After snow foam > 2 bucket

[T5R+]

Somehow I do not get on with snowfoam based products and so stick to bucket(s) and mitt. Seldom use the pressure washer.

A great mid-range product is Turtle Wax Hybrid Solutions Pro Wash Slick-n-Slide. Rinse with deionised hosepipe water for blemish/streak free vehicle.

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[SpikyMikey]

Another vote for buckets and noodle mitt. I've never had a pressure washer; I always seem to be fitting car washes in between other stuff and don't really have the time to be dragging out, setting up and putting away another piece if kit. I agree a jet wash with a snow foam attachment is a "good thing". Just not for me.

 

[ALFAitalia]

Jet washes are great for cleaning cars.. you can get all the dirt out from under the arches that you could not reach with mits/sponge without wheel removal....as well as get the grime out from the panel gaps and trim edges. Not to mention there other uses like cleaning the drive etc. I would not be without one.
As far as snow foam goes I'm not convinced that it does anything that worth while....I certainly does not lift dirt of anything like as well a physical contact with a sponge etc. I think the main thing they help with is a cleaning chemical companies bottom line! Tried it's a couple of times with different foams....won't be bothering again. But each to their own.

 

[ShaunB]

Jet washes are great for cleaning cars.. you can get all the dirt out from under the arches that you could not reach with mits/sponge without wheel removal....as well as get the grime out from the panel gaps and trim edges. Not to mention there other uses like cleaning the drive etc. I would not be without one.
As far as snow foam goes I'm not convinced that it does anything that worth while....I certainly does not lift dirt of anything like as well a physical contact with a sponge etc. I think the main thing they help with is a cleaning chemical companies bottom line! Tried it's a couple of times with different foams....won't be bothering again. But each to their own.

I understand what you're saying to a degree.
I personally use AutoGlym polar blast snowfoam, first thing I do is put a product called cleanse on the wheels (its very good, its from a local N.I company called A-Kem automotive)
Then I foam the entire car including the alloys.
If the car is very dirty and/or has lots of dead flies etc then you can really see the difference the foam makes to cleaning. It is very apparent that the foam is helping the wheel cleaner as you can visibly see dirt running off.
Pressure wash the foam off after a good 6 or 7 mins and you can see how much cleaner the car is, the majority of the dead flies will be gone also.

For a car which isn't that dirty, then probably snow foam is of very little benefit whatsoever

 

[DesireeE]

I understand what you're saying to a degree.
I personally use AutoGlym polar blast snowfoam, first thing I do is put a product called cleanse on the wheels (its very good, its from a local N.I company called A-Kem automotive)
Then I foam the entire car including the alloys.
If the car is very dirty and/or has lots of dead flies etc then you can really see the difference the foam makes to cleaning. It is very apparent that the foam is helping the wheel cleaner as you can visibly see dirt running off.
Pressure wash the foam off after a good 6 or 7 mins and you can see how much cleaner the car is, the majority of the dead flies will be gone also.

For a car which isn't that dirty, then probably snow foam is of very little benefit whatsoever

I'm right behind you in using a wheel cleaner first and prior to using any snow foam or washing the vehicle, only my choice Is Bilt Hamber Auto-Wheel. I thoroughly rinse this off before then using the Autoglym (AG) Polar products on my motors including their wheels,

I buy the larger quantities and decant them into smaller spray bottle - Febreze fabric spray bottle actually

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Interesting that you say "For a car which isn't that dirty, then probably snow foam is of very little benefit whatsoever", as my thoughts are somewhat different, in that I believe the snow foam in general and in principle is a great way to clean a car that isn't dirty per se. The reason I say this is because snow foams are a contactless method of cleaning, so if you have a car that isn't all that dirty, there is still going to be some contaminants on it with the likes of road film: dust particles, vegetative matter, insect debris, pollutants etc. at least to some extent, even if minimal, and using a contactless method to remove them will reduce the risk of causing swirls and scratches in the paintwork. On the other hand, use a contact method of cleaning that requires a sponge, wash mitt or microfibre cloth etc. and the chance of damage to the paintwork increases.

Another benefit is in the activity itself, setting up and using the snow foam on a car that isn't dirty to my mind and personal experience requires less physical exertion, and activity to complete the task than using something like a bucket(s), mitt/sponge, hose, steps etc. Everything depends on one's ability or perhaps I should say, one's disability maybe?

I can't speak about other snow foams, but I do know AG Wash, recommends some agitation during this 2nd Polar stage if the vehicle is particularly dirty to start with, so in this case, it cannot be said to be contactless. But hold no here ... if having done the pre-wash Polar Blast and rinsed that off, then put on the Polar Wash, which has been left a few minutes to work, and only then do you glide over the surface with e.g. a wash mitt to agitate the dirt to loosen it and rinse off to finish, isn't there is a good chance most bigger 'risky' particles would have been removed prior to the wash mitt agitation part already? Well at least that's what logic tells me, or I could just be telling myself what I want to hear right?

AG Polar Blast is meant as a Pre-Wash and the Polar Wash is the one to use to wash the vehicle with the 3rd step being the Polar Seal which is used in frequently i.e. recommended by AG at no more than monthly to give that 'super protective, hydrophobic coating for a quick and easy high-gloss finish'

A slightly dirty car ends up with a lovely hydrophobic, water-beading exterior with a high gloss finish and no additional scoring, no wax on - wax off required, tyres/wheels/wheel arches clean as a whistle no aching arms/shoulders/back, and if you're like me, you might be able to get 2 cars and a high-top LWB Transit done in one sitting ... what's not to love about snow foam?

 

[ShaunB]

All fair points @DesireeE

I also didn't clarify, my car was ceramic coated many years ago, so keeping it clean is much easier than previous non coated cars that I've had and it always has a lovely very glossy finish.
All I do is give it a Gtechniq citrus foam maybe once every six months to unclog the coating, bar that its AG snow foam and then the AG HD shampoo

 

[ShaunB]

 

[DesireeE]

All fair points @DesireeE

I also didn't clarify, my car was ceramic coated many years ago, so keeping it clean is much easier than previous non coated cars that I've had and it always has a lovely very glossy finish.
All I do is give it a Gtechniq citrus foam maybe once every six months to unclog the coating, bar that its AG snow foam and then the AG HD shampoo

I can't fault you on the ceramic coating (CC) as I am very much a big fan of it and have my 3 car all coated with it and you are absolutely right, in that it makes the job of cleaning easier with an outstanding outcome too, Even a good down pour of rain can make quite a difference from a dusty car to a clean one that has had CC.

Having said that, CC does have a life expectancy, so the great benefit of its application won't last for ever. While 'active' or rather intact, it will fill in the miniscule microscopic undulations and pockets of the top coat to give a smoother surface allowing for things such as water to run off more readily, by reducing it's surface tension allowing water to bead up and roll off more readily, thus enhancing the so called hydrophobic properties.

The nano-sized particles that CC contain bond to the clear coat forming a 'protective' smoother, more hydrophobic layer, will help reduce the build up of road film, by making it harder for contaminants to stick, but they will not stop everything and routine care is still required, to prolong the life of the CC, and/or keep your motor looking in top condition to my way of thinking.

For the most part my cars do very little mileage annually and spend most of their time sat on the drive, they are covered with good quality car covers, which means when they do go out on a jaunt, if they come back dirty, the covers can't go back on, for fear of them causing scratches to the paintwork from the detritus. Even being out on one trip, staying back from the driver in front and choosing a dry sunny day she can still come back in a state worse than when we left home and if we get caught out by the weather changing and she gets hit from rain and dirty, oily water in spray from passing cars in both directions, she's a right old mess.

Wow! What ever you are doing for your MB if she still looks like that in the piccy you put up, you can't be doing much wrong ... what an absolute stunner! Love that colour and loving those wheels

 

[WilliamMaldivess211]

+1 love the colour and the wheels