Pressure washers.. need opinion...

[JcsMP3]

I wasn't sure which forum to put this in but oh well here goes;


Ok well I am interested in finding out what all you people think of those home series pressure washers. If they are worth the $300 or so and which brand do you prefer and have minimal probs with.

Thanks

Jc

[cjstringer]

Please tell me you don't want to wash your car with it.. Only bad things can happen.

[BigBlue]

I've never used one, but I've used the pressure hoses at the coin washes.

Personally I find using just the normal garden hose to wash off most of the stuff, then following up with a warm soapy bucket of water/washing mitt to give it a good washdown afterwards seems to work pretty well for me.

[2002VividYellow]

My buddy has a snap-on pro model & it pounds the hell out of the car.

[frady2001]

please, please dont use one of those p/wers on your car. one, they are way too powerful and take your wax and polish off and if your not carefull can completely take off paint, i used to have a detail shop and we used one of those really cheap blue walmart p/w and it worked great.

[JcsMP3]

Well I want a el-cheapo electric model anyways nothing too high pressure. I just want something to take off the brake dust and stuff off my rims without getting on my hands and knees to brush them off. and it takes off the bug guts off pretty well too... LOL

Jc

[Newf]

funny you should post this because i've often walked past the simoniz ones at Canadian tire and wondered if they were any good for washing cars.

Now I've used the industrial ones....not for washing cars...GOD NO. They are WAY to powerful for cars. I used to write my name in concrete with the one we had at work years ago. But you can't tell me these little $200.00 CDN washers are industrial strenght. So maybe they won't hurt the paint. And I can imagine that you can adjust the spray strength somehow anyways. My biggest concern would be the wheels as the paint seems much more fragile then the car.

[MidnightP5]

I'm with everyone on this one, hose and manual scrubbing is the best. It also seems more rewarding knowing that you washed it with your hands. Makes you feel, when you look at it afterwards, like it was all worth it.

[Newf]

but there's one thing with hand washing that is unavoidable over time

SWIRLS

If you use a P. washer, maybe no swirls? Since your not touching the paint....until you wax it. But, you don't wax it near as often as wash

[cjstringer]

You're right. If you use a pressure washer you don't get swirls. It fixes that probelm by doing a GREAT job of removing the paint. No paint, no swirls. Much easier to care for that way. Might want to look into some rustproofing though. I hear the metal under the paint has a tendency to rust once the paint comes off.

[2002VividYellow]

Originally posted by newf
but there's one thing with hand washing that is unavoidable over time

SWIRLS

If you use a P. washer, maybe no swirls? Since your not touching the paint....until you wax it. But, you don't wax it near as often as wash

Wash side to side instead of doing circles this will make any fine line scratches less reflective & blend in a little more.

[JcsMP3]

Ok most of you either don't know how to use a pressure washer correctly or are just plain blind....

I am not going to get a 4000 psi pressure washer and stick the nozzle right against my paint...

BTW I bought a 1500 psi one from Simonize. I got an amazing deal on it....

On the car paint itself, I will use the mild nozzle, about 1500 at high pressure and 1000 at low... that pressure is right after the nozzle tip itself, i will wash the car about 6-12 inches away which greatly reduces the pressure.... just enough to remove some dirt but not all.. the main reason for this washer is to clean the brake dust off my rims and to clean my wheel wells... I can't stand sitting there with a brush or mit cleaning them.. it's my pet peave.,.. So I will blast away the dirt right off my rims... LOL

If you use the tool properly it cuts down your work time by alot but can be damaging if not used properly. I already take 7 hours to restore my pain in the fall I don't need to spend 1 extra hour cleaning my rims....

I have used a pressure washer before but thanks for the warning in advance.

Jc

[Newf]

2002YellowP5

yeeah, I know about the "not doing circles" trick. But you will still get swirls....or excuse me....lines over time.

I may get a preassure washer myself someday. not for a while though.

[cjstringer]

If all you're wanting to do is spray off the brake dust, what's wrong with a hose and nozzle? It seems to work well here. Is there that much difference in water pressure between states?

[CharlieP5]

Those cheapo pressure washers are no good.

I had one but it burned out. it lasted me exactly two days.
I only used it for my driveway and it went kaput!

[DooMer_MP3]

So what do you reccommend to people without their own garage/driveway? The only option for me is the coin op spray washers, or the "Laserwash" at my local Mobil station. I've been getting my MP3 washed at the "Laserwash" by my house and it does a fine job. There is a pretty high powered rinse, but it is sprayed from about 18inches away. Is this alright?! I'm sure someone will find something wrong with it... Anal bastards :)

Chris

[Swimmer]

JCSMP3, do you still have the stock Racing Hart rims? Don't forget that they have that cheap coating on them, and that alot of forum members have been complaining that the coating chips and comes off very easily. Just a heads up :cool: