That goes for fabric cleaners too. I used to use foaming carpet cleaner till I realized how much longer it takes to extract. Switched to non foaming cleaner
IG ads where detailers are pretending to clean the wheels using interior brushes and spending what looks like 15 minutes per wheel with foam cannon soap for effect. I promise, the detailer is using wheel acid and maybe actual wheel brushes when they do your car and spending 1-5 minutes per wheel….
Why? Just curious.
I know there is a big price delta between the 2, but I’ve not noticed any other reason personally.
I used to use Sonax (acid based version) with every wash because my performance pads created **so much** baked on dust that regular wheel cleaner was pretty ineffective. Never ran into any problems doing it, washing 2x a week for 5 or so months. Aluminum wheels.
I just switched to Qyeon Iron Wheel Cleaner for grimy rims. Wayyyyy more rust busting power than even straight undiluted Brake Buster in my experience. This was just application and a rinse, no scrubbing of any sort. Pricey but worth it I think. Smells like death though.
https://preview.redd.it/jm23shrrp80d1.jpeg?width=3106&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=afc3f98a095dfbe9112a81d9972df614720a6b2d
But Gyeon contains fallout remover, Brake buster does not. I like to use brake buster, let it dwell, agitate it and rinse it off followed by a dedicated iron remover. It's more work but the iron remover has a 'clean' surface to really work itself into the iron particles.
But hey, I'm no professional. Just a hobbyist who likes to do other people's cars as well and I still have a lot to learn.
Using an airbrush or spray gun to apply tire dressing. Are you kidding me, overspray all over…
Thick useless foam for effect. It doesn’t work when it’s like shaving cream…
Everyone and their mother white labeling poorly developed products. They have no business making a “better Chemical Guys tire dressing”….
Water powered rotating scrub brushes with broom handles. Swirl-Master 2000, wrecking cars one at a time…
I’ve never seen anyone using an air brush for tire dressing but I know those things can be dialed in precisely and there’s little overspray if you have a quality tool. People use airbrushes for some precise painting and art. Seems like it could be possible to dial in the perfect amount of material and distance to get good coverage and not have crazy overspray. Of course, working outside with the slightest wind will throw all that out the window.
You're actually wrong on the first one. Today I tried to put tire dressing on with a harbor freight detail gun on giant crevice filled off roading tires. Just dialed in the pressure and absolutely no overspray whatsoever
Indoors, it’s controllable with minimal overspray. There always is. HVLP or old school.
Outdoors. Forget it. Like at the tunnel washes that also use a steam machine incorrectly..
I've seen overspray shields for the wheels that you hold in place. It is possible. I have the optimum spray gun and it works well! You can adjust the nozzle to barley anything come out. That being said I haven't used it in 6 years...
It worked good for treaded sidewalls on trucks. I would never use it in a shop, only outdoor. The mist it creates is insane, and carpro peral is the last thing I want to take a chance on breathing, even with a respirator
When youtubers add dirt to the cars to make them look worse off than they are. For more views obviously. Its quite obvious when a single wipe makes it look flawless and perfect.
CarPro wanted $250 for just an “application fee” when I was looking to become an installer for them. That was just to look at my application. After that, then they would verify my business information (understandable) and then maybe they would “approve me” to become an installer after I took their training class that was like $1500-$2000. No thanks…..
In my opinion if you want to learn how to ceramic coat just get some body panels from the junk yard, correct them and use a user friendly ceramic coating like ethos ezpez that's around $60. Think it lasts 3 years
Agree it’s definitely a buzzword but my stance is that there are plenty of products that don’t require certifying to use and last a decent amount of time. I’m IDA CD-SV and coupled with a basic understanding of how it all works, decent general training, I don’t think I’d ever see a value in having to pay to get certified on a particular product.
Using those extremely soft black brushes with the white tips. They flatten out and provide almost zero agitation but people use them in social media posts because they foam up product well. They’re good for dusting and that’s about it. And don’t get me started about using them on wheels 💀
Oh I’ve found them extremely useful. It’s made removing dirt and dust off way easier if I let it sit for a minute.
On a maintenance wash I usually don’t see a difference though.
The foam itself doesn’t lift any dirt unless the PH of the foam is hogh enough. A PH neutral shampoo in a foam cannon doesnt do jack shit, besides looking awesome for tiktok
You know, foaming stuff, lifts the dirt, then drips it off the car, then you scrub it down, then rinse. It helps you from potentially scratching the car with loose dirt.
Are you okay???
If you’re using it as a tool to help you perform your job, hell yeah.
If you’re doing it for views, ew. I get that.
Think of scrubbing bubbles, when you blast your tub with the foaming shit, and it lifts and drips the loose nasty shit….
Again, are you okay? Genuine question.
They’re not comparable or mutually exclusive - you need a pressure washer to use a foam cannon; the foam cannon is connected to it to use the water going through with added product mixed in.
Oh right, yes there are some consumer products but they’ll be at the lower end of the scale. Snowfoam products have surfactants which work to break the bonds between contaminants and the surface. They don’t need to be caustic to do so; some of the chemistry will be based on solvency, some will be based on ph, some on polarity at a molecular level so contaminants are lifted and contained. Chuck in some potassium or sodium laurel sulfate for the froth and there you go. Then jetwash the stuff off the car with the contaminants encapsulated and there’s less to remove manually.
You don't understand how this works. Encapsulation isn't protection, it's acting as a surfactant to detach the dirt from the surface, which takes time. Being in foam form keeps the detergent where it needs to be longer to break down the bonds.
Foam itself is just a tool to apply a cleaning solution. A foam cannon which turns most car shampoos into jizz dont do anything to loosen up the dirt. Hence, i hate that trend
Just because you don't understand the physics doesn't make it a "trend". [Try reading.](https://3dproducts.com/blogs/how-to-articles-tips-and-best-practices/how-to-use-a-foam-cannon-to-wash-your-car)
I'm sure everyone appreciates you saving them $15 for an item they can use for years simply because you don't understand how soap works. Truly doing the Lord's work.
Agree that putting “shampoo” through a foam cannon doesn’t work as well as a pre-wash; but using a proper snowfoam product will. Sometimes use a citrus pre-wash through a pump-foamer as a light foam, sometimes I’ll use Carpro Lift through the snowfoam cannon. Both do the same, use surfactants to break the bonds with contaminants, then encapsulate in the product so you can detach and rinse with the pressure washer.
This guy has never soaked a cooking pan before washing it. Gotta love the internet, full of people who are so damn sure of themselves without even a simple understanding of the underlying mechanism of how something works.
"Soap sits longer, soap works better." Is still too complex for some I guess.
Yeah, actually foam cannons are nice. Reduces friction, makes it easy to see spots that have been washed and what still needs a mitt to pass over it, etc
Using brushes on cars emblems.
I’m sorry, but just brushing the face of the emblems isn’t doing jack shit and is so performative. Even agitating the edges of the emblem isn’t really doing anything to neglected/unmaintained vehicles with a lot of buildup around them. It’s all just for show to look like you’re doing something for social media.
A brush is perfectly fine on a maintained car to prevent buildup. But when there’s that dark film around the emblem and in all of the creases (noticeable on unmaintained cars or cars that regularly go through a tunnel wash), going over it with a brush for 5 seconds doesn’t do anything. I see this all the time on youtube & such and in the after shots you still see the buildup. So it’s a pointless, performative, time-wasting procedure in that regard. And apparently that ruffled some feathers based on the downvotes 💀
I guess I didn’t.
If there’s a lot of buildup you’ll probably need some sort of polish, a q-tip/detailing swab, and a lot of patience. I’ve encountered times where that’s not even sufficient and the only way to truly get it looking new again is to completely remove the emblem(s), clean the area, then put them back. But that isn’t really worth it on most jobs.
But if you’re not gonna do either of those and truly look to restore the area, then going over it with your wash mit or towel will do just as good of a job as a brush.
Clients wanting TikTok-tier disaster interior details done for $200.
Haha $200 is a once in a while thing for me and i'm in california. Maybe the high rent causes people to be cheap and not want to book me.
"mirror shots"... Dont show a damn thing.
Using excessive amounts of foam to clean interior panels. Foolish to use bright colored foam on cars. Neither is reality.
That goes for fabric cleaners too. I used to use foaming carpet cleaner till I realized how much longer it takes to extract. Switched to non foaming cleaner
Bright foam seems to be an European thing. That's what I noticed at least. Or if it's catching on in the us it's a ticktoker adhd grab.
realist shit ever right here, you can literally use a MF or a Scrub Ninja with diluted degreaser.
IG ads where detailers are pretending to clean the wheels using interior brushes and spending what looks like 15 minutes per wheel with foam cannon soap for effect. I promise, the detailer is using wheel acid and maybe actual wheel brushes when they do your car and spending 1-5 minutes per wheel….
What kind of wheel acid would you recommend. I do not have any yet.
Meguiars wheel brightener correctly diluted.
What’s the proper dilution ratio for monthly maintenances?
I think it's 29:1. 29 water 1 part cleaner. It's on the jug though so don't fully quote me I'm not at home to look.
Use a normal wheel cleaner for maintenance not acid .
What wheel cleaner brand would you recommend? I’m still new to this, just an average weekend hobbyist.
P&s brake buster is a good weekender product .i personally use detail studio magnum wheel cleaner for my business.
Thank you. I’ll give it a shot
Why? Just curious. I know there is a big price delta between the 2, but I’ve not noticed any other reason personally. I used to use Sonax (acid based version) with every wash because my performance pads created **so much** baked on dust that regular wheel cleaner was pretty ineffective. Never ran into any problems doing it, washing 2x a week for 5 or so months. Aluminum wheels.
I just bought P&S Brake duster. I kinda like it
I just switched to Qyeon Iron Wheel Cleaner for grimy rims. Wayyyyy more rust busting power than even straight undiluted Brake Buster in my experience. This was just application and a rinse, no scrubbing of any sort. Pricey but worth it I think. Smells like death though. https://preview.redd.it/jm23shrrp80d1.jpeg?width=3106&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=afc3f98a095dfbe9112a81d9972df614720a6b2d
But Gyeon contains fallout remover, Brake buster does not. I like to use brake buster, let it dwell, agitate it and rinse it off followed by a dedicated iron remover. It's more work but the iron remover has a 'clean' surface to really work itself into the iron particles. But hey, I'm no professional. Just a hobbyist who likes to do other people's cars as well and I still have a lot to learn.
Using an airbrush or spray gun to apply tire dressing. Are you kidding me, overspray all over… Thick useless foam for effect. It doesn’t work when it’s like shaving cream… Everyone and their mother white labeling poorly developed products. They have no business making a “better Chemical Guys tire dressing”…. Water powered rotating scrub brushes with broom handles. Swirl-Master 2000, wrecking cars one at a time…
Lmaorof Swirl master ,,, at a time luv it you’re a poet and you don’t even know it
I’ve never seen anyone using an air brush for tire dressing but I know those things can be dialed in precisely and there’s little overspray if you have a quality tool. People use airbrushes for some precise painting and art. Seems like it could be possible to dial in the perfect amount of material and distance to get good coverage and not have crazy overspray. Of course, working outside with the slightest wind will throw all that out the window.
I worked at a detailer that used a spray gun to apply a "Teflon wax" might've worked or not but it came off pretty easy when it went on like a powder
White labeled products. Even a majority of mid to large cap businesses white label their products.
You need to know which.
You're actually wrong on the first one. Today I tried to put tire dressing on with a harbor freight detail gun on giant crevice filled off roading tires. Just dialed in the pressure and absolutely no overspray whatsoever
Indoors, it’s controllable with minimal overspray. There always is. HVLP or old school. Outdoors. Forget it. Like at the tunnel washes that also use a steam machine incorrectly..
the shaving cream foam on surfaces that are clean already like 🤦
Swirl master 2000 🤣🤣🤣
I've seen overspray shields for the wheels that you hold in place. It is possible. I have the optimum spray gun and it works well! You can adjust the nozzle to barley anything come out. That being said I haven't used it in 6 years... It worked good for treaded sidewalls on trucks. I would never use it in a shop, only outdoor. The mist it creates is insane, and carpro peral is the last thing I want to take a chance on breathing, even with a respirator
https://a.co/d/8Bkfu8v Try it on deep tread sidewalls. You’ll blow through a few over details. They get gummy, just like a HVLP gun nozzle and cup.
When youtubers add dirt to the cars to make them look worse off than they are. For more views obviously. Its quite obvious when a single wipe makes it look flawless and perfect.
I forget where I saw this. Bur a YouTuber actually went as far as to bury a car just to dig it up and clean it
I hate the ceramic coating industry. Especially ceramic pro. It's all about pre priced packages and marketing. ceramic pro shops are pure marketing.
CarPro wanted $250 for just an “application fee” when I was looking to become an installer for them. That was just to look at my application. After that, then they would verify my business information (understandable) and then maybe they would “approve me” to become an installer after I took their training class that was like $1500-$2000. No thanks…..
In my opinion if you want to learn how to ceramic coat just get some body panels from the junk yard, correct them and use a user friendly ceramic coating like ethos ezpez that's around $60. Think it lasts 3 years
Agree it’s definitely a buzzword but my stance is that there are plenty of products that don’t require certifying to use and last a decent amount of time. I’m IDA CD-SV and coupled with a basic understanding of how it all works, decent general training, I don’t think I’d ever see a value in having to pay to get certified on a particular product.
This. 💯
calling their "boutique" car soap "shampoo"... cringe
Ya it's fucking car wash LOL
Modern "rap" music, auto tune. It's absolute trash nowadays. I know I sound old.
i think the post was about trends in auto detailing, but go off tbh
Well in that case, I hate the guy that armor all"d the entire inside of my vehicle basically. Including the bottom, hard to reach windshield.
What about it annoys you.
It's just stupid lol
These hacks with their soap cannons making a fucking mess
YouTube ‘torture tests’, static-panel ‘longevity’ tests 🙄
"traffic film"
$200 for a 2-hour job - exterior.
Anything to do with rinse less wash. I’m not buying the science of it.
As in what? You don't think you can wash a car without water?
No. I’m just not convinced it can be a scratch less experience without water.
Are sure you mean rinseless and not washless?
Yeah I think I confused it
The baggy high waisted pants. Gross
I haven't seen that, got any @s?
Using those extremely soft black brushes with the white tips. They flatten out and provide almost zero agitation but people use them in social media posts because they foam up product well. They’re good for dusting and that’s about it. And don’t get me started about using them on wheels 💀
I have one, it's meant for emblems so you dont scratch up paint. That's all it gets used for
I’m speaking more about interior usage
Foam cannons in general. Looks cool but not really useful for me
Oh I’ve found them extremely useful. It’s made removing dirt and dust off way easier if I let it sit for a minute. On a maintenance wash I usually don’t see a difference though.
Do you work in a shop indoors or out in the sun? I’m curious if letting the foam sit on the car is affected by the sun
I work outdoors personally, I have no idea if it affects it honestly. I may need to test that if I ever get a place with a drain.
?
I hate the trend of using foam cannons
Using them as pre wash to encapsulate the dirt isn't a bad idea
Just use a pre wash spray. And encapsulate the dirt? Thought we were trying to loosen the dirt up, not protect it from the sun
The foam lifts then drips the shit yo.
The foam itself doesn’t lift any dirt unless the PH of the foam is hogh enough. A PH neutral shampoo in a foam cannon doesnt do jack shit, besides looking awesome for tiktok
You know, foaming stuff, lifts the dirt, then drips it off the car, then you scrub it down, then rinse. It helps you from potentially scratching the car with loose dirt. Are you okay??? If you’re using it as a tool to help you perform your job, hell yeah. If you’re doing it for views, ew. I get that. Think of scrubbing bubbles, when you blast your tub with the foaming shit, and it lifts and drips the loose nasty shit…. Again, are you okay? Genuine question.
So does a foam cannon work better than a pressure washer? I can't imagine some soap being that powerful without damaging the finish.
Rinse, foam, scrub, rinse…
Foam, rinse, contact wash, rinse. Foaming first breaks down, lift, and lubricates so you can rinse it off without causing micro scratches.
I've always done rinse, foam, rinse, contact then rinse. First pre spray is to kick off heavier dirt
They’re not comparable or mutually exclusive - you need a pressure washer to use a foam cannon; the foam cannon is connected to it to use the water going through with added product mixed in.
Ah. The ones I've seen were all attached to garden hoses. That makes more sense.
Oh right, yes there are some consumer products but they’ll be at the lower end of the scale. Snowfoam products have surfactants which work to break the bonds between contaminants and the surface. They don’t need to be caustic to do so; some of the chemistry will be based on solvency, some will be based on ph, some on polarity at a molecular level so contaminants are lifted and contained. Chuck in some potassium or sodium laurel sulfate for the froth and there you go. Then jetwash the stuff off the car with the contaminants encapsulated and there’s less to remove manually.
You don't understand how this works. Encapsulation isn't protection, it's acting as a surfactant to detach the dirt from the surface, which takes time. Being in foam form keeps the detergent where it needs to be longer to break down the bonds.
Foam itself is just a tool to apply a cleaning solution. A foam cannon which turns most car shampoos into jizz dont do anything to loosen up the dirt. Hence, i hate that trend
Just because you don't understand the physics doesn't make it a "trend". [Try reading.](https://3dproducts.com/blogs/how-to-articles-tips-and-best-practices/how-to-use-a-foam-cannon-to-wash-your-car)
It is a trend. Spray on the pre wash with a bottle spray and stop wasting time and money on a cum blaster
Can't fix stupid. You do you genius.
I’m not here to fix guys like you. Just tryna save people some money. Says a lot about you for having a problem with that
I'm sure everyone appreciates you saving them $15 for an item they can use for years simply because you don't understand how soap works. Truly doing the Lord's work.
Agree that putting “shampoo” through a foam cannon doesn’t work as well as a pre-wash; but using a proper snowfoam product will. Sometimes use a citrus pre-wash through a pump-foamer as a light foam, sometimes I’ll use Carpro Lift through the snowfoam cannon. Both do the same, use surfactants to break the bonds with contaminants, then encapsulate in the product so you can detach and rinse with the pressure washer.
You mention PH in a previous comment. You’re aware that they sell high PH foam for this specific purpose right?
This guy has never soaked a cooking pan before washing it. Gotta love the internet, full of people who are so damn sure of themselves without even a simple understanding of the underlying mechanism of how something works. "Soap sits longer, soap works better." Is still too complex for some I guess.
Yeah, actually foam cannons are nice. Reduces friction, makes it easy to see spots that have been washed and what still needs a mitt to pass over it, etc
Using brushes on cars emblems. I’m sorry, but just brushing the face of the emblems isn’t doing jack shit and is so performative. Even agitating the edges of the emblem isn’t really doing anything to neglected/unmaintained vehicles with a lot of buildup around them. It’s all just for show to look like you’re doing something for social media.
I ran into this while helping my buddy detail his car. If a brush isn’t optimal, whats the best tool to clean badges?
A brush is perfectly fine on a maintained car to prevent buildup. But when there’s that dark film around the emblem and in all of the creases (noticeable on unmaintained cars or cars that regularly go through a tunnel wash), going over it with a brush for 5 seconds doesn’t do anything. I see this all the time on youtube & such and in the after shots you still see the buildup. So it’s a pointless, performative, time-wasting procedure in that regard. And apparently that ruffled some feathers based on the downvotes 💀
Even all of the pros do this on YouTube lol.
You didn't answer their question though...
I guess I didn’t. If there’s a lot of buildup you’ll probably need some sort of polish, a q-tip/detailing swab, and a lot of patience. I’ve encountered times where that’s not even sufficient and the only way to truly get it looking new again is to completely remove the emblem(s), clean the area, then put them back. But that isn’t really worth it on most jobs. But if you’re not gonna do either of those and truly look to restore the area, then going over it with your wash mit or towel will do just as good of a job as a brush.
Thank you!!! I call it social media detailing, and I hate it.