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Snow Foam

Claying, polishing, waxing... share your secrets in here.
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M1k3yC
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Snow Foam

Post by M1k3yC » Mon Aug 09, 2021 6:21 pm

I don't have a soft top Z4, but I have a Mk 4 MX-5. I'm not concerned about snow foaming the top, but I do turn down the pressure on my Kranzle before I rinse it. Mazda provides quite a bit of guidance on care of the soft top in the owner's manual, for example:
Gently clean the convertible top with a synthetic neutral detergent, lots of water, and a soft brush.
Automatic and high-pressure car washes are harmful to a convertible top. Avoid them.
Some leather treatment products can ruin the convertible top's gloss. Be careful of the one you choose. Test on an inconspicuous, small corner of the convertible top if you are not sure.
Do not wipe the convertible top using alcohol, chlorine bleach, or organic solvents such as thinner, benzene, or petrol. Otherwise, they may cause discolouration or stains.
Do not get any car wax on the convertible top. If you do, remove it with a good leather cleaner or mild detergent (about 5% solution).
You could argue it's mostly common sense, and I assume it's applicable to other soft tops made of the same material.

The results you get from snow foam depend on what else is on your paintwork protecting it and how dirty the car was to begin with. Anything you can shift is a benefit because it won't get caught in your mitt at the contact wash stage. Avoid the temptation to bring the pressure washer closer to the paintwork to try and shift more dirt - you don't want to force water into places that it shouldn't be.
2022 Hyundai Kona N - greyhound transport
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DPG
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Snow Foam

Post by DPG » Wed Aug 11, 2021 7:21 am

I used autobrite and the foam is always quite thick when applied. I don’t pressure wash before though
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idej_z4
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Snow Foam

Post by idej_z4 » Wed Aug 11, 2021 7:56 am

TheDan wrote: Mon Aug 09, 2021 4:44 pm Maybe expecting too much, but I see so many photos of other people's experiences with snow foam and it just seems so much more successful than mine.

I do pressure wash -> snow foam -> pressure wash -> two bucket wash -> pressure wash -> microfibre dry.

But the main problem I have is when I go to two bucket wash, there is still loads of contaminants on the surface of the car which will just scratch up the paint when I come to wash it with mitts.
If you're not a fan of the snow foam have you tried Auto Finesse citrus power? Does the same sort of thing and is a prewash. You just spray directly on the car, leave to dwell and then rinse. I use it on the front bumper for all the roadkill. :thumbsup:

NCN35i
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Snow Foam

Post by NCN35i » Sat Aug 28, 2021 12:12 pm

I used to use bolt hammer on my mx5, and while the cleaning power of it was great I felt it really didn’t foam well, since ceramic coating my Z I’ve been using valet pro formula 1 snow foam and it’s excellent, not as aggressive so it foams more, really cheap think I paid £25 for 5L of the stuff. This is with a cheapo eBay foam cannon I’ve had for 3 years and my karcher K4 pressure washer.
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Benderloch
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Snow Foam

Post by Benderloch » Mon Aug 30, 2021 6:21 pm

Tried a few and Bilt Hamber is the best for me. The new contactless is not worth the extra cost in my opinion.
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