Power washers for cars - worth buying?

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AlastairSC

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Costs E7 to get my car washed.
Usually get it done once a month or so.
Thinking idly while waiting in line today that it's E84 per year (and rising).

Anyone have any experience of using a power washer at home? I'm thinking of the Karcher type products as seen in Argos for around E150. Any tips on what to get?
Is it worth it or is the hassle too much?
Was thinking of getting my teenager to do it - he's pretty keen...

We have decking as well, though it's new and I don't know how much it needs to be cleaned down this way if at all. It might make the purchase more worthwhile?

Any words of advice from those with power washers welcome....
 
Powerwasher great for decking.

Cleaning car; I prefer to use a hose to wet it, a longhandled soft brush with washing up liquid from a bucket and a hose to rinse. 15 minutes.

Beware of powerhoses on cars and motorbikes, as they get water to places a car wasn't designed to have water and they can lift paint and seals.
 
"he's pretty keen..."

At what cost :D Probably more than it costs for the car wash!

Would be inclined to agree with SineWave about it being too strong for use on the car. but it is not Karcher. A friend has one of those and finds it very good. We only used ours for the cobblelock.
 
sueellen said:
We only used ours for the cobblelock.
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Isn't a lot of cobblelock laid without adhesive/cement, with sand brushed over to fill the small gaps between cobbles? If so, I'd imagine a power hose could be detrimental in the long run.
 
I have one and find it invaluable. Some of my local roads are little better than dirt tracks so, especially at this time of year, our cars are covered in mud a day after being washed. We use the pressure washer 1-2 times per week and it only takes about 10 minutes per car. We also use it on paths and decking and it leaves them looking like new.
 
I bought a Karcher power washer (and one of the bigger ones at that) 3 years ago for car washing and general cleaning around the garden etc. They're great for cleaning barbeques, garden furniture and stubborn stains on paths, drives etc. However as already stated they are very abrasive they're not recommended for cleaning tarmacadam (breaks down the surface if overused). Taking out and setting up the washer (hose, mains lead, detergent etc) is a lot of work each time ( I think) so I find I don't use the washer a lot anymore. I too use a cheap, plastic headed kitchen broom with soft plastic bristles to clean the car- rinse off dirt with cold water and some detergent, wash and wax with Simoniz added to clean, warm water and rinse of with clean water. It takes under 25 minutes, you dont get wet and with the long handled brush there's less stretching etc. Gives as good a result as the automated machine I reckon and a bottle of Simoniz will give you about 30 washes so it's dirt cheap- just your time. I'd take out the washer maybe twice a year to give the underbody and wheel arches a good clean. I don't really do it to save money, I just don't like queuing at the garage and with washing the car yourself you can keep a better eye on the condition of the vehicle. I wouldn't use a power washer for cleaning windows or cobble lock.
 
i got quite a powerful in Aldi last year. Its something thats defo handy to have. As has been said they work on cars, but bear in mind its a bit of elbow grease. And as others have said....the power washer took off some of the coating on the plastic wheel hubs on the car...literally blew it off with the force. Having said that, I i have a 120 bar washer (with 450 litres an hour i think) which is abotu as strong as you get. But they are handy for cleaning. Also, one day while doing the car...which i do on the road by the way as the dirt can stain the cobble lock....well I pulled the nozzle while the water was pointing down ansd it defo broke up the tar surface in the 2inch by 2inch area it hit. Not enough to lead to a pothole but be ware of what it could do if you tried to clean tarmac with it for 10 mins...you'd have no tar mac left. And I defo wouldn't use it on cobble lock...it blasts out the sand.
On something fragile like tar mac/cobble lock I just use the hose itself on a spray setting rather than with the extra force.
 
There are lots of other uses once you have one, for example:

Painting the house or walls. A power washer with a dirtblaster will strip off the old paint in minutes. On a warm day you could strip the old paint off a wall, clean it down, prime and repaint for an excellent finish, saves days of scraping.

Natural stone: Any natural stone in the garden such as sandstone or granite can be beautifully cleaned in no time

Do not use them on cars, they degrade the paintwork. Its much more effective to use this 3 step process to get a beautiful clean car:

1) Buy a long handled brush that connects to your hose and clean off all excessive dirt
2) Put some detergent, fairy liquid etc, in a basin of warm water and apply using the mop attachment that comes with window cleaners
3) Wait a few minutes and clean off with the long handled brush connected to the hose.

You should be able to power hose the wheels if they are aluminium, but repeat, do not aim directly at car paintwork
 
janabiyah said:
... Do not use them on cars, they degrade the paintwork. Its much more effective to use this 3 step process to get a beautiful clean car:

1) Buy a long handled brush that connects to your hose and clean off all excessive dirt
2) Put some detergent, fairy liquid etc, in a basin of warm water and apply using the mop attachment that comes with window cleaners
3) Wait a few minutes and clean off with the long handled brush connected to the hose. ...
Click to expand...
The above instructions will guarantee to utterly destroy the paintwork on your car.

Never use a brush to get dirt off the paintwork of your car, never use household cleansers on the paintwork of your car.
 
I agree with most oif above - don't use it on the car (unless it's on a fine spray setting) and be careful about lettig your son do it. Mine wanted to "help" so I let him hose it down but he decided to change it from fine spray to jet to get off a subbourn piece of grime....nice hole left in the paintwork!! But he was VERY keen!!
 
I would never use a powerwasher on a car. Aside from any finish/paintwork damage, I've heard it said (and I don't know how true this is) that they can damage the tyres too by creating tiny pockmarks or pinholes in the tyre walls.

Anyone hear about this?
 
A power washer is a great thing to have. I got one about 4 years ago. Lavor is the make. I use it about twice a week, mainly for the car but also for cleaning the path around the house and the wall at the front, drain pipes and for any cleaning applications really.
I disagree with some people saying they are too powerfull to use on cars. The one I have has an adjustable nozzle, as do most these days, so I can control the intensity of spray. the main advantage for me is that you can give the chassis a great clean.
People tend to forget under the car but all that crud stuck to your suspension and break lines etc can accelerate the wearing of these parts resulting in costly repairs. I always spray under the car when I wash it especially after they salt the roads.
Just look after it and they last forever. Keep it in out of the frost and dont leave the lance lying around for people to trip or drive over.
And NEVER use fairy liquid on a car. Destroys the paint work. I think the comment about powerwashers damaging tyres is Ludicrous! The only way you might remotely achieve that is if you were using an industrial standard high powered pressure washer with a fine jet of water concentrated on the tyre wall at point blank! The small domestic washers you can buy in aldi and lidl are not capable of slicing up your tyres! they are designed for domestic applications. Its just common sence how you set it up and use it.
 
mathepac said:
The above instructions will guarantee to utterly destroy the paintwork on your car.

Never use a brush to get dirt off the paintwork of your car, never use household cleansers on the paintwork of your car.
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Dunno about not using a brush. I've been using a soft brush for years and the paint has never been marked by it. In fact people often remark how well the paint is for a older car. I assume its because its been always been handwashed.

What alternative do you use.
 
we bought the b&q Macallister Mac 4 before Christmas and i find it brilliant.

I use it all the time on the cars. Our Trooper gets a lot of crap under the arches and there's just no other way of shifting it. I have no problem using it on the paintwork.none of our vehicles are new (far from it!:D).

i usually give it a quick power wash and leave it for a while, then put the mix of detergent and water all over the vehicle. I have a soft brush and a bucket of warm water that i use then to get the dirt off. A final rinse and she's done.

i just love washing cars, it's so satisfying.

you do need to be a little more careful when using a pressure washer though, obviously around the exhaust and if there's a turbo, and even around the lights.

i think it cost around 280 euro but it's used regularly so i'm happy with it.
 
AlbacoreA said:
... What alternative do you use.
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"Snow-foam" (various trade names) applied from a special dispenser on a power-washer; start at the top and just like it run off taking all the muck & dirt with it. If really dirty, a second treatment; follow up by a cold-water rinse with the power-washer, then a warm shampoo, chamois or micro-fibre dry and then wax and polish.
 
I use Muc Off on my motorbike as I'd be afraid of using a power washer for the reasons others have said above. Simply spray the car with water, spray on the Muc Off, rub it quickly with a sponge and leave it for a couple of minutes. Then just rinse off with the hose.

It works a treat - it might do the job on the car too.
 
mathepac said:
"Snow-foam" (various trade names) applied from a special dispenser on a power-washer; start at the top and just like it run off taking all the muck & dirt with it. If really dirty, a second treatment; follow up by a cold-water rinse with the power-washer, then a warm shampoo, chamois or micro-fibre dry and then wax and polish.
Click to expand...

And before you had a power washer?
 
Be careful of the strength of it. I used a commercial one and it rips the paint work if held too close. Not good, especially if you already have a scratch, it only makes it worse.
 
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