How many bar/watts is enough? My bike is a bit dusty. Wanting it for cleaning paths and stonework, and giving the car it's bi-annual wash. Will probably want one of those flat surface attachments too, do they work? Tips on where to get a bargain would be handy too. Ta in advance.

All I can offer is some advice, don't use it in the freezing cold then put it back in the shed. The water in the pipes freezes, expands, then knackers it. And I have done it to two washers now!!

I wouldn't bother using it to clean cars – it's rubbish. You'll be there forever trying to get all the bits, and it doesn't clean it very well anyway. Sponge much better and quicker ime.

I got a monster karcher 6.75 off ebay for 200 quid. Vario lance, dirt blaster, patio cleaner(brilliant), as cleaner brush, detergent bottle dispenser and foamer too.
It's a factory recon but was less than half price, full warranty too.
It's very powerful!

All I can offer is some advice. After using it in the freezing cold, make sure all the water is out of the pipes before putting it back in the shed. That way the water won't freeze, expand, then knacker it. I have had the same washer for a couple of years now

I wouldn't bother using it to clean cars – it's rubbish. You'll be there forever trying to get all the bits, and it doesn't clean it very well anyway. Sponge much better and quicker ime.

Not if it's a proper one – my 125 bar Halfords one is utterly brilliant on my multispoke (PITA the clean with a sponge) alloys and great for getting the pollen/ash dust off. Does loads of other stuff too – Got it for £150 – half price.

Yeah I'm sure it's good for alloys.. but for body panels mine was rubbish. Almost impossible to get every bit.

Screwfix had some half price recently. Might be worth checking

To get this finish I use a pressure washer to wet the car and for the wheels and then to rinse it, bog standard car soap and a wash mitt (sponges carry grit) and then dry with a cheap but clean microfibre towel. Once in a while, I polish it but not often.

The whole thing including setting up the pressure washer and drying takes 30 mins max: Never had an easier to wash car/washing "system."

That's the most feeble excuse ever to show off your motor!

Nice though, me likey

http://direct.tesco.com/q/R.206-8142.aspx

If you get a karcher, DO NOT use the dirt blaster nozzle anywhere near your car, or anything else you don't totally destroying either for that matter. Mine is rated at a constant 135 bar and 530 litres an hour flow, but the dirt blaster effectively turns that into 200 odd! I never use it as the standard vario is good enough

Why not just use your tongue, cheaper and better for the environment….

What a sh*t car!

Seriously tho I was talking about JUST a jet washer. If you are going to go to all that trouble, might as well use a sponge imo. But there you go 🙂

Jet washer is useful for removing heavy dirt first. I have one for my bike, so I do sometimes use it on the car if it's really mucky.

Mol – why thank you kind sir… 😆

Yes pressure washers don't get grime off the bodywork – you need to handwash it (and once again, use a clean wash mitt, NOT a sponge) but if you use both, washing is a doddle. Pressure washers are also nice and gentle and great for getting flies off without any abrasiveness.

Great for ultra muddy bikes too but watch those hubs, that BB and that headset. And the pedals.

I have been using a jet washer on my bike for years without any problems. Cleans the chain superbly in a jiffy. I buy the cheapest lowest pressure jetwasher tho and am careful about it.

Mol – me too but I did kill a rear (unsealed) hub rather too quickly which may have been pressure washer related.

I use a chain cleaner for the chain – not sure a washer would do as good a job?

You can adjust the pressure on a powerful one too you know…

I use a Nilfisk pressure washer.

I have had it for about 6 months now. It replaced an old Bosch pressure washer.

I snowfoam my car when I wash it and it looks like this (this isn't my car though):

It is reall good fun 🙂

All you chaps are obviously talking about some kind of joke pressure washer.

Ours will clean a car completely. Blast the worst muck off, spray with traffic film remover, pressure wash again. If you're fussy, blast the worst off, wash with a mitt and shampoo, and pressure wash again. Using TFR and a pressure washer will clean almost anything, no matter how mucky – tractors, lorries etc. without any real work.

It's simply a case of having a powerful enough pressure washer (most domestic ones aren't) and the right chemicals.

Fenwicks FS10 is amazing for cleaning alloy wheels too.

Pretty much ever bearing on my bike is a sealed cartridge unit now, which is another reason I like pressure washing. I am super careful re fork seals too, and I never find water/mayonnaise in my forks when I change the oil.

I think the jet washer does a better job than the chain cleaner. If you have gritty soil, you can see how much grit is *inside* the chain by twisting it. You'll hear the crunchy noise if there's grit in there. Chain cleaner got rid of the oil but not the crunch. The only ways to reliably get it crunch free (for me) are to take it off and shake it in a jar with solvent – also not too much trouble if you have a power-link – or use a jetwasher with the nozzle right on the chain by the cassette. Sometimes you need two or three goes before it's fully crunch free.

wash with a mitt and shampoo

That is what we are saying – to get a decent finish requires a mitt/sponge.

tron – Member
All you chaps are obviously talking about some kind of joke pressure washer.

Ours will clean a car completely. Blast the worst muck off, spray with traffic film remover, pressure wash again. If you're fussy, blast the worst off, wash with a mitt and shampoo, and pressure wash again. Using TFR and a pressure washer will clean almost anything, no matter how mucky – tractors, lorries etc. without any real work.

It's simply a case of having a powerful enough pressure washer (most domestic ones aren't) and the right chemicals.

Fenwicks FS10 is amazing for cleaning alloy wheels too.

If you are really fussy then pre-wash with snow foam.

Wash the car using the two bucket method.

Then dry using a suitable drying towel.

I would never use TFR on my car as it would strip the sealant off the paint.

That is what we are saying – to get a decent finish requires a mitt/sponge.

Nope. You get a totally clean car by using TFR. You're left with a completely clean car, which can be dried and will look much the same as one washed by hand.

The thing is, TFR will also remove wax pretty quickly. Most people only ever use wash and wax though, so I'm sure you could get two spray bottles, do TFR then rinse, then spray on wax and rinse, even get by with a spray of wash and wax on a car that's not too dirty.

Again, this may or may not matter – if you have a car with decent paint that you intend to keep for 3 years or so, it'll probably bead pretty well (new paint beads with no wax) and paint doesn't really deteriorate these days.

Then dry using a suitable drying towel.

I find this just turns into a huge hassle, no matter how many microfibre cloths and shammys I throw at it. I just leave them to air dry out of the direct sunlight now and can't tell any different. If you have a black car – maybe it's visible. But after wax etc it all looks the same. Just MHE, you understand.