Pressure washer

DEpointfive0

First of all, 1500PSI seems WAYYYYYY too high, maybe 150 is ok, 1500 should strip paint.

And as for the foam gun, I have this:

Amazon.com: Gilmour 95QGFMR Foamaster II Cleaning Sprayer: Patio, Lawn & Garden

It ain't cheap, but it isn't going to break, and man it makes life easier.
I first rinse the car with one of those cheap $5 multi tip gardening hose adapters, then hook up the foamer. The bitch of the foamer is that to get GOOD thick foam you use a decent amount of soap, so use a cheaper, but quality soap like:

Amazon.com: Meguiar's Gold Class Car Wash Shampoo and Conditioner, 64oz.: Automotive

Next, I use a 5 gallon bucket with:

Grit Guard Wash Bucket Insert : Amazon.com : Automotive

The purpose of the grit guard is so that you can rub the mitt on it to take dirt off as well as trap the dirt at the bottom of the bucket, the design keeps water at the bottom from sloshing around and kicking up the dirt

I use it with:

The Original California Microfiber Wash Mitt - Walmart.com

with:

Meguiar's Ultimate Wash and Wax: Automotive : Walmart.com

Ultimate W&W is THE BEST car cleaning wash I have ever used, And occasionally I'll use it in the gun too


Dry it using first:

Pilot Automotive CC-2010 11" Soft and Dry Water Blade : Amazon.com : Automotive

(Walmart sells them in store for $7)

then I use:

Amazon.com: The Absorber 34900 X-Large Chamois: Automotive

To get the rest of the water off, I like the chamois because there is NO lint at all, and IF it gets completely drenched, you can wring it out quickly and easily


For aftercare, buy a CA duster, if you use it every day, and it only takes 30 seconds, you won't need to wash your car half as much:

The Original California Car Cleaning Duster - Walmart.com

$12-13 in store


And use this wax when the time comes:

Meguiar's Nxt Generation Tech Wax 2.0: Automotive : Walmart.com

SouthArk370Z

Yep. With high pressure, not only do you chance scratching the paint, you also risk peeling it off if there is a weak spot. And I wouldn't want to hit those body panels with high pressure - too easy to dent.
You can always stand back a few feet, so you are only hitting the car with a couple hundred psi or less, but that kinda defeats the purpose of a high pressure washer.
I suggest sticking with whatever comes out of the spigot. You can use a jet nozzle if you need more oomph.

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Huck

[QUOTE=DEpointfive0;2015322]First of all, 1500PSI seems WAYYYYYY too high, maybe 150 is ok, 1500 should strip paint.

You probably know a lot more about this stuff than I do over all, there's still a lot that I'm learning about detailing. But from my experience 1500 - 2000psi is great for washing a car! Now if you were to put it on a concentrated jet and 6" from the car panel, then yes it could definitely strip the paint. A 20 degree fan attachment on my dad's 4000psi pressure washer was what we used to get all the paint off of his old camper so that we could repaint it, and even THAT took some time. To put it in perspective, the self wash places that have the pressure washer handles that shoot the soap and the wax and all that are around 2000 - 2500psi usually, and that doesn't strip the paint. Hell, it doesn't even damage my Plastidip. So as long as you keep the wand 2 or 3 feet away and use the proper fan tip, I think you should be fine

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SouthArk370Z

When I used a pressure washer was at work to clean trucks. IIRC, the washer was rated at 2000 psi. More than once we knocked a chip out of the paint and once removed about a 3"x6" chunk. But this was over 30 years ago and maybe paint is a lot better now. Or maybe it was all the dings a work truck receives that gave the water a place to "bite". Or maybe I was young and dumb and didn't know what I was doing. Anyway... you certainly seem to have more experience (and more recent experience) with cleaning cars than I, so I'll recommend that ppl take your advice and discount or ignore my previous post.

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BoatPerson

TO:

DEpointfive0

Your post was super informative for an average person like me. Most posts are too technical, a novice would not know where to begin. The links to the items were very helpful. Thanks so much. You must have stock in Amazon and Walmart.

DEpointfive0

Hey, I just saw this, and I'm glad I could be of assistance.
I am a very dumb áss friendly poster over the Internet with lots of links and pics and such because for ME, if I'm not doing it with someone or watching them in person (case in point, the Internet...) I become a MORON...

And I wish I had stock in Amazon and Walmart, I'm just a cheap SOB looking for the best products!



If you or anyone needs any help or has any questions, feel free to PM me!