Pressure washer a necessity?

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imported_shine

New member
I want to further minimize the potential of inducing swirls by adding a pressure washer to my detailing regime. I would use it to blast as much dirt off the paint as possible before foaming or touching the paint with any wash media. My question...is it really necessary or an improvement over a regular garden hose with good water pressure? I know the power a pressure washer has but is it really going to remove more of the thin film of dirt on a vehicle? Obviously PW will blast away chucks of dirt but that's not really what I'm after.
 
shine said:
That appears to be the case. The foam will stick to the car much better/longer than a Gilmour.
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Even though at work when I use the 10 foam guns we have; I use a SIMPLE GREEN DEGREASER ONE, which is just the Gilmour relabeled, I get pretty damn good foam. Which I could get a picture.
 
I get great foam out of my foam gun.





I really only use a power washer on really bad rocker panels, wheels, and wheel wells.
 
as i mentioned a zillion times... a foam gun (more versatile) you can use to pre-soak AND wash the car, you can't do both with the foam cannon/lance...
 
They are not a nessecety but man do they make the job a friggin 1000 X's easier. Add heat to it and you'll wonder why you didn't do it before. I personally couldn't imagine attempting to detail a car anymore without a heated pressure washer. My time is worth to much to me to piss around all day on prep work.
 
Jake - Are your details that greasy that you need heat? It makes no difference on exteriors and only really helps on very greasy engines which are few and far between. Unless you're doing cleanups on 200,000 mile train wrecks? I've used both and don't see much difference.
 
I have a 2000psi Power washer, and I would never think of hitting paint with it. I don't see any value or time saved by using it. I actually think it would be worse to use high-pressure water to rinse dirt off paint.
 
I used to use a PW for all of my details, but I see no use for it unless you are removing chunks of mud. I dont think it cleans any more off than a water hose would.
 
milani said:
I actually think it would be worse to use high-pressure water to rinse dirt off paint.
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How could it be worse?



The more dirt and grime you remove off your paint, the less marring you create when you wash it. Make sense?
 
Makes sense. However, seeing what the high-pressure water can do to concrete by accident, I would hate to use it on paint, that's all... I think it's a matter of preference if you like to use it or not...
 
2000 psi's is insane. Even a little rock chip or loose paint would blow right off at that rate. My big guy is only 1400psi. And I don't even use that tip. I think 1100 psi is more than enough. When you get into the insane PSI ratings like that and above you're really looking at concrete washers then. I'm pretty sure most coin ops are only in the 600psi range.



And Dave I must just clean dirtier cars than you're used to. For one yes the engine bay is a must for heat. It saves time and engery. It also melts away all the road tar and road film on the car. Having used both a garden hose a regular cold water PW and a heated powerwasher if you seriosuly can't tell the difference then something dosen't sit right. It's night and day at the difference. How must faster and more effective cleaning out the wheel wells, The rocker panels, the engine bays Truck frames, door jambs, Bugs,... I mean it's seriously a huge difference between the 3 ways of doing it. A couple of buckets and a garden hose would take me well over an hour to just prep the car. A regular Powerwasher (cold water) probably about 30-40 minutes the heated power washer I can have the entire car prepped and ready in 15-20 minutes. And when you don;t get paid by the hour but rather by the job time is money... Not to mention I just hate doing things the long way when I know there's just much easier much faster ways of doing it correctly.
 
When i discovered onr and grout sponge,i hardly use my pressure washer now.I usually use it to clean wheel wells.
 
How warm is the water coming from the heated PW? I use a PW with warm water but mostly in the wintertime, when cars get really dirty here. For a car with mostly dust on it, a hose with good pressure is enough IMHO.
 
I would get a PW just for my wheels, enginebay, underbody, and wheel wells, not to say I wouldnt get it for the paint and all just those areas seem to need the extra care and pressure... As of now I just spend about $3 at the local coin op time to time just get all the wheels, wheel wells, raidator (blow bugs through) underside, and just to get dirt out of all the gaps and cracks normal washing just dont cut...
 
milani said:
I have a 2000psi Power washer, and I would never think of hitting paint with it. I don't see any value or time saved by using it. I actually think it would be worse to use high-pressure water to rinse dirt off paint.
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My pressure washer is 2,400 PSI, and it works GREAT for cars and has never ruined a single thing (aside from slicing my hand open :chuckle: )



Seriously though, I think high pressure pressure washers are like rotaries...people fear them and think they are insanely dangerous, but in reality it really requires some serious miss-use to be an issue.



Even m 2,400 PSI honda pressure washer is gentle enough at about 12-16 inches away from the nozzle to shoot it on the softest part of my hand or arm with no pain at all. However, move within 6 inches of the nozzle and it will slice skin- I tested it out the hard way :har:



But again, at a moderate blasting difference it is TOTALLY safe and definitely does help to reduce the chance of marring when removing heavy bird droppings or stuck-on bugs etc.



Granted, all that said...I don't have a mobile setup for my pressure washer so I operate with a simple hose and foam gun for 98% of my details and manage fine (Granted, it takes longer without the PW....)
 
I had a 1700 psi electric pw that was great, then it died. I will replace it with another when I can get some extra cash. I really want one of those CamSpray ones - but jeez -5-600 bucks! I may just get a Husky that Home Depot has on sale, I think they have a good warranty but I'll have to check. They really do a better job than just a hose and as long as you're not a stooge with it - it's safe.
 
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