Sell me on the pressure washer...

So is it really worth getting one for a guy who only cleans his own cars? Will it really save me any time or produce much better results - it is my understanding that you still have to go around the car with 2 buckets even after the pressure washer/foam application...

I've been happy with my foam gun attachment, but this past weekend I had to take care of my wife's daily driver - car has not been washed for probably 3 to 4 months. Sprayed with foam and then had to go twice over each spot with a wash pad. Killed a lot of time, got tired and to top it all of, brand new Adam's wash pad is ready for the garbage - all the dirt from the lower portion of the car won't even clean from the pad now... I wonder if pressure washer would have made any difference...

Cheers!

 

Yes small inexpensive pressure washers have a home in every automotive enthusiasts garage, in the time to remove bugs from the front, dirt from the wheel wells, and salt sand and or mud from undercarriages alone they are worth the price you pay for them. Not to mention the numerous other uses they have, house, deck, sidewalk, window, and gutter cleaning. Either look in the paper locally for a good condition used unit that will be cheap enough to throw away if it breaks down, or purchase one locally from a trusted retailer that has a good return policy. If you will use your machine for the other above mentioned uses besides car washing consider purchasing a small gas powered washer preferably with a Honda motor, a gas unit is strong but simply idling down the motor will decrease pressure for a car wash, and idle it up to remove pealing paint from your house. Good luck!

 

I live in the apartment building, so pressure washer will only be used on my cars... I've been eyeing Karcher 5.85 M, but is $350 admission price (pressure washer, foam gun with bits to attach it to pw and possibly a new hose) really worth it? I'm all for making the whole wash process quicker/better, but I don't want yet another toy that in the end will neither cut the wash time nor make results any better then what I can do now with 2 buckets.

P.S. Since I don't own the house and is somewhat limited in space, gas pressure washers are out of the question. I will need to go with an electric unit that is portable and is easy to store/move around.

Thanks!

 

In a apartment then I would pass on a pressure washer and continue with the hose end attachment that you are already using. And $350 is to much to spend on a tool that you are not sure that you need.

 

I don't think the a pressure washer really cuts down on total wash time (even if you just use it to foam the car, wipe, and wash with no buckets) since you have to drag it out, hook it up, and start the engine (or plug it in) and then unhook it and store it again.

If you use Sonax on your wheels though the pressure washer blasts the grime right off after the product is done working... not having to scrub the wheels makes the whole thing worth it for me (and I guess that saves significant time). Also the foaming action is just glorious.

If you had other uses for the machine I would say go for it, but I don't think that you will significantly cut down your total wash time or get better results.

 

This may be an option for an appartment dweller-

Using a Gilmour 75QGFMR Foamaster Adjustable Multi Ratio Cleaning Gun made with solid brass fittings and durable plastic (Low Pressure) only requires a rinse bucket, because there is no need for a wash bucket. With this wash method you further minimize adding surface imperfections (scratches) to your paint. You foam the car, wipe it with your media, and rinse the media in the bucket, repeat.

The main benefit is that you can pre-soak your vehicle with shampoo without the need to touch your paint. This allows the surfactants in the wash concentrate to lift contamination from the surface of your vehicle and hold it in suspension, which helps the foam stick to the surface longer for a deeper clean. The soils can then be safely rinsed away

Use a suitable concentrate like Dodo Juice Born to be Mild or Supernatural Car Shampoo

 

I've been using foam gun for more then an year now. Never used it to pre-soak the car through - I've been using Adam's shampoo and while it foams very nicely, I don't think you can put a layer of foam on the car with a foam gun (like you can with a foam canon); it just won't stick and will run down almost immediately...