using a pressure cleaner

M

maharaja

New member
i did a search and was unable to find anything regarding this topic. a few times i have had my car detailed most of the companies had a pressure cleaner in their arsenal of weaponry to clean my car. i now have access to a pressure cleaner and would like to get some opinions and warnings regarding its usage. it seems it would make cleaning my wheels much easier, but what about using it on the paint? any suggestions as to how much pressure i should use or if i should use it all? thanks.







-maharaja
 
Well the best thing I can advise is when using it, keep moving the gun. Don't keep it on one spot on paint or wheel arches for more than a second as you may peel off the protective coating of the wheel arches and cause impact marks on the paint from spraying directly at the surface. Even when using a hose for rinse after shampoo, use very low pressure and apply the water side on, not square on straight at the paint.

What brand do you have, Gerni, Karcher, Spitwater etc
 
ok this is where i feel stupid....i had a cheapish pressure washer and once it wasn't shootin water, but i could hear like air comin out of the nozzle...so wot do i do? check if it is..and put my palm in front of the nozzle to feel the air...no sooner than i had done this the water shot out (in bullet mode, u know when its a thin concentrated stream) and literally made a small hole in the center of my palm, took of a lil bit of the skin hehe, was really painful but my brother was laughing at me too much to be concerned hehe...was a funny stupid moment
 
you were lucky, high pressure water or air can actually propell particles/chemically through the skin without breaking the top layer. In the past people have done exactly what you did & ended up with chemicals in the pulp spaces of the palm. Little damage visible from the outside, but latter on infection & inflammation set it, the tendons can liquify & the palm has to be surgically decompressed - really messy.
 
I use a Karcher pressure washer. It stripped the paint of the wing mirror of a 996. This was entirely my own fault. I was trying to blast stubborn flies off the mirror housing; obviously there was a stone chip there. As soon as the water jet got under the paint at the stone chip, it tore away the surrounding area. I found the 996 had soft paint generally.



Now I never use the highest setting and I keep moving. Also, use chemicals rather than pressure to shift stubborn dirt. I have had no problems with any of the MBs I've owned, nor with a Range Rover.



It is excellent for cleaning wheels, wheel wells, the engine compartment and the sills/underside of the car. It works especially well with the Meguiar's wheel cleaner. Cleaning the backs of the wheels is made easy, too.



Overall I would recommend it.
 
I use water pressure frequently, mostly on the undercarraige but also on the chrome wheels and the paint.



I keep the nozzle about a foot or more away from the surface and I keep it angled...not shooting directly into the surface.



The pressure washer does not get the car clean but it's great when the weather is bad and there is slush etc built up. I wash with the pressure washer, go home and crank up the kerosene heater for a while, dry it off and wash it again with Poorboys Spray and Wipe to get it clean.
 
im unsure as to which brand it is, as the pressure cleaner is not mine, but will be borrowed from a friend. however, i assume a low setting should do the trick to remove some stubborn bugs and for cleaning the wheels and the intercooler as well. for the pressure cleaners you guys have, what is the setting you have it on?
 
RTE60 said:
you were lucky, high pressure water or air can actually propell particles/chemically through the skin without breaking the top layer. In the past people have done exactly what you did & ended up with chemicals in the pulp spaces of the palm. Little damage visible from the outside, but latter on infection & inflammation set it, the tendons can liquify & the palm has to be surgically decompressed - really messy.
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:eek: :scared
 
ok i picked up a briggs and straton quantum 6HP pressure cleaner however the person that gave it to me lost the manual, any1 have this pressure cleaner?
 
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