Pressure washers - what's the point?
Discussion
I find mine great for cleaning the muck off the path and depositing it on everything else.
They are great, but are no substitute for a proper wash, if I am lazy, on really manky wheels, a bit of Wonder wheels and then jetwash does a passable job, I keep it away from paint as it is great at blasting it off, good at cleaning under wheelarches.
They are great, but are no substitute for a proper wash, if I am lazy, on really manky wheels, a bit of Wonder wheels and then jetwash does a passable job, I keep it away from paint as it is great at blasting it off, good at cleaning under wheelarches.
Domestic pressure washers don't seem to have the power they need. The pressure is so poor on anything 'domestic' I've used or bought even the Nilfisk and Karcher ones.
I think the main advantage of a domestic pressure washer is that you can lift light dirt and clean the car a bit before you use a sponge on it. That means you are less likely to scratch the paint and you can use the pressure washer to help keep the sponge/s clean as well. They are still bad though and I'd recommend spending hundreds on a 'professional' pressure washer or not buying one.
Edited to add:
On muddy vehicles I'd guess even a domestic would be better than just a hosepipe, etc.
I think the main advantage of a domestic pressure washer is that you can lift light dirt and clean the car a bit before you use a sponge on it. That means you are less likely to scratch the paint and you can use the pressure washer to help keep the sponge/s clean as well. They are still bad though and I'd recommend spending hundreds on a 'professional' pressure washer or not buying one.
Edited to add:
On muddy vehicles I'd guess even a domestic would be better than just a hosepipe, etc.
powerstroke said:
Centurion07 said:
plenty said:
They're for getting the top layer of grit and dirt off the car before you hand wash.
If you dive straight in with your bucket without pressure-washing your car first, you're basically rubbing the grit into your paintwork.
What do you think you're doing firing a high-pressure jet of water at it then? If you dive straight in with your bucket without pressure-washing your car first, you're basically rubbing the grit into your paintwork.
Paintwork!!!
,success with a pressure washer is about the chemical
A good TFR will get most of the dirt off then a quick hand wash with a hand wash wax and a soft sponge is best ,any manual washing of a dirty car with a brush or sponge will cause scratches...
If you jetwash a filthy car without applying anything to it beforehand, it will remain dirty because it's "bonded" to the car, so all you've done is apply pressure to that layer of crap, not rinsed it away, which is not good for your paintwork.
Centurion07 said:
If you'd care to point out where he mentioned anything about TFR in his first post I'm all ears...
If you jetwash a filthy car without applying anything to it beforehand, it will remain dirty because it's "bonded" to the car, so all you've done is apply pressure to that layer of crap, not rinsed it away, which is not good for your paintwork.
you do whatever makes you happy !!!!!!! If you jetwash a filthy car without applying anything to it beforehand, it will remain dirty because it's "bonded" to the car, so all you've done is apply pressure to that layer of crap, not rinsed it away, which is not good for your paintwork.
I have a honda jet washer and it's a great bit of kit. Rarely used on the car, only for an annual underside blast to remove salt. If the car gets really dirty I use it first to get the worst off but always with caution at a distance. It will never replace a bucket and sponge!
Great for the path, drive and patios in the spring. Particularly after the grime and slime build up from a mild wet winter.
Great for the path, drive and patios in the spring. Particularly after the grime and slime build up from a mild wet winter.
littleredrooster said:
paintman said:
A certain Midlands Police force had a LOT of wheel bearing failure caused by water ingress problems with BMW bikes. The supplying dealer was completely stumped.
BMW sent a technician to investigate. He couldn't understand it either.
It wasn't until he saw the bikes being washed at end of shift that he realised that the problem was caused by pointblank use of a pressure washer. The seals are intended to cope with normal driving conditions, not high pressure water jets.
Advice to the section ensured the problem didn't recur.
...and yet RiDE magazine (? - IIRC) put a 2RS (i.e. double-sided rubber seal, as used in most m/cs) wheel bearing in a vice and tried to blow the grease out of it with a pressure washer. They tried both hot and cold for about an hour and pulled the seal out of the bearing afterwards to find...perfect grease and no water ingress.BMW sent a technician to investigate. He couldn't understand it either.
It wasn't until he saw the bikes being washed at end of shift that he realised that the problem was caused by pointblank use of a pressure washer. The seals are intended to cope with normal driving conditions, not high pressure water jets.
Advice to the section ensured the problem didn't recur.
Would be interesting to know which force, as I have had very close contact with some of them for a few years and could perhaps get more details of this phenomenon.
GC8 said:
If we are washing cars with a pressure washer then you do it as follows. wet the car, then work in a TFR solution with a soft brush, then pressure wash off.
A pressure washer that can strip your paint wont move road dirt without TFR. Even a steam cleaner cant.
Brush would damage the paint.A pressure washer that can strip your paint wont move road dirt without TFR. Even a steam cleaner cant.
I took the Landie to the polish blokes a few years back. They did a good job of cleaning it but when I got home I found their pressure washer had removed the lacquer from 2 of the wheels and the "Discovery" badge on the back. Most expensive car wash I've ever had!
Using my own pressure washer, I also successfully removed a large strip of black paint from my motorbike's swing arm so can assure you they do remove paint rather well.
I now wash my cars/bike myself and only use a hose. Pressure washers are evil!
Using my own pressure washer, I also successfully removed a large strip of black paint from my motorbike's swing arm so can assure you they do remove paint rather well.
I now wash my cars/bike myself and only use a hose. Pressure washers are evil!
powerstroke said:
Centurion07 said:
If you'd care to point out where he mentioned anything about TFR in his first post I'm all ears...
If you jetwash a filthy car without applying anything to it beforehand, it will remain dirty because it's "bonded" to the car, so all you've done is apply pressure to that layer of crap, not rinsed it away, which is not good for your paintwork.
you do whatever makes you happy !!!!!!! If you jetwash a filthy car without applying anything to it beforehand, it will remain dirty because it's "bonded" to the car, so all you've done is apply pressure to that layer of crap, not rinsed it away, which is not good for your paintwork.
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