Bilt Hamber Auto-Foam | Alkaline Pre-Wash Foam
The heavy end of the pre-wash range
Auto-Foam and Touch-Less are not the same product in different bottles. They are different chemistries aimed at different soil, and choosing correctly is most of the battle.
The chemistry
Bilt Hamber's SDS declares ethoxylated alcohols C9/11 (5–10%), dipropylene glycol monomethyl ether (1–5%) — a glycol ether solvent — and an ethoxylated quaternary ammonium compound (1–5%). So: non-ionic surfactant, a solvent, and a cationic quat. That is a fundamentally different toolkit to the sugar-derived APGs in Touch-Less, and it's built for a different job.
pH 13, and Bilt Hamber say so
Auto-Foam sits at pH 13.0. Bilt Hamber's own words: it "is alkaline, but importantly it is non-caustic." Read that precisely — non-caustic means it contains no sodium hydroxide. It does not mean "not alkaline," and it does not mean gentle. At pH 13 you have roughly 300 times the hydroxide concentration of Touch-Less at 10.5. See where six popular snow foams sit on the scale — from below pH 3 to 13.1 — in our snow foam pH comparison.
That alkalinity is the point. It saponifies fats and greases and it demolishes dry, baked-on road film. Bilt Hamber's own guidance is that Surfex-HD is for greasier road films and Auto-Foam is for drier ones.
Which pre-wash should you actually buy?
Touch-Less for a maintained car — coated, waxed, washed regularly. Milder, inhibited, sugar-derived. Auto-Foam for a neglected car, a work vehicle, a winter-grade mess, or anything where the film is thick and dry. If you're running a ceramic coating and washing weekly, you do not need pH 13.
How to use it
1% to 5% at the panel. Bilt Hamber specify 4% PIR for a genuinely touchless wash — a typical setup is 4%, 5 minutes dwell, then rinse. Calibrate your lance properly: discharge it, measure the water it drew, and multiply by 0.04.
Handle it properly
Eye Dam. 1, H318 — Danger. Eye protection, always. Note that Bilt Hamber's shipping notes call it "non-hazardous" — that refers to the transport classification only, not the CLP one. Don't conflate the two.
Safety Data Sheet (Australia)
Download the Bilt Hamber Auto-Foam SDS (PDF)
Bilt Hamber Auto-Foam — frequently asked questions
Is Auto-Foam caustic?
No. It is strongly alkaline at pH 13.0, but Bilt Hamber’s SDS declares no sodium hydroxide. Non-caustic means no caustic soda; it does not mean gentle. Wear eye protection.
What dilution for Auto-Foam in a foam cannon?
1–5% at the panel. Bilt Hamber specify 4% Panel Impact Ratio for a genuinely touchless wash: 4%, five minutes dwell, rinse. Calibrate your lance by discharging it, measuring the water it drew, and multiplying by 0.04.
Is Auto-Foam safe on a ceramic coating?
The chemistry decides that, not the pH number. The SDS declares no caustic alkali, and caustic soda is what degrades coatings and etches aluminium. Used at the stated panel impact ratio it is coating-safe, and Bilt Hamber claim it will not dull high-gloss finishes even with frequent concentrated use. If your car is coated and washed weekly you probably want Touch-Less instead; Auto-Foam is for neglected or heavily filmed cars.
Auto-Foam or Surfex-HD?
Bilt Hamber’s own split: Surfex-HD for greasier road films, Auto-Foam for drier ones.
Where can I buy Bilt Hamber Auto-Foam in Australia?
Here. Alpha Details in Heidelberg West, Melbourne is an authorised Bilt Hamber stockist carrying the full range, with Australia-wide shipping and free delivery over A$95. See the Bilt Hamber collection.