Knowing What Shampoo?

[FISHERWERKE]

Hello everyone,

 

I'm very new to the foam gun/cannon approach to washing. How do I know what foam to use? Guessing a lot of it has to do with how dirty the vehicle is and what the plan after washing is? I'll use my wife's car as an example. She has a Salsa Red 2009 Beetle that we take really good care of but she is bad about washing it and I have been as well since we have had incredibly busy schedules. Now that things are slowing down I want to take pride in the cleanliness of our vehicles again like I used to. So this car was professionally detailed about a year ago. Since then it has only been hand washed a small number of times and driven through the dreaded auto washes once every week or so. What should I use on this? The strip foam? Or since its been quite a while just a standard foam. It does not have any fading and I do not think it really needs much for correction. It looks fantastic when clean still. Maybe use my finishing polish then buttery wax? Or just foam it then wax? Something different all together?

 

Thank you!

[RayS]

6 hours ago, FISHERWERKE said:

Hello everyone,

 

I'm very new to the foam gun/cannon approach to washing. How do I know what foam to use? Guessing a lot of it has to do with how dirty the vehicle is and what the plan after washing is? I'll use my wife's car as an example. She has a Salsa Red 2009 Beetle that we take really good care of but she is bad about washing it and I have been as well since we have had incredibly busy schedules. Now that things are slowing down I want to take pride in the cleanliness of our vehicles again like I used to. So this car was professionally detailed about a year ago. Since then it has only been hand washed a small number of times and driven through the dreaded auto washes once every week or so. What should I use on this? The strip foam? Or since its been quite a while just a standard foam. It does not have any fading and I do not think it really needs much for correction. It looks fantastic when clean still. Maybe use my finishing polish then buttery wax? Or just foam it then wax? Something different all together?

 

Thank you!

There are few choices when it comes to the Optimal Shampoo to use and some it comes down to your personal preference.   I've used Regular Shampoo, Ultra, Wash & Wax, Strip Wash and most recently the Ceramic based Wash + Coat, all with a Foam Gun.   I do not have any of the Mega Shampoo, so I can't provide any feedback on that.  The most commonly used ones are the regular shampoo and Ultra.  There is a price difference between them, but the about of product needed is also different, so I think it works out to be about the same cost.

 

As for a preference, I like the Ultra better - why, because I prefer the smell and that is the only justification that I can give for it.    The Wash & Wash came in a Mystery Bucket, it works just fine, I doubt I'll buy it again, but I tend to keep my vehicles exceptionally clean and well waxed.  The Strip Wash works very good when you get a vehicle that needs everything removed.  There are also other methods to perform a strip wash, so it isn't absolutely necessary.  Finally, the Wash + Coat works beautifully on the vehicles with Ceramic Paste Wax.

 

Hope that helps clarify the options and usages models.

[DonJuan692006]

To add, it also depends on what you have planned. If you're wanting to start over and make sure that you have any other coatings removed (aside from ceramic) then go with the strip wash. 

 

Maintenance wash on a traditionally coated vehicle, Wash and Wax is my go-to.

 

Maintenance wash for a vehicle getting a fresh coat of existing top coat (e.g. reapplying wax) then you can't go wrong with Car Shampoo, Ultra Foam, or Mega.

 

Having tried them all, Mega is my favorite. Less because of it foaming more than the others but more because it clings much better. You'll really see the difference on a coated vehicle. The others will slide off pretty quickly while Mega tends to stay in place.

Edited August 24, 2019 by DonJuan692006