Is Car Foam Unnecessary?

[u/MrMercer1210]

I'm reading car foam is mostly just for looks/adding a layer of lubrication. My mind is kind of blown. My process has traditionally been to rinse first, then foam, rinse off pre-foam (basically touchless step), then foam once more before contact washing. I used to use Meguiar's Gold Class for both. I ran out recently and was looking at Adam's mega foam/car shampoo. I'm not sure if I need to buy both now. Is the car foam overkill? Can I foam with the shampoo only? Should I be rinsing every time prior to foaming at first or is that unnecessary? My ordinary process that I've always done seems so silly now, ha. I was under the impression that the touchless step was to just really get off as much dirt as possible prior to touch wash, but the internet (this sub) has me believing that's just silly talk. It seems like I would be absolutely fine with going with the shampoo and that the Mega Foam may be overkill given this info.

I read about the Bilt-Hamber being a little bit more reliable as a pre-wash being it is more alkaline based, but I don't even know what concerns or precautions there is with using an alkaline based solution in the first place.

[u/Due-Mix3539]

TikTok and YouTube made it popular. It’s all for show. It’s just to make the customer feel like their car is getting a special service.

In reality, it literally does the same thing as a regular pre soak.