RRP: $17.95, buy now. £14.95, buy now.
Auto Finesse Avalanche is this very popular British detailing brand’s snow foam offering. We see if it deserves to be in your detailing lineup.
How I Tested Auto Finesse Avalanche
First of all, I performed a swipe test on my car with a simple cotton pad, with the intention of seeing how dirty it was as a baseline. I then applied Auto Finesse Avalanche via a snow foam lance. I also ensured to stick to the manufacturer’s recommended dilution and dwell times. Finally, I rinsed the foam off and performed another swipe test in the same area to see how much dirt was left.
First Impressions
Auto Finesse does presentation well, with its black bottles and stylish labels. Any detailing fan will instantly be able to recognise an Auto Finesse product. Remove the screw top and Avalanche delivers a lovely citrus scent, which gets a thumbs-up from me.
Features
Specifics for Auto Finesse Avalanche are a little thin on the ground. Auto Finesse says it’s citrus-infused, but it’s not clear if that means it uses some sort of additional citrus cleaner, or if it’s just for the smell. The website says that Avalance uses “a specially-developed combination of cleaning agents and advanced surfactants to pull contamination off of surfaces on a molecular level. These surfactants are classed as “polar’ molecules that are both hydrophobic and hydrophilic.”
This all sounds very impressive, so I was interested to see how it would actually perform. And, while there’s no mention of pH, Auto Finesse states that Avalanche is safe for all exterior surfaces, including wraps, and is coating-friendly.
What’s It Like To Use Auto Finesse Avalanche
I’ve certainly got no complaint about the amount of foam that Avalanche produced. It definitely puts the ‘snow’ in snow foam, and it remained on the panel for an impressive amount of time. And while I perhaps didn’t expect too much from it, it performed surprisingly well. It doesn’t deliver the cleaning power of much stronger snow foams, but it definitely took some dirt off the car.
However, I really don’t like the incredibly vague dilution instructions. Auto Finesse says you should use 1-2” of product in a 1-liter bottle, but how much is that, actually? I measured this on the six different snow foam lances, and it was a different amount in each one. This ranged from around 3.38 fl. oz (100ml) to over 17 fl. oz (500ml). No one is going to be using 17fl. oz for one wash, that’s the whole of the smallest bottle you can buy. I’d much prefer a clearer indication of how much cleaning product I should be using.
The Verdict
Auto Finesse Avalanche certainly isn’t a bad snow foam. It cleans well for something gentle, plus it smells very nice. However, the vagueness of the instructions is annoying. Depending on your snow foam lance, you might end up using more product than you really need. It’s well priced, though, and if you’re looking for gentler pre-wash, Auto Finesse Avalanche might be for you.
Be sure to check out our guide to the best snow foam for your car.
