# Yet Another Autobrite Magifoam Test - Touchless Routine



## MilesBetter (Aug 9, 2010)

Thought I would make it a hat-trick and add the 3rd Magifoam review/test... this stuff has simply amazed me practically given me a Touchless Wash with no need to follow with Bucket/Mitt and also no pre-rinse with an APC or something VP Orange Pre-wash that have been using. I could see it dissolving and the dirt running off as it dwelled :thumb:

So, here is the victim and as can be seen its not that dirty as I had given it a winter detail/ Colly jacket previously, but has a fair bit of caked on mud from country lanes since last maintenance wash few weeks back.

Note I am also using the std detergent bottle and not the AB Foam lance (for reasons that you may have read on the AB lance thread.. suffices to say I am stupid :lol ...and was still impressed with foaming action.

The routine I used was Foam, dwell, rinse, ONR through super sprayer, dwell, ONR again, dwell and then spritz each panel with ONR QD and dry.

The results speak for themselves (sorry for crap pics that dont do justice to the finish), no agitation of mitts or manual intervention anywhere on the car apart form drying ... superb IMO :thumb:

Although I used it with the std Nilfisk Detergent bottle and whilst nowhere near as effective as the proper lance, the foam worked well and is still extremely effective in my test.....of course this was only my findings, all depends on many factors of how dirty your car is, hard/soft water, how much product used/ if you mix with other products, what LSP it has on it allready, or no protection etc, pressure of washer, many other factors etc etc... so others mileage may vary.

....can only imagine how much better will perform through the Lance

I then went on to finish the car using Jeffs Acryllic and dress tyres and top up wheels with protection, with no need to touch/clean any further from Power wash rinse and ONR wipe down.

Onto the pics 


















































































Only using std detergent bottle not foam lance so not a great deal of thick foam, but the cleaners still did their magic in the product; and didnt stick as well on a dry car, but then putting this down to not being a foam lance, still did an impressive job though













































It certainly seemed to have no problem reaching the car, and had a bit of overspray, was like my own snow storm and managed to covers neigbours car and the blue vauxhall parked a good dew feet away



















These afters are just following a rinse, no agitation involved, pretty impressive cleaning power....
































































Then went over car with ONR and then ONR as QD in hand spray bottle and wiped down dry, dressed tyres etc... zero touch almost apart from the Drying :thumb:


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## wadoryu (Jan 28, 2010)

dam. why did i buy vp neutal the day before the first review came out. need to get foaming


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## GolfFanBoy (May 23, 2010)

Thanks for posting the review :thumb: With all the salt and dirt accumulating on the car at the moment this product really appeals to me. Can't wait to try it out for myself next week


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## MilesBetter (Aug 9, 2010)

Thanks. I was almost about to buy Espuma Activo when I saw the first review for this stuff. I would like to hear somebodys findings if they use Activo and have some of this to compare against. I think for me this is a winner, getting such good results without needing to go near buckets and mitts etc. May have to find a neighbour with something really dirty for the real touchless test, then a wipwdown with a white MF


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## MilesBetter (Aug 9, 2010)

Although I used it with the std Nilfisk Detergent bottle and whilst nowhere near as effective as the proper lance, the foam worked well and is still extremely effective in my test.....of course this was only my findings, all depends on many factors of how dirty your car is, hard/soft water, how much product used/ if you mix with other products, what LSP it has on it allready, or no protection etc, pressure of washer, many other factors etc etc... so others mileage may vary.

....can only imagine how much better will perform through the Lance


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## CliveP (Feb 1, 2009)

Steve,

That's unbelievable - fantastic stuff!

I'm so glad I ordered my replacement PW on express delivery as I have Magifoam ready to go - I can see some happy neighbours over the weekend as I think I'll end up doing the whole close's cars! :lol:

Thanks for posting your great results, and I like using the ONR after idea - I know ONR is a 'eco' product (ie designed for when rinsing isn't an option) but what a way to use it - remove all the crud then have minimal chance of impacting damage using ONR afterwards :thumb:

Regards,
Clive.


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## MilesBetter (Aug 9, 2010)

No problem Clive and thanks. 

I am also going to be finding willing neighbours to volunteer the dirtiest cars to test this weekend... Will update this thread I hope with more findings... Good excuse to get the RS out and about and dirty down some B roads ..Acid test will be my old white evo with white powder coated rims and XP8 pads that make them black just by thinking about braking...new owner is using it as a daily driver in this weather and I hear the whole car is black, will see if he's about at the weekend and needs a wash


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## mk2jon (Mar 10, 2009)

Just put my order in so this has made me even happier,cheers :thumb:


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## MilesBetter (Aug 9, 2010)

Here we go, heres another victim that I just Magifoam'd 

http://www.detailingworld.co.uk/forum/showthread.php?p=2549833#post2549833


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## Tyrefitter (Feb 13, 2010)

ill stick with the valet-pro ph neutral.


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## MilesBetter (Aug 9, 2010)

shy-talk said:


> ill stick with the valet-pro ph neutral.


I am sure you will be very happy together


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## Tyrefitter (Feb 13, 2010)

steve_70 said:


> I am sure you will be very happy together


as long as the other half does'nt find out :lol:


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## m33porsche (Jun 10, 2007)

Steve

Great thread thx for taking the time to post up your findings.

I like the idea of touchless up to the drying point but haven't had the confidence to do it, well only on my wife's car....

I used ONR for the first time this weekend as the final wipe down after blot drying with a MF towel. I "think" I have got a streak free result and managed to remove all the blotches you get when using the pat drying method.

However, it got me to thinking about using ONR earlier in the process and then your thread pops up!

I'd really like to drop the 2BM/Mitt stage, mostly because of the time it adds into the process so will be testing the following

- Pre Soak with VP Orange pre wash
- pw rinse
- ONR Soak
- snowfoam
- pw rinse
- hot air dry 
- ONR and MF final wipe down

Not dissimilar to your routine. What I'd be interested in is thoughts on the risk of dropping the contact wash stage as the 2BM stage has been drilled into us all....:thumb:


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## MilesBetter (Aug 9, 2010)

m33porsche said:


> Steve
> 
> Great thread thx for taking the time to post up your findings.
> 
> ...


No problem and thanks back. I am about to go out so this will be quick and post up later more maybe; but there was a really good '2 years of ONR' thread somewhere, where the OP used nothing but ONR.. I think whilst ONR was developed to address a certain need that existed for a market in the states due to envrionmental requirements, and whilst it has limits and constraints ... it does however bring to the party lots of ideas and a new way of using it probbably in a wash routine that may not be strictly how it was intended but has lots of advantages.. and again whilst me maybe many try to move away from a 2BM, we must realise really what it is we need to achieve in fact is, to eschew any swirl enducing routines... to me ONR is a step in that direction in that its formula allows dirt to be trapped and suspended in the wash solution away from the car.

As always said, a lot of this is down to judgement call on the car in case, how dirty is it etc. Again you have to ask what routine you are trying to achieve, in the US it may be a state legislation that there cant be gallons of water run-off into local sewer systems, so until ONR then waterless wash solutions were only option maybe. So it wasnt people starting oit looking for a touchless or even a quicker, or better, or swirl eliminating solution, it was an eco or enviromental requirement. So over here in UK, we dont maybe have such requirements why you need ONR, but you may have other reasons to go with ONR, live in a flat where you cant have a hosepipe or carry two buckets etc down several flights of stairs, you could be disabled or some other reason.

There are some that will still use ONR with two buckets, and i guess it is almost best of both worlds and belt and braces.. but again depends on car in case is it a winter cleanup of several months of crud or is it a weekend quick maint wash.

I guess you have to experiement a bit and find out waht works bets for you, I am gong to be tweaking routines with mine to see what works and what doesnt.

I changed your a bit below... just a thought... but all worth playing around with.

- Pre Soak with VP Orange pre wash
- pw rinse
- ONR Soak
- snowfoam
- pw rinse
- ONR at QD Strength through sprayer - Drying aid and encapuslate any remaining dirt in the ONR solution
- Open end hose rinse
- hot air dry 
- ONR @ QD Strength and MF final wipe down


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## sanchez89 (Feb 14, 2009)

i just used magifoam for the first time today. on 2 cars, my daily civic wearing no protection and our garage queen mx5.

i have to say it does clean well, the civic had about 1 weeks worth of grime on it, not alot but enough. the magifoam was on for about 20 mins, blasted off with pw and it looks pretty spot on. just tried some areas with the drying towel and there was a very light film of dirt evedent on the paint and towel. so not quite a no bucket wash. still good tho.

but i did our mx5 which had a bit of dirt from the last time it was out, bit less than the civic but still there. when dryed the towel came out clean.

so i have to say in conclusion, if the vehicle being washed has some form of protection then the result of magifoaming will be far better than if used on a vehicle with no protection. the same as any other snow foam really, just magifoam cleans alot better.

just my input for everyone there.


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## proper-job (Oct 17, 2010)

Very impressive stuff. i recently purchased a snow foam bottle and some magifoam. i set it all up today and done 3 cars. i can't seem to get the foam to cling to the car as it claims it can cling to the car for 30mins??? i tryed it with a wet and dry car and it showed no diffrence. am i doing something wrong ???. Also it does not take much of the dirt of. i foam the car leave for as long as possible and then rinse . i then have to go over it with bucket and sponge, after i have sponged my sponge it black with dirt !!!!!. i cant seem to make the foam do a proper-job by just leaving it on there ?>???

Ash


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## gt140silver (May 6, 2007)

proper-job said:


> Very impressive stuff. i recently purchased a snow foam bottle and some magifoam. i set it all up today and done 3 cars. i can't seem to get the foam to cling to the car as it claims it can cling to the car for 30mins??? i tryed it with a wet and dry car and it showed no diffrence. am i doing something wrong ???. Also it does not take much of the dirt of. i foam the car leave for as long as possible and then rinse . i then have to go over it with bucket and sponge, after i have sponged my sponge it black with dirt !!!!!. i cant seem to make the foam do a proper-job by just leaving it on there ?>???
> 
> Ash


Are you using a proper foam lance with an inch or two of product? And if so have you tried turning the dial towards the - setting? This uses less water and more product- took me a while to work this one out!

When doing this it comes out like shaving foam for me, and a dwell time of 30 mins is no problem. Also it's still important to put a bit of time into the rinse bit- you need to use the power washer to blast all the foam and dirt off, and not simply rinse it away.

Also its worth finding out about alternatives to the sponge, and also the '2bm' or two bucket wash method. Search the site or wait for better replies!

All the best:wave:


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## proper-job (Oct 17, 2010)

Yes i am using a proper lance. I set it up so it is using max foam output. i will re-search into it and see if i can get it working. i dont know what i am doing wrong. i soaked the car and then foamed it on max setting. it might be my pressure washer i dont know. ???

thanks ash


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## MilesBetter (Aug 9, 2010)

sounds like it could be the pressure washer, or setting on Lance maybe. I tried it firts through the std detergent botlle that comes with the nilfisk anf it wasnt very clingy or shaving foam like, changed the the Foam lance and was slightly better, but then I adjusted it as above and it was like shaving foam and was a bugger to actually get of thee drive and down the drain.. was still there 2 days later. I tried it through a gilmour on normal hose pressure and no better than say just hyperwash or gold class through it ion terms of consistency and Cling, so must have to do with the pressure that makes it foam so well. I added hot water to the bottle, but not sure if that really helps.


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## proper-job (Oct 17, 2010)

steve_70 said:


> sounds like it could be the pressure washer, or setting on Lance maybe. I tried it firts through the std detergent botlle that comes with the nilfisk anf it wasnt very clingy or shaving foam like, changed the the Foam lance and was slightly better, but then I adjusted it as above and it was like shaving foam and was a bugger to actually get of thee drive and down the drain.. was still there 2 days later. I tried it through a gilmour on normal hose pressure and no better than say just hyperwash or gold class through it ion terms of consistency and Cling, so must have to do with the pressure that makes it foam so well. I added hot water to the bottle, but not sure if that really helps.


Okay thanks. i will have ago with my friends steam cleaner too see if it is my pressure washer and see if thats any better. thank-you for you help

ash


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## proper-job (Oct 17, 2010)

Hi
Went back to the snow foam today. i put 2inches of snow foam in with 1Ltr of water and boom!, worked a peach. i was being too tight with the foam. the mud just falls off now !

thanks guys 

:thumb:


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## HairyMonster (Apr 3, 2010)

when i last used Magifoam I still had shaving foam in the street the next day LOL:thumb:


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## Dubbin1 (May 12, 2010)

One would think with that much cleaning power that it would strip your LSP.


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## montymondeo (Jan 2, 2010)

used magifoam today, left on car for about twenty minutes pressure washed off and water beaded as before so no detrimental effect on collinite


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## MilesBetter (Aug 9, 2010)

proper-job said:


> Hi
> Went back to the snow foam today. i put 2inches of snow foam in with 1Ltr of water and boom!, worked a peach. i was being too tight with the foam. the mud just falls off now !
> 
> thanks guys
> ...


Good to hear it :thumb:



HairyMonster said:


> when i last used Magifoam I still had shaving foam in the street the next day LOL:thumb:


yeah, me too, mine lasted a few days and have no drain to wash/ hose it into.. this is my downside, as annoys the neigbours as covers the area.



Dubbin1 said:


> One would think with that much cleaning power that it would strip your LSP.


...as below



montymondeo said:


> used magifoam today, left on car for about twenty minutes pressure washed off and water beaded as before so no detrimental effect on collinite


+1 ...not touched my Colinite Either


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## m33porsche (Jun 10, 2007)

*Bottled it this weekend*

My aim is to go touchless and use onr as part of the process.

My reasoning is not environmental, more time saving, it's taking WAY to long.....

Stage 1 = Pre-Soak then PW Wheels and Arches
Stage 2 = Bucket wash wheels
Stage 3 = Pre-Soak bodywork (Chemical Guys APC 4:1) stand for 3 minutes
Stage 4 = PW Rinse then ONR Spray (QD dilution)
Stage 5 = Snowfoam and stand for 5 minutes
Stage 6 = PW Rinse
Stage 7 = 2BM + Mitt + Zaino Shampoo
Stage 8 = PW Rinse then sheet water off
Stage 9 = Hot air dry or blot dry
Stage 10 = ONR (QD) and MF wipe down

I'm convinced that by stage 6 there is virtually no dirt left on the bodywork so plan to drop the 2BM. The thinking being that the whole process will be touchless up to ONR QD final wipe down.

I'd really appreciate others experience on this, dilution rates, standing times, products, sequences, anything really that could improve this process. Its a bit scary dropping the 2BM and mitts...:doublesho


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## lpoolck (Jul 25, 2009)

Dubbin1 said:


> One would think with that much cleaning power that it would strip your LSP.


This is what I was thinking, I notice on autobrites website it states LSP safe, wonder if any of those who tested it could confirm if after using 2-3 times if it stripped the LSP.

I wonder what the PH value of the actual foam that sits on your car is too.


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## MilesBetter (Aug 9, 2010)

lpoolck said:


> This is what I was thinking, I notice on autobrites website it states LSP safe, wonder if any of those who tested it could confirm if after using 2-3 times if it stripped the LSP.
> 
> I wonder what the PH value of the actual foam that sits on your car is too.


Not seen any degredation of any LSP that I have used it on, over 3 or 4 applications, but then there is no valid or true test I guess to know how it 'may' have affected any LSP, its so very subjective. But then I always top up, so anything it may be preceived to have stripped, i would have put back in the top up, so impossible to gauage I reckon.

I guess LSP degradation is in the perceived eye of the beholder.


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## apmaman (Jun 8, 2010)

Is this stuff really that much better than normal snow foam?

I have 1 and a half 5l tubs to go through before of Autobrites standard snow foam. Trying to think of ways I can hurry it along and buy some magifoam to try it out. Been foaming the house windows etc to use it up!


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## MilesBetter (Aug 9, 2010)

apmaman said:


> Is this stuff really that much better than normal snow foam?
> 
> I have 1 and a half 5l tubs to go through before of Autobrites standard snow foam. Trying to think of ways I can hurry it along and buy some magifoam to try it out. Been foaming the house windows etc to use it up!


I guess everyones mileage will vary and better is very subjective.

Works for me, but I would suggest trying a sample size and judge/ test for yourself and then you can make an informed decision.


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## woodym3 (Aug 30, 2009)

the best way to get rid of it is to send it all to me. cheers . pm me and i will send you deliverydetails. !!!


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## craig9 (Oct 11, 2010)

shy talk is that just the valet pro or have you use wash mit on there too?


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