# Disappointed with Bilt Hamber Auto Foam



## ///M Sport (Apr 5, 2009)

Hi guys,

Having read rave reviews on BHAF, I bought some with high hopes of its cleaning abilities. 

I used the product for the first time yesterday and have to say I was quite disapointed with it’s performance. 

I’m either doing something wrong or my expectation levels are completely unrealistic. I don’t believe it’s the later after seeing the results as it really didn’t look like much if any of the dirt had shifted. 

This was my process:

- mix to 4% PIR, applied through pump sprayer, to a dry car 
- applied too fine to begin with, dried out very quickly. Adjusted nozzle and applied enough to produce a run off then moved to next panel. 
- intended to leave for 10 minutes but appeared the product was drying out, left on for around 8 minutes. 
- car hosed off with normal hose spray head
- car left to dry to see the effectiveness of the BHAF to see how much dirt had been removed. 

Car dried and it looked like very little dirt had been removed. 

The only thing I can think is wrong with the process above is that a PW wasn’t used to rinse the product off. The spray produced by the spray gun while not comparable to a PW is maybe not strong enough to blast the dirt away. 

Am I relying too much on the product here? Is the PW necessary to get the results everyone seems to get? 

If this is the case, is it really the pressure washer that’s moving the dirt and not necessarily the BHAF? After my results yesterday I would have yielded a better pre wash using just a pressure washer alone rather than the pump spray BHAF and hose off afterwards.


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## Soul boy 68 (Sep 8, 2013)

BHAF doesn't foam up as well as other foams which can appear disconcerting, but it's the cleaning agents that are key to how well it performs. PW rinse will help immensely. :detailer:


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## ///M Sport (Apr 5, 2009)

Soul boy 68 said:


> BHAF doesn't foam up as well as other foams which can appear disconcerting, but it's the cleaning agents that are key to how well it performs. PW rinse will help immensely. :detailer:


Thanks for the reply. Was aware of the lack of foaming, especially through a pump sprayer, product was brought on the merit of its cleaning abilities.

Problem is, I didn't get much cleaning.

Maybe the BHAF is softening the dirt in readiness to be blasted away and my garden hose nozzle just wasn't strong enough to move the dirt off the body of the car.

Would be interested in seeing a PWashed panel vs an autofoamed then pw rinsed panel. I'm sure the later will be better, but by how much?


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## Ben85 (Dec 19, 2017)

I have only ever used a power washer to remove the foam. I have never considered using just a hose (not saying it’s wrong). I have never been anything over than amazed at how good it works with the power washer. Also, I know for a fact that many times I have used it at less than the recommended 4% PIR and have still had excellent cleaning results. I have applied it with both a snow foam gun and a pump dispenser but always use a power washer to remove it. 
You will not get better results just power washing the dirt off, the BH Autofoam softens the dirt and grime which makes it easier to blast off with the power washer.


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## ///M Sport (Apr 5, 2009)

I think the lack of PW rinse could be my problem here. I was using the BHAF prior to using ONR for the first time - to add another level of security. 

I’m trying avoid getting all the kit out and keeping my wash to the minimum time necessary. 

Looks like you only get the result so with BHAF (probably any foam for that matter) if you’re PWashing as your rinse.


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## neilmcl (Mar 26, 2010)

///M Sport said:


> Thanks for the reply. Was aware of the lack of foaming, especially through a pump sprayer, product was brought on the merit of its cleaning abilities.
> 
> Problem is, I didn't get much cleaning.
> 
> ...


Ths is exactly what is happening. The surfactants in AF soften the dirt but you will still need a high pressure rinse to lift and remove the dirt. Also I think you're leaving the product on a tad too long, 8-10 minutes and the product will start to dry on the panel, particularly when used as a spray.


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## Radish293 (Mar 16, 2012)

I’m a big fan of Bilt Hamber products. In the past I’ve used auto foam and agree it doesn’t foam much. I became a little disappointed with its performance and switched to Koch-Chemie green star which works incredibly well from a pump spray. IMHO I think it out performs Auto foam as a prewash. 


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk


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## Rob D 88 (May 24, 2016)

I don't think it's as good as everyone says either but that's why we all have opinions.

I use Koch GS in a pump sprayer or AutoGlanz Spritzer in a lance. Perfect!


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## Robbi Hong Kong (Jan 15, 2016)

I use BHAF professionally for years....and nothing comes close to its pure cleaning ability and I've tested the majority of the big name foams....I always use it through my MTM foam cannon via one of my K10 machines....


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## mar00 (Jun 24, 2018)

I used same process including hose pipe and it lifts all the dirt and can see it running off, i do get drying out if the spray is too light though, 

I currently have fusso on the car which may make a difference,


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## ///M Sport (Apr 5, 2009)

This is the dirt I was trying to shift:

https://www.flickr.com/gp/[email protected]/1vP010

Would have helped if I took a pic of it after I hand applied the BHAF and rinsed.


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## ///M Sport (Apr 5, 2009)

mar00 said:


> I used same process including hose pipe and it lifts all the dirt and can see it running off, i do get drying out if the spray is too light though,
> 
> I currently have fusso on the car which may make a difference,


The Fusso would help I should think. I'm guessing the auto foam has softened the dirt enough and the layer of fusso underneath the dirt has made if difficult for the dirt to stick. Hence why a hose rinse has washed the dirt away.

My car is due to be ceramic coated soon so I might have similar results then.


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## Stoner (Jun 25, 2010)

Getting the right concentration mix is key to getting a good result. The following was posted (can't remember who but thank you!) in one of the guides on here and relates to a PW so maybe not relevant to your set-up, but thought I would share it anyway.

It has made massive difference to my results and is easily the best foam I have used:

1. Fill your snow foam bottle with exactly 1L of water. Measure this as it must be exact.
2. Connect your foam lance up and make sure the foam nozzle is turned to full foam output (Usually all the way to -).
3. Grab a large container, I used my 20L wash bucket and spray the foam lance into the bucket until the 1L bottle is empty. Add a little food dye to the water within the bottle if your struggling to see the water level.
4. Measure the total amount of water contained within the bucket. I done this by scooping the water out in my measuring beakers.
5. Once you have your total volume (mines is 12.76L), simply multiply this figure by 0.04. This tells you how much auto-foam needs to be used to achieve the 4% PIR.
By doing the above calculation I ended up with a figure of 510ml. I need to use 510ml of auto-foam to 490ml water in my 1L snow foam bottle to achieve the 4% PIR. 510ml of auto-foam was added to the foam bottle using my measuring beakers for an exact measurement.
This step must not be skipped. The figure I got will be completely different to what you will get dependant on your set up.

Cheers :thumb:


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## davidcraggs (Aug 1, 2007)

I’ve been using BH AF for quite a while now - I use a Mesto foamer and hose pipe attachment to rinse it off (ie not a pressure washer). I always measure it out precisely and generally use warm water as I read that can increase effectiveness. It’s odd because sometimes I use it and it is very noticeable how much dirt it has removed but other times it appears to do very little. On those occasions I reapply. I still think it’s worthwhile and there have been times I’ve used it on a white can and not bothered to wash it as it has left it reasonably clean and I’ve been pressed for time but on other occasions as a prewar it’s as if I hadn’t bothered! I figure it needs to be rinsed with a pressure washer or applied using a foam lance to be truly effective.


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## Chris Donaldson (Jun 26, 2016)

I have a method and products that work for me. I've taught a couple of people what I do over the last year or so and keep telling them that my kit and technique works for me but may not work for them. Fair enough for trying. If it doesn't work for you then you may need to try something different.


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## ///M Sport (Apr 5, 2009)

After my experience with BHAF, I’m not convinced that snow foam of any sort really provides *that* much benefit over a PW rinse alone. 

If the auto foam was that good at breaking dirt down, then a rinse with a water would wash at least some of the dirt away. I guess this is a true test for the cleaning abilities of a foam. 

I suspect the pressure from the pressure washer is what is really doing the cleaning. 

Thinking about it, when I pressure wash my patio once or twice a year, I do not use any patio cleaner, have done so in the past, but it hasn’t provided any better clean than just using the PW alone and that’s on a surface that is much dirtier than a car and gets cleaned much more in frequently. It’s the pressure of the PW that’s doing the work. 

I’ll try applying the product via my lance and hose rinse to see if it makes any difference. Would be interesting to see.


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## ///M Sport (Apr 5, 2009)

davidcraggs said:


> I've been using BH AF for quite a while now - I use a Mesto foamer and hose pipe attachment to rinse it off (ie not a pressure washer). I always measure it out precisely and generally use warm water as I read that can increase effectiveness. It's odd because sometimes I use it and it is very noticeable how much dirt it has removed but other times it appears to do very little. On those occasions I reapply. I still think it's worthwhile and there have been times I've used it on a white can and not bothered to wash it as it has left it reasonably clean and I've been pressed for time but on other occasions as a prewar it's as if I hadn't bothered! I figure it needs to be rinsed with a pressure washer or applied using a foam lance to be truly effective.


That's interesting that you got results rinsing with a hose. The only difference being that I applied through a pump sprayer and you've used a foamer. It's even more interesting that your results are consistent though.


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## ///M Sport (Apr 5, 2009)

Stoner said:


> Getting the right concentration mix is key to getting a good result. The following was posted (can't remember who but thank you!) in one of the guides on here and relates to a PW so maybe not relevant to your set-up, but thought I would share it anyway.
> 
> It has made massive difference to my results and is easily the best foam I have used:
> 
> ...


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## Brian1612 (Apr 5, 2015)

///M Sport said:


> After my experience with BHAF, I'm not convinced that snow foam of any sort really provides *that* much benefit over a PW rinse alone.
> 
> If the auto foam was that good at breaking dirt down, then a rinse with a water would wash at least some of the dirt away. I guess this is a true test for the cleaning abilities of a foam.
> 
> ...


If you have a look at my Auto foam review in the bilt hamber section you'll see that really isn't the case at all. I done a black box test and you can see where the product has been applied as opposed to just rinsed with water.

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## cheekymonkey (Mar 15, 2008)

///M Sport said:


> After my experience with BHAF, I'm not convinced that snow foam of any sort really provides *that* much benefit over a PW rinse alone.
> *
> If the auto foam was that good at breaking dirt down, then a rinse with a water would wash at least some of the dirt away. I guess this is a true test for the cleaning abilities of a foam.*
> 
> ...


If you are not seeing the removal of any dirt, then you are definitely doing something wrong. A lot on here will agree that just spraying AF on will remove dirt before you rinse. just watch the foam as it fall from the car to the ground, it will be dirty.


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## ffrs1444 (Jun 7, 2008)

I’m not a fan of Snow foam to much hype, I just Spray G101 on before the wash and that works perfect nearly ran out will be using BH suffex HD next


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## ///M Sport (Apr 5, 2009)

cheekymonkey said:


> If you are not seeing the removal of any dirt, then you are definitely doing something wrong. A lot on here will agree that just spraying AF on will remove dirt before you rinse. just watch the foam as it fall from the car to the ground, it will be dirty.


If you can help me figure out what I'm doing wrong that would be very much appreciated, seeing as though I've got 5 litres of auto foam to use!

There was no foam falling from the car in my case as I applied using a pump sprayer. Rinse was then with a garden hose spray head.


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## DTB (Dec 20, 2017)

Hot water in the sprayer makes a difference too - much as hot water does when you're washing anything.

My standard approach is 4% conc in warm water (probably 40 - 50 C), applied with a £10 garden pump sprayer with the nozzle open a bit so there is a good spray rather than a fine mist. As soon as I have finished spraying round the car, I start to wash it off with cold power washer. If I leave it any longer it will dry off. A hose on jet would still do a reasonable job I think.

Once I accidentally filled up the sprayer with cold water rather than hot and the results were significantly less impressive. Nice & hot, that's the way to do it.


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## ///M Sport (Apr 5, 2009)

So I gave the BHAF a try again today, this time through a pressure washer and lance setup. Got the dilutions right using Brians method. Car was cleaned on Monday, so not in dire need of a wash.

Results were brilliant, you could see the dirt in the foam on the floor. For a car that was only cleaned a week ago, I was quite surprised how much dirt came off the car. Wasn't expecting much in terms of foam after reading the reviews, but I was pleasantly surprised, it was much thick than I thought it would be. 

Only downside was it seemed I used half a bottle of my snow foam (inc. wheels). I could have been a bit trigger happy but at the same time I was conscious how much product I was using. The car is an E class merc so not exactly a small car, so maybe this usage is normal.

I used 275ml of BHAF. Does this seem too much? The full 5L container would therefore get me 18 or so washes. About a pound a throw...

So after my complete lack of success with the pump sprayer and hose rinsing I can now finally see the benefits that everyone speaks of! I still can't figure out what went wrong last time, but in my book BHAF with an PW + lance works a treat.


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## c87reed (Dec 9, 2015)

I mix it at 40ml of Auto foam to make a litre of solution in the pump sprayer. I also use warm water in it. It does appear to perform better out of the pump sprayer in my opinion, whether that is that due to having worked out the dilution or whether it's the warm water I'm not sure. I made 3 litres worth today and just went around our dry VW up until it ran out and so it didn't dry out as I went around a couple of times. You can get away with using much less than 3 litres of solution I'd imagine. It shifted a heck of a lot of dirt though when the pressure washer got at it and in terms of LSP mine only has Auto Finesse Aqua Coat on it.


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## Chris Dyson (Feb 29, 2012)

An interesting debate as I too used BH snow foam for the first time this weekend and initially I was disappointed with its performance. The foam did not appear very thick, compared to others like UF snow foam and it didn't stay on the car for very long at all. However, when I washed it off, I could see that it had in fact removed a lot of dirt. More so than my previous foam used to do. I applied it with a power washer and foam lance as always and PW to wash it off. I'll reserve judgement for a couple more washes but on this weekend's performance, I am impressed.


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## Derek Mc (Jun 27, 2006)

I do everything you do, but use my P/W to rinse the car and actually I can stop at that point, I find it lifts everything so no need to continue with the 2BM if I am short of time


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## Tyrefitter (Feb 13, 2010)

I’ve gone back to using my snow foam lance as I was fed up of pumping the sprayer doing my Rangerover sport,I mix about 45% foam to 55% water in my litre bottle & I can do the sport 4x with a litre.

Andy.


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## Derek Mc (Jun 27, 2006)

Tyrefitter said:


> I've gone back to using my snow foam lance as I was fed up of pumping the sprayer doing my Rangerover sport,I mix about 45% foam to 55% water in my litre bottle & I can do the sport 4x with a litre.
> 
> Andy.


Wow,,,, 40ml in a litre pump sprayer does my Mazda and her Astra,,,


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## ///M Sport (Apr 5, 2009)

Tyrefitter said:


> I've gone back to using my snow foam lance as I was fed up of pumping the sprayer doing my Rangerover sport,I mix about 45% foam to 55% water in my litre bottle & I can do the sport 4x with a litre.
> 
> Andy.


It's the other way round in my bottle. 550ml of BHAF and 450ml of water.

I only get 2 washes out of my litre bottle.

You sure you're getting 4 washes out of a litre bottle? That's only 250ml of mixed solution per wash. That's good going.


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## ///M Sport (Apr 5, 2009)

Chris Dyson said:


> An interesting debate as I too used BH snow foam for the first time this weekend and initially I was disappointed with its performance. The foam did not appear very thick, compared to others like UF snow foam and it didn't stay on the car for very long at all. However, when I washed it off, I could see that it had in fact removed a lot of dirt. More so than my previous foam used to do. I applied it with a power washer and foam lance as always and PW to wash it off. I'll reserve judgement for a couple more washes but on this weekend's performance, I am impressed.


You may already know, BHAF is known for poor foaming, but great cleaning. The latter of course should be more important. But saying that, I was pretty happy with the foaming too.


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## ///M Sport (Apr 5, 2009)

Derek Mc said:


> Wow,,,, 40ml in a litre pump sprayer does my Mazda and her Astra,,,


Nah..... there's no way you can do 2 cars from a litre of solution!


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## Derek Mc (Jun 27, 2006)

///M Sport said:


> Nah..... there's no way you can do 2 cars from a litre of solution!


I Do, I don't need to do roof's or glass (apart from the windscreen) so bonnet front end, rear and sides. Applied from a garden centre bought pump sprayer.

G101 at 10% on wheels and applied out of a A/S spray bottle.

Pressure wash rinsed then 2BM wash have been doing that regime for a year plus with the Bilthammer AF


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