Paint

[Parthiban]

i read on is300.net about one guy who's paint came off when he used one of those pressure washers at petrol stations. Can this really happen? I use my own pressure washer on mine, never caused any damage that i know of but i assume those ones are much more powerful than the ones you buy in Halfords.

but still, i can't believe that a pressure washer can strip the paint off a car! would this happen on any car or just lexus'

[ifraz]

I've had the Lexus Badge on the wheel come off when using the Jet Wash at a service station :(

Never noticed any difference with the paint work

[ricky_is200]

I've never had any problems both with my own and the petrol station jet washes.

[Zee007]

Me neither - never had any issues.......... however, I have heard of laquer being lifted by a jet wash in the past (not a Lexus though). I guess if you have laquer peeling and water gets underneath with force, it could potentially do some damage......... :duh:

[Rob]

yes it can happen - a friend bought a pressure washer - admittedly it was a very powerful one - washed his motorbike and stripped the paint off the crankcase!!!!!!! but he also had it very close.

Also think of this - car ha lots of dust/ fine grit on it - you then blast it off with a pressure washer along/off the body you could get some scratches in the soft clear coat. i always rinse it off first from a distance so it gets washed off rather then blasted off.

[jonthebarber]

no problems here , i use my home and garage jet washers . my mates garage has a petrol driven one which boils the water so when you wash the car it brings all the crap off and drys at the same time . fantastic !

[Parthiban]

thanks for all the replies, that's brilliant

i don't think i could go back to the old bucket and sponge :P

[huggy]

I hate to sound sad but i would never use a pressure washer on my car-or my girlfriends fiesta!!!I still use bucket and sponge,hosepipe,Autoglym car wax etc etc(*** i am 30 going on 60)anyway,we have a high pressure jet wash at work ,which is used to clean the ambulances(yes us paramedics have to wash our vehicles)the instruction which came with it state you should stand at least 4-6ft away from the vehicle-to minimise any damage,i have seen the jet wash pull off paint normally where their is a stone chip,it can also lift the reflective striping on the vehicle,the detergant also strippes the car ofany polish,however i dont think domestic pressure washers are as powerful,but they are good for under the wheel arches.

[Claire G]

Many moons ago my husband was a car valeter and used jet washes every day. The only problems he ever had was if you got too close to the window seals - water used to get pushed through on occasion. Also don't put the jet of water too close to the number plates as it can separate the reflective backing from the plate.

He's dictating this to me and he's saying that water concentrated on the tyres can split the rubber. Be careful of the badges too as they can come off if slightly loose.

...... I wish he'd told me all of this before we bought a jet wash. I'm either going to stick with the old hose and a bucket of soapy water, or get him to wash my car from now on!!!

BTW. On another issue, don't you think I'm excessively kind - not only did I wash my car on Saturday, I also cleaned his Honda.

[Matthew_McNally]

BTW. On another issue, don't you think I'm excessively kind - not only did I wash my car on Saturday, I also cleaned his Honda.

damn - if I had known you were doing car washes Claire, I would have dropped mine off!

:P :P

[ricky_is200]

I hate to sound sad but i would never use a pressure washer on my car-or my girlfriends fiesta!!!I still use bucket and sponge,hosepipe,Autoglym car wax etc etc

But a pressure washer is sooo much easier :D The few times I've washed mine with a bucket (or even with a normal hose) it seemed so much harder, especially cleaning the wheels.

[Steve]

they reckon the brush is better than a sponge... a sponge leaves swirl marks as your rubbing the grime into the car

[ricky_is200]

Thats why I always jet wash mine off first!

[Claire G]

they reckon the brush is better than a sponge... a sponge leaves swirl marks as your rubbing the grime into the car

The car valeter at work recommended a silicon free sponge to help prevent this, but I haven't been able to track one down at Halfords or Les Smiths

[bloofire]

I had a nasty experience with my pressure washer and my IS200. I was trying to blast a dried-on dead insect off the bonnet, and a nice piece of paint came off - oops. Also if you get too close to stone chips it makes them bigger.

My bonnet is so blasted with stone chips now it just looks awful even when cleaned and waxed. I haven't dared using the the touch up paint yet - too afraid i would mess it up.

Thoughts anyone?

[wildrnes]

stripped a load of lacquer off mine using the work washer

now i use a hose or a bucket and take my time

whats the rush

[kev dood]

I think that you get to appreciate the lovely lines of the IS200 with a sponge!

Must admit, my bonnet is relatively stonechip free, I wash with Autoglym, wax with Mer then use the Extra gloss finish or whatever (gold Autoglym bottle) to finish. Takes ages but well worth it. Shame can't keep the wheel spotless!

[Bazza-old]

Must admit, my bonnet is relatively stonechip free, I wash with AutoGlym, wax with Mer then use the Extra gloss finish or whatever (gold Autoglym bottle) to finish. Takes ages but well worth it. Shame can't keep the wheel spotless!

be carefull of mer its a mild version of t-cut and is stripping a minute layer of paint every time, should only really be used once or twice a year

try Autoglym wax good stuff especially with a coat of the extra on top