# Foaming Pictures



## JJ_ (Oct 26, 2005)

Ok guys after searching the DW site I couldnt really find the shampoo pictures all in one place so I thought maybe put it all in the one place lol!

I got this idea from Steve (L200), Brazo and the various other foam users 

Maybe a pic of it when sprayed on then how long it dwelled for with an accompanying picture. So something like this below.

Hyper Wash
400:1 
Dwell time 5 mins
Cleaning ability 3/5 (score out of five?) 
Foaming ability 3/5

[PIC OF START]

[PIC AT END]

I'll edit this 2morro with some pics I get and get your own pics even if it is the same shampoo as it may give different results since Scottish water is a bit softer in most areas and may even be down to user technique?

John.


----------



## Brazo (Oct 27, 2005)

Only a start pic! Zaino Z7, lasted 10 mins or so dwell time

Strong cleaning and foaming ability 4/5 for both I'd say!


----------



## JJ_ (Oct 26, 2005)

Well here we go quite a few pictures and some details!

Car Plan triple wax shampoo
One capful for the foam gun
Dwell time 5 mins
Cleaning ability 2/5 (score out of five?) 
Foaming ability 4/5
Dwelling 5/5

Excellent foam produced this would probably dwelled for 10 mins since it was the last one tested just to add some protection after ALL the shampoo tests. I found this was one of the best "dwellers"

Just at the time of foam application









Around 10 minutes later









Hyper Wash 
5ml for the foam gun
Dwell time 5 mins
Cleaning ability 3/5 (score out of five?) 
Foaming ability 3/5
Dwelling 4/5

Good product not the best but it did dwell well as I feel the thickness of the mixture did let it sit on the bodywork a little longer than others. Good foam but not brilliant.

Just after spraying the foam









5 Minutes later 









Soft Wash 
5ml for the foam gun
Dwell time 5 mins
Cleaning ability 2.5/5 (score out of five?) 
Foaming ability 3/5
Dwelling 3/5

Ok for dwelling it may be due to the mixture the foam wasn't fantastic, Halfords, Carplan and Tutrtle wax platnium were all better. Dwelled ok but it was thinning nearer the end.

Just after application









5 minutes later 









Clear vue turtle wax
Capful for the foam gun
Dwell time 5 mins
Cleaning ability 2/5 (score out of five?) 
Foaming ability 1/5
Dwelling 1/5

Totally hopeless product, nearly zero foam produced. Did not dwell well at all. Did enhance the look of the car but this would be better for an after wash protectant. Reminded me of the product Steve uses from autoglym the post rinse thing. I wouldn't bother with this, crap.

Poorest product from the whole test









2 minutes after, really didn't last. 









Armour All bug and tar wash. (Heavy Duty)
Capful for the foam gun
Dwell time n/a
Cleaning ability 4/5 (score out of five?) 
Foaming ability 3/5
Dwelling n/a

It produced really good foam, its about as thick as hyper wash and smells like lime. Very strong shampoo, I did not let it dwell as it does remove wax protection very quickly. Excellent product when trying out new glazes etc as it does remove most waxes etc.

Just after applying, the foam was much thicker as I forgot to shake the foam bottle lol! 









Meguiars Gold Class
Capful for the foam gun
Dwell time 5 minutes
Cleaning ability 4/5 (score out of five?) 
Foaming ability 4/5
Dwelling 4/5

Excellent product, really good foam, dwelled nicely letting it really clean the bodywork up nicely.

Just after application









5 minutes later 









Poorboys slick suds
Capful for the foam gun
Dwell time 5 minutes
Cleaning ability 3/5 (score out of five?) 
Foaming ability 5/5
Dwelling 4/5

By far the best foamer, good dwelling time but it did not dwell as long as others.

Excellent foam!

















Forgot to take and after pic but resembled this one.









Turtle wax platnium
Capful for the foam gun
Dwell time 5 minutes
Cleaning ability 3/5 (score out of five?) 
Foaming ability 5/5
Dwelling 4/5

Really good product again didn't clean as well as it foamed but again as thick as hyper wash, excellent product.

Good amount of foam at the time of application.









Foam not really visible 5 minutes after but it was ok.









Halfords own shampoo
Capful for the foam gun
Dwell time 5 minutes
Cleaning ability 4/5 (score out of five?) 
Foaming ability 3/5
Dwelling 3/5

Good cleaning ability, left a nice coat of "protection" as it states, when rinsing off the water just sheeted off.

Good foam not the best but for 1.99 it was good enough









Still a good amount of foam left after maximum dwell time of 5 minutes. I was pleased









So there we have it a list of shampoo's to try out, Poorboys was probably the best foamer, halfords was the best cleaner I think. Armour All was excellent although it did remove protection.

Thanks!!

John.


----------



## WHIZZER (Oct 25, 2005)

impressive range of shampoos there and great review


----------



## RobDom (Oct 26, 2005)

Still waiting for pics of the snow foam! I like the look of the Poorboys shampoo.


----------



## JJ_ (Oct 26, 2005)

Poorboys and turtle wax shampoo were very very similar loads of foam!


----------



## Admin (Oct 25, 2005)

If my Snow foam hurries up and arrives Ill try and do some pics before it gets dark!


----------



## RobDom (Oct 26, 2005)

I should have time to try it out over the weekend, my Karcher hasn't arrived yet but I found my old Clarke foam gun, bottle doesn't fit very well but it may still work.


----------



## Suasexed (Oct 25, 2005)

This may sound really dumb...but if your doing a consentration of 4:1, like Brazo did with the Zaino Z7, is that 4 parts Zaino and 1 part water in the foam gun or the other way round?


----------



## Brazo (Oct 27, 2005)

^^4 parts water and 1 part shampoo

The karcher also dilutes at 28:1 so in effect your getting the 128:1 or as near as dammit final dilution ratio


----------



## Suasexed (Oct 25, 2005)

Super! Thanks Brazo, i'll give it a try tomorrow! - All being well


----------



## JJ_ (Oct 26, 2005)

I found that you got more foam if the karcher was turned off and it dwelled longer too.


----------



## WHIZZER (Oct 25, 2005)

Right snow foam pics

Snow Foam
Dwell time 5 mins
Cleaning 4/5
Foaming 5/5
Dwell 4/5

this is after about 1 mins when i remember about this post




























5 mins dwell time










Didnt have to do much turn out pretty clean


----------



## JJ_ (Oct 26, 2005)

Did you aggitate with a mitt, im looking for a product which requires only a foam blanket and then left to do the rest? 

My mums car is a mess so I want to try the foam method on her car today.


----------



## RobDom (Oct 26, 2005)

Certainly looks clean afterwards, how much did you dilute the snow foam by? Autobrite says it should a mousse-like foam? Poorboy's and Megs Gold look like they produce more foam than snow foam?


----------



## Suasexed (Oct 25, 2005)

Mmmm had a foamy Zaino experience just now! Loved it! Sorry, no pics, but will do some next time - i should be doing the full detail once my chest infection's gone


----------



## Tone (Oct 25, 2005)

So whats the overall advantage of having foam sprayed on the car? Guessing its the ability for the product to stay on the surfaces for longer and so penetrate dirt better?


----------



## WHIZZER (Oct 25, 2005)

JJ_ said:


> Did you aggitate with a mitt, im looking for a product which requires only a foam blanket and then left to do the rest?
> 
> My mums car is a mess so I want to try the foam method on her car today.


only in a few places where it was fairly dirty...

Diluted quite a lot put about 100ml into the foam bottle


----------



## Brazo (Oct 27, 2005)

Suasexed said:


> Mmmm had a foamy Zaino experience just now! Loved it! Sorry, no pics, but will do some next time - i should be doing the full detail once my chest infection's gone


I still think Z foams better than everything even the snow foam  

Post some pics next time!


----------



## dino (Oct 26, 2005)

JJ_ said:


> I found that you got more foam if the karcher was turned off and it dwelled longer too.


So im guessing its just running off mains pressure?

So in theory - those of us with out Karchers could use a foam gun with a hose pipe? Or am i wrong?


----------



## Suasexed (Oct 25, 2005)

Dino - although i used the Karcher, i didn't actually switch it on - just used the natural pressure of the water. Before i attached the foam gun i thought the pressure was absolutely useless, but pressure isn't the key when foam gunning


----------



## RobDom (Oct 26, 2005)

Biggest problem is that pressure washer foam lances are easy to obtain - foam guns for hoses are not, as I found out to my cost with those muppets at (not so) smarter world.


----------



## RobDom (Oct 26, 2005)

Here's my results from using snow foam with the Karcher foam gun, I did not dilute the snow foam, simply filled up the gun bottle with snow foam and off I went!










After 5 mins:










I did try it diluted but the foam is far richer with neat snow foam, so that's how I'm going to use it, at one point the entire car was white! I didn't try it without switching on the Karcher, but I'm guessing the foam would be even thicker.


----------



## k80 (Oct 26, 2005)

I have only ever used Snow Foam undilluted in the foam gun.

Dont forget Karchers dilute the product in the foam gun approx 28 parts water - 1 part solution.


----------



## JJ_ (Oct 26, 2005)

Any after pictures, did you need to aggitate it with a mitt?


----------



## k80 (Oct 26, 2005)

In my opinion using the foam gun is good for a pre soak, but nothing beats two buckets and a couple of mitts.


----------



## JJ_ (Oct 26, 2005)

Yep I agree, even using the many shampoo's I have tested none have came close to using a couple of mitts and buckets. 

It always feels like the paint is still "gritty" and just not clean enough for me. 

I have a friend who is giving me some TFR to try out. So this may work slightly better. 

I would not really use the foam method other than to get the worst off, just now it doesn't produce the results I want.


----------



## k80 (Oct 26, 2005)

Be carefull with the TFR JJ depending on the strength your LSP could be non existent after useing a TFR. 

I only had to look at my windscreen after using the foam gun and snow foam and the windscreen still had the typical wiper marks.


----------



## JJ_ (Oct 26, 2005)

Yeh steve had mentioned to go for a non caustic TFR, Im not too bothered about sealants just now, if the TFR used monthly then Ill seal monthly. 

Only now has my Klasse AIO and SG combo starting to reduce the amount of beading and I applied it around September time. So its proved to me just how durable it really is. 

I did use some safe d greaser mixed with some Hyper wash on my mums MGTF two days ago to rid the car of dirt/grim etc, worked really well and I am pleased, I would maybe do this to new customers car's so I have a blank canvas.


----------



## RobDom (Oct 26, 2005)

It was just a quick blast with the foam and rinse, really just to test the Karcher was working and to see what the snow foam was like, I didn't have time for anything else today and am not overly fussy about detailing in the winter. It did take the worst of the muck and grime off which was the general idea anyway, i'd never substitute it for the bucket and 'skin wash!


----------



## JJ_ (Oct 26, 2005)

lol, at least it dwelled well. 

I think this is the whole thing, for an OCD a foam wash will always be just a pre soak, heck I might even use it in the summer just to loosen some of the dirt, as you know Rob we don't get much of a summer! lol. 

Excellent pictures btw really good to see it foaming away 5 mins after.


----------



## Brazo (Oct 27, 2005)

I was really dissapointed with the snow foam pics until I saw Robs! At such a concentration i.e. neat so 28:1 through the karcher opposed to say 128:1 (normal dilution ratio for shampoos - although not sure what this ratio is for snow foam) did it strip wax or was it excessivly strong?


----------



## RobDom (Oct 26, 2005)

Didn't strip wax no, still beading as I rinsed it off under fairly low pressure.  There is no mention of dilution on the snow foam instructions, so I'm guessing this must be the correct way to use it, it doesn't seem strong enough to cause any problems using it straight from the bottle, smells nice too, not a chemical smell at all.


----------



## L200 Steve (Oct 25, 2005)

I know the Autobritedirect guy has just joined up here, after someone (I wonder who ) told him about this site. The mix ratio could do with going onto the bottle. It's cheap enough to put through the gun neat though. We did three cars and my L200 with this on Saturday, the foam was still on the washbay floor on Monday morning 

I've mixed some snowfoam 50:50 with some non caustic TFR, for added cleaning power, and it worked a treat. The snowfoam being my current wash product of choice.

I've done the L200 6 times with the Snowfoam, and the Megs #26 still has those cute little beads.

JJ - I set up at the weekend to add to your foam test, but the weather wouldn't rise over freezing. First chance I get I'll get some photo's of Snow Foam vs TFR vs Hyper Wash vs Finish Kare vs lots of other oddball washes.

Steve


----------



## Brazo (Oct 27, 2005)

Ooooh we have a new foam gun champ! Snow foam!


----------



## RobDom (Oct 26, 2005)

I'd like to see it through a mains-fed hose foam gun (like the one I _tried_ to buy) as the foam would lather up even more I think.


----------



## Razor (Oct 25, 2005)

Just an observation - is the foam level of a product a direct link to its ability to clean a surface?


----------



## JJ_ (Oct 26, 2005)

I wouldn't think so, I think the cleaning ability is linked to dwell time. 

Turtle wax platnium foams really well but god it leaves the car dirtier lol !


----------



## Solaar (Oct 26, 2005)

A bit late now but here is a pic of Sonax Gloss Shampoo through the foam gun.

It was put through neat. It dwelled ok and seemed to clean quite well, had some trouble on the lower parts of the car that were very dirty.


----------



## Ant GTI-6 (Nov 30, 2005)

Ok i have already posted this on the site, but just another vote for Snow Foam

I gave the Snow foam a blast, first mix 4:1 foam was good on par with Soft wash, then i tried it neat and WOW!!! we had snow!!! a good thick blanket of foam on pug, i gave the wash mit a squirt with foam gun and just passed over the lower half of car under the door trim height no pressure just held it against the surface and did one pass, all that was needed. it foams amazingly well on wash mit and cleans superbly.
























at last snow on Christmas Day, did'nt get chance to build a snowman mabey next time :lol:


----------



## Hudson (Dec 18, 2005)

Can i ask where you can buy these foam guns ? I have never used them, i just wash down the car with the hose pipe and then out comes the mit and buckets...


----------



## Solaar (Oct 26, 2005)

I got mine from Halfords. 

It's for a Karcher Pressure Washer which can be bought pretty cheap from Ebay.


----------



## blr123 (Oct 26, 2005)

Hudson drop maxcars1 a PM  

Bryan


----------



## Hudson (Dec 18, 2005)

maxcars1 has already gone the PM route, and will be placing my order, although i think i now need to get my Karcher bought and put into good use.


----------



## Allan (Jan 7, 2006)

Snowfoam and shampoo mix










Didnt need to agitate with mit, just foamed and blasted off


----------



## Brazo (Oct 27, 2005)

^^Thats really good esp. for a silver car, as the contrast of silver on foam isn't usually that good!


----------



## Daffy (Dec 15, 2005)

Got an after picture Allan, that looks like quite a nice car. Is it an AC Schnitzer badge on the front?


----------



## Allan (Jan 7, 2006)

It has the Ac Schnitzer saloon kit on it. Just a few bits missing, as in wheels and mirrors, but someone liked them more than me and stole them


----------



## Guest (Jan 9, 2006)

Used Snow Foam for the first time on Sunday. It works well as a pre-wash, but after close inspection of the finish I would want to follow up with a second wash with a mitt. One application was unable to remove a weeks worth of grime completely from the bodywork without agitation with a wash mitt. However, it is difficult to detect the remaining dirt until you are close up.


----------

