Foam Gun: Necessary?
 

For all those people out there who wash and maintain their cars on their own, do you find this to be a necessity in washing your car on a regular basis?

I'm beginning to assemble an arsenal of products for the upkeep of the exterior, but trying not to go overboard. Thus, seeing what items are necessary and what isn't.

Any recommendation for or against foam guns, and certain brands?

I'm in the same boat. I just placed a big order on Auto Geek but left out the foam gun. I did see someone use a Miracle Grow sprayer as a make shift foam gun on one of these forums.

I'm the one that uses the miracle grow sprayer and must say that it works great. It's not high pressure, which could cause damage, but sprays on very nicely. And only $10. Worth trying anyway.:happyanim:

I bought this foam gun and love it. It's the cheaper version, but I like the big adjustment wheel on top, and I remember reading that the more expensive version also has weak plastic connectors instead of brass.

[ame="http://www.amazon.com/Gilmour-95QGFMR-Foamaster-Cleaning-Sprayer/dp/B000Y190WE/"]Amazon.com: Gilmour 95QGFMR Foamaster II Cleaning Sprayer: Patio, Lawn & Garden[/ame]

No more bucket. I just spray off my mitt.

I have the same one. For $30 it's worth it.

I'm not sure exactly which "more expensive version" of that gun you're talking about, but I recently got this one [ame="http://www.amazon.com/Gilmour-75QGFMR-Foamaster-Adjustable-Cleaning/dp/B000XTH1GY/"]Amazon.com: Gilmour 75QGFMR Foamaster Adjustable Multi Ratio Cleaning Gun: Patio, Lawn & Garden[/ame] and it definitely has brass fittings, not weak plastic connectors.

How much soap do you need for one wash and how long can you spray for until you run out X amount of soap?

Can't remember where I read it, but that's good to hear. So is yours a fixed-ratio gun? The top of it does look nice and streamlined, but I wonder why it costs a few bucks more when it's missing that feature. I notice it has better reviews (slightly) than mine too.

Does yours leak slowly if it's upside down? Mine does.

One nice thing about variable ratio is you don't need to worry about getting an exact mix of soap:water in the bottle. And I can do 0 soap / 100% water without disconnecting (though the pressure isn't as good)

I was actually eyeing the Miracle Grow when I was at Home Depot on the way home. I might give it a try here soon.

I was actually there picking up a new pressure washer and noticed in the aisle they had a foam cannon attachment for $18. I don't know how well it would work but it might be worth looking into for some of you that have pressure washers.

I just got mine this past weekend, and haven't used it much yet, but it has a sliding brass valve on the top with five different settings (six if you count the 0 soap setting). I'll post back after I've had a chance to use it more this weekend.

Still playing around with it, but with my Gilmour foam gun today when I was washing our Forester XT, I put 1 cup of Meguiars Crystal Car Wash in the container on the foam gun, then filled it the rest of the way up with water (another 4 cups). I started out on setting 2 of 5, but spent most of my time on setting 3, the middle setting. Worked pretty well, although it will take a little time to perfect my technique with the foam gun, microfiber mit, and fireman's type hose nozzle.

If turned upside down the mixture will come out of mine too, there is a hole near the top of the brass fitting that allows the soap mixture to come out if inverted, it appears to be there by design. Wasn't a problem since I never turned it upside down (except to check what would happen).

Alright, this is great news. What type of soap are you using with these guns then? Anything special or Meguiars, etc.

That is a LOT of soap! I've not finished off my last 64oz car wash, some turtle wax stuff, in nearly 10 years of washing between 3-4 cars at least 8 times a year each. Got a 128oz container of ONR just waiting to be opened. :) Should last till I'm 90 or so!

Yeah, it was too much. First time using the foam gun, I figured I'd rather err on the side of too much soap than not enough. I still had about 1/4 of the mixture left over when I was done. I'll probably use half as much next time, and keep going down from there. Are you using that little of soap in 10 years with a foam gun or conventional washing?