Foam Gun [No Access to Pressure Washer]

[DetailingNoob]

Hey guys... I am still building up my shopping cart.. and said why not buy a foam gun.
Did a quick search and found: Foam Wash Gun with FREE BONUS (http://www.autogeek.net/foam-gun.html)

Couple things to note is
1. I do not own or have access to a pressure washer
2. I have only water and a hose
3. Purchased CG Citrus Wash and Gloss (can it be used in a foam gun?)

It will be for personal use, so I don't need a high tech fancy one. As long as it gets the job done.

The reason I want to purchase one is because before when I would do my car washes, some of the soap would start drying before I can go around the whole car and then start spraying it down.
So what I started doing is, do a section at a time and spray it down right away.
Another reason I want a foam gun is to help reduce scratches/swirls marks by doing this washing procedure:

1. Hose down entire car
2. Foam Gun entire car (let soap sit a bit to lift and loosen dirt/contaminants)
3. Hose down entire car
4. Foam Gun entire car and utilize the 2 Bucket Wash Method (express)
5. Hose down entire car
6. Dry and continue with rest detailing (Clay, Compound, Polish, Seal, wax, etc etc)

Is this a good way to go about it or is it over kill? Or am I getting the wrong impression of the use of a foam gun?
Which foam gun would you suggest?

[geoguy]

Hey Detailingnoob,

Sorry I don't have the answers (noob as well), but I am in the same boat about foam guns. Are they worth it? I've considered them since I have a black subie with soft paint and want to minimize the potential for scratchs and swirls.

Any response will benefit us both!

Cheers!
Geoguy

[cleanmycorolla]

Thats a lot of steps for a wash IMO, you can cut out like 3 steps. And you can pretty much use any soap in a foam gun that you wish to. :)

Also, if you dont have a pressure washer, then IMO dont get a foam gun. Its not that fun, takes longer, when you can just do the two bucket method and get it just as clean. Again, just my opinion.

[mrclean]

1. Hose down entire car
2. Foam Gun entire car (let soap sit a bit to lift and loosen dirt/contaminants)
3. Hose down entire car
4. Foam Gun entire car and utilize the 2 Bucket Wash Method (express)
5. Hose down entire car
6. Dry and continue with rest detailing (Clay, Compound, Polish, Seal, wax, etc etc)

Is this a good way to go about it or is it over kill? Or am I getting the wrong impression of the use of a foam gun?
Which foam gun would you suggest?

i personally own a gilmore 95QGFMR foam gun. i dont use it much, because i personally prefer no rinse washes with optimum no rinse.

but when i do use a foam gun i would do it like this..

1. Hose down entire car
2. Foam Gun entire car (let soap sit a bit to lift and loosen dirt/contaminants)
3. Hose down entire car
4. Fill up Foam Gun and one bucket with grit guard to rinse my mitt. spray foam gun and swipe at the same time in the section im spraying simultaneously. doing one section at a time. rinsing the mitt and in the grit guard bucket after every section.
5. Hose down entire car
6. Dry with mf towels and misting Meguiar's D156 Synthetic X-Press Spray Wax

[Dogfather]

My initial foam is to a dry car.
Then rinse, then foam, then wash.
A little ONR or UWW+ added to the bucket but not the reservoir.

I only conventionally wash if I fell behind a little with my rinseless maintenance washes.

[cplchris]

i don't consider myself a noob as i have been fanatical about my vehicles ever since i got my first one....but i have yet to jump on the rinseless wash bandwagon, i tried it once and wasnt fond of it so i stick to the tried and true 2 bucket method with my foam gun and it is the 95QGFMR by gilmour. i purchased mine from a website named after a well known rain forest and paid about 30 bucks for it....well worth it imho

[wdmaccord]

I have the quart Foamaster. mainly use it with CG citrus wash red when doing a strip down.

1) Foam the dry car
2) Let dwell for a bit then rinse
3) Foam each panel and wash with mitt (rinse in bucket with grit guard)
4) Final Rinse
5) clay, etc...

[jamesboyy]

A foam gun is a good gadget/place to start cause you are new to this and you to have to find your place in the wash part of detailing with that said you can use any soap you want but some soaps may not give the suds you expecting(if your a suds kinda person) also you don't have to rinse the car before you suds the car but me personally I got my foam gun off amazon but you can look else where too like ebay

[Kacz]

i personally own a gilmore 95QGFMR foam gun. i dont use it much, because i personally prefer no rinse washes with optimum no rinse.

but when i do use a foam gun i would do it like this..

1. Hose down entire car
2. Foam Gun entire car (let soap sit a bit to lift and loosen dirt/contaminants)
3. Hose down entire car
4. Fill up Foam Gun and one bucket with grit guard to rinse my mitt. spray foam gun and swipe at the same time in the section im spraying simultaneously. doing one section at a time. rinsing the mitt and in the grit guard bucket after every section.
5. Hose down entire car
6. Dry with mf towels and misting Meguiar's D156 Synthetic X-Press Spray Wax


I have the quart Foamaster. mainly use it with CG citrus wash red when doing a strip down.

1) Foam the dry car
2) Let dwell for a bit then rinse
3) Foam each panel and wash with mitt (rinse in bucket with grit guard)
4) Final Rinse
5) clay, etc...

IMO as well, this is the best way to use a foam gun--and the safest!

Its faster, the surface will be way more slick and your car seems to be cleaner when done; you wont be disappointed.

I don't see a need to dwell unless you're using an aggressive soap, so I personally rinse car off, then foam it and then do each panel with a pad in one hand and the gun in the other on normal washes.

[hernandez.art13]

Foam gun IMO are not necessary, but a nice addition to the wash process.

The quick disconnect make it fast and simple. That with the shutoff connect (sorry don't know the names)

Just buy the quart (half gallon is to big IMO) fill it up with water then just pour an ounce or two of soap. Give it a little shake and start foaming away.

I do have a separate nozzle for rinsing btw and everything has quick disconnects so it's really fast and simple. Plus they're cheap too.

So I say yes on the foam gun.

Sent from my LGMS659 using Tapatalk

[thebamboo23]

If its personal use, then sure, go ahead and do that

but it is overkill.. a simple foam, rinse, and 3BM/WW/NR will do fine

[DetailingNoob]

Thats a lot of steps for a wash IMO, you can cut out like 3 steps. And you can pretty much use any soap in a foam gun that you wish to. :)

Also, if you dont have a pressure washer, then IMO dont get a foam gun. Its not that fun, takes longer, when you can just do the two bucket method and get it just as clean. Again, just my opinion.


Can you elaborate a bit more on that bold part?

[geoguy]

Dogfather said that he does not add ONR to the foam gun, but has anybody added it for extra lubricity and encapsulation of the dirt (when you foam and wipe at the same time) similar to added a little to your wash? Or would screw with the foaming of the soap or the gun itself?

cheers
geoguy


My initial foam is to a dry car.
Then rinse, then foam, then wash.
A little ONR or UWW+ added to the bucket but not the reservoir.

I only conventionally wash if I fell behind a little with my rinseless maintenance washes.

[Dogfather]

Dogfather said that he does not add ONR to the foam gun, but has anybody added it for extra lubricity and encapsulation of the dirt (when you foam and wipe at the same time) similar to added a little to your wash? Or would screw with the foaming of the soap or the gun itself?

cheers
geoguy

I add it to my wash bucket to mitigate any spotting if the sun happens to get ahead of me. I leave it out of the reservoir because I believe it would hinder the foaming action.

[FrankS]

Here's the method I use most often:

1) Foam the dry car
2) Let dwell for a few minutes then rinse
3) Foam car again
4) Two bucket method with boars hair brush on an extendable pole
5) Rinse
6) Dry or clay car