How much dirt can build up in the winter months here in Sweden!

[SWETM]

I have been written a lot of how I use chemicals to prewash with. It's been 4 weeks since I last did the touchless wash on my car. And then I used a tar degreaser and prewash foam and PW clean rinsing it off. There where some bigger tar spots left that would need to be aggitated to be desolved. Otherwise most of the road film was handled by the tfr foam. The LSP was failing at that point too and more on that later on.

This is what I started at. And it's seems not so bad. Thanks for the silver metallic paint LOL. As you can see there is some reflection and some gloss from this angle.

https://www.autogeekonline.net/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=65577&d=1546085794

Now 2 pictures in close up. Where you would think it's not the same car.

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PW and foamcannon filled with concentrate Bilt Hamber Auto-Foam prewash foam.

https://www.autogeekonline.net/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=65580&d=1546085878

This prewash foam is very effective. All the crusted road salt and so much of the road film that the rinse bucket is almost clean after the wash.

I wonder why we get so much tar on the vehicals here in Sweden. Cause this is no isolated happening with this tar build up. We have a law that says if there is winter weather you have to have winter tires on from 1 december to 31 mars. And the most effective ones are the studded winter tires and especially when it's ice roads. This 4 weeks has the temperature been around the freezing point. And with little to no snow. They are spreading road salt heavy on the roads. I think it's a combo of the road salt and the studded winter tires that are loosen and releasing the tar in the asphalt roads. That when you drive through it it flyies up on the side panels and the back of the car.

Here you can see how much of tar spots I have had under this 4 weeks. After the touchless wash I maybe had 3-4 little bigger tar spots left. This is behind the left front wheel. And you can see how clean it got with the prewash foam and used the water pressure from the PW to clean with. And as I always do with any degreaser or prewash foam I start from the bottom and work my way up. When useing the water pressure from the PW to get the most effective cleaning ability from the PW.

https://www.autogeekonline.net/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=65581&d=1546085898

Since the LSP is still protecting some I think. It could be washed off with the Carpro Reset car soap and the 2bm. But who would want this tar in their wash media and also could be spreading it out on the paint. That's when we use something we call Cold Degreaser. Which is a petroleum based tar degreaser. They have done it so it clings and that you can spray it on wet surfaces. So how does this look likes and does it desolve the tar?

https://www.autogeekonline.net/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=65582&d=1546085915

This mess is what I try to evoid to get in my wash mitts and rubbing into the paint. Tar is very sticky of nature and on smaller roads here they use sand/gravel with a little road salt in too. This makes the risk a lot bigger that sand can be in this tar. Since I can use Cold Degreaser on those areas where the tar bonds to. I lower the risk of wash indused swirls. And never spray it on over the the windows and leaves a safety zone under the windows begins.

This is after the Cold Degreaser and then cleaned and rinsed off thoroughly with the PW.

https://www.autogeekonline.net/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=65583&d=1546085946

Only a couple of bigger tar spots left. That I used a little stronger citrus based tar remover and gentle aggitated it with a mf towel until those desolved. Then PW rinsed it off.

Now the darkness came in and I had to hurry. But it's not much to see. I washed with Carpro Reset car soap and the 2bm. Rinsed thoroughly and applyied the new to me Carpro Hydro2 lite. The sprayer head Carpro has and this is to put it nicely not so good LOL. Either way got it to work so I could spray the Hydro2 lite on. Sprayed it on in sections and when I had sprayed on one section. I wiped it in with a damp mf applicator sponge and rinsed it off with the PW. Dried with PFM style towel and when done it was dark outside.

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I have one of those orange street lights where I wash the cars. But what I could see the gloss and finish was great. Also saw the swirls I have gotten since april last year. But not so bad and think most of them came from last winter when takeing off the snow. The car sits outside 24/7.

Thanks for reading this long post LOL. And you who have done it maybe understand more why my environment needs an aggressive prewash during the winter months here.

And want to wish all of you a Happy New Year!

/ Tony from Sweden :)

[SWETM]

What did you do today, in regards to detailing? (https://www.autogeekonline.net/forum/auto-detailing-101-a/121238-what-did-you-do-today-regards-detailing-24.html)

Here is the post where I did the touchless wash.

And also forgot to mention about the LSP. When the 2bm wash was done it have revived a little. So something was still on there. But it's on it's end for sure. The Hydro2 was very needed until I been able to wash the next time.

[rlmccarty2000]

Bilt-Hamber products are highly touted on Detailing World. I’m not sure why they are not sold in the US. I bought some Nextzett W99 to use as a prewash for lower panels with the hope it does not degrade my Coating very much.

[Paul A.]

Thanks for an excellent "winter wash" post, Tony.

[Machine154]

I have a similar story and post here for Alaska. Even with fresh wax I had to resort to washing the lower half of my vehicle with bug and tar remover. Even degreaser wasn’t cutting it well.


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[SWETM]

Bilt-Hamber products are highly touted on Detailing World. I’m not sure why they are not sold in the US. I bought some Nextzett W99 to use as a prewash for lower panels with the hope it does not degrade my Coating very much.

The products I have bought so far has been top notch from BH. It's strange cause they are gentle on the environment. And also very effective. Don't know if if it's how they are branded. They are not so flashy the bottles and pots of wax. I don't know if Collinite cames from protection of electronic parts since they have the 845 insulator wax. If so there is where BH also comes from. And a cool future they have in some of there products is their corrosion inhibitors. Which is great to have if you have a problem with rock chips and have bare metalls. Their Auto-Balm wax and auto-wash has them.
I looked at Nextzett W99 and it seems to be a very effective product. But I would dilute weak and do a test spot first. Cause I think it can mask the coatings behavior. It seems to be leaving something behind that at least darkening trim and rubber and also gives UV protection. So it seems to be for interiors and under the hood and maybe on wax or sealant. Just so you don't stand there with a clogged coating.


I have a similar story and post here for Alaska. Even with fresh wax I had to resort to washing the lower half of my vehicle with bug and tar remover. Even degreaser wasn’t cutting it well.


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An alkaline based degreaser don't desolve tar and while a tar and bug remover don't desolve some other dirt. You need to be useing the right chemical to the right dirt. As in different chemicals desolves different kind of dirt. So a combo of different based degreaser is what I use. Even if I where to spray on the BH Auto-Foam from a spray bottle undiluted. It would not be desolving the tar spots. While any tar remover would make some impact on them. Then it's also the concentration of the chemical used that determind how effective it is. So there are products that is different in effectiveness. If you have gotten the paint clean from tar. And is able to wash regualary let's say up to 3 weeks in between. 3D has an orange degreaser that could be desolving the tar spots on the lower side panels and the back of the car. Then the closest I know from the top of my head here on AGO that works like the prewash foams I use. Is Gyeon Foam and gtechnic w4 citrus foam and Griots Garage BOSS foaming surface wash. I don't know about the GG surface wash but Gyeon Foam and gtechnic w4 can be diluted in a spray bottle or pump spray bottle. If not used in a foamcannon and PW you get a more runnier solution but it's still very effective. Accually Sonax has solid products with both alkaline based degreaser that is easier to rinse off than an APC and they have what we call Cold Degreaser too. Even Turtle Wax has good products in those kind of degreaser and the Cold Degreaser is called Prewash-T which is an awesome one. Wonder if it's the chemicals used in those degreasers that makes them not to be sold in the US or if it's no market for them.

[Klasse Act]

Bilt-Hamber products are highly touted on Detailing World. I’m not sure why they are not sold in the US. I bought some Nextzett W99 to use as a prewash for lower panels with the hope it does not degrade my Coating very much.I bought my Bilt Hamber auto-wash on Ebay, super concentrated and has impressed me in my 2BM as well as pre-wash in my IK Foam 9. Its only a 300 ml bottle but .5 ounce is about all that's needed for 3 gallons in the 2BM.

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[spazzz]

I believe most of the tar/grease comes from the snow trucks.

Did you ever see the way a guy in one of the shops greases everything. There is enough ooze on those bushings to grease another truck or 2.

The snow knocks off the grease and we run it over.

[SWETM]

I bought my Bilt Hamber auto-wash on Ebay, super concentrated and has impressed me in my 2BM as well as pre-wash in my IK Foam 9. Its only a 300 ml bottle but .5 ounce is about all that's needed for 3 gallons in the 2BM.

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The dilution is 5ml to 10l of water a dilution ratio of 1:2000. That is 0.17oz to 2,64 gallons of water. Or 0.19oz to 3 gallons of water. I have just bought the Auto-wash so have not tried it yet. But many has used it on the domestic forum I am on. The only negative I have heard about it is that it's in medium range of lubrication from it. The cleaning ability is awesome and an interesting thing is the anti-corrosive properties it leaves. This is a huge benefit if you are washing old cars with a lot of bare metalls or if you have a lot of rock chips. It don't start to rust after a wash or slow down the rust building. So for a classic car it would be great to use this with.


I believe most of the tar/grease comes from the snow trucks.

Did you ever see the way a guy in one of the shops greases everything. There is enough ooze on those bushings to grease another truck or 2.

The snow knocks off the grease and we run it over.

LOL I was working with plowing snow in my younger years. And also did my military service on an airbase where we moved the snow off the airstrip. Certainly what vehicals and semi-trucks and tractors and such left on the roads could make an impact when the road salt is on there. Think it's more the general road film it ads to. Here they have only needed to plow the snow off once so far. But sure when they put their steel blades down it leaves something on the roads. There from you get some of the iron particals that bonds to the paint and needed to be treated with a iron remover or and clay. Either way it's harsh on the roads and on the vehicals in winter weather. Would be better if it came a lot of snow so there could be nice snow roads instead. In the northern Sweden they only need road salt in the beginning and end of the winter months. Otherwise they have great snow roads up there. Much better to drive on them than on those slippery ice roads we down the southern Sweden have.

[Klasse Act]

Yeah the ratio for the Bilt-Hamber is VERY low, I just can't get down that low for the 2BM due to lower suds. I fall into the stereotype of Americans who like suds and associate them with safe washing. That said, I have used 3/4 of an ounce with about 3.5 gallons of water and it did sud up and I washed the car and it came out very clean, it felt odd doing this. My car is coated with TAC system Power Plus and I always pre-wash so alot of the dirt goes away with the pre-wash, dwell and rinse, so maybe I should just be confident in the product [emoji848]

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[spazzz]

Before I logged on I didn't see the pictures.

That is truly a nightmare. Sounds like your reasoning with the studded tires tearing up asphalt and the sticky patches is spot on.

So is your Cold Degreaser like Stoners Tarminator?

[DetailZeus]

Thanks for the pics, that tar is ridiculous. I think 3D has a presoak product sold here too that dilutes 1300:1. I've been meaning to try it.

[Sizzle Chest]

Well that cleaned up well!!!! Nice work!