Pressure Washers

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moofpup

moofpup

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I looked through the old threads to see if this was discussed but didn't find much. I want to get a good pressure washer for cleaning "meMINI". If you read the reviews on amazon you get very discouraged because you come to the conclusion, they are all junk.

I'm interested to know if any members have one and if so, are you happy with it?
 
I was doing this research the other day, as well. I'm not sure of the recommended PSI range that is safe for car paint. Some videos suggest around 1,200 PSI is fine. But I would love to hear from someone who actually uses one on their car. Adams makes two different models designed for cars.
 
I bought a Ryobi model from Home Depot.
I would have gone with a Karcher as that’s what I used to have but my local store didn’t have any at the time.
It was 2.5 years ago so models have probably changed however it was an electric unit and was about 2200 or 2300psi.
Note that the psi rating is a max, and the way it is controlled is they give you a set of nozzles that swap out on the end of the “wand”. The highest one is for cleaning your concrete and I did use that (on the concrete driveway not the car) but it is such a pin like concentrated spray you’d be there all day…
I use the mid grade nozzle and hold it at least 18 inches from the car. (this is the trick to avoid damage, not reducing the rating of the unit) This is the way I have cleaned cars the last 20 years. It gives enough power to dislodge most bugs and dirt while not damaging the car. Do not point it at parking sensors, or directly at the radiator etc.
If you can get one that has the ability to add shampoo to a reservoir in order to coat the car in foam that does save time, but my unit, while it has that, gives no way to switch between foam and clear water so I don’t use it. Instead I use an attachment called Adams Foam Cannon that goes on the end of the “wand” instead of the nozzle. I coat the car with that foam, use a wash mitt to get all the stubborn stuff off, then remove the foam cannon, replace the nozzle and rinse off.

Downsides:
We have hard water here so that can leave water spots so I make sure to dry the car immediately with a towel even moving it into the garage first to do so to get it out of the sun.

This hard water killed the wand within 2 years. Nothing was coming out due to a nozzle blockage, then it burst somewhere inside the wand gun and that was that. However the wand is replaceable so I ordered a new one only for like $30 and was back in business.
The problem may have been the nozzle clogging rather than the wand gun so I also replaced the nozzle. It was like $7.

As a side note, both my cars have full PPF coverage and no the pressure washer does not take it off. Again, I don’t hold the wand near the edges and most of the edges on our cars are wrapped around to the backside of the panels anyway.
 
I’ve used Nilfisk pressure washers for years after trying and being disappointed at the build and durability of Karcher units. I think Nilfisk are Swedish and they typically use metal motors and the flow rates tend to be slightly higher than the Karcher equivalent. My old Nilfisk was 7 years old and had developed Into something of a water feature at the intake, so I had to replace it and bought the Nilfisk Premium 180 pressure washer in the most recent Costco Black Friday sale and it is an amazing machine. It has an induction motor with aluminium heads and it has a dial to adjust the output. The nozzle also allows you to fine tune delivery. It’s a max 180bar and can deliver 610l/min; though no domestic supplies are going to provide that sort of flow rate. It can run from a static water tank too if mains water isn’t available. It was relatively expensive at £290 in the Black Friday sale but it feels like a professional unit when you’re using it and the level of control available over the output is better than any other pressure washer I’ve ever used which is important for me as I use it on the cars and on my bikes. I have no doubt it will last for years.

I believe pressure washers are completely safe for use on modern, well maintained cars providing they’re used properly. Don’t use them on areas where you have rust or flaking paint or loose trim (shouldn’t be a problem on the SE) and don’t put the nozzle on the paintwork. Don’t spray directly into intakes or exhaust (where applicable) and generally be sensible with it. the only issues I’ve heard of when using pressure washers is when the user has perhaps used it on an engine bay or have stuck it under the car pointing forward and damaged a sensor not designed for strong directional spray from the wrong direction. again, it’s about being sensible.
Putting your hand under the output from a pressure washer may hurt a little, but it’s not going to break skin, so it’s not going to remove hardened clear coat and paint from a well maintained car either.

There’s a good video on YouTube about the use of pressure washers that I found when looking for a replacement last year.
 
If you've ever used a self serve car wash they employ pressurized wands. I have used those for years. Definitely common sense should be used.
 
Like Andy I also use a dedicated snow foam lance and solution with my pressure washer to try to reduce the likelihood of getting swirls on dark paintwork. It dislodges dirt and grit so that when I start the hand wash part there’s less chance of anything putting microscratches into the paint. Then you take it to the dealer and the work experience kid washes it with what appears to be mostly sandpaper :(
 
Another vote for a Ryobi pressure washer. I have this one plus a foam gun attachment and an undercarriage washer. I spray off with water, soak in foam for a bit, gently use a wash mitt, rinse, and use a leaf blower to get most of the water off before drying with a towel. The black roof looks nice but is a pain to keep scratch free...
 
I bought one of these for when I wash my bikes so I can dry right in and around the engine, but it works well on the Mini too. It is the gadget I never knew I needed, but it’s indispensable now. Similar theory to a leaf blower but there are air filters to stop anything being fired at your pride and joy, and the heat from the dual motors warms the air. You do need ear plugs while using it and you can’t lose grip on the hose while in use or it whips about all over the place like it’s been possessed. Much kinder to paintwork than even a micro fibre drying cloth.
https://bruhl.co.uk/products/bruhl-md2800pro-dual-turbine-dryer
 
Electric leaf blower does work, however you still have to exercise caution. Also useful for removing dry snow off your vehicles!
 
My neighbor borrowed my power washer but left the water in it during a freeze. After that it leaked in many places so I tossed it. So don't forget to empty the water out if you use your power washer where water freezes.
 
As part of this thread I went down the rabbit hole on YouTube of pressure washer reviews. I found IMJOSHV's channel - he seems to have a lot of good information about car detailing pressure washers, foam cannons, adapters, hoses. Seems pretty legit. I assume he uses affiliate links, but the actual review information still seems impartial to me. He calls out the good and bad stuff on different products.

Here is one example:

 
In my honest opinion, a two-bucket wash and foam cannon setup has been fairly effective. I do have XPEL the bumpers, full hood and fenders for my vehicles.
 
I have gasoline powered one from Sam's club. Honda motor. Buddy was in Sam's when he saw it on clearance from about 350 to 99. Only issue is it wanders so I have to basically plant it in the rock bed against the cement lip of the driveway.

I put the Mother's CMX ceramic coating on three of the cars. The dirt just slides off when hit with water. I was going to do it on the red SE after the stripes were installed but... it will go on the next one after the stripes are installed.
 
I’ve always had the impression that power washing a car is kind of like sandblasting it as the high pressure hits the accumulated grit on the surface and drives it right into the paint. Is pressure washing really considered preferable to some more delicate process?


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Jim In Tucson said:
I’ve always had the impression that power washing a car is kind of like sandblasting it as the high pressure hits the accumulated grit on the surface and drives it right into the paint. Is pressure washing really considered preferable to some more delicate process?
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Click to expand...

From my research, it appears to be a matter of PSI and technique. Lower power electric pressure washers, and keep the wand 18 - 24 inches from the surface. But hand washing would always be safer.
 
Also the hardness of your water is something to consider. If it's just dust accumulation you could get away with waterless washing.
 
teslarati97 said:
In my honest opinion, a two-bucket wash and foam cannon setup has been fairly effective.
Click to expand...
That's what I do in the summer, but in winter there's no way I'm going through all that in freezing temperatures. I find a pressure washer for a quick hose down kind of tempting, but my attitude is if the temperatures are below 10 ºF everything's frozen. All of our car washes close at those temperatures, so I wait until they open and then run my car through ASAP.
 
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