Foam Cannon Product Recommendation

Hi,

Just took delivery of my new X5 50e. I'm contemplating getting it ceramic coated. It's mineral white.

I have two small kids, and do not have an abundance of time for car care, but I want to do be able to regular maintenance washes (once a week)

I'm liking the idea of a foam cannon, but a little lost on what products to get.

Big Mouth Foam cannon from chemical guys?
What soap is best used for maintenance washes that is not harsh on the car?

This is what I'm planning (using an electric power washer):
Power wash to remove big debris
Foam cannon soap all over car. Let it sit 3-5 minutes?
Clean wheels while soap sits.
Power wash/rinse soap off (DI rinse??)
Leaf blower the water off to minimize contact with car.

I know this is posted in other threads, but it's all over the place and I just need a good starting point. Car doesn't have to be showroom shine, but look well taken car of.

Thank you and appreciate any feedback or recommendations.

Mike

MJCC Foam cannon

F36Donut wrote

MJCC Foam cannon

this and adams mega foam. yes there are others out there but this seems to be a nice affordable option

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08W8BFRRW?psc=1&ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_product_details

Great product at a great price.

MTM or Mosmatic if it fits your budgets, but I do like the wide mouth ones better.

Griots Garage Boss foam cannon... Works great and is well constructed (stainless steel, thick plastic jar etc.). Can't go wrong with their foaming soap products either. https://www.griotsgarage.com/the-boss-foam-cannon/

Meguiars Hyper Wash

I think all of that stuff is insanely overpriced. I got a $25 dollar gun and $15 foam nozzle along with a $49 portal power washer and very happy with it. I use Chemical Guys soap and never have a problem getting a very foamy, soapy and slick surface. All of that equipment is about six years old now and still awesome.

disintegrator66 wrote

Griots Garage Boss foam cannon... Works great and is well constructed (stainless steel, thick plastic jar etc.). Can't go wrong with their foaming soap products either. https://www.griotsgarage.com/the-boss-foam-cannon/

Do you need to use a pressure washer for these? I ask because there is no access to water in the apartment building where I live. I plan on getting one of these from Amazon, and was wondering if a foam cannon could be hooked up to it. This thing IS NOT a high pressure device.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00R0GBKR4/ref=ox_sc_saved_image_5?smid=A2LM6ZPY06LT1N&psc=1

PRINCE THUNDERNIGHT wrote

Do you need to use a pressure washer for these? I ask because there is no access to water in the apartment building where I live. I plan on getting one of these from Amazon, and was wondering if a foam cannon could be hooked up to it. This thing IS NOT a high pressure device.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00R0GBKR4/ref=ox_sc_saved_image_5?smid=A2LM6ZPY06LT1N&psc=1

you could probably get away with using onr and some towels and use something like this to make ur job ezr : https://www.amazon.com/SideKing-Automatic-Rechargeable-Adjustable-Fertilizing/dp/B09L3TS8MG/ref=sr_1_5

or something like this paired with a bucket. looks like it includes a foam cannon : https://www.amazon.com/GardenJoy-Cordless-Power-Pressure-Washer/dp/B0BV2T6TM9/ref=sr_1_3

rolling bucket : https://www.amazon.com/Suncast-Wheel-Resin-Rolling-Handle/dp/B004I96S1Y/ref=sr_1_5

MJJC Pro Foam Cannon(1.1 orifice)
Chemical Guys Mr. Pink Soap
Ryobi 1.2 gpm 1800psi pressure washer
Yamatic Pressure Washer Gun(2.5 gpm 40* nozzle(white)
Uberflex 50 feet hose

MikeX521 wrote

Hi,

This is what I'm planning (using an electric power washer):
Power wash to remove big debris
Foam cannon soap all over car. Let it sit 3-5 minutes?
Clean wheels while soap sits.
Power wash/rinse soap off (DI rinse??)
Leaf blower the water off to minimize contact with car.

Mike

Comments -
I wish I could do one wheel in 3-5 min., let alone all 4. If you intend to keep barrels, calipers, and tires clean this is way too little time.
Don't let soap sit for long, especially if working outside in the sun.
No contact wash??? Without that, you may leave road film on the car, especially if it was recently driven in the rain.

For normal maintenance washes, I use Adams Car Wash Shampoo, readily available through Amazon. For a somewhat more intensive wash, I use CarPro Reset. Either will work in a foam cannon as well as for contact washes.

PRINCE THUNDERNIGHT wrote

Do you need to use a pressure washer for these [portable spray washer]? I ask because there is no access to water in the apartment building where I live. I plan on getting one of these from Amazon, and was wondering if a foam cannon could be hooked up to it. This thing IS NOT a high pressure device.

Foam cannons do require high pressure. There are foam guns that attach to a garden hose, but they are not impressive in performance and you have no outside access to water so they won't help.
Based on the video of the portable spray washer, I would have a tough time justifying spending my money for it. It certainly wouldn't work with a foam cannon.

Very pleased with the Worx power washer
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07M7L1WKK/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o04_s06?ie=UTF8&psc=1

I love my MJJC S V3. Extremely high quality and super thick foam (Adams mega foam).

I've messed around with the cheaper Amazon cannons, but they don't come close to the MJJC. Do yourself a favor and spend a little bit more.

I guess it depends on what you want. 90+ % of snow foams out there dont do any meaningful cleaning, but are a foam lathering showpieces.

I have tried many different snow foams and have currently settled for two different products depending on cleaning needs. If I need strong cleaning power, then I will reach fror Bilt Hamber Auto Foam and mix it for 4-5% PIR. If I dont need that much cleaning power, then I will use Koch Chemie Active Foam at ratios between 50-80ml per liter of prewash solution. Make no mistake, though, Active Foam is very potent cleaner as well, and its high concentrations make it very cost effective per wash. Just dont go too strong on dilution or you will end up with very heavy, thick foam. I know that people love thick foam, but it is useless. Thick foam has little wetting capability and it will peel off the panel under its own weight in no time. Also, you might want to apply an inch thick foam on your car, but does any of that thickness, other than a layer that is in contact with the paint actually do any work? No, it will just drip off the paint on to your working space.

You might also want to try applying pre-wash to dry surface. This way you know that there is no additional dilution with water already on the panel and chemicals can work contamination directly without any additional water barrier. If your car is caked with mud, then you obviously want to power rinse first, but anything else than disaster scenario usually calls for dry application, in my experience.

I'm running the Griot Boss Foam Cannon with Meguiar's Gold Class soap. Works well and is cost-effective.

CarsAndGuitars wrote

Meguiars Hyper Wash

Seconded, cheap and readily available (it's on the shelf at Harbor Freight of all places). I've tried many many higher end soaps, most recently Koch Chemie GSF, and keep coming back to the Hyper Wash.

I had the same question and watched a bunch of videos from this channel. He goes over basics but also has some great tips to help save some money.
Here's my setup:
Greenworks 2000 pressure washer
1.2 GPM

Griots Brilliant Finish foam cannon w/purple metering tip.

SurfaceMaxx 1/4-in x 25-ft Pressure Washer Hose. M22/14mm (junk)

M MINGLE Pressure Washer Gun with Swivel

I get stellar foam and barely use any soap at all and no mixing necessary.


https://youtube.com/@CarsWithKeav?si=7tZY7Z7Sz1fcFDG3

Raimo5 wrote

You might also want to try applying pre-wash to dry surface.

I've seen this kind of recommendation a few times. But - what exactly is pre-wash? I get the gist, I think, but trying to find one basically just hits a bunch of advertising for basic soap.

Anyone have a recommendation? Hopefully at this point it's not too off topic.

tracer bullet wrote

I've seen this kind of recommendation a few times. But - what exactly is pre-wash? I get the gist, I think, but trying to find one basically just hits a bunch of advertising for basic soap.

Anyone have a recommendation? Hopefully at this point it's not too off topic.

Under pre-wash I mean all cleaning agents that go on surface (and pressure wash off) to tackle the contamination before contact wash. In this context, I was referring to snow foam as pre-wash. I shouldn't have mix the phraseology in one post to avoid confusion. Sorry about that. It's just that for me, snow-foam always creates a mental picture of that puffy, non-cleaning showpiece joke and I prefer not to use it when I refer to actual cleaning agents.

Only two pre-wash snow foams I use and recommend are mentioned in my post above.

Wow... It's almost like an "What Oil is Best" thread... Lmao!

Get a kick out of this Foam is better than that foam... Foam is Foam! Any proclamation otherwise is done by those susceptible to advertising Jedi Mind Tricks! Because foam is Foam! The foaming agent May differ if course, lol.

But start on the affordable side, don't think that if you drop big $ somehow or another it's going to make a huge difference! Same goes for what you use to make foam, it's going to take some experimenting to get to the right concoction that you like.

You got it right with rinse, foam, sit, wash... Don't forget the two bucket wash, get some good micros and waffles for drying. The wheels take much longer than expected, and like noted above, don't let the faom dry on the paint... Touchless drying works but a waffle works too. I use detailing spray on wet surface when drying with waffle towels, reducing surface tension and after 3 years still have very little if any issues. Don't forget to start off right as well, take it somewhere and get the base done correctly, strip paint down, clay, polish and seal paint and get a good wax on her! Dirt sticks less to a slick surface! Just sayin'...

Good Luck