Powerwashers? Who's with me?

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dfoxengr

New member
So I have a small Karcher 1700psi? powerwasher that I use for car washing. I have a low pressure foam gun attachment for it that blows away the Gilmour gun I also have but still use.



Anyways, I am wondering who else uses a powerwasher regularly? Now I must make sure to explain that when washing I put the tip on fan shape and keep the tip at least 3-4 feet away from the car at all times. I'll put my hand about 1 ft away from the tip to test the strength and it doesnt hurt, so basically I am just using it as a semi-poweful almost misting device. It works quite well to flush a lot of dirt off before I foam the car.



My most recent process is:

flush dirt off with washer

foam car with foam attachment

wash with 2 buckets

ww dry by blotting
 
i've been putting my soap on the car first for a few years now. I just use an ortho sprayer attached to the end of a hose filled with car wash.



The theory is this: Rinsing the car with water gets the dirt wet, wet dirt doesn't absorb soap. Wetting with soap lets the soap soak into the dirt and break the dirt apart and lubricate the surface. Then, I rinse the car with a strong spray of water and use a soft sponge on the very low parts. I use a very soft plush microfiber to dry - no sponging on the top because nothing abrasive is still on the paint after the wash and rinse - and then I blow out the cracks gaps with the Metrovac Master Blaster - and come back around and spit shine the car. Spit shine - a very slightly damp cloth followed by a dry cloth.



The car I'm most careless about, the one I drive and don't get paid to wash has 40K miles on it and there's not a cobweb in the paint. My client's cars are the same so I know this works for me - as always - your mileage will vary.



Why don't you try foaming the car first, without a prior rinse, and see how that works. Don't be afraid to get your pressure washer a bit closer to the paint, don't gouge the car, but paint can handle more than your hand by a pretty wide margin.



Robert
 
I use a pressure washer for almost every traditional wash. It uses less water and gets more dirt off the paint. I quit using a soap pre-soak unless the car is hammered. In my experience it was a total waste of time and money. Roberts method sounds like a good one for trashed cars though.
 
I haven't replaced my last Karcher (last one of *those* things I'll ever buy!) primarily because my shop's so crowded...don't want to risk misty overspray getting on the other vehicles.



But sure, great for a prewash or a "rinse only" with DI water.



But I don't see it as something to compare with a foamgun; the way *I* use a foamgun the two things are utterly different, nothing to do with each other at all. No, I wouldn't be foaming much with a pressure washer (even though I have a foam lance).



And I'd have to be *VERY* careful on some of my vehicles (and I'm thinking primarily of the ones that get used in bad weather). No matter how careful I'd be, there's no question in my mind that I'd eventually do damage to some areas on some vehicles if I used the pressure washer on them, they're simply too fragile for that kind of treatment. Between that and the overspray issue, it's pretty easy for me to keep putting off a replacement pressure washer.
 
Here's my holier then thou statement on powerwashers: :director:



Powerwasher (IMHO) is the safest and best way to remove dirt from the surface of your vehicle without causing any ill effects to the paint or protectant used.



Powerwashing removes the dirt and heavy abrasives off your vehicle. What you have left after is road oils. Especially if your vehicle has been driven through rain/wetness. There is a trade off with pre-soaking........Anything strong enough to remove the remaining oils will ultimately remove your wax/sealant.
 
Thanks David, it really is cool to see the PW just flood dirt off the car with no touching of the paint as you said.



And someone above also made a great point about it using much less water.
 
A majority of paint manufactures say 1400 psi is totally safe, and although that's not much still better then a hose as far as removing dirt off the surface.
 
I agree with the previous comments that a pressure washer can clean faster, better, and with less water than with a hose. It really helps with those that have lower water flow and pressure. If you use the spray pattern, it should be paint safe at most distances but I would keep it at least 18 to 24 inches or so away. For cleaning cars, you really do not need anything more than 1500-1800 psi.
 
If the vehicle is really, really dirty, I will use the power washer with my foam cannon, however, if it is kept relatively clean, I will just use the hose with the foamgun.
 
I use my Karcher 2000 PSI pressure washer on a pretty regular basis. Most of my details I'm stripping the previous wax/sealant if there is any there to begin with.



So, typically I will rinse the dirt from the wheels/wheel wells then clean those. Then I will rinse the whole vehicle with the pressure washer to remove any excess dirt on the surface. If the vehicle is extremely dirty I'll bust out my foam lance mix up some DG 901 and Opt Power clean, spray the entire vehicle. While it's dwelling I'll agitate all the cracks and crevices with a raceglaze brush. Then wash via 2 bucket method. Then rinse well.



On average I use my PW 4-5 times a week.
 
What's the current concensus on product/dilution/etc. for use when *NOT* wanting to compromise existing LSP?



IIRC, some CG product is "guaranteed not to strip your wax!", but I'd rather hear what's working for people here.
 
Not sure what is more important with LSP survival........the dilution of soap or the amount of time it's left on the surface? I'd be willing to bet that if you soaped and rinsed each panel with only allowing minimal dwell time that your LSP would last alot longer.
 
David Fermani said:
Not sure what is more important with LSP survival........the dilution of soap or the amount of time it's left on the surface? I'd be willing to bet that if you soaped and rinsed each panel with only allowing minimal dwell time that your LSP would last alot longer.
Click to expand...



In my case, I wouldn't be doing a long dwell-time at all, but rather using the pressure washer as a replacement for my first wash step of BHB/foamgun combo.



Basically, it'd be the same as what I'm doing in the winter with my compresser-powered siphon-feed sprayer. Just what you descrided- getting the "big stuff" off so I only have to contact-wash for the roadfilm.
 
David Fermani said:
Not sure what is more important with LSP survival........the dilution of soap or the amount of time it's left on the surface? I'd be willing to bet that if you soaped and rinsed each panel with only allowing minimal dwell time that your LSP would last alot longer.
Click to expand...



100% correct, you can pour just about anything on a decently protected painted surface and as long as its removed quickly, not much if any damage will occur, but if the same chemical was allowed to dwell it wouldn't be a good situation. A day to day example would be bugs or bird poop.
 
Yeah, I'm onboard with the whole dwell-time thing, but there are still many other considerations when it comes to balancing effective cleaning with LSP preservation.



I *could* just stick with Griot's Car Wash (basically zero effect on FK1000P, not awful on Collinite or M16), but since the pressure washing makes lubricity (*presumably*...anyone got a comment on this?) a lot less important I'm wondering what others I oughta consider.
 
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