I Pre rinse because I work in my driveway and its almost always sunny when I detail a car so keeping the panels cooler outweighs having a slightly more diluted product. Doing a contact wash is going to work better than just foam regardless so its kind of a moot point.

Good video there! In the UK we've got a fairly big culture of pre-wash foaming, we'll tend to use something more like Super Foam in terms of pH levels, but we'd very rarely pre-rinse (unless there is thick mud). Obviously I don't speak for the whole nation 😂 but people who are properly into their detailing will always foam, and most will use something with a high pH. But now AF is in 1L (hopefully here soon) I will definitely give this a go!

I love pre foaming with bilt hamber. It works amazing. Great video!

Thanks brother for sharing your different scenarios. It’s always great to hear your tips

Thank you for this precise and uncomplicated explanation of foaming vs not foaming...this continues to be a hot topic in the industry but imo is pretty easy to understand..it's completely situational and to the detailers discretion... look at the condition of the paint and go from there!!! Great video!!

I thought the whole point of foam first was to add some lubrication so you're not blasting the dirt particles into the paint with the power washer

Thanks for the great insight. Over the past few months, I have been doing the pre-wash foam wash, followed by the rinse; then a second foam followed with contact wash. This gets me the best result. The downside: more products is used and wash time is longer.

Thnx for the comprehensive session!

Very good, thorough, well thought out video, Josh. Thanks!

Great video as always! I originally was doing a touchless wash (mostly fleet vehicles) so I’d foam, let it dwell foam again let that dwell and then rinse clean (manufacturers recommendation) But I’ve since switched to ph neutrals and I’ve adopted the foam rinse foam technique and I have to say for my auto details it’s been working incredible. I find the foaming a dry vehicle really helps boost the cleaning and lifting of the grime. And it makes the contact wash even safer since most of the heavy contaminants are gone

Foam is just perfect! Before another layer of foam, pre rinse then contact wash 🚿 it makes everything go by more effectively🙌🏽!

I recently started pre treating with GS on the lower or heavier contimated panels then foam rinse then contact. I did notice GS helping out in the rinse process knocking down some of the heavy mud and dirt. Next wash pretreating whole vehicle with rinse less before foam or put some rinse less in the foam cannon

Super helpful as I was one of the peeps wondering about this...

I followed ditaling community for 2 years till I realized it behaves like fashion industry. After a while you can tell when something becomes “IN”, progresses and slowly becomes “OUT” while something else replaces it. All along tough, they (KZfaq detailers) give you the impression they been doing for years and it’s the only way, even as they themself shift their position with said “fashion”. In my, non professional life long experiences with soaps and cleaning chemicals, the results of this video are obvious: The prices are ridiculous. If you take all that money you could around to respray the clear coat every 5 years. Chemicals are dirt cheap. It’s like bottled water, you pay 1000 times more because of the bottle, redistribution, and shelf time. Everyone has to be payed the same regardless of the cost of that chemical. Economy 101. Not that long ago they took a auto car wash chemical that brakes down surface bond of the water so it can be easily BLOWN away with the fans at the end of the tunnel, put it into small bottles with made up claims and names and sold it for $20. Same chemical auto wash station gets for equivalent of less then $1 a bottle. Their distributor gets it for less the c10 a bottle and manufacturer less then c1. People were told not to use DISH SOUP because it would strip protections and then later when “striping” chemicals were marketed, same people said DISH SOUP wouldn’t remove things and not to use it 😂 Now I don’t believe dish soup is the ideal for cars but I’m just pointing the obvious. When foaming chemicals were introduced they never told people that the more foam they generated the less cleaning power they got cause they inherently cancels each other out. (Not exactly but for the sake of making over simplification). Then later they tried telling people to presoak to compensate for the foaming later. Wait, why exactly are you foaming if it does next to nothing for cleaning or at least is counter productive?…. On and on….. like a fashion industry always revolving to generate cash.

Thank you Josh for another lesson in doing it right another great video

I'm glad you did this video, it's good to hear advice from the pros, Ivan from DIY detail recommends foaming first, but you bring up some good points, at the end of the day, we all have our methods of madness, so best to keep learning and happy detailing.

Thank you Josh. I have always rinsed first either to cool down the car (living in Nevada always means hot panels) or to get the big chunks off first. And being in a generally hot and sunny climate, by the time I foam the car, most of it has dried. I guess I'm getting the best of both worlds! 🤔

Thanks for the info, I haven’t been pre rinsing..

I'm a foam on the dry surface guy. I then rinse and do another foaming for the contact wash. Really like the Sonax snow foam product and then i go with CarPro reset for the second foam and contact wash.

My perfect combo has been to pre rinse with rinseless wash solution and pressure wash it off and then do a contact wash using rinseless solution. Works great in the Phoenix heat

Nice small wand Jos,

Apex Detail did a video about the acidic nature of pollen and recommended pre foaming with a higher ph soap to naturalizer it. I like the concept behind it.

Yeah especially as now in FL we are going into Summer time i tend to use rinseless washes. Unless i can wash the vehicle early in the morning. I prefer to wash in the evenings.

Very informative!

Thanks Josh!!!

Saving water and time and getting a better result. Great Video once again Josh!

Good video, Josh. I've always been in camp dry-foam, but maybe that's not the most effective. I still think it's the safest method and the best for an only slightly dirty surface.

I just tried Labocosmetica products for the first time, particularly Primus 2.0 (Alka) and Purifica (Acid) and was blown away how effective it is! I highly recommend them!

Great vid. I've always been a good car wash soap in a bucket and wash mit guy. Been happy with the results. I'm now learning about car wash soap and foam cannons. Learned a lot in your vid. What, in your opinion, should be the max PSI when using a pressure washer to clean your car. Thanks. Scott.

Another very informative video!! How much AF do you use in your foam cannon and what is the dilution ratio? I have the Adam’s foam cannon which is 35 oz and i just bought some AF after watching your other pre foam video. Thank you.

I always prefer Rinseless and rarely do foaming 😁 I have been doing it for years

This topic has come up dozens of times with other KZfaq influencer detailers.. Do what YOU want or like doing , honestly it makes very little difference in the real world if you foam a wet car or dry car...there's no right or wrong.

i really enjoy AF, i like using the ik foamer to spread the soap so it doesnt get diluted with more water,i always pre-wash (except when its super hot, spray water first to cool down a bit)i also have the super foam for grimier stuff, instead of adding green star to AF... and then do a rinseless after, for best of both worlds.. my cars are not ceramic, i wash it weekly and like to add different protection during the drying stage (drying aid)...

I wish i lived in San Diego so i could pay you to come detail my car, and learn from you, but im on the other side of the country 😭 But i'm watching all your vods and learning alot.

Josh, not only does the soap work better when applied to a dry car, it saves an extra step and thus, time.

Hey Josh, great video! If foam does dry on the surface do you typically have to polish the panel or will claying remove the spots? I've had issues with hard water spots and soap dried on older paint before.

I ran a apc around handles down . Let dwell a minute or two and then rinse. Then foam . I feel where you live has alot to do with the process. My state and my county has alot of dirt roads . Most driveways are dirt . Mud season, snow . You name it . Unless the vehicle is coated I don't worry about marring. Won't be anymore than claying . Expeacialy of I'm putting a machine to it .

Love your videos brother... quick question how long do you take on a full wash and polish. How much would you charge?

Great video, thanks Josh. What would you recommend for a black, ceramic-coated car? I've been using the KC GSF - is AF safe for ceramic? Up to now, I've been foaming with GSF, agitating, rinsing.

Excellent vid. My question if you were to foam first without pre-rinsing, then start your agitation wash, do you risk scratching the vehicle?

I personally always pre-rinse before doing my foam. Like you say, yeah it could dilute the foam down but it's rather marginal in my eyes. I put a little more soap in my foam cannon than I used to so I find the foam comes out rather thicker then it used to before when I used less soap. I think it's about prespective right? Yeah, on one hand you can say it dilutes the foam/ soap down if you pre-rinse first. However, you could also use the argument that you're "wasting" some of that soap by foaming first as it's loosening up or carrying off loose contamination that would be washed away with the pre-rinse. I always detail outside PLUS consider that my clients drop their vehicles off in the mornings meaning extra drive time leading to a warmer engine. Another reason why I like the pre-rinse, along with the fact it blows off all the loose dirt that isn't benefiting from a foam first regiment. I want the foam to dwell and work on the tougher, more stuck on dirt and contamination. Either way, you're going to follow up with a contact wash, but I want as much off the paint as possible to avoid further swirling and scratching. That's just from my experience

Can you link that little angled pressure wand attachment. I love how small it is 😊

Ya teased me with the Ram in the thumbnail lol

Exellent content and comments. I'm looking for my first foamer... any suggestions? Thanks.

So Josh, what is your take on spraying rinseless wash from a pump sprayer onto the panels prior to foaming a car instead of pre-rinsing? I've used this method for the last three washes and have come to love the cleaning abilities before a mechanical wash. I've followed this cleaning up with a rinseless wash and have found very little contamination on my Eagle 350s! Products used are ONR version 3 or 4 and two different soaps, Stjarnagloss SNO and P&S Frostbite from an IK Foam Pro 12.

Some prerinse to remove some loose dirt. However, if you prerinse the existing water can carry some of the foam away-catch 22.

Josh what dissolution ration do you use in foam gun with active foam. Thanks

hey man, What do you think about the Masterson's brand?

In the UK citrus pre washes are popular. Do you think a citrus first, rinse, foam (no rinse) and straight to the mitt would be safe?

Thank you

Hey Josh I have a 2022 Chevy Silverado. Was wondering how you would go about washing a bigger truck and being quick about it so it does t get spotted up?? Love your videos!!

On a cry dirty car I first use P & S PROFESSIONAL DETAIL PRODUCTS Absolute Rinseless Wash as a pre-treatment before I spray off with water and then you my car foam etc, I think it works well to pretreat before foam,

I usually pre-rinse with a more runny foam mix

Hi Josh. I just had a question about the 300 GSM Edgeless Micro Fiber - GRAY (12 Pack) that you have for sale on your website. Can you give me some advice on what those would be best used on? Would they be best for drying a washed car? Cleaning windows? (I think waffle weave are best for windows though?). Or is there something else they should be best used for? Also should they be prewashed before doing anything? Thank you very much!

Whats a good car brush with a water hose connection. most of the ones on amazon have low ratings, are there any really good ones?

@imjoshv What dilution ratio do you use for your Active Foam in that MJJC?

can you do a video on Malco CW-37 Carwash concentrate ? I think it's an older soap but I'm using it and it's amazing. only need like 15 20 ml of soap to foam. and it's usable up to 400:1 for other applications ! and it's like 35$ a gallon. slick and sudsy n won't remove new wax or sealant

I would recommend doing a rinse first if the paint surface is hot.

It is not a dilution, but rather foam uses water molecules to penetrate dirt so foam can kick off loosing dirt particles through expansion and separation. Plain watering before foam just saturates dirt filling pores with water molecules so foam can’t get much into dirt but rather covers it over.

I do a pre-foam, rinse, foam again, and do a contact wash. The prefoam gets a bunch of the grotty stuff off the paint, so my contact wash isn't knocking off all that big grit.

I'm new to this cleaning regimen. In my younger days, just a bucket of water and some Dawn was enough to clean my cars. Thinking about the spray foam process but have a really basic question...after foaming and rinsing, would I still need to manually soap up the vehicle and hand wash? What soap is recommended for hand washing? Another complication is that my water source is well water.

I’ve begun to use GS added to ph neutral Turtle wax hybrid solutions pure

When I pre-foam, I turn up the water mixture a little so it's not so thick to let it break down loose dirt, then rinse, then full power foam, agitate, then rinse and dry.

Still using Adams strip wash in spring and megafoam after the foam is rediculous. Need to give koch chemie a try.

How do you like Carpro products? Reset, reload 2.0, etc

Wouldn't there also be some dilution of the foam from the rinsing?

Foaming before rinsing with pressure washer on a dirty vehicle is also the safest method. Foaming allows the surfactants to encapsulate the dirt particles, making for a safer removal. Think of blasting dirt directly into the paint at 1000 or greater psi. It can make a big difference on black and softer paint types.

Living in the desert makes me scared to omit the pre rinse. I always start with a pressure washer to get rid of any surface dirt that might scratch when I start using a mitt.

I’m blown away that you did the ceramic your own car lol

Hello, How long should leave spray foam on my vehicle before rinse off? Thanks

You can also raise the PH level by using warm water in the foam cannon and with a really good soap might not need to do a full contact wash

After watching tons of videos of different youtubers, I haven't found the answer to this question yet, When is it better to use a lower ph car wash soap? Or it doesn’t matter at all? In some comments, I read it is good to disolve salt. Is it true? When use neutral? I guess for pre wash, it is better a high ph soap.

What’s your Active Foam dilution in the MJJC S V3??

can you do a tutorial on cleaning and maintaining a foam cannon? my MJJC S V3 foam cannon stopped foaming last week, i have tried filling it with water and run it to flush out any debris but it did not solve it.

Good sheet dog 🎉🎉 🤩🤩

Does active foam hurt a Ceramic coated car?

I tried this on my car that is washed & waxed all the time and my wife's car that is not. I find that using the dirt cannon on a dry car that has wax on it comes out much better that the dry car that has little to no wax on it.

I can see a total difference in the back of the car.. IMO, it's worthy to rinse before foam!

Imo it doesn't matter if you're going to contact wash. Also pre rinsing is just an extra step to me since you're going to rinse it again after foaming. Again, the negligible difference doesn't matter if you're going to contact wash. I think it matters more if you're not going to contact wash, or if you have literal mounds of dirt on the car but either way its getting rinsed off so I'd rather save time

The logic for not pre rinsing is to not drive the stuck on dirt into the paint which could lead to scratching

Who won the giveaway active 2.3 ?

To be honest I don't see any difference if i use a snow foam or not, not even higher ph or something, I'm doing everything ok, all dilutions all that and i still don't think it makes a difference. However using snow foam instead of the 2 bucket method is way more efficient. And yes i do it in all sorts of vehicles and i still don't see a lot of difference. Even using it to clear some polishing dust after a heavy correction, all the dust is there unless i agitate it. For me, snow foam just for lubrication and show.

I love how detailers call cars "filthy" that wouldn't even be considered "sort of dirty" by normal standards. That "very very dirty" Telluride has like 12-16 hours worth of 1 day's pollen based on my experience on the east coast. It makes their advice non-credible. If your car is ACTUALLY dirty you absolutely should pre-rinse with a power washer because there's an entire layer of stuff (not to mention tree sap and bird poo stuck on there) that the foam won't even get to the first time around.

Were did you get the short lance? 👍🏻

Foam first is you want to scratch your clear coat. If doing a contactless wash, then yes foam first.

👍

Does the higher Ph effect any wax or ceramic coating

You need to try superior products

I will pre rinse when the panel is hot

Pre-foam -> rinse -> rinseless wash -> dry

Not me trying to answer your rhetorical questions at home like an idiot thinking this was a live zoom haha

I use adams mega foam and cg snow foam.Are those better worse same as the foams in this video?So many choices grrrr.LOL

Why didn’t you coat it?

What dilution Af do you like to use?

My foam is my pre-rinse 🤯

I am not wasting product on pre-foaming/washing

🏆

Pre-rinsing isn’t that going to cause scratching because you are pushing the dirty along the paint? Using a Rinseless Product or foaming will limit the amount of dirt being pushed over the paint. Right?

I pre rinse, then foam and while the foam is still on the car i wash it and never have any problems

By pre rinsing with the pressure washer you are dilluting the foam even further since there will already be water on the car surface. Thats why the foam is less effective after pre rinsing.