Black Streaks ? .. what Black Streaks (1 Viewer)

[scotjimland]

Van hasn't been washed for ages and in preparation for going away decide to give it a good wash.. but what about the dreaded black streaks.. I could see them at the corners of every window, everywhere rain water runs off .. oh how I hate them..

Recently I bought a foam lance and Cherry snow foam that had worked great on the car but didn't think the foam on it's own would do the trick on the van ... so decided to try the Cherry Snow foam in a bucket and use a car washing brush..

So, large bucket , a good splash of the cherry snow foam and another splash off regular car wash.. very scientific..

I started to wash with the brush, small section at a time.. at first I thought it wasn't taking the streaks off.. but after a few minutes of being wet they brushed of.. hardly any effort.. rinse off with fresh water .. my 'assistant' did the drying with a micro-fibre cloth and she was quiet amazed how clean the van came up.

Would the foam work on it's own without brushing.. probably.. maybe next time when it's not so dirty..

Cherry snow foam from this eBay supplier .. http://www.ebay.co.uk/usr/ukvaletsupplies?_trksid=p2057872.m2749.l2754

 

[Brian and Jo]

Just remember Jim black streaks are always better than brown streaks
Brian & Jo

 

[Charlie]

Please take care when using snow-foam other than through a lance
When snow foam is delivered through a lance there is only a tiny wee amount in its ratio to the water forced under pressure through that lance.
The ratio of snow foam to water must be minimal as snow foam is actually quite a strong and aggressive product. Used correctly in its intended ratio its one of the top 5 best inventions in detailing !

When using a lance its the water pressure being forced though the gauze in the lance after drawing on the foam from the bottle that gives the foam. We should really have the setting on the lance turned right down. OK you wont get a thick blanket of foam over the vehicle but that is not required. To much foam = wasted product and the very important bit is it will strip wax or sealants in no time at all.

Using this product in a bucket like shampoo risks stripping the wax or sealants.

When we clean a vehicle using a lance its a fair bet we rinse off or power-wash off straight away. I mean we have the PW set up dont we ? This will remove all of the snow foam from the vehicle. It is essential to remove all of it or the ingredients in it can cause heavy spotting at best or degradation at worst. We had a member here not long ago who had a MH cleaned at a show and the foam was allowed to dry and seemingly it was way to strong anyway.

Take care how you use these products .

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[scotjimland]

thanks Charlie.. noted.

 

[My Dog Likes Fishing]

Should never use a pressure washer on your van. Motorhome and caravan repairers love them. They force water through and break seals. Especially older seals.

 

[dabhand]

Wash and wax, then a wipe with a micro fibre cloth seems to do the trick for me (after trying almost everything else)!

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[scotjimland]

Wash and wax,

Wax.. ???

I'm a 'wash it once a year man'.. whether it needs it or not.. can't be doing with all this 'detailing' .. that's for pussies..

it's only going to get dirty again..

 

[dabhand]

It's in with the shampoo! Wax my arse! Oo no, that might hurt!

 

[Bailey58]

Used on a wide fan I'm happy using a pressure to rinse off after washing. More problematic for me is that apart from the first time I used it after @Charlie's original thread I can't get my Cherry to foam. It does provide a thin wash which, as said, is probably all that's needed but I would like to see a thicker solution on the car occasionally. I put an eggcup full in the litre bottle plus a similar amount of Triplewax Carplan which I seem to remember someone suggesting at the time. What am I doing wrong?

Oh and just seeing Jim's post I tend to agree on washing. Once after the winter to get the green off, once before we go away and once before a service and hab check.

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[scotjimland]

It's in with the shampoo! Wax my arse! Oo no, that might hurt!

phewwwww.. what a relief..

in that case.. I have waxed it ..

 

[scotjimland]

I put an eggcup full in the litre bottle plus a similar amount of Triplewax Carplan

When using the foam lance on the car I used quite a bit more than that.. about an inch of cherry foam and a splash of car washing liquid..

it foamed up like a snow blizzard..

 

[Charlie]

Should never use a pressure washer on your van. Motorhome and caravan repairers love them. They force water through and break seals. Especially older seals.

A slow car is hyper dangerous in the wrong hands. Used with a bit of common sense and care a power washer is completely safe !

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[Charlie]

Used on a wide fan I'm happy using a pressure to rinse off after washing. More problematic for me is that apart from the first time I used it after @Charlie's original thread I can't get my Cherry to foam. It does provide a thin wash which, as said, is probably all that's needed but I would like to see a thicker solution on the car occasionally. I put an eggcup full in the litre bottle plus a similar amount of Triplewax Carplan which I seem to remember someone suggesting at the time. What am I doing wrong?

Oh and just seeing Jim's post I tend to agree on washing. Once after the winter to get the green off, once before we go away and once before a service and hab check.

Lets start again re snow foam ratios.

Take the lance bottle and add 1.5 to 2 inches of foam. Add a dash of shampoo then fill to the top with warm water. Warm water will aid the two products mixing.

Set the mixture rotational knob on the top of the lance to minimum. Then spray the van.

The mix should never be too thick. If it is you either have to much product in the bottle or the mix knob needs turning down. To much foam = your wax going down the drain.

You should be able to thicken the foam by turning said knob. I do this for under arches and on the wheels. If you cannot get thicker foam on demand then the lance needs stripping and cleaning. There is a guide in the detailing section on how to do it. It really is simple and a regular clean makes the lance work like new again.

HTH.

 

[FJmike]

Should never use a pressure washer on your van. Motorhome and caravan repairers love them. They force water through and break seals. Especially older seals.

There is nothing wrong with using a pressure washer as long as a few steps are followed
Low pressure
Wide fan of water
Keep the lance moving
If you follow the above you will not damage seals or force water in. If you can't adjust the fan width don't use it on your van. Manufacturers advise against the use of pressure washers because there are a lot of machines that are positively lethal and others with aggressive lances made for washing patios, so it's easier to lump all pressure washers together.

 

[DBK]

Used on a wide fan I'm happy using a pressure to rinse off after washing. More problematic for me is that apart from the first time I used it after @Charlie's original thread I can't get my Cherry to foam. It does provide a thin wash which, as said, is probably all that's needed but I would like to see a thicker solution on the car occasionally. I put an eggcup full in the litre bottle plus a similar amount of Triplewax Carplan which I seem to remember someone suggesting at the time. What am I doing wrong?

Oh and just seeing Jim's post I tend to agree on washing. Once after the winter to get the green off, once before we go away and once before a service and hab check.

If you can't get it to foam you might find the gun is blocked with wax, this happened every time after I had used mine, even though I was sure I had thoroughly rinsed it out.

To clear it, assuming you have the one with brass fittings, you need to take a spanner to the nut below the mixing knob and unscrew it so you can withdraw the needle. Wash everything with hot water until you can blow through the clear pipe which goes into the bottle.

In my experience, even with a Collonite waxed vehicle the foam on its own doesn't remove black streaks but they are a lot easier to remove with a clean sponge after foaming, but this may be because I only have cheapie pressure washer which lacks oomph.

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[Bailey58]

Thanks I'll try that, it makes sense given the wax in the mix and the fact it foamed when new.

 

[Charlie]

If you can't get it to foam you might find the gun is blocked with wax, this happened every time after I had used mine, even though I was sure I had thoroughly rinsed it out.

To clear it, assuming you have the one with brass fittings, you need to take a spanner to the nut below the mixing knob and unscrew it so you can withdraw the needle. Wash everything with hot water until you can blow through the clear pipe which goes into the bottle.

In my experience, even with a Collonite waxed vehicle the foam on its own doesn't remove black streaks but they are a lot easier to remove with a clean sponge after foaming, but this may be because I only have cheapie pressure washer which lacks oomph.

Its the preparation before wax that dictates whether or not black streaks will appear and stick.

To get a perfect surface and remember Im not suggesting anyone does this we need to smooth the paint or panel before wax.

One way to achieve the required surface is to clay it. Clay will remove all the muck and bonded contaminants from the panels like no other product out there.

Once clayed you will feel the difference immediately you really will ! It will feel slicker than you will believe.

You can then add wax to this super smooth surface and the black streaks will be few if any.

Think of it this way.

If we are painting at home say a door we sand it with a light sandpaper to give paint a key. So we set up an unsmooth surface so paint sticks. On our vehicles we want the opposite. IE no key in fact just the opposite.

Wax helps without the above no doubts at all ! But waxing a surface that is not smooth means the muck that is black streaks will hold onto the surface wax or no wax.

If I am preparing a car for a Concours show I go through a set of stages that would make your eyes bleed .. The whole detail to just the paint on a biggish car like say an Aston can take several days. Mad yes but that's what perfectionists demand !

To clay a van like our PVC would take 4 hours max. Then to wax it another four hours. I get no black streaks on our van. The surface is to slick and well waxed for that.

I guess its how far we want to go ! Some of the daft uns like me actually enjoy the process. That said I have less inclination these days.

 

[scotjimland]

Some of the daft uns like me actually enjoy the process. That said I have less inclination these days.

10 or maybe 20 years ago I also 'enjoyed' the process... spend all weekend cleaning and polishing..

but nowadays it's just a chore.. and spend a lot more time inside.. love it sparking and clean..

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[Charlie]

See the link below for details on how to look after the foam lance

http://www.motorhomefun.co.uk/forum/threads/charlie-guide-to-maintaining-the-snow-foam-lance.119495/

 

[makems]

It's in with the shampoo! Wax my arse! Oo no, that might hurt!

Back, sack and crack

 

[shawn&emma]

We've been in Portugal since December, washed the van when we arrived and even with all the rain since then there's not a single black streak to be seen.

So there's your answer, if you don't want streaks go somewhere the airs cleaner.

Shawn.

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