To jet wash or not...

[DavidL]

Always wondered about this with older cars and the dreaded tin worm. The roads around here are horrible through the winter and my S seems to carry half of however hard I try. A jet wash would be the quickest and easiest way to cut through the rubbish but I've always been wary of forcing water under pressure into crevices where it may not ordinarily have managed. This in turn would cause rust more quickly. Do we agree or shall I just go and buy one!!

 

[Diver944]

I've repaired more than enough wheels and edges of panels where a customer has been a bit enthusiastic with their jetwash so I would say stay clear. Saying that I am pretty sure that most jetwashes have guidelines about how close you should hold the lance and I bet most people breach that guideline.

Even a small break in the laquer like a stonechip can give a high powered jet of water enough purchase to start stripping the laquer back so be careful []

 

[morris944s2john]

Just use a jet attachment on your garden hose. This will give enough force to get the road salt off but not so much that it damages the paint.

 

[cococola]

I agree with Paul,dont use a jet wash its much better to clean by hand and if you need any pressure on wheel arches use a garden hose attachment as they wont be as harsh.

 

[pauljmcnulty]

Clean the underneath after a good long run in the wet - comes off easily and far less harsh than what you'd use to clean your concrete patio!

 

[Alexw]

Ive used a pressure washer on mine several times, in fact ive used a big industrial one we have at work for washing the wagons, just common sense really, dont stand with the needle nozzle on 3" from the paintwork and 3 expect everything to be fine []

So long as its kept a sensible distance from the paintwork and any bits that are delicate like arches and join and tyre wall everything should be fine. All my opinion ofc []

 

[peanut]

I always use a foam brush. It takes longer but is much safer. I've seen very high pressure water jets used to cut through concrete !

 

[zcacogp]

Have to say, I use a jetwash (domestic machine) on the arches to clean grot out, but use the fan setting from at least a foot (and sometimes more) away, and spray with waxoyl (or similar) afterwards. I also use it on the wheels, as it gets them quite clean.


Oli.

 

[Guest]

i use a tooth brush i wondered why it took so long i moght try these big heavy duty cleaners one day

 

[geoffbateman]

I've always washed all my vehicles by hand with a hose, bucket and sponge (or washmit). I've never had any problems cleaning inside arches. Just hose well under the arch or underbody and leave for a while to soak in and soften up. Repeat exercise and most if not all of the muck will come off. Regular pressure washing, especially if washing solutions are added can cause damage to the paint's surface and lead to a dulling of the finish if not careful.
Also I find it easier to direct the hose jet into the wheel arch return where muck tends to sit and corrosion usually starts.

 

[robbosliding]

I have a karcher jet washer and have always been disappointed with its use. I am savvy enough not to put it to close to the paint work but find that it doesn't shift all the winter grime and salt off the car. I reserve it for blasting off my off road bike. I have always found a soaking with a hose followed by sponge and bucket by hand and the hose again works fine. For those under arch areas a soaking and then a use of a hoselocked brush to scrub out the build up of road grime works well followed by copious amounts of fresh water to wash away the devils shite (salt). I believe a jet wash will undo all the good work waxing does too