Hey Guys,

Quick Question...

Can the HIGH pressure from a Car Wash (DIY) or (Machine) damage our paint/clear coat...?

Swirl marks, any kind of scratches??

Ya'lls .02's....

 

I'd say if you don't do it on a regular basis, you'll be alright. The thing is, they're pretty much useless. The only times I use them is when there's a lot of mud on the car-they're handy at removing the thick stuff before I take it home and hand wash it. OR, since I wax the car regularly, I'll take it by the pressure wash to remove heavy dust build-up (if it's more than I want to try to remove with the duster). Then I'll get on the highway and it'll air dry pretty clean. It's a quick shower. ;-)

Swirl marks? Only if you dare put the foam brush to it! DON'T EVER USE THE BRUSHES!!!

-Andy

 

Yes, the brushes will **** you up.

And as for the high-pressure water damage, it depends. First, that hot, high-pressure water does a number at stripping your wax off.

I had '91 Mustang GT. Granted, they were a cheap POS wrapped around a reasonable motor and a good tranny. I took a little damage on mine at the car wash. I was maybe 19-20, I had some tar or other road grime stuck on the "ground efffects" ahead of the rear wheel. The stuff was plastic (polywhatevuh), so when I hit it with a close blast... ...perhaps at a bad angle ... ...it stripped a stripe of paint right off and left the yellow "primer" showing. That was the last time I've had one of those power-wash nozzles within 6 inches of a painted surface. I know, it was a Ford... ...but still! :P

Just a word of caution around those body panels that aren't metal. lol

 

As said above, never use the brush. Use the full pressue minimally. I like to hand wash mine at a diy spray wash. some don't allow this so check out your local one. Basically I first spray the wheels w/ p21s (assuming they're cool) then I use the spot remover rinse (med pressure) and soak the car down really well as well as pre-rinse wheels, then go to town w/ your bucket of suds. If you do this at night or in cool weather you can do the whole car if you move fast. Then rinse really well w/ the same pressure. CA blade, drying towels, then hit the wheels w/ a moist costco microfiber to get any left over dirt on them. drive home, then use vinylex w/ eagle strip on tires.

 

I always think the high pressure is stripping away the wax, the clear coat, or even the paint.
I wouldn't get too close to the paint if I used one.
C.

 

That's what I was thinking, and why I asked.

I'll do what I had planned on doing (which is much harder), and do it all by hand and BABY the Coupe!!!

Thanks for the tips guys!!

 

If your car's metal is hot, it will surely get scratched a lot. I wash 5am with hose and hand. Best thing you can do. At 5am its not so warm so water doesnt dry up. I get plenty of time to completelly wash and dry w/o water spots. Auto car-wash? If you even consider doing that, then you must not love the G as she deserves.

 

car washes generally use a highly dilluted hydrofloric 'soap'. Thing is, the stuff is pretty pricey and many car washes cheat the formula spec'd by the soap manufacturer. Not all, but many. I dont really trust them to get it right. So, I avoid the soaps at bays and I never drive thru a wash because of the brushes and our rims.

As for spraying in the bays, never ever spray at 90 degrees or perpendicular to the surface. You can push dirt into the clear or create scratches.

So, basically the way I do it, I can never really get the car clean.. it always leaves a film. I'll spray it when I'm on a road trip so the clear bra wont stain with bug guts.. or to get something nasty off the wheel arches, but all other times it makes more sense for me to use a wash mitt.

 

Be careful with the high pressure wand. In college, my friend hit a rock chip just right with the water stream, and it peeled the paint right off the car

 

The high pressure washer does remove wax, especially natural wax.
i never use high pressure washers on my cars. only tap water pressure.

 

I use high pressure wands all the time. I haven't seen any damage at all. Great for removing stuff that is hard to get off like bugs and tar.

 

Depends what kind of pressure washer you are talking about.

The types we use in construction......yeah I've seen them strip wood. The kind you see the dealers using to wash their cars, I doubt it unless you are careless.

 

spray ur hand.. keep incraesing the distance until it doesnt hurt ur hand anymore.. thats the closest you'll want to get

i'm pretty sure they're not talking about the ones in construction.. i've seen those rip rust off steel