Motobob

Thanks very much for the advice. I'll look at the Maxi Suds.

Last question.... When starting out, do you put the shampoo in the container and let the water fill it up from when you trigger the gun or do you put the shampoo in, and then fill up the container with water to start? Perhaps that is my issue as well...last question... Bob

Detailed Image

The water never travels down into the canister, it only siphons out. Unless you are using a ratio where you are only putting shampoo in the canister, you want to fill the remaining amount with water and shake it up to help start the sudsing action.

Hope this helps, keep us posted on how things turn out.

George

SKooT1027

I have been considering a foam gun recently as well, but I'm curious how it works with a cab. Is it safe to wash the top with normal car wash soaps where I could just soak the entire car with the foam gun? I only got the car a little over a week ago, and just washed the body bc I didnt know what to do about the top yet.

Detailed Image

You'd be fine using a foam gun on a fabric top. If the top is brand new and doesn't require much cleaning, you don't have to put a thick layer of suds because it will just take more time rinsing it off thoroughly. You still want to care for your top regularly whether you use a foam gun or traditional 2 bucket wash.

You could follow up with a fabric protectant for your top, such as 303 High Tech Fabric Guard. This will help protect your top in the long run.

Hope this helps,

George

SKooT1027

Thanks for the info. I didnt want to use car wash soap if it wasnt good for the top. I assumed my car was a fabric top too, but wanted to double check. So that fabric guard would double both as a top protectant as well as a carpet protectant? handy

dynogyno

I am a cheap-***, I use my old (cleaned, of course) MiracleGrow applicator. Works good enough for me.

Black993

So should you rinse before foaming the car?

detailersdomain

its a good idea to rinse it.

points

+1...thats what I use.

dynogyno

gorgeous car POINTS!

points

Thank you!!

TOGWT

Foam Gun
Using a Gilmour Foamaster II Foam Gun in conjunction with your two bucket wash method can further minimize adding imperfections to your paint. The main benefit is that you can pre-soak your vehicle with shampoo without the need to touch your paint. This allows the surfactants in the shampoo to lift contamination from the surface of your vehicle, which can also speed up the wash process. Helps the foam stick to the surface longer for a deeper clean

Specification
•Water Pressure - 40 to 90 psi (for maximum accuracy 40 to 60 psi)
•Output - 1-1.5 gallons per minute
•Spray Pattern - Foaming attachment provides a fan spray or removes for a solid stream. Deflector attachment for non foaming fan spray pattern.
•Anti-siphon - Protects potable water supply.
•Standard Single Ratio - 4fl oz per gallon of solution sprayed.
•Customized Ratios - Can be set from 0.25oz per gallon to 14oz per gallon. (Note: this range is affected by the viscosity of the chemical.)
•The multi-ratio injector offers five settings to adjust the dilution rate from 1 oz. / gal. (A) 2 oz. / gal. (B) 4 oz. / gal.(C) 6 oz. / gal (D) 12 oz. / gal (E) and a built-in filters ensure any sediment in the water supply is removed before it reaches your vehicle
•After each use, rinse the nozzle and foaming mechanism with clean water to remove any soap residue. This will prevent soapy build-up inside the nozzle and on the brass mechanisms. With regular cleaning, it will give you years of trouble-free performance
•Available in two sizes: 75QGFMR - Quart Foam Gun - 95HGFMR - Half Gallon Foam Gun, both with multi-ratio stem to adjust mix ratios and deflector.
•Purchase the unit with brass fittings ( not plastic) as they will last longer

Filling the Foam Gun
Pour the appropriate amount of wash concentrate (Chemical Guy’s Citrus Based High-Performance Wash or DP Xtreme Foam Formula Auto Shampoo)

The principle behind a foam gun is to minimize the amount of paint surface friction necessary to clean the vehicle by pre-soaking it with foam. 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.

1.Pour some wash concentrate into the foam gun tank and fill the remainder with clean water.
2.Adjust the dial to the appropriate dilution setting
3.Shake the foam gun tank to mix the shampoo and water.
4.Attach the foam gun tank to the foam gun nozzle

Washing Methodology
Rinse vehicle with clean water from a pressure hose, foam vehicle panels (using the foam gun as a pre-rinse) pressure rinse, then hand wash (using two-bucket wash method) panel by panel, finally sheet water and dry panels or rinse vehicle with a CRSpotless mineral-free, de-ionized water filtration unit.

An extract from one of a series of in-depth detailing articles © TOGWT ™ Ltd Copyright 2002-2008, all rights reserved