Pressure washer?

[GhostZ]

Hey ok so i'm considering buying a Pressure washer cause seems handy to clean with it and also in the winter i can easily clean my wheels with it so road salt doesnt stick to them for 1 or 2 days untill i got some time to properly clean them with my puny water stream i have now.

so does anyone have some tips and maybe DO's and DONT's how to clean your car with this piece of equipment

this one i want to buy maybe is called karcher K3.495MD
Presure 20-120 bar
Flow rate : 420l/h
has a detergent tank = to put in their cleaning products or can i maybe input my own ?
has Vario spray lance (use this for the car ofcourse ) , dirt blaster and the T250 (i can use to clean the terrace of the house ) it has lots of stuff for a good price i think .

thanks for reading

GhostZ

 

[jra3d]

That's a good all around model Karcher pressure washer I sell pressure washers and to be honest nearly all of their brand are good!

The deck was brush is awesome on patios which I see pictured, where in uk you from mate?

 

[GhostZ]

That's a good all around model Karcher pressure washer I sell pressure washers and to be honest nearly all of their brand are good!

The deck was brush is awesome on patios which I see pictured, where in uk you from mate?

thats the problem im not from UK im from Belgium else if i lived in UK i would go to your store now xD

 

[jra3d]

Damn well anywhere you go there a good brand. I was gonna offer a discount voucher when I get them through!!

 

[GhostZ]

Damn well anywhere you go there a good brand. I was gonna offer a discount voucher when I get them through!!

well if its some international karcher discount voucher i can use anywhere would be awesome :lol:

but do you use a pressure washer yourself ? got some tips do's or dont's

 

[jra3d]

U personally don't use them on cars I prefer the brush and bucket method but each to their own, saying that I occasionally do the arches!

An in regards to hosepipes don't use a stop valve on the hosepipe as it slows the passage of water down

 

[GhostZ]

U personally don't use them on cars I prefer the brush and bucket method but each to their own, saying that I occasionally do the arches!

An in regards to hosepipes don't use a stop valve on the hosepipe as it slows the passage of water down

yeah but i want to use this when the car is really filthy where i work alot of dust flies around and if its really dirty i dont want to use my good washing tools that i can throw them away instantly on the same day i washed it

 

[jra3d]

I'm with ya!

Well my neighbour always uses his for the car an it doe the job, just careful on the black by the windows as its got a habit of pealing in the corners by the drivers window rubber

 

[waitey]

I'm with ya!

Well my neighbour always uses his for the car an it doe the job, just careful on the black by the windows as its got a habit of pealing in the corners by the drivers window rubber

Mine did this! So got a hair dryer out and took it off completely lol.

 

[Moomin_Man]

I use a pressure washer, but don't go over the rear twingo badge/vinyl....blasted mine right off!

Although...Looks better i think!

but yeh, usual stuff, careful around windows seals, any small bits of trim and keep the car unlocked. My alarm kept going off when i pressure washed the doors or boot.

 

[singlespeed]

It depends on the power of the washer, so your distances may need to be increases or decreased:-

Start off with the lance at least 2m away from the surface and give it a general blow over which will wash away any larger bits of grit/sand. This saves blasting them into the paint and causing more harm than good.

Move in to about 0.75m and work over the area with overlapping sweeps, working from top to bottom. Your never going to get it spotless without causing damage, so just concentrate on removing all of the loose dust/mud.

As said previously, be carfull around stickers, trim and door seals etc.
Never get very close with the lance, trying to remove a stuck particle/tar spot.
Never stick your hand infront of the lance (apparently its very painfull when your finger is opened up like a burst sausage )

 

[singlespeed]

Heres some washing tips from one of our local specialists
https://www.polishedbliss.co.uk/acatalog/safe-washing-and-drying.html

 

[Alex_225]

I've had a couple of Karchers pressure washers and both have been really good. I tend to go for an intermediate model, around the £100 mark. My first Karcher gave up on me but that was after 3 years of regular use so I thought it did well.

The only thing I'd say about using a pressure washer is don't hold it too close to the paint if you can help it. I'd say 9-10" would be the closest you'd need. Oh and don't use any of the brush attachments, just stick with the lances.

Well worth buying one of their 90 degree under body lances as they're great for giving the underside and arches of the car a good rinse, especially in the winter weather.

 

[GhostZ]

btw i was wondering on my karcher system i have a detergent bottle where i can put liquids in , is it recommended to do karcher liquids or can i use like meguair soap to wash the car with or can it destroy the internals ?

 

[Matt]

The detergent just gets sucked up at the end so you could put meg shampoo in (I do). Only problem is not much comes out!

 

[GhostZ]

The detergent just gets sucked up at the end so you could put meg shampoo in (I do). Only problem is not much comes out!

no its not one of those wannabe foam lances from karcher it is a detergent bottle at the back of my Karcher looks like This

and NOT this

 

[Matt]

Yeah that's the one I assumed you meant (same as mine).

The only difference between the two are the position on the lance. The detergent bottle simply gets drawn from before the water enters the lance, whereas the 'foam lance' fits to the opposite end to provide a different pressure.

The built-in detergant bottle almost does the same job as the Karcher will only draw from it when you use a low-pressure lance anyway. It's less powerful than a hose when you use the detergant bottle.