I recently purchased the foam gun package from Phil at Detailer's Domain. I finally got around to using it today on my Brabus B55. Here are my honest and objective impressions.

First of all, Phil shipped the package out the same day I ordered it. Thanks Phil! I would have appreciated a 3-day option for shipping though. Phil only offers 2-Day, Express or Ground. The difference in price between 2-Day and Ground is nearly 3 times. From NJ to So Cal it is a solid 7-days to get a ground package. So, a 3-day option would be much appreciated.

Now on to the review.

Assembly was a snap but there was one part - a "deflector" - that was not well accounted for in the flimsy instructions. I had to come to the forum to get info on it.

I did not want to do the no-dilution method on the first use. So I filled the bottle with about 2 ounces of Adam's and then about 3/4 of the way with water. I set it to the C setting and let her rip.

I have good water pressure in my hoses so it came out just like I expected. It quickly covered the car in suds. Then I did as the instructional video Phil sent me said and I kept spraying as I washed the car with a sheepskin mit.

During the wash I had a couple of things happen that alarmed me a bit. First, I was just continuously stressing about all the suds I was creating. Maybe this is just my OCD kicking in but my whole driveway was covered in thick white suds. This may not be a problem for others but it freaked me out a bit. It seemed wasteful and not very efficient. Second, when I went to dry the car, I had an odd residue that was hard to remove. It took a lot more work to dry the car as well. This may have been because of the inevitably high concentration of wash solution that must be used. Finally, the suds I first sprayed on the car dried before I could get back around to them with the wash mit. I really felt like I had to rush so that the suds didn't dry on the paint. It was a good workout but that's not why I detail the car.

Once I got all done the car did look great. But was it because of the foam gun? Probably not. I am just not entirely sure what the advantage of using it is. It wasn't that much quicker than the old 2-bucket method. I think I just moved a lot faster so that the suds didn't dry! Also, it consumes an incredibly large amount of soap. I am not the most cost-conscious guy in the world. But I hate waste and I just felt like I was using an unnecessarily large amount of product. But to be completely fair, Phil warned us all about this drawback.

One thing I will say, I love the Gilmour brass fittings (quick connect and shut-off valve) that Phil put in the package. The only complaint there is that I found the same fittings cheaper at my local Lowes. In the case of the quick connect set, Lowes had it for nearly half the price! Phil charges $9.99 and Lowes has it for $5.88. Also, Lowes sells just the male quick connect piece by itself for $3.00. Once you have the female end in your hose, you really only need the male ends to hook up your different hose heads (e.g., the fireman's hose that comes in the package) and the foam gun. Basically, you only need 1 female fitting to go in your hose, and then a male connector for each attachment. Phil only sells the set that gives you a bunch of unnecessary female hose connectors. Note: I was a plumber for years and this is technical speak - not sexism or ****.

Overall my first use of the foam gun scores a 6/10. I am sure that if I get better at using it I will have better results. But it isn't going to change the amount of soap I must use or the drying problem.

Of course, any suggestions on how I might improve my experience are welcome and appreciated!

EDIT: For some reason the site freaked out and posted this three times. Even stranger is that it won't let me delete the extra posts! Kind of crazy. I would email a moderator or admin and ask them to delete the extra posts, but I have neve been able to raise one in the past on 6Speed for any reason. Please ignore the other posts with this same title.

 

Thanks for the honest review of the product Barrister.
I was thinking of grabbing one of these, but the soap issue worried me, and I don't think it would really make my washing the car truly 60 bucks easier...

 

No problem. It may have been user error. I admit that it was my first time so I am not the best at using the product. But I certainly didn't think it made it easier at all. And - most importantly - it didn't do any better a job than the standard 2-bucket method. I probably won't give up on it yet - seeing as I have already invested time and money into it. After the first use my I am feeling buyer's remorse. If I get any better results, I will definitely post them.

It won't be getting used on the Turbo any time soon . . .

Not to hijack my own thread but . . . Are you looking forward to the F1 race from Silverstone next weekend? How about Bernie leaving the U.S. off the provisional schedule for 2009? I was very disappointed. I hope Lewis makes a big comeback this week. He really needs it.

 

Great writeup Dana. I've seen the video as well and the foam gun looks like a good tool. I've used it a few times and the only plus I see is it's an excellent pre-soak. By pre-soaking, you loosen all the dirt and flush it off with water. Then you start the wash routine with either the 2-bucket method or 1 bucket and the wash-rinse-rinse method I'm accustumed to. I only worry about the use of the foam gun taking the place of a wash bucket. You SHOULD NOT spray the whole care down and begin washing the exterior in one step with a mitt. You will be running the risk of scratching the finish and creating micro-scratches and micro-swirls.

 

Moe here is a write up I did on the foam gun that illustrates what you mentioned. I put this together quite a while ago for my local bmw club that i am an advertiser for.

http://www.bmwpugetsound.com/vbb/sho...eferrerid=6745

Most importantly it will show you that a good foam gun procedure will presoak a panel, and you will pre-soak the mitt. Rinse in the rinse bucket, and then presoak the next panel, and the mitt yet again.

For what it is worth, I wrote this long before I purchased From Phil. So no it is not phil under a different name.

 

Thanks again for clarifying your issues, it's deifinitely good to have a unbiased and respectable opinion. I agree with what both you and Moe said in terms of the two bucket still being a still a great method, cant beat whats tried and tested all that easily I guess.
I think I will stick with it as I don't really have the spare cash for a 60 dollar tool to blow through my soap as a pre-soak.
The 2-bucket thing has really never failed me or anything, but the foam gun looked like a lot of fun so like a three-year-old, I wanted to play with it.


Don't want to hijack your thread either, but you started it, haha...
I am definitely looking forward to Silverstone, one of my favorite tracks by far and Hammy is at home now...and as results have showed, he's loving it so far.
I missed last weeks French GP cause I was traveling all weekend. I used f1live to keep updated, but it's no substitute for actually watching.
I have to give kudos to Kovalainen for redeeming himself after the 5 spot penalty and scrambling back from a 10th grid start. Hamilton sadly couldn't make up the 10 spot. Oh well, this upcoming race looks good for him, I think he'll do very well.

Bernie is disappointing me as well, after no US stop since Indy in 07, I'm gettin a bit antsy as I think I can actually make it out to a race as long as it's close to me like Indy was...so that was definitely sad. Let hope Bernie has a change of heart...

 

Nice review Barrister!! I also have the same concern where the suds that was first sprayed in the car drying before you get to washing it. I thought it would make the process a whole lot faster but apparently, it doesn't seem like it.

Mind sharing the video Phil sent?

Thanks!

 

Thanks for the review.

-D