Hi all,

I'm looking to buy a pressure washer sometime in the near future, not only for washing the car but for other projects as well. I’m looking for something electric preferably and safe enough to use on an automotive finish (someone told me some can spray the paint off your car). I assume that many of them have adjustable pressure settings and such. I really don’t know much about them at all and I would like some input on what you all have used and what you recommend. Thanks!

-Shaun

 

There not normally a problem when used correctly. You would obviously want to be cautious around paint chips and emblems, weatherstripping etc. All the places considered a little fragile.

 

The only thing I use one for is if I am doing a 4x4 then I do the wheel wells and exposed undercaridge I can see, otherwise I have no use for it outside of if I get a car caked in mud .. then I use it to move some of that off.

As for reg washes .. nope ... and I don't want to drive dirt in where it will bother me later .. for rinsing you don't want to blast dirty water around .. you want to flood the panel(s) to float the dirt off the car.

 

Is a 2500 PSI sprayer too much? Will it cause pitting or other defects in the paint? I'm not really looking to use it every week on the car, but anything that helps clean the car up faster will be nice. I get about 10 million bugs collected just going back and forth to work. It will also be great to use on the warmer days of winter to get all the salt dust and stuff from the undercarriage of the car.

 

2500, thats at point blank. Good for removing stains from concrete. Dont let that type of pressure anywhere near the surface. Thats way too much. You dont really need anything more then what comes from a typical hose with a nozzle attached. Most home water pressures are around 40-60 PSI, add a nozzle and your at at least double/triple that. Hi presure systems are ok, you just have to be careful when using them. Stand back at a minimum of 5' from tip to surface, and never get under chips or emblems......Just use common sense....