into the paint with the power washer
That doesn’t happen though.
When it heavy with dirt I like soak without high pressure then foam, rinse that and foam again and run soft sham, no scratches
Nice small wand Jos,
On a cry dirty car I first use P & S PROFESSIONAL DETAIL PRODUCTS Absolute Rinseless Wash as a pre-treatment before I spray off with water and then you my car foam etc, I think it works well to pretreat before foam,
It is not a dilution, but rather foam uses water molecules to penetrate dirt so foam can kick off loosing dirt particles through expansion and separation. Plain watering before foam just saturates dirt filling pores with water molecules so foam can’t get much into dirt but rather covers it over.
When I pre-foam, I turn up the water mixture a little so it's not so thick to let it break down loose dirt, then rinse, then full power foam, agitate, then rinse and dry.
That’s a good idea
You can also raise the PH level by using warm water in the foam cannon and with a really good soap might not need to do a full contact wash
@Yorkiepoocharlie warm water raises the PH level
prefoam if its very dirty and shaded, pre rinse if its hot and not that dirty, and both if its hot and dirty, got it.
I do a pre-foam, rinse, foam again, and do a contact wash.
The prefoam gets a bunch of the grotty stuff off the paint, so my contact wash isn't knocking off all that big grit.
To be honest I don't see any difference if i use a snow foam or not, not even higher ph or something, I'm doing everything ok, all dilutions all that and i still don't think it makes a difference. However using snow foam instead of the 2 bucket method is way more efficient. And yes i do it in all sorts of vehicles and i still don't see a lot of difference. Even using it to clear some polishing dust after a heavy correction, all the dust is there unless i agitate it. For me, snow foam just for lubrication and show.
I can see a total difference in the back of the car.. IMO, it's worthy to rinse before foam!
Another very informative video!! How much AF do you use in your foam cannon and what is the dilution ratio? I have the Adam’s foam cannon which is 35 oz and i just bought some AF after watching your other pre foam video. Thank you.
I tried this on my car that is washed & waxed all the time and my wife's car that is not. I find that using the dirt cannon on a dry car that has wax on it comes out much better that the dry car that has little to no wax on it.
Winning the 2.3 would help my summer buisness out alot.
Pre-rinse also dilutes your current product ratio no? I would assume that's why the non pre-rinse maybe works better.
The logic for not pre rinsing is to not drive the stuck on dirt into the paint which could lead to scratching
Exactly, it gives it a chance to soften and and lift it away, but it also effects how well the foam works
Thanks Josh!!!
I love how detailers call cars "filthy" that wouldn't even be considered "sort of dirty" by normal standards. That "very very dirty" Telluride has like 12-16 hours worth of 1 day's pollen based on my experience on the east coast. It makes their advice non-credible. If your car is ACTUALLY dirty you absolutely should pre-rinse with a power washer because there's an entire layer of stuff (not to mention tree sap and bird poo stuck on there) that the foam won't even get to the first time around.
Your definition of "very very dirty" is a lot different than mine... I would classify that as "lightly dirty"... "Very very dirty" would be where it was a bit "chunky" after having gone off-road...
After watching tons of videos of different youtubers, I haven't found the answer to this question yet, When is it better to use a lower ph car wash soap? Or it doesn’t matter at all? In some comments, I read it is good to disolve salt. Is it true? When use neutral? I guess for pre wash, it is better a high ph soap.
Great video...thankyou
Wow! So many products & methods! Here’s my method. 1) Pre-Rinse Lightly (NO high powered hose). Start with the top, glass, working down. 2) Use two buckets (one filled with a good quality car wash & one filled with water). Personally, I use a bucket with a grit guard (Meguair’s). Dip a microfiber wash mitt in the soap bucket & let it soak for 2 minutes. 3) Starting again at the top, linear strokes & do the top & all glass. 4) Rinse with no high pressure. 5) Wash sides & rinse. 6) Wash rear & rinse. 7) Wash front & rinse. If you have bugs that cannot be removed with your mitt, use a SOFT brush, add a little car wash to the brush for scrubbing if needed & rinse. My brush is long handled & VERY soft. 8) Do the rims & finally the tires. I use the soft brush on the tires. 9) I use a large towel designed for automotive to soak up the water on the flat surfaces. 10) Grab a clean microfiber towel with Griot’s Speed Shine & use sparingly (shining & drying as you go). I use Tire Shine at about every third wash. Wipe off residue with Detail Spray. That’s it! A couple of tips. If after washing/drying your car it feels slightly rough/gritty, you’re going to need to Clay Bar. It’s easy. Just break off a small chunk & form it in your hand to where it’s flat, grab your detail spray & lightly rub it on (again no circulating patterns), just simple linear strokes. Nice & easy. Of course, this will remove all remaining wax! But, your finish will be free of contaminants. Apply wax again. Cheers Mate!
Nice1..JOSH & thank u
It make sense i Ever do it like that Too
Great vid. I've always been a good car wash soap in a bucket and wash mit guy. Been happy with the results. I'm now learning about car wash soap and foam cannons. Learned a lot in your vid. What, in your opinion, should be the max PSI when using a pressure washer to clean your car. Thanks. Scott.
I know that 2000 psi is the most common used since it’s less likely to cause any damage and rinses very well
Thank you
Imo it doesn't matter if you're going to contact wash. Also pre rinsing is just an extra step to me since you're going to rinse it again after foaming. Again, the negligible difference doesn't matter if you're going to contact wash. I think it matters more if you're not going to contact wash, or if you have literal mounds of dirt on the car but either way its getting rinsed off so I'd rather save time
Understandable but the point of pre rinse is to take a car that really dirty and safely remove as much dirt before the contact wash. If you just rinse and foam you will pick up a lot of that dirt and you have more of a possibility of scratching your car again it depends on the situation. Most cars you don't have to but some you should.
There's a few videos of someone showing a pre-rinse vs a prewash. Prewash visibly shows less dirt on the car. Less dirt on the car during contact wash = less chance of scratching paint. Meguiars Gold Class does have a lot of lubrication though so totally understand you trying to save time instead of be OCD like us lol.
Question: the longer the hose (20meters) the psi will go down? thank u bro
Hi Josh. I just had a question about the 300 GSM Edgeless Micro Fiber - GRAY (12 Pack) that you have for sale on your website. Can you give me some advice on what those would be best used on? Would they be best for drying a washed car? Cleaning windows? (I think waffle weave are best for windows though?). Or is there something else they should be best used for? Also should they be prewashed before doing anything? Thank you very much!
Foam first with light pressure....it will loosen up the filth, bird poop, and bug guts. Then when you use your pressure washer after foaming as then you are not marring up the protective wax and clear coat from hardened foreign substances. Anyways, manual by hand is best, use low water pressure - garden hose, car soap, couple of fresh water buckets to rinse the microfiber towels, washing, and waxing your vehicle is better than those contaminated and harsh automated car washes/brushless car wash as they can destroy your vehicle with unnecessary force, bad chemicals, and recycled toxic water.
Josh what dissolution ration do you use in foam gun with active foam. Thanks
Pre-foam -> rinse -> rinseless wash -> dry
I pre rinse, then foam and while the foam is still on the car i wash it and never have any problems
Where did u get that curved extension wand that is attached to your pressure washer gun?
I'm new to this cleaning regimen. In my younger days, just a bucket of water and some Dawn was enough to clean my cars. Thinking about the spray foam process but have a really basic question...after foaming and rinsing, would I still need to manually soap up the vehicle and hand wash? What soap is recommended for hand washing? Another complication is that my water source is well water.
Excellent vid. My question if you were to foam first without pre-rinsing, then start your agitation wash, do you risk scratching the vehicle?
Not me trying to answer your rhetorical questions at home like an idiot thinking this was a live zoom haha
Simple answer is NO.
Pre rinsing is pointless.
Citrus prewashing chemicals and snow foams, are designed to work on a dry dirty car. They soak in and dissolve the dirt into the solution.
Pre rinsing leaves a layer of water on the car, making the chemicals less effective.
Comparing the dirt left on the car one one side which has been pre rinsed, to the other which hasn't been pre rinsed, is pointless, because you are going to rinse the paint anyway when you rinse the foam off, and that would not only remove the same amount of grime as a pre rinse would, but actually remove MORE as the grime has been broken down to a much thinner layer by the chemicals, so the rinse is attacking a layer underneath.
The car wasn't very dirty at all, and had it been really dirty, a much bigger difference would have been shown.
I am not wasting product on pre-foaming/washing
I'm a lazy car washer and just want to foam/rinse my car in a touch free way. But I have a Boxster. Is Active Foam safe to use on the fabric top?
My foam is my pre-rinse 🤯
How do you like Carpro products? Reset, reload 2.0, etc
You need to try superior products
New drinking game!
Take a shot of your favorite adult beverage every time he says, "and again," "right," or "kinda" and see who if anybody is still standing at the end of the video. :}
When you prefoam with AF do you use a different soap when coming back with the contact scrub?
I’ve begun to use GS added to ph neutral Turtle wax hybrid solutions pure
So Josh, what is your take on spraying rinseless wash from a pump sprayer onto the panels prior to foaming a car instead of pre-rinsing? I've used this method for the last three washes and have come to love the cleaning abilities before a mechanical wash. I've followed this cleaning up with a rinseless wash and have found very little contamination on my Eagle 350s! Products used are ONR version 3 or 4 and two different soaps, Stjarnagloss SNO and P&S Frostbite from an IK Foam Pro 12.
Hey Josh I have a 2022 Chevy Silverado. Was wondering how you would go about washing a bigger truck and being quick about it so it does t get spotted up?? Love your videos!!
I got a 23 silverado myself. When i do it i start from top to bottom, washing and rinsing one panel at a time starting from roof, windshield and hood. I also do vertical panels on all the top halves first and then come back around and do the bottom halves since the bottom halves have more dirt and mud on it, so theres less risk of picking that dirt up and scratching up the upper panels. And to avoid the spots, get an inline mineral removal filter from amazon, it screws inline with your water hose, and i put a articulating hose joint, theyre made of plastic or metal, i put mine inline with my pressure washer at the hose inlet. The filter will remove the minerals from your water so when it dries, it wont leave mineral water spots. Same with washing, you don’t want the soap to dry on the paint, so go one panel at a time. Wash in shade or overcast, or before the sun gets too hot in the morning or if you can keep the paint cool as the sun goes down. You just dont want to let it evaporate before you rinse it. They do sell blowers specifically to dry cars after washes. Mine got a 9” lift with 37s, so its a pain in the ass to wash, especially on the roof, id recommend ceramic coat also, makes things much easier between coats.
Thank you I’ll have to look water removal products. I’m usually good during cooler months but it’s starting to warm up so the panels will air dry a lot faster. I always tried keeping the truck wet as I rinse off but sometimes it’s not possible. Thanks for the info
The answer to this should have taken less than 5 minutes.
oh shut up. youre complaining about free content get a life
Love your videos brother... quick question how long do you take on a full wash and polish. How much would you charge?
Just as a curiosity, I live in a wet environment, so road dirt get's really bad after rain. Do you experience the same where you live? And is there a way to get it cleaned without mechanical brushing? Cool video, I've obesrved the same thing with rince no rince. I do dilute my cheap soap 50/50 in the cannon.
Still using Adams strip wash in spring and megafoam after the foam is rediculous. Need to give koch chemie a try.
mega foam is great!