Do I Need A Foam Canon?

[Zubair]

Hi All

I've been getting by with my two bucket grid guard wash routine. I only ever need one capful of either Megs Soft Wash Gel, Gold Class, Optimum, Maxi Suds shampoo and the suds last to the end of the bucket and wash. I know with a canon I would have to use 2-4 capfuls of shampoo making it quite expensive from a product usage point of view. Some still use a two bucket after foaming anyways. Can the foaming step be skipped? Your thoughts?

[LavJordan]

I don't own a foam cannon so take this with a grain of salt but from my research, foam cannons have two huge benefits.
One: you can maxamize time (in theory). Its meant to truly be a productivity orientated item, just like a dedicated wheel cleaner or machine polisher. Yes, you can achieve similar if not identical results with a APC or by hand, but it will take longer. With foam cannons you can eliminate steps. Now people who are just tacking it on to their regular two bucket hand wash, is the loss of time worth the difference? I would say its negligible if your claying anyways but I guess the best detailers are just that OCD

Two: Its a 'Awwww' factor. Getting your customers involved is huge. Whether you be teaching them a rinselss wash, showing them 50/50s or showing them the plastic baggy test, getting them to say 'wow' is a big key in selling. And so through this, I've read constantly how exciting it is for customers to see pictures of their vehicles in the process of being cleaned with a foam cannon, and how they always request the pictures after to show to their friends or keep just to have, because it is unique. Kids love it. Customers love it. Will it bring you thousands of dollars in net profit? probably not. May it make your customers more keen to come back and or get you a referral or two? There's a good chance.

[lawrenceSA]

The way I look at it is washing and drying are responsible for the bulk of the swirls you get, and, given the ever decreasing 'thickness' of modern clear coats, you really want to do everything you can to minimize the swirls so that you do not need to polish it often, thus thinning out the clear even more.

So for me, anything I can do to help improve this step (washing and drying) is important.

My usual wash routine is

-HP rinse (thorough)
-Foam - this to my mind allows the product to help break the bond between the dirt and the paint, allowing you to then HP rinse off some more of the dirt
-HP rinse
-I then usually follow this with a citrus pre-wash - the idea being that it will help break down the traffic film (oil and stuff on the road that floats on the wet roads on the rain and is then splashed up onto your car)
-HP rinse again.

All of the above steps are aimed at trying to remove as much of the dirt as I can BEFORE I make contact with the paint. These steps generally will not get the car 100% clean, but it will be cleaner than had you not done them. - how much cleaner may be difficult to quantify and each of us would place a differing value on it to justify the expense of the cannon and foam...

-Then I will do a traditional 2BM wash thereafter.

For ME, I would rather spend the money on a foam cannon and the products to use with it, and see these costs as preventative maintenance.... what I spend on them, I will save by not having to polish as often, with the added benefit of then leaving more paint on the car as I go.

[Scott@IncrediblyDetailed]

From my experience it's eye catching to potential customers but does nothing to help speed up the detail, in fact, it takes longer to foam everything down, and like you mentioned uses more product than needed. Or really wastes more product than needed, because the majority of the foam is on the ground after a few minutes.

[mwoolfso]

I agree with the combined sentiment of the responses thus far. Overall, to me being a hobbyist it all depends on how a cannon is used....

1. Potential WOW factor
2. Potential to reduce the amount of swirling and polishing
3. Potential to lift dirt off the paint without the need for human kinetics
4. More areas to receive cleaning (e.g. - wheels, wheel wells, door jams, etc..)
5. Potential to take more time or save time (depending on your process and circumstances)
6. Potential for professional or factory-oriented shops will find some economies of scale by using this power tool vs. human kinetics

For example, a vehicle that hasn't been washed in years.. In 2013 I did an '06 Caddy CTS. The last time the owner had it detailed/washed in any intended way was in 2009. It took around an hour to power wash the vehicle.... the PW is going to get into a lot more areas where dirt accumulates (good) but it does take a lot more time to find those spots (bad).

[ihaveacamaro]

No you don't need it. It's nice, but not necessary

[CaveRacing]

No you don't need it. It's nice, but not necessary

I use a foam cannon, but I also use the two bucket method. It certainly isn't needed and I get the same results without the cannon, but I like it.

It uses more product, more water, and more time. On the other hand, it adds entertainment value. I'm a hobbyist, so I do it all for the enjoyment factor, aside from maintaining my vehicles.

[Zubair]

I only maintain my own cars and donot detail as a business so dont have customers as such. My cars are well kept, always garaged when not driven and its the odd rainfall and normal dust that settles on the paint that needs cleaning. Apart from the initial outlay and the extra soap usage the extra step thus far doesn't seem to have the added time needed as justification. I'm just not sold(yet) on getting a canon. It might make sense though if it eliminated the 2 bucket wash altogether meaning hose pipe rinse,foam,hose pipe rinse and dry. That way the only time I actually touch the paint is during drying.

[SameGuy]

The detergents and surfactants would need to be a lot stronger than 2-4 caps full of shampoo in order to negate any mechanical cleaning steps (mitt or sponge) required to clean truly dirty paint. It is entertaining, for sure, and if as you say your cars are well-cared-for and kept fairly clean, it will indeed speed your process and wash away loose dirt -- provided you maintain a good LSP on your cars' paint.

[Zubair]

LSP's used are PowerLock, WGDGPS, CG XXX, Petes 53, All Collinites,Megs Ultimate generally.