# Bilt Hamber Autofoam is it better than the other products ?



## perm (Oct 26, 2005)

Hi,

It appears to me that most foaming products are pretty much the same in their ability to foam, dwell and remove some dirt…..

Does Bilt Hamber Autofoam work any better than the rest ? Does it contain ingredients that others do not have, so hence cleans better ?


Cheers

Perm


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## PJS (Aug 18, 2007)

Yes, is the answer you'll hear from a few whom use it.
BH did a whitebox test comparing different foams, and their formulation removed the most grime.
When BH release a product, its intention is to be the best on the market, not merely something designed to flesh out the range - they've been making and selling Autoclay and Autobalm for 3 years or so, mainly to the Classic guys.
Now that they've been drawn into the detailing world (nice pun, but totally unintentional) they're resurrecting previous formulations they never did anything with, and creating new ones - all again with the intention of being the best product out there.

Sorry for the 'sales pitch', but if I hadn't believed in their capabilities and ambitions, who else would've? And Autofoam wouldn't probably have been formulated, or at least not introduced when it was, but maybe at some point down the road.
Thanks to this forum, BH was convinced they could make one that performed better than the others, once they knew how popular foam usage was among us.

So, get yourself some, have fun with it, and if it doesn't impress, you can always switch to another brand when it's done.


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## mattyb95 (Apr 21, 2008)

Its different to the vast majority in the way that it works but I personally feel its not the best. I got a 500ml sample of it off a fellow DW member and found I needed a lot more of it to foam and be effective compared to the Valet Pro PH neutral foam I now use. This makes the Valet Pro stuff more economical and in comparison to the Autobrite Super Snow Foam which I believe is similar to lots of the other shop branded stuff I find it does a better job, foams better and dwells longer with my hard water.


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## Bigpikle (May 21, 2007)

it cleans MUCH better in my experience - thats only what I'm interested in, and its does a better job than any others I tried


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## tribs (Jun 18, 2007)

I must admit I didn't really get on with it at first, but that was because I couldn't quite get used to the amount you need to use compared to other snow foams. I tried it at the weekend at closer to the recommended rate and the results were quite amazing. You do use a lot more than other snow foams but its the closest I have come to a touchless wash without stripping the LSP.


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## Aero (Feb 13, 2007)

I can only compare it to Super Snow Foam but Autofoam is very good. Cleaning ability is impressive and I'm only using a 10:1 mix :thumb:


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## Dave KG (Feb 23, 2006)

Have only seen this used once thus far... while I was on holiday  And what I saw of it - effective foam that dwelled well, and cleaned effectively compared to what I am used to with Supa Snow Foam - was enough to make me buy some 

Smells really nice in use too...

Agree with Bigpickle above - the only foam I've also seen that does some serious cleaning and comes close to a touchless wash.


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## Robbieben (Feb 19, 2006)

Not got round to trying the BH Foam myself but visited a member of DW that has the BH range and after seeing the products and trying them myself I'll be getting the foam and clay.


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## cheezemonkhai (Jan 29, 2007)

I find it very good once you have the dilutions right, cleans well and as long as you don't let it dry there are no marks.

Don't try and use it in a karcher foam bottle as it just won't foam from that.


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## mark1319 (Sep 9, 2007)

Still trying to get the dilution right which I'll be sorting out on Friday as I've had mixed results, but I'm 100% it's my fault as always LOL.


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## Bilt-Hamber Lab (Apr 11, 2008)

We've said it before - if you're looking for shaving foam then get down to Tescos – Autofoam really won't produce that thick foam that others do, it’s not designed to. But at the right dilution it'll shift stuff from soiled panels without touch. There's a fine balance when formulating these products and getting them to work well is our priority, we've had some from other big name manufactures that do absolutely nothing but make crazy amounts of foam.


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## bluetrebor (May 1, 2008)

Its a good foam, cleans well and smells nice too!


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## Slewey (Feb 13, 2008)

Just ordered some AutoFoam, which is on it's way right now. Very interessted to try this, but what's the best dilution ratio anyway?


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## perm (Oct 26, 2005)

Thanks for the input..... as Slewey asked....
Do you still need about an inch of product and then top up with warm water like other products ? 

Cheers

Perm


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## rubbishboy (May 6, 2006)

I would say this is pretty good foamage and was the car Dave was referring to above.










You may need to experiment a bit to get the ratio right.


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## Bilt-Hamber Lab (Apr 11, 2008)

Slewey said:


> Just ordered some AutoFoam, which is on it's way right now. Very interessted to try this, but what's the best dilution ratio anyway?


Depends on the rate it's fed into the stream, aim for 4-5% product at the panel if you want really good cleaning.


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## Bigpikle (May 21, 2007)

Bilt-Hamber Lab said:


> Depends on the rate it's fed into the stream, aim for 4-5% product at the panel if you want really good cleaning.


I have a standard Auto brite foam lance - the one with the red dial.

To get the dilution Pete mentions above i tested and measured and came up with:

*400ml of water + 100ml of foam in the bottle
Red dial set at strongest mix
= 4% on the car *

BTW - 500ml of total mix is easily enough for a family car. It does 1.5x round my A3 sportback


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## perm (Oct 26, 2005)

Excellent..... 
time to find my credit card.....

Cheers

Perm


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## Slewey (Feb 13, 2008)

Thanks :thumb:

Got the same AB Foam lance, the heavy-duty version, so I'll go experiment a bit


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## mattyb95 (Apr 21, 2008)

Bigpikle said:


> I have a standard Auto brite foam lance - the one with the red dial.
> 
> To get the dilution Pete mentions above i tested and measured and came up with:
> 
> ...


See I used a stronger concentration than that, probably nearer 300ml in a 1 litre bottle with the dial on max and it didn't really impress me at all unfortunately. I do have hard water but just found it did no better cleaning than the super snow foam I was using at the time and seeing as I had to use more per solution just didn't fancy the extra cost.


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## magicone (Jan 14, 2008)

I have tried a few different snow foams and yes they do foam more than AF but AF's cleaning power is far superior.

I admit the first few times i tried it I had to fiddle with the ratios but now I have it spot on the AF works a treat. I will be buying some more once my current supply runs out!


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## PJS (Aug 18, 2007)

Be careful about following well intentioned maths as above - your pressure washer's flow rate would need to be the same as Damon's to work.
There's some maths that was done before - I'll see if I can find the thread.

Here - http://www.detailingworld.co.uk/forum/showthread.php?t=71201


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## davidcraggs (Aug 1, 2007)

has anyone used AF in a superspray?


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## PJS (Aug 18, 2007)

davidcraggs said:


> has anyone used AF in a superspray?


Won't work - not enough pressure to make it foam sufficiently.
Use Autobrite's SSF for the Supersprayer or Gilmour.


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## Neil_S (Oct 26, 2005)

mark1319 said:


> Still trying to get the dilution right which I'll be sorting out on Friday as I've had mixed results, but I'm 100% it's my fault as always LOL.


Same story here, it didn't clean any better than the other foam I have on first use, but convinced it is me.


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## davidcraggs (Aug 1, 2007)

Thanks PJS


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## Neil_S (Oct 26, 2005)

I am very happy to say I was completely wrong about this product, after following the guide linked to by PJS I found the correct amount of product to use was 280 ml in a 500ml bottle.

When using this amount of product you could see dirt coming off the car which I never saw when I used about 100ml.

The paint felt extremely clean, I don't think I have ever felt it this clean after a foaming and then proceeding to mitt wash.

I thing this will be legendary when the winter salt arrives!


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## alanjo99 (Nov 22, 2007)

Neil_S said:


> I am very happy to say I was completely wrong about this product, after following the guide linked to by PJS I found the correct amount of product to use was 280 ml in a 500ml bottle.
> 
> When using this amount of product you could see dirt coming off the car which I never saw when I used about 100ml.
> 
> ...


You used 280ml of product in a 500ml bottle ?? :doublesho

The works out to be a *VERY* expensive snow foam !!


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## Neil_S (Oct 26, 2005)

Agree it does turn out to be expensive, approximately 20 washes per bottle.

Might have to look into a 25 litre drum!


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## Epoch (Jul 30, 2006)

I did a few comparisons with this and my other new fave foaming product. As has been said above the BH version is the best cleaning product of it's type, it's not the cheapest but offers superior cleaning.

I also tried a smaller dilution amount, but at the right dilution its a cracker.

25 ltrs wasn't going to be substantially cheaper Neil, so regular deliveries of 5 ltrs may be the way forward.


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## Neil_S (Oct 26, 2005)

What was interesting was the foam clinged firmly to the Gtechniq C4 treated trim, I had to give it a good going over with the pressure washer to remove it, but the trim was still in perfect condition and very clean, infact I didn't even use the mitt on the trim and I used a drying towel to get the water off the trim later and it was completely clean.


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## vindaloo (Jan 5, 2006)

Armed with a sample of PH neutral (PHN) foam courtesy of Alan's samples, I did a comparison of BH AF & PHN at the weekend as I have been convinced AF was the best I've ever tried even though I had to use about 75% more product than most other foams.
Have to say I found the PHN cleaned just as well as the AF & used less product. Although PHN foamed more & dwelled longer I don't think this made any significant difference to it's cleaning power.
IMHO either of these foams produce excellent results & nobody should be disappointed in either.


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## isherdholi (Sep 18, 2007)

What strikes me here, is the amount of Autofoam which has to be used to actually achieve such a good result. I'd like to see somebody use AB SSF at the same dilution rate that people are using BH's foam at, and then compare.


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## MikeTDI (Aug 2, 2006)

used some of this BH autofoam last night....superb stuff. the supa snow foam i had looked nice and thick when settled on the car but didnt really shift much muck. BH AF is not a thick foam but it does what I want it to do, and that is visably remove any muck, and a bonus is it smells great.


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## rossdook (Aug 20, 2008)

I have some, but struggled with it first time around. Can anyone help me out here? 

I have a Lavor pressure washer with a detergent tank feed. If you turn the pressure right down, it'll feed in from that. Do I fill this up with BH AF and let it do the rest or will I need to track down a foam lance for this? Thanks.


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## Bigpikle (May 21, 2007)

I think you REALLY need to to look at dilution rates for your lance and PW... I have done all the caluclations for my PW (K3.99) and the standard Auto Brite lance (red dial one) and I only need 100-140ml per car - pretty much the exact same as any SSF.

It does seem that the lance tested in the thread link above has an extreme dilution rate of approx 1:17, while my lance does 1:5...

CHECK IT FOR YOURSELF!


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## Ross (Apr 25, 2007)

Iam going to be trying BH AF soon if the weather clears up


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## millerman (Jun 19, 2008)

i got some from the samples section and have not used it yet 
although from what ive read i will need to buy another 4 or 5 samples 
to just have enough to do my car  
does not really sound worth it to me 
unless sombody here wants to give me a litre to have a play with !!


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## rossdook (Aug 20, 2008)

RosswithaOCD said:


> Iam going to be trying BH AF soon if the weather clears up


Clears up?

We're the lucky ones up here - we've had the best weather going for the last month I'm told! Ah, the sun shines on the righteous....


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## weez (Sep 28, 2008)

I tried out BH autofoam today. Let me preface this by stating that I couldnt experiment as much as I would have liked. 
First of all, I had to use about triple the amount Id normally use, which is a huge negative. As stated, BH doesnt foam up as much as other snow foams. I think people are minimizing the importance of a nice thick foam though. On the side panels, where most the dirt and grime accumulates, its important. In order for the foam to soak/work in and be effective, it needs to dwell. If it isnt thick and clingy enough it wont be effective. I found that I couldnt get the BH auto foam to dwell long enough on the side panels to be any more effective than ssf.
I then mixed about 50/50 BH SSF and it made a nicer thicker foam that dwelled and penetrated. I also mixed a little BH surfex HD in another batch and my LSP completely disappeared. That worries me, because I planned to use a 20:1 BH surfex HD as a pre-pre-wash on the saltiest/grimiest/dirtiest panels before foaming.
Hopefully I can get the mixtures better and prove myself wrong, or else I wasted 14 quid.
BH isnt as cost effective and any more effective cleaning as the other snow foams on the market. PH neutral will probably be my next purchase.


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## Bigpikle (May 21, 2007)

weez said:


> I tried out BH autofoam today. Let me preface this by stating that I couldnt experiment as much as I would have liked.
> First of all, I had to use about triple the amount Id normally use, which is a huge negative. As stated, BH doesnt foam up as much as other snow foams. I think people are minimizing the importance of a nice thick foam though. On the side panels, where most the dirt and grime accumulates, its important. In order for the foam to soak/work in and be effective, it needs to dwell. If it isnt thick and clingy enough it wont be effective. I found that I couldnt get the BH auto foam to dwell long enough on the side panels to be any more effective than ssf.
> I then mixed about 50/50 BH SSF and it made a nicer thicker foam that dwelled and penetrated. I also mixed a little BH surfex HD in another batch and my LSP completely disappeared. That worries me, because I planned to use a 20:1 BH surfex HD as a pre-pre-wash on the saltiest/grimiest/dirtiest panels before foaming.
> Hopefully I can get the mixtures better and prove myself wrong, or else I wasted 14 quid.
> BH isnt as cost effective and any more effective cleaning as the other snow foams on the market. PH neutral will probably be my next purchase.


I think you're doing something wrong then my friend....

I use the same amount as other foams in my lance and K3.99, get just a thick foam that takes 5-6 mins to run off (and drag huge amounts of muck with it ) and get a really good pre-clean :thumb: I disagree on clinging too long - I want the mechanical action of the foam bubbles exploding and shifting muck, but it needs to pull it off the car by running off, not staying on it.

what did you use to judge your LSP was gone? Did you fully wash it afterwards and test it somehow? I used Surfex at 20:1 many many times on waxes and sealants and never saw it strip anything. I have used it at 10:1 and had some more durable products survive the soak...


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## weez (Sep 28, 2008)

Bigpikle said:


> I think you're doing something wrong then my friend....
> 
> I use the same amount as other foams in my lance and K3.99, get just a thick foam that takes 5-6 mins to run off (and drag huge amounts of muck with it ) and get a really good pre-clean :thumb: I disagree on clinging too long - I want the mechanical action of the foam bubbles exploding and shifting muck, but it needs to pull it off the car by running off, not staying on it.
> 
> what did you use to judge your LSP was gone? Did you fully wash it afterwards and test it somehow? I used Surfex at 20:1 many many times on waxes and sealants and never saw it strip anything. I have used it at 10:1 and had some more durable products survive the soak...


Which foam lance do you have? Mine has a liter container and I usually only put an inch of SSF in it. With the BH I used triple that amount. If foam doesnt dwell long enough, it wont penetrate. 
I may have put too much surfex in my foam lance, so glad to hear 20:1 wont strip LSP. I know it was gone because the water sheeted and clung to the paint, rather than bead up and roll off. My first Cobra guzzler HD waffle weave towel was completely soaked right away.


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## bilt-hamber kid (Dec 4, 2007)

Weez,

Having read that, you obviously aren't a time waster so have a play about with it, and if you still can't get on with it, call and I'll refund you your money nqa. *No one *buys Hamber and goes away thinking they've wasted their money. If you need any advice, please don't hesitate to call - 01277 658899.

Cheers, and good luck. :thumb:

Al


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## weez (Sep 28, 2008)

bilt-hamber kid said:


> Weez,
> 
> Having read that, you obviously aren't a time waster so have a play about with it, and if you still can't get on with it, call and I'll refund you your money nqa. *No one *buys Hamber and goes away thinking they've wasted their money. If you need any advice, please don't hesitate to call - 01277 658899.
> 
> ...


I appreciate this kind of service and that you stand by your product. I'll definitely give it a good go. Believe me, I want it to be fantastic. I havent written this product off yet, so I'll play with the settings and amounts. Others have had fantastic reviews, so hopefully I will see the same results. I promise to give it a good go though and report back.:detailer:


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## Exclusive Car Care (Jan 14, 2007)

bilt-hamber kid said:


> Weez,
> 
> Having read that, you obviously aren't a time waster so have a play about with it, and if you still can't get on with it, call and I'll refund you your money nqa. *No one *buys Hamber and goes away thinking they've wasted their money. If you need any advice, please don't hesitate to call - 01277 658899.
> 
> ...


dont get much better than that:thumb: excellent customer service


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## Bigpikle (May 21, 2007)

weez said:


> Which foam lance do you have? Mine has a liter container and I usually only put an inch of SSF in it. With the BH I used triple that amount. If foam doesnt dwell long enough, it wont penetrate.
> I may have put too much surfex in my foam lance, so glad to hear 20:1 wont strip LSP. I know it was gone because the water sheeted and clung to the paint, rather than bead up and roll off. My first Cobra guzzler HD waffle weave towel was completely soaked right away.


I have an Autobrite std lance, with a 1L bottle, and use 100ml & 400ml of water. That gives me plenty to do a A3 or Saab and have some left for a 2nd hit on a few panels. It lasts about 5-6 mins before its 90% gone...

Great service again from the BH :thumb: but I hope you wont be disappointed in it. I've tried enough touchless wash solutions and this foam is the best by a wide margin IMHO


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## Neil_S (Oct 26, 2005)

The BH foam has really impressed me on proper grime, infact the bumper and the lowers were so clean I was amazed.

You do have to use alot (I use 280ml in 500ml bottle), this is to achieve the correction dilution ratio, but it works wonders for me.


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## bilt-hamber kid (Dec 4, 2007)

weez said:


> I appreciate this kind of service and that you stand by your product. I'll definitely give it a good go. Believe me, I want it to be fantastic. I havent written this product off yet, so I'll play with the settings and amounts. Others have had fantastic reviews, so hopefully I will see the same results. I promise to give it a good go though and report back.:detailer:


Weez,

I am not being corny, but to get constructive (and yes - lets be honest here) _negative _feedback is priceless. It could be that we've done something wrong - sold you the wrong product for your needs, sent you one from what might be a dodgy batch which means we have to put into place another set of processes, sent you product in a contaminated carton or container, forgot to enclose the instructions etc, so for 'losing' £15 or so, its almost a method of free quality control. You lot here are so switched on and so focused, that I don't think we've ever got mindless negative feedback here - your points are well made and I thank you for them. I will keep an eye out to see how you get on. If any news 'breaks' about this though, and I miss it, will you drop me a PM?

Cheers,

Al.


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## weez (Sep 28, 2008)

bilt-hamber kid said:


> Weez,
> 
> If any news 'breaks' about this though, and I miss it, will you drop me a PM?
> 
> ...


Sure will. Thanks.


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## weez (Sep 28, 2008)

Well today I washed again. This time I sprayed all the lower panels with 20:1 surfex hd prior to foaming. Then I mixed about 1/3 (of 1 liter) of BH autofoam, with a squirt of snow foam in my lance. Sprayed the car and let it dwell for about 7 minutes. My car wasnt as dirty this time but was still covered in dirt/mud/salt on the lowers and the entire back end. Definitely was a marked improvement in cleanliness once foam was sprayed off. This was confirmed when I did my two bucket wash. The mitts were noticeably cleaner when I did the lower half of the car. This time I was really impressed. Not sure how much the surfex hd pre-pre rinse contributed, as I snow foamed immediately after applying surfex. I'll probably stick to this routine during the winter anyways so it doesnt matter.....so long as my lsp stays intact.


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## bilt-hamber kid (Dec 4, 2007)

Glad to hear you're having more success. Before replying, I've had a quick look at the sales figures of Surfex and they seem to be going through the roof.. 1 litre sales in particular and many for the use that you mention.

Keep us informed and gizza call if you need any advice.

Cheers, :thumb:

Al.


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## Ross (Apr 25, 2007)

I used Autofoam at 200ml to 800ml of hot water today through the foam lance and it really shifted the dirt.


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## bilt-hamber kid (Dec 4, 2007)

General question really - do people use more of this stuff now that its winter?


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## jeroens (Nov 24, 2008)

*Really 4-5%?*

I have a question for Bilt Hamber-kit:

Is the 4-5% really on car mix?
Seems a bit excessive, most are closer to 0.775% (in bucket - hand wash).

Just want to check the number and be sure...

Thanks,

J.


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## Bilt-Hamber Lab (Apr 11, 2008)

jeroens said:


> I have a question for Bilt Hamber-kit:
> 
> Is the 4-5% really on car mix?
> Seems a bit excessive, most are closer to 0.775% (in bucket - hand wash).
> ...


If you want to shift grime without touching then 4-5% is effective. You can get masses of foam from some surfactant blends through pressure equipment at ~1% (our auto wash for example). But the cleaning just isn't there without manual effort.


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## jeroens (Nov 24, 2008)

Clear. Thanks! :thumb:


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## Subc (May 30, 2008)

My foam lance was destined for the bin after firing all sorts through it,
Back in business Bilt Hamber Auto Foam simply excellent and does what it says on the tin.Well Done


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## wyliss (Feb 9, 2007)

But what about your LSP?, is it still in tact?


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## vindaloo (Jan 5, 2006)

dibbs26 said:


> But what about your LSP?, is it still in tact?


It certainly is in my case, using Werkstat


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## lord melch (Aug 15, 2007)

isherdholi said:


> What strikes me here, is the amount of Autofoam which has to be used to actually achieve such a good result. I'd like to see somebody use AB SSF at the same dilution rate that people are using BH's foam at, and then compare.


I wonder what would happen if you used ph neutral at 4% using the same formula as the BH - mostly advice I've seen for ph is a couple of pumps or a cm or two - not entirely scientific..


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## dmc (Aug 17, 2008)

RosswithaOCD said:


> I used Autofoam at 200ml to 800ml of hot water today through the foam lance and it really shifted the dirt.


Thats how much i use, autobrite foam lance on max pick up from the bottle then i can hit 2 cars with it,

i found BH auto faom worked really well, while it was dwelling on the ground along the sides of the car the foam was soaked in dirt, cant get better than that


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## quattrogmbh (May 15, 2007)

I tried on the wifes car today at the following dilution ratios :

200ml AF : 300ml Water
300ml AF : 200ml Water

I'm still having difficulty with free rinsing. The foam slides off vertical panels fairly quickly (ie. has minimal dwell), but I'm left with some sort of residue on lower panels which doesnt seem to rinse freely.

Is this likely due to 
Road salt
something to do with the zaino sealant
Hard Water
or something else?

Any ideas what I can do to improve?

Thanks


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## lord melch (Aug 15, 2007)

As a test I used my Valet-Pro pH neutral snowfoam - a strong mix 300ml* and rest water (what 700ml) - rather than say 1cm or so as a pre-wash.

My main car is never left long enough to get "minging" - I couldn't stand it :detailer:

WOW talk about cleaning power. I tried it on a neighbours Vito - hasn't been washed for over a year, and another slightly less dirty car that has some beeding properties left.

I could have thickly snowfoamed 5 or 6 cars easily so maybe a little too strong (miles too strong TBH) - but I was interested in what it did to the LSP (WAX) (see below) -

Car's looked like Nigella's Pavlova !!! 

The snowfoam worked a treat it was really brown after say 5 mins dwelling as it slowly fell off the vehicles - on to the ground. All the Vito needed was a Jetwash and bingo..

The other car ditto although I followed up with a normal quick wash as I had more time - the Vito owner was off out.

Even with this strong mixture the LSP survived and the paint still sheeted.

More than happy with my Valet-Pro ph Neutral 

*As mentioned 300ml is WAY to much if you use 300ml you will have snowfoam on the drive for about 3 days


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## Bigpikle (May 21, 2007)

With my Kranzle I now use 200ml of BH foam, 450ml of water, and get enough thick foam for 2 cars  I also then get superb cleaning....

It really makes me think you have 3 things at play with any foaming equation:

1. foam itself
2. PW - flow rate is MASSIVELY important IMHO
3. LSP on the car - how easily does it allow cleaning

The flow from my Kranzle cuts through grime without any detergent so its bound to do a better job of cleaning the car when rinsing off the foam. 10L/min will do that I guess, but I have also seen significant differences in LSP performance. Zaino Z-2 is good, Ultima stuff better, but I have Vintage on a couple of panels and thats even better still 

You really need to consider all these elements in your thinking and expectations.


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## MrLOL (Feb 23, 2007)

bilt-hamber kid said:


> General question really - do people use more of this stuff now that its winter?


i certainly am

Its depressing to spend hours cleaning your car for it to look the same minutes after setting foot on the road

in this type of weather you just want a quick way of getting rid of the crap on your car, without necessarily worrying about if its perfect

a snowfoam followed by a 2bm wash is ideal for this.


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