Solvent question

[1970judge]

I am looking for a product to spray out of a foam gun as a pre- to step #1 washing. For instance, i love my car and it being clean but it sees a lot of off-roading considering I don't have a truck. SO it comes home VERY dirty at times. I always hate to go straight to washing because of the grit being swirled around. Is there a product I can spray out of the foam gun and let it sit and dwell for 10 minutes or so and then hose the car down and it have broken off the dirt and grime, THEN i can wash using 2 bucket method? Will the Detailer line: Body solvent work for this?

Thank You
-Marcus

[ziggo99]

Re: Solvent question

http://www.autogeek.net/foam-gun-soap.html

That mixed properly with a quality foam gun is what you're looking for. I don't think Body Solvent will work with what you're trying to do with the foam gun.

[Murr1525]

Re: Solvent question

Assuming you want to keep the wax on your car, it would be best to just use a regular car wash soap, like the Meguiars soaps or the above soap.

[1970judge]

Re: Solvent question

Sorry to dig this up, but let me show you guys what I am getting at.

THIS is what my car frequently looks like, so you can see where I am going with the " I dont want to scratch my car".



For some reason this dirt is not rinsed off easily either. It takes effort, which is why I wanted something to put into a foam gun that would at least break it down to some point. I am not worried about losing my wax as I will reapply my process after it is rinsed. I don't have much time to wash my car during the winter months down here, nor do I need to. Yes it looks awful and it hurts but it rains here so much it ends up like THIS very quickly. So, if there is ANYTHING I can put into a foam gun to break down this dirt on my car and wheels I would love to know what you guys would use.

[speed3blackmica]

Re: Solvent question

the foam gun will be a big big step in to loosening up all that dirt...however, if this is what your car looks like so frequently...maybe a pressure washer might be a good investment for you

[1970judge]

Re: Solvent question

I actually have access to one. How much damage am I doing if I am "hogging down" with a pressure washer? When the dirt loosens up will it be forced across the paint causing scratches? Thanks for the help!

[Calais]

Re: Solvent question

Just be sure to hold the wand a reasonable distance from the paint (8-14"). Also, be sure to inspect the paint for chips/flaking/general clear coat failure before using high pressure on the surface. Otherwise, a pressure washer is exactly what you are looking for, I highly recommend pressure washers they make the wash step so much more effective and quick (not to mention swirl reducing!),

[speed3blackmica]

Re: Solvent question

I actually have access to one. How much damage am I doing if I am "hogging down" with a pressure washer? When the dirt loosens up will it be forced across the paint causing scratches? Thanks for the help!

just hold the wand a good distance from the paint...you will be fine..dont hold it too close to the paint..if you really want you can use the foam gun to loosen up all the dirt and then proceed to use the pressure washer..once you've gotten all that mudd off..then just go ahead and do your normal wash

[imacarnut]

Re: Solvent question

With you car becoming dirty as that, a foam gun (the one that hooks up to a garden hose) will help loosen to a degree, and will also work well to use as you wash to help minimize marring/scratches (if I owned a black car, this would be a must have item). You should look into a foam cannon/lance (the one that hooks up to a pressure washer) and in conjuction with the pressure washer (it will blast off more dirt than a garden hose will, but you can't use it while washing like a foam gun), it will remove most of the dirt before washing.

[imacarnut]

Re: Solvent question

With you car becoming dirty as that, a foam gun (the one that hooks up to a garden hose) will help loosen to a degree, and will also work well to use as you wash to help minimize marring/scratches (if I owned a black car, this would be a must have item). You should look into a foam cannon/lance (the one that hooks up to a pressure washer) and in conjuction with the pressure washer (it will blast off more dirt than a garden hose will, but you can't use it while washing like a foam gun), it will remove most of the dirt before washing.

Go to youtube.com and type in " foam cannon lance " and you'll see many videos.

[TOGWT]

Re: Solvent question

Also known as foam cannon, foam lance or cam spray unit; the principle behind them is to minimize the amount of paint surface friction necessary to clean the vehicle by pre-soaking it with foam. By allowing the aerated cleaning agent to dwell on the paint surface, giving the surfactants time to reduce the surface tension; so that water /foam can spread and wet the surface.

When using foam cannon, the viscosity of the product plays a huge part in how much foam is obtained and how much product is used. The foam starts loosening and lubricating the paint immediately, thus gentle touch washing with a soft mitt substantially decreases the risk of micro-marring because the paint is covered in a layer of lubrication. Its other advantage is that the surface isn't 'touched' as much as in hand washing

[SHYNEMAN123]

Re: Solvent question

Do you know in advance when your vehicle will get that dirty ?

If so when My buddy raced dirt track the car would get caked with dust and mud so right before the race I would wipe the car down with baby oil than after the race it would rinse off pretty well.

[1970judge]

Re: Solvent question

It is not so much what foam gun to use to get the foam but rather what product to use to break the dirt down. Will the MEGS body solvent work?

[imacarnut]

Re: Solvent question

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