Tried foam gun and leaf blower drying
 

I’m old school but wanted to try two new techniques today, the foam gun for washing and the leaf blower for drying. I got the foam gun from Walmart for $20 and the leaf blower is a Craftsman Electric Leaf Blower 160 mph 180 CFM, for $40.

The foam gun wasn’t too bad but I prefer the old two bucket method better. I usually make a decent amount of suds the old way and it seems like I used a lot more car wash using the foam gun. I also like the constant rinsing of the wash cloth in clean water using the rinse bucket. I’ll try it one more time before I render final judgement. As far as time, I think it may be quicker using the bucket method.

The leaf blower is going back. It just didn’t seem to get the car dried off the way I prefer. Also, if you missed a spot during the wash, you usually clean it up during the microfiber dry. It also took longer when you factor in dragging the cord out.

The foam cannon makes lots of suds.

Agree with Bad Dab
Foam Cannon > Foam Gun
https://i.imgur.com/cI6M4Qn.jpg
Use more Car Shampoo? Sure will. More lubricity means less chance of leaving washing marks/scratches. Pitch the wash cloth for a wash mitt or pad meant for washing a car.

Like I said, I’m probably going to try the gun again. Shampoo really isn’t that expensive so that really isn’t a big deal. I already use microfiber cloths for wash and dry; I’ll probably just use one bucket to rinse the cloth during the wash.

The best procedure is to hose your car first then foam it then do the two buckets wash. The foam is an added barrier of protection. The leaf blower works best when the car has a good wax on it. If you don’t want to dry the entire car with the blower try just blowing out the areas like the rear view mirrors n other area that are hard to dry by hand. The less you touch your paint the fewer swirl marks.

The wife got me a very nice Hitachi gas power leaf blower for my birthday this past week. Primarily for blowing out the driveway and garage. However, after hand washing her RAV4 and my Camaro I decided to use the leaf blower, OMG was I happy. Blew all the water beads off so quickly, no spots what so ever. Was amazing on the wheels and tires too. I'll continue to also 2 bucket hand wash but will use the Hitachi for cleanup!

Sounds like a plan. 👍🏾 Notice I have a black car. The owner told me it had some paint issues but it was a lot worse than I thought. I ended up doing a lot of paint correction and while it looks a lot better, every little swirl or scratch shows.

Love the foam gun and two bucket wash technique . My only question is if you guys are using 2-cycle leaf blowers ? 2-cycle leaf blowers will blow oil mixed fuel onto your paint.... I have a friend that found out the hard way... it wasn't pretty

I got a nice 20v Dewalt blower,no more water spots:)

I own a foam gun, and I also like the old fashioned two bucket method better as well. However, I'd like to try out the foam cannon someday too.

I think you have the purpose of foaming the car down misunderstood. You foam the car first, when it's dry, let it sit for a few minutes, and then rinse.

This removes as much dirt as possible before you actually touch the car, reducing the possibility of wash marring.

You still do the 2 bucket wash after rinsing the foam off. A foam cannon will do a better job of foaming.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mCBjtTUOAns


After you rinse the car from your 2 bucket wash, do a pooling rinse. This will remove 80% or more of the water on your car.

I use a blower too, but for the side mirrors, to get the water out of them, the front grill, so I don't have to stick a microfiber between all the gaps, the plastic part at the bottom of the windshield, the windshield wipers, the wheels, the rear lights, the side and rear emblems. Basically all the spots a towel won't get to where the water hides.

I can easily dry the remaining water with one 16x16 Rag Company Everest 1100 towel.

Do this pooling rinse process, it will save you a lot of time drying your car.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WAmb9DWdnFc&t=194s

Thanks for this! I had it wrong also and now I know what I need to do with the foam gun! Excellent!!

Same here. I was totally doing it wrong - I had read somewhere that it was supposed to be a minimal touch process. Thanks for the info on the right way to do it!

Glad to help. I used to do it wrong as well.

I have found with this process a significant reduction in wash marring over the course of a years time. I only need to use finishing polish once a year, compounding isn't needed.

It's not mentioned, but I wouldn't wash in direct sunlight when the surface is hot. You can in cooler weather, but in the summer I've found the best time is at sunrise in the cool of the morning.

The pooling rinse process also works better if you have a good coat of wax or sealant on the paint. I'm not going to push a particular brand, because everyone likes what they like.

I will mention for a wash mitt though.

The Microfiber Madness Incredimitt is without a doubt the best wash mitt on the market. It's very gentle on your paint, It releases dirt in the rinse bucket better than any mitt I've ever tried (I've tried way too many to mention them all), and it's extremely durable. I have over 300 uses on mine and it still performs as new. They also make a wash pad if you prefer a pad over a mitt.

If you need a detail spray to use while drying, pick up a bottle of Ultima Waterless Wash Plus Concentrate.

I've got one as cheap as $14 from Autogeek on one of their 25% off/free shipping sales. It makes 5.5 gallons of detail spray. A gallon of distilled water is about $1 at Wal-Mart, so the total cost is only about $3.64 a gallon.
It's a very high quality product as well.