Are there any foam cannon type wash systems that do a decent job without touching the vehicle?

[oneheadlite]

I'll agree with others that a truly touchless approach may not be possible. But, if you're able to do it weekly/often enough for low grime build up, I think something like the Griot's foaming surface wash might get you pretty dang close. The issue I see is drying after the wash - I don't know how Klasse is for blowing dry.

I bought the Griot's BOSS Foaming kit when it came out with the goal of doing weekly washes during my lunch break at work. Came with a foam cannon for your pressure washer that threads right onto the bottles of liquid. Nice part is it automatically meters the liquid so you don't have to deal with any manual mixing. The kit I bought came with Foaming Surface Wash, Foaming Poly Gloss (think mild LSP), and a huge PFM drying towel. They have a new kit now that comes with the Foaming Surface Prep which is a more aggressive wash, more intended for use before a correction (or whenever you're not worried about affecting your LSP).

The only unfortunate part is that I couldn't compress the wash time down enough to comfortably fit into my break. The positive part was that I genuinely feel it was a feasible option if I had a little more time.

When I would do it, I'd:
-Foam with surface wash (don't pre-rinse), let dwell. Rinse. If no grime left over, then:
-Foam with Poly Gloss, let dwell. Rinse.
-Then I'd follow with a very abbreviated rinseless wash (basically just a wipedown with a towel soaked in Rinseless wash) to catch any remaining dirt before following up with a drying towel.

Chasing it with a Rinseless/Waterless wash (before drying) provides lubrication and pretty well guarantees you're not grinding any stray dirt into your black paint. And you're sure to get it all dry so you're not creating water spots to deal with later. If there was grime left over after the Surface Wash (like if it had been raining), then I'd just follow it with a rinseless wash to avoid essentially sealing over the grime.

I'll cheat and just post a thread I did that better covers using it: Doing some rounds with the BOSS Foaming System.

I really like the system even when just used before a normal wash - There's notably less dirt/funk in the wash bucket when I'm done if I use the foaming wash first. I feel like it genuinely helps to reduce the risk of wash induced marring. One nice thing about the Griot's option VS just foaming with standard soap is that the Surface Wash was designed for this use (instead of just being used for mitt lubricant like a normal soap). The bilt hamber that Coatings mentioned is made for that as well (I believe), but it's not sold here/I haven't used it.

Hopefully this makes sense! Speaking of lunch break, typing this out as quick as I can on break.

Also: no, I don't work for Griot's, I've just had really good luck with their stuff.

[tjevans]

one thing to keep in mind is that if the cars stay outside, ceramic coatings are more susceptible to water spots than a wax or sealant.

I keep finding reasons I regret coating my car. (My car stays outside 24x7).

[ducksfan]

Just remember when you research it, that basically all it is, is a car wash that you don't need to rinse off with a hose. It doesn't clean as well as good car washes. But, it gets the surface dirt and most of the grime off.

The reason I say this is that different people will have different methods of using it. You can use it out of a bucket like a regular car wash; you can use a multi-towel method where you don't reintroduce the towels to the wash medium; it can be put in a pump sprayer and used as a prespray or even wash with a sprayer and wash rag. The common denominator is you wash and then just dry - no rinsing.

So, don't buy that there is a rinseless wash method. The best method is what works best for you, in your situation.

And to add to what I posted before. Washing a car is easy. The hard part is starting. So, if you can eliminate the blocks that keep you from starting ( I don't want to spend the time to wash the entire vehicle, I'd have to get the stuff together, ...), you'll find it easier to keep your vehicle clean.

Many times when I've used the 'going around the vehicle' approach I've washed more that I set out to wash. But what has made it work for me is I don't limit myself or push myself to do more than I want to. I just start (and then stop when I feel like it). It's kind of the Forrest Gump method.