advice on how to safely wash your car using a pressure washer

Really nice shine! What soap did you use? Have you had any issues with using a pressure washer?

The one statement that has me concerned was with paint chips. I live in a construction zone and my cars have little chips from rocks hitting it. I wouldn't want to make them any larger.
 
DETAILROOKIE said:
I was looking to getting a pressure washer and came accross this thread. With pressure washers gaining popularity in the detailing world, are they safer to use now, with the right tip of course? Ive read mixed reviews about pressure washers and would like to make sure it is safe before buying one.

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It's as safe as the operator will let it be. A DA is suppose to be a safe buffer, but it still can do some damage.
 
As long as you don't use a turbo spinning nozzle or a low angle nozzle you are fine. And if you don't put the nozzle tip a 1" from your paint. Depending how the rockships looks you are fine also. If you have paint loosen at edges is where you don't want to hit with a strong water pressure. Just take a good distance when going over them. It's depends on what kind of pressure your PW gives. If you have someone to hold the lance for you and have it on. Take your hand at 4-5 feet from the nozzle and close distance till you almost feel it's hurt. Then you get a feeling of the power your PW has and what you think is a safe distance.

I always use PW when washing cars. First prewash with a prewash product in the foamcannon and then clean with the water pressure from the bottom and work my way to the top. This is to get the prewash product on the car when the PW hits it. In the winter when needed I use a solvent based tar degreaser before washing with the 2bm. Since I have quite alot of gpm from the PW I rinse it of with that to. Then dry rinse with the hose without a nozzle on it just low water pressure. Work from the top and work my way down.
 
SWETM said:
As long as you don't use a turbo spinning nozzle or a low angle nozzle you are fine. And if you don't put the nozzle tip a 1" from your paint. Depending how the rockships looks you are fine also. If you have paint loosen at edges is where you don't want to hit with a strong water pressure. Just take a good distance when going over them. It's depends on what kind of pressure your PW gives. If you have someone to hold the lance for you and have it on. Take your hand at 4-5 feet from the nozzle and close distance till you almost feel it's hurt. Then you get a feeling of the power your PW has and what you think is a safe distance.

I always use PW when washing cars. First prewash with a prewash product in the foamcannon and then clean with the water pressure from the bottom and work my way to the top. This is to get the prewash product on the car when the PW hits it. In the winter when needed I use a solvent based tar degreaser before washing with the 2bm. Since I have quite alot of gpm from the PW I rinse it of with that to. Then dry rinse with the hose without a nozzle on it just low water pressure. Work from the top and work my way down.
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Thank you! I will go ahead and place the order!

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snow foam auto wash is what I used. FYI after about 5 minutes I rinsed off all the soapy foam. I didn't want the stuff to dry while I was hand washing it. thanks.
hmardown

almost forgot your question about the chips. I wouldn't worry about them getting any larger. you're not going hold your tip to close or to long in one spot(that statement is not a question, get it). also let me give you my best tip. when you're reaching out over your hood or trunk with your wand don't let off the trigger until you pull away from the vehicle. my pressure washer is 2600 psi & when you let off the trigger it will drop down quicker than you can stop it from tipping down. that my friend will chip your paint. good luck & get cleaning.
 
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hmardown said:
snow foam auto wash is what I used. FYI after about 5 minutes I rinsed off all the soapy foam. I didn't want the stuff to dry while I was hand washing it. thanks.
hmardown

almost forgot your question about the chips. I wouldn't worry about them getting any larger. you're not going hold your tip to close or to long in one spot(that statement is not a question, get it). also let me give you my best tip. when you're reaching out over your hood or trunk with your wand don't let off the trigger until you pull away from the vehicle. my pressure washer is 2600 psi & when you let off the trigger it will drop down quicker than you can stop it from tipping down. that my friend will chip your paint. good luck & get cleaning.
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Thank you for the great information!!!

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a good way to to check how far to safely use a pressure washer on paint is to hold the wand at least 3-4 feet away with one hand and with the other feel how strong the spray pattern feels as you slowly come in/closer and when it gets too aggressive to where you have to pull your hand away you'll know how far to keep it away from the paint...
 
Another good way to avoid chipping your paint with a pressure washer is to always point the nozzle at the ground and away from the car before pulling the trigger. One the start up pressure can be much higher than the operating pressure, and if the nozzle or wand decide to let loose it won't eject into your car.

I like 4.0 orifice 25 degree nozzles on my Sun Joe washer. A larger orifice will drop the pressure and increase the flow through the nozzle. The factory nozzles were 2.5 orifice and an online calculator I found put them at 1000psi at the nozzle and 1.25gpm. With a 4.0 orifice it's 600psi and 1.55gpm. To measure GPM on an electric washer, just cut a small hole in the lid of a 5 gallon bucket and run the washer for a minute. Depending and the pressure and gpm you might be able to safely do it with a gas washer.

Pressure Washer and Jetter Nozzle Calculator
 
Mc'lovin said:
Hi all,

I'm a noob detailer (started getting into the field only a couple of months ago and have read tonns of information since), and I need your advice regarding washing a car with a pressure washer.

Until now I have used the following washing method: Sparying each panel liberally with ONR first to soften the dirt, then using the two bucket method with Grit-Guard in each bucket (First bucket contains Meguiar's gold class car wash and the second contains fresh water).

I recently got a pressure washer (1450 psi) and I do want to use it to wash the car, however I am a little afraid that using it on a dry car will cause the dirt splattering off the surface to mar the paint.

What I thought to do is this: 1) Spray ONR on each panel. 2) pressure wash that panel. 3) wash the panel using the two bucket method.

Could I please have your thoughts on the above? Would you pass on the pressure washer?

Thank you!!
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2 words.... Foam gun... Two more words.... Pre soak
 
Let me get an Idea about the advantages of using the Pressure washer! For cleaning car or others thing, how much success you have got?
 
there is so much talk about damage in this thread. so how does hand washing clean more off than something so powerful that it can cause damage?

people say you have to agitate it by hand. how does a pressure washer not blast it off?
 
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