The Problem:
When your car is dirty it is usually covered in small particles of dirt and hard grit. As you wash your car these particles are often dragged along leaving hideous scratches that are visible in sunlight. Many people choose to pre-wash their car for this reason. Without some form of pre-wash, there will doubtlessly be some form of damage caused to your vehicle and this is a mistake that can easily be avoided.
The pre-wash process simply removes the dirt and grit from the surface of the car before the actual wash begins. There may also be chemicals coming from the surface paint that can be washed away in the pre-wash which is an added benefit. The idea is to soften the grit and dirt and remove as much as possible of the larger pieces before the main washing process begins. Bug remains and bird droppings on the windshield particularly but all other surfaces too will be removed in this way along with the surface grit and grime. Once as much of this matter as possible is removed in a pre-wash the risk of scratches and swirl marks is greatly reduced.
One way of carrying out the pre-wash is to take a hose or pressure washer and carefully rinse the car from top to bottom. The key areas to focus on are of course the gaps in the panels, wheel wells and any other area where it is likely dirt will gather and be caught. These areas should be rinsed out robustly as they are in most cases the worst affected. This is what most of us are doing. However it's not good enough, it's just water after all.
The Best Solution:
There is another even better method of pre-wash, and this is to use a pre-soak foam which is known as snow foam. This method utilises a foam lance (or cannon) which attaches to your pressure washer to produce a film of foam to spray all over your car’s surface. The snow foam lance sprays the foam to dwell and soften all dirt and particles, in a matter of minutes. It is a wonderful and time effective method and our snow foam lance is a perfect example.
The snow foam is a pre-wash agent and not a wash agent. The actual car washing will take place after the foam has been washed away. This makes it different from car shampoo, which also tends to be more expensive and can leave streaks on the car surface as it dries out. The foam produced by the snow foam lance attaches to the car surface coating it in a film of foam which helps soften and remove dirt particles and leads to an easier and safer wash after the foam is rinsed away. It is an excellent method and by far the most efficient pre-wash available.
Buy your snow foam cannon here.
Make sure to read up on our adapter guide to select the correct unit.