# The "Snow foam" nation - Its just a trend.



## NurburgDetail-1 (Nov 2, 2011)

Snow foam is pointless. Again. Only an opinion but snow foam is pointless. I rinse, pre-wash with weed killer pump with correctly diluted shampoo then pressure wash from top down. Ive used snow foam but deem it a pointless step in MY washing process. i see no difference. bring on the debate!


----------



## Franzpan (Mar 2, 2009)

A spray down of shampoo or TFR in a pump sprayer will work just as well, but who can really be bothered pumping and spraying with that when you can blast your car down with foam in 30secs after the change of a lance.

Also a fine misting through the sprayer will dry off alot quicker than a thick foam solution.


----------



## A210 AMG (Nov 8, 2008)

No idea if it does anything.

I like turning my silver cars white and its fun to use


----------



## NurburgDetail-1 (Nov 2, 2011)

A210 AMG said:


> No idea if it does anything.
> 
> I like turning my silver cars white and its fun to use


its very fun! But still i see no purpose. the pump cost me £7 from a local DIY store, plus it sprays under the car nicely! +dont use as much product on prewash, i dont buy any extra to foam with.
win.win.


----------



## Danny.R (Oct 10, 2011)

I find it does work for me, since I live in the desert. I just set my Mecline Foam Lance to the max setting then use 2oz of Maxisuds II in 1 liter to 900 ml of soft water and go to town.


----------



## A210 AMG (Nov 8, 2008)

You win, I win = all happy 

happy days


----------



## Avanti (Jan 17, 2006)

NurburgDetail said:


> *Snow foam is pointless.* Again. Only an opinion but snow foam is pointless. I rinse, pre-wash with weed killer pump with correctly diluted shampoo then pressure wash from top down. Ive used snow foam but deem it a pointless step in MY washing process. i see no difference. *bring on the debate!*


Would have been useful to post up a mini review of what you were using and pics/vids of the technique adopted :thumb:


----------



## The Cueball (Feb 8, 2007)

NurburgDetail said:


> Snow foam is pointless. Again. Only an opinion but snow foam is pointless. I rinse, pre-wash with weed killer pump with correctly diluted shampoo then pressure wash from top down. Ive used snow foam but deem it a pointless step in MY washing process. i see no difference. bring on the debate!


no debate really, do what you want...leave others to do as they please...

Everyone is happy, everyone has a clean car...

:thumb:


----------



## NurburgDetail-1 (Nov 2, 2011)

Avanti said:


> Would have been useful to post up a mini review of what you were using and pics/vids of the technique adopted :thumb:


Looks like many detailers like snow foam, If you live in a desert or down a country road, fair enough. but i just see it as an step that doesnt need to be done.
My basic wash process is:
Rinse off first (if light dirt) pressure wash for filthy cars
Then follow up with covering the car in a correctly diluted car shampoo using a weed killed (Mainly only when doing a touchless wash.)
Basically all the dirt will be gone by this point, if it isnt then somethings going wrong.
Then i will proceed with second rinse or pressure wash. If someone can present a good argument as.to where the snow foam would be a benifit. Im open to suggestions!


----------



## lsw8290 (Sep 20, 2011)

NurburgDetail said:


> Looks like many detailers like snow foam, If you live in a desert or down a country road, fair enough. but i just see it as an step that doesnt need to be done.
> My basic wash process is:
> Rinse off first (if light dirt) pressure wash for filthy cars
> Then follow up with covering the car in a correctly diluted car shampoo using a weed killed (Mainly only when doing a touchless wash.)
> ...


like cueball said ,each indivual has differing views + opinions fella ,therefor no real debate me thinks,,,,,,,,LOL.


----------



## NurburgDetail-1 (Nov 2, 2011)

Granted mate. but, id still like to know where people would use the snow foam abd if it makes any difference atall. people use it but why? Pressure wash seems to do just as good in my opinion when done properly.


----------



## Leemack (Mar 6, 2009)

I use foaming as a process (I don't use snow foam per se) but foaming the car for me is essential as it loosens grit particles and runs off before touching the car.
I have seen good results


----------



## DMH-01 (Mar 29, 2011)

NurburgDetail said:


> people use it but why?


People use it because they find it works for them. Fair enough if you don't like it mate, each to their own.


----------



## deno 1 (May 4, 2011)

i use magifoam........gotta say im impressed with it.


----------



## chrisc (Jun 15, 2008)

I use it because i dont even need a bucket 1 brush use foam on van job done.


----------



## chrisc (Jun 15, 2008)

And it's a laugh


----------



## Avanti (Jan 17, 2006)

NurburgDetail said:


> Looks like many detailers like snow foam, If you live in a desert or down a country road, fair enough. but i just see it as an step that doesnt need to be done.
> My basic wash process is:
> Rinse off first (if light dirt) pressure wash for filthy cars
> *Then follow up with covering the car in a correctly diluted car shampoo using a *weed killed (Mainly only when doing a touchless wash.)
> ...


My basic wash is, foam , rinse dry job done :thumb:

This was tuesday's effort



















Foam applied video (click pic to play)



then the rinse down video (again click pic to play)



after the rinse




























and dried


----------



## PaulTheo (Sep 26, 2010)

I find its a good pre-wash to loosen and help to reduce the dirt while actually washing the car and dont forget its good fun and easy to use as well.


----------



## spursfan (Aug 4, 2009)

I also use magifoam, leave it on for 10-15 mins, loosens all the dirt and then pressure wash off and very clean car left.
In the Winter it means i can do a touchless wash which is a bonus.
Magifoam really is exceptional and shifts just about all the traffic grime.

Kev


----------



## McClane (Dec 9, 2010)

Franzpan said:


> A spray down of shampoo or TFR in a pump sprayer will work just as well, but who can really be bothered pumping and spraying with that when you can blast your car down with foam in 30secs after the change of a lance.
> 
> Also a fine misting t*hrough the sprayer will dry off alot quicker than a thick foam solution.*


This! I use Valet Pro Orange Pre-wash through as sprayer and snow foam depending on mood/occaision.

The big advantage of snow foam for me is as relatively diluted pre wash that clings for a longer time to soften dirt, but also gives me time to go round cleaning the tyres and nooks and crannies etc with APC.

If the cars really dirty... TFR/Orange pre-wash will always get a look in.


----------



## NurburgDetail-1 (Nov 2, 2011)

Why do i get the feeling everyones defending it because they like playing with bubbles?  haha


----------



## NurburgDetail-1 (Nov 2, 2011)

Oh and kudos on the golf!


----------



## CraigQQ (Jan 20, 2011)

theres already plenty threads debating this..

the debates old hat now, and lets face it, unless youve done both you wont know which you prefer, and it doesn't really matter which one you like, everyone works different.


----------



## fatdazza (Dec 29, 2010)

NurburgDetail said:


> Why do i get the feeling everyones defending it because they like playing with bubbles?  haha


Errrrr .......... because it is like playing with bubbles.............. :lol:

and it gets the neighbours' curtains twitching


----------



## GJM (Jul 19, 2009)

NurburgDetail said:


> Why do i get the feeling everyones defending it because they like playing with bubbles?  haha


It's not groundbreaking but it certainly helps shift and loosen crud.

Are some worth the mess they leave I'm not sure, I recently gave CG no touch and Magifoam a go after what I had read and personally I don't rate them as highly as some reviews


----------



## The Doctor (Sep 11, 2007)

Snow foam is pointless? You really have never tried a good foam product then!

Sent from my HTC using Tapatalk


----------



## Steve Burnett (Apr 21, 2009)

I began to think it wasn't really worth it until I tried Chemical Guys no touch wash. Really did a great job on a dirty unprotected car.


----------



## JJ_ (Oct 26, 2005)

Your probably using the wrong snow foam. You need something which lifts the dirt like chemical guys no touch


----------



## craigblues (Jul 24, 2011)

Everyone has their own way of cleaning their own car. There is no right or wrong, well aslong as you use a mitt and not a scouring pad. 

Snow foaming is loads of fun and costs pennies!


----------



## sidewalkdances (Apr 19, 2007)

+1 for the fun of Snow Foaming!

I wont be doing it much any more, now i've Body Wrapped the car, but for when I do other cars that I won't be body wrapping (because I haven't the time to correct them) - snow foam is great. I snow foamed my Focus thats for sale the other day whilst I was washing the Leon, by the time i'd cleaned the wheels and given the car a TBM, the Focus was ready to rinse. PW'd it down and the car was back to looking presentable after being sat all week.


----------



## nick.s (Dec 21, 2009)

I've said it before and I'll say it again.

Horses for courses.

If it works for you, great. If not, no big deal, try something else. For myself, I currently don't foam (need external water source for PW), but have done and will continue to do so because the with the right products, it works for me.


----------



## Avanti (Jan 17, 2006)

JJ_ said:


> Your probably using the wrong snow foam. You need something which lifts the dirt like chemical guys no touch


I'd more say the power washer spec (not brand) but good spec are rarely cheap


----------



## Lowiepete (Mar 29, 2009)

It's nothing more than a "big boy's toy"! Having lived through an era when
rivers were full of dead fish and bordered with a thick sludgy foam, I'm
surprised that anyone would even think of using it where the drop-off is
not properly collected and treated. The foaming doesn't stop once it hits
the ground!

Seems a whole lot of effort for very little return and a huge impact on local
water courses. When you live in an area of very sporadic rainfall, you begin
to appreciate the value of water...

Regards,
Steve


----------



## Mike k (Oct 14, 2011)

I don't use it as dont have a pressure washer but am pretty intigued by it. Does it remove any wax or is it literally a cleaner?

Am amazed at how well it cleaned that red golf pictured, to me it would feel weird doing a touchless wash. amazing.


----------



## csjoh (May 10, 2011)

Snow foaming a car can easily be omitted as a washing step if you use other proper pre-wash remedies.

I've found that a decent dilution of Surfex HD and MAC 124 Prickbort and occasionally IronX removes more or less every bit of contamination on the car, so when it's rinsed off and washed with a mitt, there's next to no contamination in the bottom of the bucket.

As for drying a non-washed car - I would never touch the car with a towel after just foaming it. I always wash the car with soapy water and a mitt, rinse and then dry it. If I can't wash it properly, I don't dry it (with a towel) either.

That said, I like playing with bubbles too, and I love the looks on people's faces when they see the car covered in foam. I'll definately keep using it when time allows, but for rush jobs I'll probably skip it.

(MAC 124 Prickbort is used to dissolve tar spots, oil, Tectyl and the like - similar to Tardis)


----------



## svended (Oct 7, 2011)

Horses for courses really. Some swear by it, others are 'blah' about it, but then again some do two bucket method and some don't, some use a wash mitt others don't, hell some people prefer to chamois dry. It's what you want to do, it doesn't make you right or wrong it's what you prefer. Wouldn't it be a boring world if we did everything the same.


----------



## masammut (Jul 13, 2011)

I find that its the quality of the lance that makes the biggest difference on the snow foam effect. First time i got the lance and SF, I filled up 2 inches of the foam lance bottle and the rest with water as recommended and enjoyed filling the car (and the garage) with shaving foam!  Now my car has several coats of Z8 on it and its extremely slippery, so after around 5 minutes most of the foam had slipped off the car. There was still a layer of fine dirt on the sides, some of which went away with the PW and some remained, so I still needed to wash the car as usual.
The next time I poured 2 inches of car shampoo (I use Mafra Flux - http://www.mafra.com/eng/product/12-eng-flux.htm) and it had almost the same foaming effect, lasted almost the same amount of time on the car, (plus it has a nice smell) I buy a gallon for around Euro 8 which would be £7 or so ( I get it wholesale), making it very cheap too. The upside is that using just the PW to rinse, it removed around 90% of the remaining layer of dirt. 
In my wash routine I'm now mixing a bit of both to take advantage of the increased clinging power of the foam and the better cleaning of the shampoo. I use Sf by itself when I want to show off in front of a friend!


----------



## Russ and his BM (Jan 1, 2008)

I used a pressure sprayer, which used a bunch of product, was more effort what with having to pump the thing up and once the car was covered, it had already started to dry and streak, leaving no time to do the wheels (which I like to do while the foam's dripping). Much, MUCH prefer magifoam, and it's generous dwell-time. I just don't like to feel like the pace is being dictated to me, I like it the other way round. So for me, snowfoam very much has a point. And, it seems to remove 90% of crud before washing, vice about 40% of crud removed if I use water alone. My PW is a P150 nilfisk, so no worries there. 

I'll be sticking with my technique, which works better for me.


----------



## WhichOne'sPink? (Dec 13, 2011)

I've got some Magnifoam arriving tomorrow hopefully. 

Having never used snowfoam I'll reserve judgement.


----------



## spursfan (Aug 4, 2009)

all the pro's use it, that's good enough for me.
Magifoam rules!

Kev


----------



## CliveP (Feb 1, 2009)

NurburgDetail said:


> Snow foam is pointless.


So's smoking, drinking, chasing after women.....but hey....you have to live (says a teetotal non-smoking chap!)....

For those of us old enough to remember 'Don't drink, don't smoke, what do you do?' - er, snow foam cars, keep koi carp, work my whatsits off....

Lol

Regards,
Clive.

(you'll never take my Magifoam away, even from within the padded cell!)....


----------



## Stephenmoore30 (Dec 23, 2011)

I snow foamed the other day for the first! (always a TFR pump sprayer man)
And I was impressed!
Ok a little bit off prep needed to fill your snow foam lance bottle etc but gives you a little satisfaction covering your motor in nice smelling fluffy snow!
And does actually lift quite abit off debrit from your car!

Will defo be keeping this up.


----------



## moosh (May 8, 2011)

NurburgDetail said:


> Snow foam is pointless. Again. Only an opinion but snow foam is pointless. I rinse, pre-wash with weed killer pump with correctly diluted shampoo then pressure wash from top down. Ive used snow foam but deem it a pointless step in MY washing process. i see no difference. bring on the debate!


Hero :thumb:

I like snow foam it works for me :argie:


----------



## moosh (May 8, 2011)

CliveP said:


> So's smoking, drinking, chasing after women.....but hey....you have to live (says a teetotal non-smoking chap!)....
> 
> For those of us old enough to remember 'Don't drink, don't smoke, what do you do?' - er, snow foam cars, keep koi carp, work my whatsits off....
> 
> ...


I'm with clive! Magifoam it a few steps above the rest :thumb:


----------



## grant motox (Dec 30, 2010)

i was a long time user of the pump sprayer before getting a snow foam. 

you can get good results from a pump sprayer and its also very mobile (e.g. when i may use the local jetwash, i fill it with my own shampoo)
but i feel you get "better" results with the snow foam, i use the word better loosely as people may define that differently.

during winter months its a big win for me as i have started doing alot of miles recently and working away, so i can quickly snow foam the car on a weekend, leave it 5-10mins, rinse off and i have a 90% clean car with no salt etc on, i know iam protected well and for me its a case of lets get winter out the way then we can start taking detailing serious again.


----------



## WhichOne'sPink? (Dec 13, 2011)

I tried snowfoam for the first time today and I'm really impressed. 

I would have got some pictures but as soon as the pressure washer came out, it started to rain. And then it did actually snow. :lol:


----------



## Shiny (Apr 23, 2007)

Works for me  www.detailingworld.co.uk/forum/showthread.php?t=241248


----------



## [email protected] (Mar 5, 2007)

we have over 200 customers a week that say your wrong...!!


----------



## impster (May 2, 2007)

Snow foam ain't pointless. And here's why:

1: It's *fun*. It looks kind of silly, in a fun way. It puts my kids in hysterics!
2: It *completelly baffles my neighbours*.
3: It completelly covers the car in *foamy, frothy, soapy goodness*.
4: While it dwells you can *see the dirt fall off the car in the gloops* of foam.
5: While it dwells you can have a *nice cuppa* and fill your wash bucket
6: *When you power wash it off the car looks a hell of a lot cleaner than it would have done without using the snow foam*.

For years I never used snow foam, I'd never even heard of it. Now though, It's an excuse to wash the car.

Just like the top end waxes debate - there's a 'feel good' factor as well when you make it snow in summer.

Impster


----------



## WhichOne'sPink? (Dec 13, 2011)

Shiny said:


> Works for me  www.detailingworld.co.uk/forum/showthread.php?t=241248


That's a good read.

There's one thing I must take issue with. Snow foam only impresses the neighbours when it's not being blown back at you by the wind.  I know this. :wall:


----------



## Guest (Jan 19, 2012)

snow foam is epic,essential part of the cleaning process!


----------



## CleanCar99 (Dec 30, 2011)

I power wash, magifoam or bh autofoam, power wash off, sheet dry job done.

Applied magifoam yesterday and let it dwell for 45mins. The stuff is epic! Bh autofoam lasts about 5mins but cleans just as well as magifoam. All depends if im in a rush or want to p.ss off the neighbours by leaving a foot of foam in the gutter.


----------



## wylie coyote (Jul 15, 2007)

I use Magifoam - the main benefit I see is that when I'm too lazy or it's too cold to get loads of stuff out I can foam the car, clean the wheels while it dwells then wash off. As my car has a good layer of sealant on it it then only needs a quick once over with one bucket of shampoo and a mitt and it's clean.:thumb:

I also really believe it has a role thanks to it softening the dirt before the mitt goes anywhere near it.:thumb:


----------



## RDB85 (Dec 28, 2011)

VP Prewash in a Super Sprayer. Job done


----------



## Shinyvec (Feb 12, 2010)

I am not a fan of Snowfoam as its messy and just not practical when you have a shared drive but I do agree with the way it works and Magifoam is the best I have used. I prefur to use a spray on Pre-Wash like VP Orange which is easy to use with no mess and really shifts the muck and bugs


----------

