Snow Buggering.

A safe post pilgramage cleaning technique.

It's a great 1000km trip home from the annual Supercheap Auto Bathurst 1000, at not quite the speed they do in the big race, but quick enough to get the typical Aussie bugs and light grime on the car.

A few people had asked about the quick and safe method I was using to clean the Audi on Facebook, something I call “Snow Buggering”. This short video above shows how I did it once I was back at the shed. (It’s shot on my phone and I held it the wrong way, very blonde moment sorry!).

Now I need to mention that there's a few "hacks" used when “Snow Buggering” that you won't find mentioned on any of the product bottles. But, they save me time. As long as you do them with some thought to your processes and are organised and efficient, it’s quite safe as well.

This method is ideal for those road trips where you haven't been through rain and mud. If you did go through heavier weather, you would be giving the car a "two bucket" wash right after the Snow Job. In my case, it wasn't needed. It also helps that I used our Fully Slick spray on sealant before the trip down, so any grime and bugs were much easier to remove as well. Anyhow, that all said, let’s get into it. 

Make sure you're organised.

Always start by having everything laid out and ready to go. You need our Bugger Off and De Bugger Cloth, as well as Wheely Clean, a bucket with fresh water, plus the Snow Blow Cannon and Snow Job for snow foaming. It's VERY IMPORTANT that the Snow Foam is prepared, hooked up, and ready to go in the bottle with the pressure washer turned on. It’s also advisable to turn your phone off, put some good music on and have a cold beverage waiting for you in the fridge for once you’re done.

Do this job in the cooler morning or afternoon, in the shade and with all parts of the car cool to touch. Start by spraying the Bugger Off everywhere the bugs are. It's got a dwell time of one to two minutes and is a product you don't want drying.

Be Wheely quick

So once you're done, go quickly to the next step of spraying the Wheely Clean onto all the wheels. Again, this product has a quick working time of around 2 minutes, so do this job quickly, but don’t freak out as you're about to slow the different cleaners down with the next step: Snow Job.

Performing the Snow Job

Get the Cannon and now apply the Snow Foam, working from the front of the car (as it's the dirtiest and needs the longest dwell time) then do the lower parts of the car, (including the wheels) and make your way up to the top roof area. It’s also a smart idea to move around the car in the same direction you did the wheels with Wheely Clean.  

The snow foam slows down the drying time of the Bugger Off and Wheely Clean, so you can now let it sit for a few minutes (3 to 4 is good), while all the cleaners work together at loosening up the grime, bugs and other contaminants from their respective areas.

While the foam's at work, get the De Bugger cloth and clean the windscreen, but only it, no other parts around the car as you will still be taking the risk or scratching. Glass is not one of these parts. Turn and fold the cloth often, rinsing it out in the bucket.

After 3 to 4 minutes, swap the pressure washer from the Snow Blow Cannon to its water spray attachment. Begin blowing away the foam from the top of the car and working down (don't forget the wheels too), doing the bug affected areas last.

To wash, or not to wash

Then once all rinsed, closely inspect the cars' paint. This is where you must make the choice to either wash the car by hand if you find there is still some grime on the car, or as I did (with no grime), clean off the minor residue that the bug strikes have left. Before I began the trip I gave the car a coating of Fully Slick and not seeing any wet weather on the way home, I could get away with it. But, if you have been through any rain, you will need to do a full hand wash as it's not worth the risk of micro-scratching your paint!

The important final steps.

With the majority of the heavier bugs, dirt and grime touchlessly washed away, you can now safely wipe off the final small bug marks by spraying on the Bugger Off and wiping down with the De Bugger Cloth. Turn and fold this cloth often, rinsing it out in the bucket when done.

Give the cleaned area a final clean rinse with the pressure washer, dry it, and then give the whole car a top-up coat of Fully Slick.

Now go get that cold beverage in the fridge and enjoy! 

If you have any questions, please email info@bowdensown.com.au or FREECALL our office on 1800 351 308.

Love the road trips,

Dan Bowden