Photos listing below -
http://www.autoworld.com.my/photoalbum/member/uploadEditPhoto.asp?AID=4450
Dear All Forum DIY fans,
As you know I was the one started the question on AutoFoam. I saw the AD at a local Mag & was interested as I did use this sort of expanding insulation foam for my projects while in college for Automotive projects.
Therefore I took the liberty to find out more... Initially I thought I could DIY the foam for my car as it seems simple & since I am able to purchase it off the shelf at any major DIY shops at very much less the cost to send to car to the Professionals to do it.
I did try to foam my car last year near Dec but unfortunately had an incident which the can nozzle broke me trying to press the foam out but nothing happened instead the neck broke & foam shot to my face & up the sky coming down to cover my whole car..... well I had an early Christmas!
Now I found out later that the foam cans had a usage timeline meaning if you happened to get some stock this month & decide to foam couple of months later you can end up with 'less pressure + uneven expansion + unstable curing & adhesiveness'
AGAIN I also found out the the foams we buy off shelf are known as 'Insulation Foam' means there are designed to expand & foam in areas with gaps but the same time exposed to air as indicated on the cans! THEY are NOT DESIGNED for other usage especially in a car! The expansion & gas pressure is great and it creates huge air pockets in between and is soft & easy to press down. It also takes in moisture meaning it can absorb water! And due to the larger gaps of pockets water can seep thru as well!
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After reading the numerous posting here I decided to re-aquaint myself with this AutoFoam product & got in contact with Desmond & see for myself what a BIG MISTAKE I almost did to my own car! It's not that I could not DIY myself but its the fact that the products are NOT the same even though they are EXPANDING FOAM!
This expansion of AutoFoam is slow - it oozles out NOT shoots out like the DIY cans. Also it does not cure by itself as it need an active agent to cure with. The density is greater akin to a Rubber mattress vs a PU foam mattress! A rubber mattress is denser & heavier & harder to press in than a foam mattress.
The other property I seen is the ability for AutoFoam to hold in water in a bottle & not let the water seep thru or even soak in! That made me think dam lucky I didn't foam my car yet!
Now another thing I found out was the torsional strength AutoFoam has oppose to DIY foams - It's harder to twist AutoFoam after it's fully cured than is to DIY foam!
OK now AutoFoam is not for sound insulation as it is for strenghtening the car... the bonus or perception of less sound is because the body is not flexing so much & creating resonance sound that really BUGS the ears!
Real sound proofing is your usual SP materials for autofreaks OK! (Like SuperLon)
What is really good is that AutoFoam really does what it says and is able to strenghten the car which in returns make the car better, more comfortable, more responsive to drive. In example: if you are driving a Wira you get the similar feel to Waja (just example OK!) Whatever feel you get is your own perception as is my own so you have to find out yourself on that.
Please do your own research if you are keen to foam your car and remember that DIY is fun & cheaper but we are not taking about grounding wires here OK! We are talking about a "Permanent Chemical Reaction Component" for your car! For me this time I have to give up DIYing & go with the Pros .... cause I couldn't buy AutoFoam off any shelf!
Now I am fortunate I didn't managed to DIY foam my car as it seems the exploding incident was "A Blessing In Disguise".
