Pressure Washing

Have/would you ever use a pressure washer to clean your P-car? If so, what would you use it for?

That is all I use on all my cars. Soak it, and then power wash and then towl dry. You can use your own pressure washer or at a local car wash.

Use a Karcher power washer everytime I wash the car.

I'm of the "least-pressure-is-better" school. Mild soap with microfiber towels for me. Having said that, the high-pressure washer sounds like an interesting idea. Could it strip the clearcoat in any way?

It could strip the paint off if you use too much pressure with the spinning nozzle designed for removing paint from deck boards! I just use the regular wash nozzle without any problems; the pressure is no harder than a hard rain at highway speed or your common no-touch car wash. Used it for years on many many cars with no worries.

I use my pressure washer sometimes for my wheels (very lighthly) and wheel wells. I think a hose with a good spray nozzle works best.

Use one all the time for the entire car. Just make sure it is not set to paint stripping levels of pressure. The overwhelming majority of car-wash places here all use low pressure hand held washer systems. You do need to use a Chamois to get the excess water off. These washers are also great for getting up into the radiators to give them a good flush out. Ciao, Adrian.

3000 PSI with wide spray nozzle is fine and will not hurt the paint or anything else. Remember that a power washer is best measured by water flow and not PSI. 3 gallons a minutes if fine. The more the merrier.

so what kind of pressure washer do you use/recommend... gas or electrical? What power rating should I buy?

Get a 3000 psi Honda that flows 3+ gallons a minute. Comes with all the nozzles you'll need and can be used for many things around the house. If you go the cheap route,, you;ll most likely be throwing it away in a year or so because of pump failure. Spend a little more for quality and you'll be happier down the road.

Thats crazy talk.....only Woolite and the "Delicate" cycle

Or a Craftsman from Sears. I spray my car down with a spray car wash soap the power wash then blow dry with a high power leaf blower. Very rarely touch the car thus no scratches.

So instead you are sand blasting the finish? You must be very careful (especially in the mile high area) as the dust particles will really do a number on the paint.

I use a Karcher 1700 which I purchased at Sam�s for about $125.00. Works great and I get rid of the excess water with a silicone squeegee. Finish up with a cotton towel followed by a blast down the road.

Bull Pucky I have been doing it for years with ZERO issues. Now if I were doing it in a parking lot full of smad you would have a point. But considering my driveway where I washed the car is wet and not dusty there is no argument. Heck my Black 996 stayed pristine with this meathod (no evidence of sand blasting other than what we have on the roads here) I even confirmed the validity of this meathod at the detail event yesterday. You also get all water out of the door jams and the rubber trim and lights etc. No water streaks afterwards at all. ANYTHING that touches your paint runs the risk of scratching. Most detailers of high end cars use a air blower to remove water. I do not have an inside shop to do so, thus the blower. Follow up on www.autopia.com for more fun filled detailing discussions

Bought a gas one years ago. I use it twicwe a year, spring and fall on the fender wells and underside of the car with simple green cleaner. Never use it on the paint unless I want to start all over on the wax. I wash my car weekly with mild soap on the wheels and water only, on the finish. Lots of satisfaction but not as fun as it use to be I do it now for exercise more than fun but you can't pay enough to get the kind of cleaning that I want.

The power washer will not remove any good synthetic wax such as Mequiar's NXT. I power wash mine weekly and just went to apply another coat of NXT and found it hardly needed any after 6 months.

Agreed 100%

But I believe that it will And as we all know belief becomes truth...or something like that

I currently use a Karcher (electric) about 1500 psi. And usually employ the low pressure nozzle setting. I used to only power wash my truck and the wife's car (not the P-car). But a couple months ago I bought a CRspotless water softener filter (no affiliation) and I'm simply amazed at the results. I essentially wash the car as I would normally do, but when it comes time for drying I simply walk away and let the water drip and dry by itself... no spots! Simply amazing... With this system I save on water, and save big time on the time it takes to wash the vehicles in my household.

I have a Honda washer. It has 4 different nozzles which provides the versatility to use the machine for a myriad of applications. I clean everything from my most treasured 2000 C2 to my trailer, my boats and even the deck and driveway. Just choose the correct nozzles and you will not damage anything. At least, I never have! Rally Classic style wheels are tough enough! The power does make it a bit easier.