The truth about pressure washers?

[clvs2222]

i read recently (dont know if it was on here) that using pressure washers when cleaning the car is not good as it causes damage to the paint work. i always see valeters using pressure washers, but is this just to speed up the cleaning process. also can someone tell me what a hot water pressure washer does better than a cold one?
im thinking of buying one, with the snow form lance attachment, a worthwhile purchase?

 

[Brand86]

They are fine as long as you know what you are doing with them, the ones for home use aren't normally that powerfull, like 90-120 bar pressure, so should be fine.

Ones with hot water helps to break down grime and bonded surface contaminants easier, come on GCSE chemistry here, like why you use hot water when you clean the dishes! You will be fine without this feature though, most cheaper washers don't have this anyway.

 

[theduck]

^^ What he said

 

[Silverfox]

No pressure washer will give a clean as good as a bucket and sponge IMO.

 

[theduck]

SPONGE FTL!!!

Pressure with foam lane is used BEFORE 2 bucket method with lambswool/microfibre mit. Never use a sponge!!

 

[dajones]

my grandad used a pressure washer on his volvo. eventually the laquer came off and he needed a bonnet and bumper respray. also my uncle managed to take the paint down to the metal on his astra with one (werent concentrating) he had a ntl sticker to cover it up with as it was his company car.
so if your careful itll be fine just dont use it on the high setting

 

[mattjk]

Depends on what condition the paint is like to be fair

 

[Ads_172]

I'll only ever use a pressure washer on wheels and underneath / arches now, I had a chip on the front of the ph1 and a blast from the hose made it a lot bigger!

 

[theduck]

You do have to be carefull how you use them, i remember detailing my brothers car and he 'helped' by pressure washing the alloys from about an inch away, simple to say his silver alloys ended up black primer...

 

[MRBILLYUK]

When you use a pressure washer you use your common sense obviously . If you have any stone chips or paint damage just be careful around those areas . It also depends on the type of lance you use . If you use one with a fine pencil jet then the risk of damage can increase . Personally i use a vario lance , plenty of high pressure foam and no risk of damage to the paint . They used to give a warning with Karchers around tyre areas of cars , as they have been known to cause damage to the sidewalls of the tyre . I've used one for the past 10 years and never had a problem ( touch wood )