Review - Carpro Hydrofoam

**Audios S6** · 10-20-2015, 10:32 PM

I have been very anxious to use this product since I picked it up after release. It's been a busy summer and fall with cars and a new baby in the house. I've finally had the opportunity to try it both as a 2BM and foam only wash. Only foam photos today.

Intro copy from AG

CarPro HydroFoam combines the coating properties of hydrophilic glass fibers and fluoropolymers that CarPro Hydro2 is known for with a pH neutral foaming wash. You can now wash your car and coat with Hydro2 at the same time! The surfactants used in CarPro HydroFoam will gently lift and remove dirt from your paint, greatly reducing the risk of washing induced swirls. CarPro HydroFoam is the ultimate product when you need to save time, but still want that CarPro shine.

Sounds like this should be like hydro2. OK, I'm on board with that, I like hydro2. But, hydro2 is a panel by panel operation for me, how am I going to foam the whole car and rinse in time? Lucky it's only 50F and overcast here.

I used at the recommended 1:9 ratio in an MTM foam canon with a 2.4 gpm 3000 psi pressure washer with an inline softener. Foam gun was filled about halfway (1.5 oz hydrofoam used) and MTM was set to full mix and wide pattern. I foamed the whole car at once and proceeded to use a mitt and rinse bucket to perform the wash.

First thing I notice is this is not a thick foam (shaving cream) or exceptionally clingy. It held on to the paint throughout the wash, but was running off more than what I'd like for an expensive wash, I had about a dollar on the driveway before I picked up the wash mitt.

Just after spraying

After a minute up close at the corner of the hood. Not clinging as well as I would hope. Note this is coated with CQUK, reload and there's probably some hydro2 still hanging on.

I did find the suds very stable, they just didn't want to stay put. As soon as I put the wash mitt on it, I noticed this is one slick soap. I would expect that from a soap with coating additives, but wow, I don't think I've used a soap anywhere close to this slick before. The car was only a little dusty with some dirt film so not a great test of the cleaning ability, but it did not disappoint here; removed all the film with ease. It also rinsed off easily with the pressure washer. I did back off a bit at the end to get more of the hose rinsing effect that hydro2 likes, this has worked well for hydro2 in the past in my experience. The water shedding behavior was very much as I expect from hydro2.

After rinsing the beading left behind was a little larger and more oblong than I expect from reload and hydro2, but still good by most standards. The next part was another surprise; I broke out the blower to dry the car and water just flew off the car like I've never seen before from anything. I may have been able to save some time drying, but I was so shocked by the effect I found myself blocking water around the car and back up the windshield for fun (not the best practice with a product that should not dry on the car). This effect was noticeable in all aspects of blow drying: Beads moved faster and farther than I've ever seen and smaller beads were pushed around. In this aspect, Hydrofoam outperforms anything I've ever put on paint, but there's a catch. I did find some very tiny dots on the paint from water I could not blot in time (possibly a result of playing around too much), so I think blow drying needs to be performed quickly, but I think the better option is to flood and blot. I think this effect will still hold value when it rains.

I took the car out that night and did notice a super light haze on the windshield, only visible in that lights had a slight halo that I don't get normally (windshield has fly by forte), it needs to be noted, but may just be my playing around and the fly by forte. I finally got the car into some favorable light this evening, while the look is very much a coating, it's not quite as glassy and reload and hydro2, I can only describe the look as slightly softer than other carpro offerings.

Since I foamed the car, I hit the tires too, would they now reject my dressing? I gave it as good a chance as I could, staying in the family with PERL. Normally I don't spray right on the tire, but wated to see the result (you can see some over-run on the wheel with very good, but not amazing beading) It took just fine and has held up for a few days easily.

I also used hydrofoam in a 2BM on a friend's filthy GTI currently wearing 4 month old BFWD, so running out of protection. With the 2BM, I did not find Hydrofoam to be as unbelievably slick, but still very good. In this case the cleaning ability was above average, but not exceptional; this may make a good wash n wax product for quick turn-arounds, but would likely need a pre-treatment for filthy cars like this one. In similar fashion, beading was very good, but not outstanding and again, the beads just flew off the car with the blower. Less playing around meant less spots, but there were still a few on this black car, this solidified changing to the flood and blot method for me. In the end, the car looked like it had had a coating, just not that super fresh look, I'm taking this as a repeated result that hydrofoam just looks a little softer than the rest of the carpro family coating options.

Finally, I got a little bold and decided to test the following statement from AG's copy:

The sleek coat that is left behind not only enhances your paints’ finish but is also resistant to UV exposure, almost all acids, solvents, and alkaline solutions.

Acid you say? I think I have some acid around here, let's just see if hydrofoam is resistant. With some HF wheel acid and PPE in hand I gave a wheel a spray and let it dwell briefly before hosing it off, still beading like a champ. But wait, there might still be some acid, let's hit it with some potassium hydroxide just to make sure we neutralize the acid or at least hammer this coating again. After a brief dwell time the potassium hydroxide was rinsed, only to find very strong, but slightly diminished beading. Not definitive, but a solid result for sure.

Overall I'm very happy with hydrofoam. I wish it were a little cheaper, but I realize you are getting a lot out of this product. I've become accustomed to chemical guys soaps that cost me $0.25 per wash versus a few dollars for hydrofoam. I'll continue to use it. I'll recommend it to clients that are very particular about wash technique and have a covered space. Those that aren't may be disappointed if they spend a few dollars on a wash only to find a few spots that weren't effectively wiped away due to less than ideal technique.

Pros
Super slick
stable suds
crazy water behavior
good cleaning ability

Cons
Cost
few options for effective drying
may get some light haze or streaks
no real fragrance to speak of
foam was a bit runny at recommended dilution

I'm curious to see if this has an affect on my wash mitt, I haven't notice any issues yet, but they may arise with continued use. The same goes for my drying towels, will they lose some absorption potential with the glass fibers and fluoropolymer?