Many do-it-yourself auto enthusiasts recommend pressure washing to remove all grime and make your automobile seem brand new. This type of cleaning is also a more efficient alternative to hand-washing and waxing the outside.
Pressure washing your automobile at home appears to be the best alternative, especially given the current conditions. However, not entirely comprehending how to operate a pressure washer may cause havoc on your vehicle, removing the paint, exposing the metal below, and perhaps causing rust damage.
Here’s what you need to know before starting this DIY project.
Does Pressure Washer Damage Car Paint?
It’s pretty typical to be advised that using a power washer to clean your automobile may harm the paintwork. The pressured water is assumed to force dirt particles into and along the surface of your paintwork, resulting in scratches. A hosepipe is an option, although even this requires significant pressure to remove dirt and pollutants properly.
Although a hosepipe does not have the same pressure as a machine, it has more water volume and weight. So, if a pressure washer harmed your paintwork, wouldn’t a semi-pressurized hosepipe be capable of doing the same?
Are pressure washers safe for cars? Yes. Pressure washer car paint damage can only happen if you use a hugely strong machine and hold it too near the surface, causing the paintwork to be stripped off the vehicle.
When using a pressure washer to clean a car, the water lifts and encapsulates the dirt particles by getting in behind them, forming a protective barrier of water between the filth particles and the paintwork.
Add in the fact that if you pre-foam your car with an appropriate solution before rinsing (which you should), the dirt particles will have been efficiently loosened and removed from the surface by the foam before you even come to rinse it off with a power washer.
It’s perfectly safe to clean your automobile with a pressure washer as long as the machine is adequate and not overly strong. For example, you don’t keep the water jet near the paintwork or force water into sensitive places like window seals or damaged bodywork.
What Psi Will Be Safe For Cars?
Can pressure washers damage car paint? Unfortunately, a power washer might be powerful enough to harm your car’s paintwork. That is if you use a power washer with a pressure higher than 1900 PSI.
Washing your automobile with a PSI range of 1200 to 1900 is ideal. However, anything exceeding 1900 PSI might harm your car’s paintwork. Therefore, I propose using a pressure washer with a flow rate of 1.4–1.6 GPM.
A garden hose typically enables 5–10 GPM (gallon per minute) of water to flow through it at an average pressure of 30–50 PSI (pounds per square inch).
On the other hand, a light-duty residential pressure washer only uses 1.6 GPM at a pressure of about 1750 PSI.
As a result, the pressure washer has 5–18 times the cleaning power while consuming 68 percent less water.
So get a pressure washer with a 1200 – 1900 PSI and 1.4 – 1.6 GPM setting.
How To Choose A Pressure Washer Safe For Your Car Paint
Contrary to common assumptions, pressure washing is more than just a constant, high-powered spray of water provided from a hose.
Instead, systems are either electric or gas-powered, PSI is changeable and necessary to avoid damage, and the nozzle may be slanted in various ways. Additionally, many systems let you add soap or a cleanser, allowing you to use more than just water.
Keep the following in mind when choosing your pressure washer to avoid removing your car’s paint:
- Invest your hard-earned cash in a high-quality model from a reputable manufacturer. If you choose cheap, you’ll end up with low water pressure and fragile hardware, which may tempt you to use the nozzle too near to the faucet and in the same area for too long.
- Purchase a model with a built-in detergent container since this will allow you to use the correct vehicle soap with the pressure washer, allowing you to wash your car correctly.
- The optimal range for a home vehicle pressure washer is 1.4–1.6 GPM since this will ensure that the water flow to your nozzle is controlled and strong. This is also highly favorable to the environment.
- Choose an electric type rather than a gas one. The latter may be overpowering and unreliable, so go for an electric one with enough cable.
- Don’t be concerned about the numerous sorts of nozzles; over-the-counter vehicle pressure washers come with a range of nozzles that generate varied spray patterns. We’ll want to regulate the spray angle and motion ourselves to protect the paintwork, so we’ll want to avoid the dirt blasting pulse sprays and concentrated pencil jets and instead utilize the regular fan spray.
- Make sure your model comes with a brush attachment; we’ll need it to safely and effectively wash your automobile.
How To Pressure Wash Your Car
Here’s our quick guide to safely washing your vehicle with a pressure washer now that you know which pressure washer to pick and what recommendations to follow to avoid damage.
Clean dirt and debris
You’ll want to start by removing the top layer of dirt with one of your wider spray nozzles. Then, while dirt is still on the paintwork, avoid using a strong spray or a concentrated nozzle, and be extra careful around delicate parts like headlights.
Use a cleaning solution
Apply a detergent or foamy vehicle soap with a weak and broad spray pattern once again. If your pressure washer has a feature that permits it, you can do so with it. Allow only a few seconds for the detergent to settle; otherwise, streaks may result.
Concentrate dirt near the ground
Next, concentrate on eliminating any dirt and grime that was missed during the initial pass. You may use a brush nozzle if your pressure washer has a range of attachments. However, do not use your brush on the wheels before the rest of the car; otherwise, abrasive material from the wheel arches might be transferred to the paintwork, producing scratches.
Remove any leftover dirt or detergent
Switch to a high-pressure spray pattern and nozzle at this stage. Any residual dirt should have loosened by now and will be readily rinsed away by the powerful water jet. Maintain a safe distance from the automobile to avoid damage from the higher-pressure setting; roughly 1-1.5 meters between the nozzle and the paintwork is optimal.
You can watch this video for more instructions:
Conclusion
Does pressure washer damage car paint? To summarize, it is safe to wash your car with an over-the-counter pressure washer – and you will not harm your paintwork if you pick the proper type and use it correctly.
There’s no reason why you can’t use a specially built home pressure washer to successfully and safely wash your automobile for years to come provided you follow a few basic guidelines and wash it in a certain way.
While there’s nothing wrong with washing your car by hand with a garden hose pipe, it’s not nearly as much fun as going to work with a pressure washer!
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