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Post by Paulus17 on Jun 20, 2021 12:33:09 GMT
Well it's bought now so just hope that it is better quality and will last, if not i will be buying cheaper next time, but thanks for your help everyone much appreciated  Anyhoo we managed to wash the Rav this afternoon and get some wax back on it but i am paying for it now but it's done now. Next time hopefully i will be using the washer for the first time so that should be interesting having never used one before to wash a car  Just don’t mix you solution strong or have the dial on the Lance so the foam is thick. Or you’ll be stripping the wax again. 👍 OK Charlie i will try not to but summats bound to go wrong so will have plenty of practice runs first just to see how things work etc once the gun and foam arrives :TU: I have now unpacked the Nilfisk (as it is now fathers day) and it looks to be a smart bit of kit and as i say heavy but from the youtube vids i've watched that means good quality innards.? It does have big enough wheels to get down the front steps we have which is good and plenty of cable to reach the indoor socket. Instructions aren't very good but i have sorted most things out apart from one white plastic cap that i can't see where that goes or what it's for, it doesn't go on the supplied bottle/lance? So i am now looking forward to washing the Rav with it and our daughters cars  Think i'll show them how to use it once i can :yes: |
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Post by Paulus17 on Jun 23, 2021 11:52:01 GMT
Right so the foam gun and foam mix arrived to today, the gun is heavy and feels good quality and does fit the Nilfisk, just hope it doesn't leak when in use, so it's all systems go, just gotta wait for a decent day now to try it all out, or is it ok to do on a fairly hot day?
Can i put warm water in the bottle if it helps ?
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Post by charliefarlie on Jun 23, 2021 19:08:58 GMT
Right so the foam gun and foam mix arrived to today, the gun is heavy and feels good quality and does fit the Nilfisk, just hope it doesn't leak when in use, so it's all systems go, just gotta wait for a decent day now to try it all out, or is it ok to do on a fairly hot day? Can i put warm water in the bottle if it helps ? Warm water helps the snow foam shampoo and water mix. I don’t bother but it’s just fine to do it. In winter I run warm water through the pressure washer. Just make sure your machine can tolerate warm or hot water. You can foam and wash any time but avoid hot weather if you can. Or do a section or half of the car and towel dry to avoid spotting . |
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Post by Paulus17 on Jun 29, 2021 7:50:52 GMT
Thanks Charlie :TU: Interesting snow foam test HERE |
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Post by Paulus17 on Jun 30, 2021 18:55:54 GMT
Finally got around to trying the Nilfisk pressure washer out today for the first time and our eldest daughters car was the Guinea Pig, well a Vauxhall Astra. This car was put through the garage car wash a few weeks ago as she does go up and down the M6 on a regular basis so does get dirty quick. The car wash said it was waxed but i don't think there is much if any wax on at all? Anyhoo she said we could try it today so i did a trial run out the back garden first and cleaned a slab up as new, then tried it with the foam gun on but with just water in and that was all good no leaks. I then used an old strong plastic bottle to put some foam wash in so it would be easier to put in to the foam gun bottle. So oot the front we went. I put about 30mm of foam wash in the foam gun bottle and filled with warm water, but by the time we got around to washing i should think it had cooled down a lot. I started on the front wheel until i got what i thought was the right adjustments so as not to cover the driveway and the neighbours gardens, and once i was happy off i went covering the car in foam and was surprised that it was working, sticking to the car :yes: After about ten minutes i washed it off and once dried we could see the difference it had made, daughters happy and all the foam had gone off the driveway after about an hour so not sure if that's a good or bad sign? My only trouble was that i couldn't part the lance and then get the foam gun back off as it is a tight fit, my daughter had to pull while i twisted. Think i have enough left in the bottle to do another wash? All in all i am impressed and so was the Daughter and the Rav will be next in the queue after everyone elses now Putting the foam wash into a smaller bottle.  Before the wash. Back of the car  The foam on the car.  After five minutes of it been on the car  After the wash and it had dried. Back of the car.  The amount of wash left.  |
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Post by philip42h on Jul 1, 2021 8:17:32 GMT
That all seems about right. 30 mm Magifoam concentrate is sufficient to cover about two cars - maybe 3 if they are small ones and you accept a wetter foam; maybe only one and a half bigger SUVs that need a stronger mix to get the dirt off. 5L Magifoam from Autobrite themselves comes with a pump dispenser that replaces the cap on top and makes it easy to dispense the concentrate to the mixer bottle. I use around 5 or 6 'pumps' as a means to measure the necessary amount. (I don't bother to measure accurately since we inevitably need to adjust the mix slightly to suit the car and conditions.) And, yes, the Nilfisk connectors fit rather snugly and can be a bit tight to take apart, Keeping the connectors clean and a little soapy water as a lubricant seems to help ...  |
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Post by unclebob on Jul 1, 2021 11:49:00 GMT
You’ve got all the gear now …could almost start up a little cleaning business on the driveway 😉
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Post by Paulus17 on Jul 3, 2021 18:37:51 GMT
That all seems about right. 30 mm Magifoam concentrate is sufficient to cover about two cars - maybe 3 if they are small ones and you accept a wetter foam; maybe only one and a half bigger SUVs that need a stronger mix to get the dirt off. 5L Magifoam from Autobrite themselves comes with a pump dispenser that replaces the cap on top and makes it easy to dispense the concentrate to the mixer bottle. I use around 5 or 6 'pumps' as a means to measure the necessary amount. (I don't bother to measure accurately since we inevitably need to adjust the mix slightly to suit the car and conditions.) And, yes, the Nilfisk connectors fit rather snugly and can be a bit tight to take apart, Keeping the connectors clean and a little soapy water as a lubricant seems to help ... Thanks for that Philip i will order my next 5L from Autobrite and hopefully get the pump dispenser :TU: So if i put the suggested 2" in the gun i will actually use less of the foam and it will give a better clean? |
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Post by Paulus17 on Jul 3, 2021 18:38:33 GMT
You’ve got all the gear now …could almost start up a little cleaning business on the driveway 😉 All the gear and no idea Bob |
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Post by unclebob on Jul 3, 2021 18:43:38 GMT
You’ve got all the gear now …could almost start up a little cleaning business on the driveway 😉 All the gear and no idea Bob I’ve got a polisher like that …no idea how to use it 🤔 |
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Post by charliefarlie on Jul 3, 2021 20:19:45 GMT
All the gear and no idea Bob I’ve got a polisher like that …no idea how to use it 🤔 Popped to see a mate today who has just bought an Audi S8 the one with the V10 Lamborghini engine. Blimey is that one huuuuge car !!!! He asked me if I fancied polishing it ….😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂 No way matey no way…. |
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Post by philip42h on Jul 4, 2021 8:13:10 GMT
That all seems about right. 30 mm Magifoam concentrate is sufficient to cover about two cars - maybe 3 if they are small ones and you accept a wetter foam; maybe only one and a half bigger SUVs that need a stronger mix to get the dirt off. 5L Magifoam from Autobrite themselves comes with a pump dispenser that replaces the cap on top and makes it easy to dispense the concentrate to the mixer bottle. I use around 5 or 6 'pumps' as a means to measure the necessary amount. (I don't bother to measure accurately since we inevitably need to adjust the mix slightly to suit the car and conditions.) And, yes, the Nilfisk connectors fit rather snugly and can be a bit tight to take apart, Keeping the connectors clean and a little soapy water as a lubricant seems to help ... Thanks for that Philip i will order my next 5L from Autobrite and hopefully get the pump dispenser So if i put the suggested 2" in the gun i will actually use less of the foam and it will give a better clean? Er, no ... you can put anywhere between 1" and 2" of concentrate into the bottle and make that up to 1L with water. You then need to use the knob on the top of the gun to adjust the mix of water flowing through the washer and Magifoam solution picked-up from the bottle to get the right / desired consistency of foam. There's a reasonable amount of latitude in the adjustment provided by the knob provided that the mix in the bottle is neither excessively strong or ridiculously weak. Assuming that you can get the adjustment broadly right, then the amount of Magifoam concentrate that you use per can will depend on the size of the car, the hardness of your water, how dirty the car is and, maybe, the temperature but NOT the precise strength of the mix in the bottle. |
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Post by charliefarlie on Jul 4, 2021 10:41:54 GMT
The main thing that determines the results of touchless washing using snow foam is the surface of the car.
If it’s been polished and waxed little will stick to it of which 95% + will wash off using snow foam and a power wash off. If the surface is poor the end result will be poor.
We do not want thick foam we want a weak foam…. All I see when folk including detailers showing off is thick foam which is the opposite of what’s required. All it does is strip wax and waste product.
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Post by Paulus17 on Jul 6, 2021 7:58:07 GMT
Thanks for that Philip i will order my next 5L from Autobrite and hopefully get the pump dispenser So if i put the suggested 2" in the gun i will actually use less of the foam and it will give a better clean? Er, no ... you can put anywhere between 1" and 2" of concentrate into the bottle and make that up to 1L with water. You then need to use the knob on the top of the gun to adjust the mix of water flowing through the washer and Magifoam solution picked-up from the bottle to get the right / desired consistency of foam. There's a reasonable amount of latitude in the adjustment provided by the knob provided that the mix in the bottle is neither excessively strong or ridiculously weak. Assuming that you can get the adjustment broadly right, then the amount of Magifoam concentrate that you use per can will depend on the size of the car, the hardness of your water, how dirty the car is and, maybe, the temperature but NOT the precise strength of the mix in the bottle. OK thanks Philip i will try the two inches of solution next time when i do the Rav and see how i get on then :TU: Also how long will what i have left in the gun last as i haven't had a chance to use up what was left over? |
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