Did anyone use a pressure washer while washing a TL? My cousin told me it makes the job A LOT easier... He also told me that I should get a more powerful one - I was considering 1300, 1600 and 1800 PSI. So the questions are:

- should I get it?
- is there a chance it will damage paint in any way?
- what pressure is the best, or just good enough to get the job done?

If you have any other suggestion regarding pressure washers, please post...

 

I'd be scared to use one, Ive seen those things turn small paint chips into giant paint peels in split seconds.

 

u don't even need to use soap to clean the car with the high pressure washer...u can wipe the dirt off easily

and u can save a lot of water for using that than just hose it..


that's the advantage of it...

 

The reason I asked - we have a construction near our house, and as I have to drive through the site (they started building houses on both sides of the road), my car is being covered by white stone dust. It sticks pretty well, so just spraying it with water doesn't do anything. And because there is so much of the dust (as I am literally driving through CLOUDS of it!), I am afraid to just wash it with a mitt. So my car has been dirty for over a week now. I figured a pressure washer woud be a good solution.

So, does anyone use a pressure washer to wash a car?

 

don't use the pressure washer on paint...... it will chip.... its good on your rims......

 

i just got a 1800 psi washer a couple of days ago and i love it, the first day i just went around my house and blasted stuff off of it made the patio furniture look like new But I would not use it on my TL tho they can be pretty mean on paint....

 

I have one and I use it occasionally....my only problem with it was that it seemed to take a little chip out of my clear coat on one of my wheels which pissed me off. I just got one from Wal Mart for about 100 bucks, it works really well. The advantage of having it is you can use it for so much more than just washing your car. I still like using the hose better though for some reason...by the time I set up the pressure washer I could have washed half my car by then.

 

I have a Karcher and it is great for washing the car, just do not put it up close or you may damage the paint. As for other uses, I have a house and it is awesome for cleaning decks, fences etc, prior to weathersealing them. It takes off all the dirt and grime and restores the origional pressure treated look. Its also great for cleaning cocrete decks, brickwork, removing loose paint aeound wood windows.

IF YOU HAVE A HOUSE THEY ARE GREAT.

 

There is just too much of a risk involved to use it on the car. I have one for around the house stuff.

 

I'd be afraid of it scratching the paint over time. Pros like Zaino recommend low pressure for getting the car wet and rinsing the soap off. With high pressure, every speck of dirt gets turned into a high speed abrasive particle. That can't be good for the clear coat.

 

Yeah....good for house stuff but please dont use it on your car.

 

I use it all the time on my cars! I find that it removes more road film and tar that might otherwise be left behind. Also in the N/E it helps save water. I have never experienced a chip getting larger from a power washer!

Just my 2 cents

Matt

 

I've used one to STRIP PAINT and stain off of wood.

I wouldn't use on the car, except maybe on the engine of my '72 Citroen.








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Thanks to everyone who posted here.

Seems like it works for some, but not for others... So I decided to get a washer and try it out. Will post results here...

 

since you already got one i will let you see for yourself but those who have seen my car ....i use mine all the time ...no probs

 

I use it on my rims and the inner wheel arches/underbody.
Its great.

 

If you do plan to use a pressure washer, make sure you don't point the spray directly at the body panel. Spray at a very sharp angle to the body panel.

Pressure washers will remove wax, polymers if left on to long.

I had an incident at a DIY car wash. I tried to get some bird poop off the plastic trim around the window on my Integra. I held the spray on too long and it ate a hole into the trim. And these aren't as powerful as the home units.

 

I'm not sure if he's talking about a pressure washer or air compressor. I in hell would never use a pressure washer to wash my car. However, i do youse an air compressor to blast the water off the car, door jams, trims to dry it easier

 

you won't use a pressure washer to wash your car... but what happens when the air chuck comes out of the hose? What do you think will do more damage? That or high pressure water?

 

I use a 2200 pressure washer with a 6 hp Briggs engine. I have used it for several years on several vehicles with no damage. In my opinion, if it peals paint, it was loose anyway. I feel it removes the grit that would cause swirls. I am a Zanio user on my 2002 Ody and my new TL-S. If I drive in the rain and dirt drys on the car, I spray it off, wash with a Zanio car wash solution, then respray with the pressure washer.
I then dry with a back mount blower. I don't like manual labor. I like all power products. Just lazy it guess! :p

 

Gotta love power tools!

 

Well, I got myself a pressure washer. Decided to take it slow, and got Campbell Hausfeld electric 1300 PSI in the neighborhood Wal-Mart ($90). To try it, washed my old car. It's been sitting in the driveway for a week, and it rained, so it had some ugly looking water spots where water with dust got beaded up and dried. So, I set it up and fired away. Made sure to use wide spray to decrease pressure. Result – all water spots are gone, and after drying the car, it looks pretty good. Didn’t use soap or anything, and it seems that wax that was on the car is still there.

Problems: could not get some brake dust off rims; 19’ hose is a joke, had to drag washer all around the car.

It is raining here today, so I will try it on my TL when the weather sets…