dmd2005
Active Member
Best thing is no swirls or scratches when drying your car. Wear ear protection because when the air hits corners or angles it get really loud even though the machine itself is about loud as a central vacuum.
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Foam Cannon + Pressure Washer...that all i need?
- Thread starter bigroo42
- Start date
Best thing is no swirls or scratches when drying your car. Wear ear protection because when the air hits corners or angles it get really loud even though the machine itself is about loud as a central vacuum.
Burrito
Member
How long would you say the buddy takes to dry the Tesla. I use my ego leaf blower now and it’s takes me about 5-7 minutes on my ceramic coated car. I would consider the buddy since then leaf blower is annoying to use given its size. What advantage does the mini have over the buddy?
dmd2005
Active Member
The obvious advantage of the mini or Pro dryers are the air volume moved and faster time in drying. It’s like a good pressure washer that uses a greater volume of water vs less water. Don’t look at just the speeds of the unit, you want speed and volume.
The hose is lighter than holding the Buddy canister and nozzle which is a bit bulky in getting real close to certain areas like the door hinges or around the channels and seals with the frunk or trunk open. The hose is lightweight to maneuver around.
The Bigboi Pro unit comes with wheels while the Mini doesn’t, but could be bought separately.
The hose is designed so that it shrinks to 1/2 it’s length when the unit is not on and expands to 11.5 feet when air is flowing through so it’s easy to store.
I keep my Buddy in the garage and use it after I go through a touchless carwash near my house and I come home to dry behind the side mirrors, wheels, and especially the door handles.
The Buddy would take 10 mins to dry a Model 3 and the Pro/Mini would be 5-10mins depending on how thorough and dry you want the car. Probably quicker drying times if you have a sealant or coating. The heated air from the units is a nice feature in the winter as well.
Pic of the Pro beside the Buddy and a pint sized bottle of Beadmaker.
Attachments
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This.
Get a DI filter and put in line before your pressure washer
Rinse, foam cannon, wipe (or not, if you want touchless), rinse, done.
The DI water droplets evaporate without leaving spots. Quick and easy, minimal elbow grease
jebinc
Well-Known Member
Just ordered the Harbor Freight pressure washer for $76.99 online. Today is the last day at that price.
1750 PSI 1.3 GPM Electric Pressure Washer
seattlite2004
Active Member
jebinc
Well-Known Member
$450+ for 400 gal of clean water. Figure 20 gal per wash, so that's about 20 washes out of those resin canisters, or about $22.50 per wash for clean water. I'll stick with the microfiber towels for drying. I'm not sure what the resin canisters cost to refill or replace, but I can't imagine it being much less expensive. What do I have wrong? Perhaps the # of gal used per wash?
jebinc
Well-Known Member
Has anyone used Meguiar's Carnuba Wash (sold at Costco) in their Soap Gun/Cannon? If so, how does it work. Costco sells two - the Gold and Pink bubble gum smelling Meguiar washes.
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joebruin77
Active Member
I have used the Meguiars Gold Class Car Wash in a foam gun (not cannon). This is the gold colored one. I absolutely loved it. Lots of foam, cleaned really well, smelled really good, and was a great value. There are also lots of positive online reviews for this product and I definitely recommend it. I don't have any experience with the pink Wash and Wax solution.
My other favorite soap solution for use in my foam gun is Chemical Guys Honeydew Snow Foam wash. This foams a bit more than Meguiars Gold Class, but the Meguiars costs a lot less and is a better value.
My other favorite soap solution for use in my foam gun is Chemical Guys Honeydew Snow Foam wash. This foams a bit more than Meguiars Gold Class, but the Meguiars costs a lot less and is a better value.
seattlite2004
Active Member
Convenience does have a cost. There are less expensive DI alternatives... But they ain't free either.
jebinc
Well-Known Member
Yeah, I looked into cheaper alternatives in the past and couldn't justify more than $20 a rinse (plus storing and hauling that around), so it's an inexpensive bundle of Costco provided microfiber towels for me (for drying).
Here’s my methodology.
Features...
Snow Foam with pressure washer/Deionized water.
Drying via Metro Vac Master Blaster Revolution.
P&S Beadmaker
Links to all products used in the YouTube description.
Tesla Car Wash !!!
Features...
Snow Foam with pressure washer/Deionized water.
Drying via Metro Vac Master Blaster Revolution.
P&S Beadmaker
Links to all products used in the YouTube description.
Tesla Car Wash !!!
alright guys....just bought 200 bucks worth of stuff to wash my car...now comes the fun/hard part - actually doing it.
Thanks for all the tips and tricks. I know this is a heavily discussed topic but i appreciate the knowledge!
wish me luck!
Thanks for all the tips and tricks. I know this is a heavily discussed topic but i appreciate the knowledge!
wish me luck!
jebinc
Well-Known Member
Will still need a wash mitt even with a foam cannon.
@jebinc what you’re missing is that it depends on your TDS, gpm and trigger time. The lower your tds, gpm and trigger time...the longer the media will last. In my situation my water has a TDS off 44. I use a dic20 with a k112tst (gpm 1.9) and only use it to rinse, which is what’s typically suggested/needed. I’ve never timed it but let’s just say around 5min trigger time although probably less. When I input those numbers into the online calc....it says I should get 1725gallons or 182 washes. Since I got it in March, I’ve done weekly washes( about 25 so far) and the TDS meter is still reading zero...which is what’s expected.
As far as drying. Even though I use the DI and can just let it dry... I still use an Ego 580 to blow the water off. Mostly because I end each wash with a refresh of gyeon cure. The ego580 is awesome. With the ceramic coating majority of the water is blown off...and I finish up with a quality MF to wipe the door jams, under hood and trunk crevices.
@jebinc what you’re missing is that it depends on your TDS, gpm and trigger time. The lower your tds, gpm and trigger time...the longer the media will last. In my situation my water has a TDS off 44. I use a dic20 with a k112tst (gpm 1.9) and only use it to rinse, which is what’s typically suggested/needed. I’ve never timed it but let’s just say around 5min trigger time although probably less. When I input those numbers into the online calc....it says I should get 1725gallons or 182 washes. Since I got it in March, I’ve done weekly washes( about 25 so far) and the TDS meter is still reading zero...which is what’s expected.
As far as drying. Even though I use the DI and can just let it dry... I still use an Ego 580 to blow the water off. Mostly because I end each wash with a refresh of gyeon cure. The ego580 is awesome. With the ceramic coating majority of the water is blown off...and I finish up with a quality MF to wipe the door jams, under hood and trunk crevices.
jebinc
Well-Known Member
I recently purchased this as an alternative to a wash mitt.
ESOTERIC Elite Car Wash Sponge
I’ve only used it once. Seems pretty good. Easier cleanup. Rinses thoroughly & squeezes very dry quickly & easily.
Needsdecaf
Active Member
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