Does anyone pre-soak vehicles?

2StepsAhead

New member
I saw a few threads with people pre-soaking vehicles with "citrus cleaner" and then foaming the car. Just wondering what people use to pre-soak a car to break up bugs/tar/whatever (besides a little spray bug & tar remover like bug squah/long haul/etc) before using a real car wash and foam gun combo. I see Meguiars has Body Solvent that sounds like it fits the bill.
 
I do it with Tarminator (mostly tar) or diluted APC (mostly bugs) and pressure wash off. This is only for cars that are getting polished - I wouldnt use a P/W on a dirty car otherwise.
 
I use the foam as a pre-wash. If bugs are present I will add some PB's bug squash to the mix.
 
I use PB bug squash as a pre rinse ( the entire car ) on most of my customers . a little pressure washer rinse and it really sets me up nice for my ONR wash to follow. if the car is on the cleaner side I do not use the prewash but how many times does a customer bring it to you in that condition LOL !
 
I suspect this will depend on where you are as some parts of the US are probably too dry and hot to let anything dwell on the paint?



Here in the UK we tend to use either snow foam via a Gilmour or Foam Lance, or (in my case) I use a 2L Pressure Sprayer (I assume you call them the same in the US, the things you screw closed and pump up) filled with mild bulk shampoo/warm water mix, spray it on the car, leave it five minutes or so whilst I do the first couple of wheels and then rinse it off.



Works a treat, I think the trick is to let the dirt soak rather than rely on harsh chemicals doing the job quickly.
 
Its not too terribly hot, but sometimes I get cars that are covered in grime that is hard to get off, rather then spot treat almost the entire car with something kinda pricey per ounce I was wondering if there was stuff I could just foam the car with and let it dwell and then re-foam with my actual car wash.



I saw a few people in click and brag talking about soaking the car in some sort of citrus cleaner and then using their car wash, but I don't see a brand or name of the product.
 
Not to be a pain but what the heck does NRWS stand for. I think stupidity is setting in or could it be alzheimer's?



Thanks in advance,

Ken
 
2StepsAhead said:
Its not too terribly hot, but sometimes I get cars that are covered in grime that is hard to get off, rather then spot treat almost the entire car with something kinda pricey per ounce I was wondering if there was stuff I could just foam the car with and let it dwell and then re-foam with my actual car wash.



I saw a few people in click and brag talking about soaking the car in some sort of citrus cleaner and then using their car wash, but I don't see a brand or name of the product.



You could try Chemical Guys Citrus Wash and Gloss. Mixed 1/2 oz. to 2 gallons of water it makes a wash solution. Mixed 2 oz. to 1 gallon of water it makes a surface cleanser and degreaser. I haven't tried it yet myself but I've read good things about it. Good enough that there's a gallon sitting next to me just waiting to be used.



Mike
 
I simply pre-soak the front end with either BS or S&W for a few minutes, then spray down the car with the hose. Any remaining bugs or other tuff stuff after the wash I hit with S&W before QD'ing or Z8'ing.
 
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