My daily driver is a Skoda Yeti (brilliant car) but cleaning is very much optional (treat it mean, keep it keen!) I want to treat my NB2.5 to a much cleaner life, and like the idea of a Snow pre-wash, but never done one in my life! What is the process (given the soft top), what do I need to be careful of and what are the recommened brands??
Thanks!
I use a Bilt Hamber snow foam, touch off or something like that which is pretty great. I just try and keep it off the roof and not jet wash the roof at all.
You pretty much cover your car in the foam, let it soak into and loosen the dirt, then rinse it off.
The âsnowâ can hang around for days afterwards on your driveway/road.
Once you have gone to the hassle of getting everything set up, eg pressure washer, hoses etc. I normally do all of our cars ( 3 ) at the same time as it doesnât actually take 3 times as long as doing them one at a time, if that makes senseâŚ?
I have been using Autoglym products.
I live in a hard water area, one addition that i have found when final rinsing my cars is an inline water softening filter/de-inoser. Basically with this in place i give the cars a final rinse and they dry streak free and no water spots, often without even hand drying the car.
Interestingly, both Autoglym Polar Blast Snow Foam and Polar Wash say âNot suitable for soft top convertiblesâ - is that just a function of the use of a pressure washer, or does the roof react badly??
You would want to avoid pressure washing the soft top simply because the water will go through the single layer of canvas and you end up with a ver damp car! Itâs like a tent, in that respect. Itâs designed to cope with a certain amount of water pressure, called the hydrostatic head and, past that amount of âimpactâ rating, the water just goes through.
You donât have to avoid the ragtop to the extent of covering it, as itâll cope fine with the spray from the jet hitting nearby, but you donât want to have the jet land directly on the fabric. As far as I know, the fabric wouldnât mind the snow itself, just the pressure, so you can wipe it off as normal, though you may also want to invest in a specific softtop cleaning product to keep it in tip-top condition as well.
The soft top material is not just a single layer of âcanvasâ but a triple layer using a spun dyed acrylic outer layer for protection and good looks, a middle layer of usually butyl rubber mix for water proofing and an inner layer of acrylic fibre. These layers are bonded together under heat and pressure and under most normal conditions are fully water proof. A pressure washer on min pressure and from about 1m should not damage the material. A high pressure washer with a pressure nozzle can damage the outer acrylic layer. The outer acrylic layer should not be affected by most normal washing products but snow foam may contain some agents which could damage the acrylic, usually accelerated fading.
My son has his own business selling his own brand, high quality car detailing products (âSquid Inkâ). Heâs an ex club member. He has a soft top NB and snow foams it (and tries his products out on mine, too). He tells me whatever you use, itâs important to thoroughly rinse the soft top to avoid any chance of the product drying on it.
Snow Foam is usually TFR (Traffic Film Remover) so it will strip wax etc coating which need replacing afterwards.
So good for a good deep clean, but not regularly
I have it on good authority from my son, who produces his own brand detailing products, as above, that some good snow foams are ph neutral and will not strip wax like a TFR.
Yes thatâs why I put Usually âŚBuyer beware
I always snow foam my cars when washing. I am currently using Bilt Hamber snow foam and car wash. The snow foam is not PH neutral because its purpose is to remove the dirt and contaminants on the bodywork. Does it remove the wax? Not significantly, it certainly doesnât âstrip waxâ. What it does do is effectively remove contamination and dirt that would otherwise scratch the paint when washing.
I also use Meguireâs Ceramic Hybrid spray wax which is applied whilst the car is wet and more than replaces any wax removed by the snow foam.
Its well worth taking a look at the Forensic Detailing Channel on YouTube. Lots of good tips.
My son gives good advice, having personally tested all of his products (and produced product safety sheets for them), before putting them on sale. Quite a lot of them are tested on my cars!