pressure washer??

[myko]

alright, i thought i\'d bring this car washing thing back to life... i have this urge to buy a pressure washer (maybe a simoniz?) as i want my car to be constantly clean, especially with the weather comin\' around. i haven\'t found much chatter in regards to having a pressure washer (only a few opinions against it)... anyone have good/bad experiences?? i\'ve been tryin\' to find out what the max PSI would be on the car, but no luck yet. any ideas?

i\'m weighing the options between the time wasted in washing and drying the car with a pressure washer, the cost per wash between a regular car wash and using a do-it-yourself system (i.e. mr. clean), and the quality of wash...

the reason for the pressure washer would mainly be for the rims and the dirt built up around the edges (and whatever household purpose it might serve)... but that money could buy me a whole lot of mr. cleans (which i\'ve read lots of good stuff about), and it\'ll probably save me time... plus, i\'ve got a few stone chips on my hood, and some moron opened his door against mine, leaving a three centimetre scratch, some scuffs, and a slight dent, so i don\'t want any paint taken off (well, i\'ll probably mend those soon enough)...

any thoughts on the pressure washer or ways that i don\'t need to buy two systems (the washer and mr. clean) would be great. thanks!

[majic]

my opinion is - stay away from pressure washers.. especially the simoniz ones.. i bought the 1600 one for 130bux (down from 300) it was good for 1 wash.. after that the nozzle didn\'t work properly and the damn thing leaked all over..

for $3-4 you can get 3-5min of coin op use with a \'real\' pressure wash and you don\'t have to worry about anything.. to do it properly.. spend an hour using a bucket and soap method.. some ppl spend more (waxing and full cleaning) in the end it\'s up to u whether u value your time or money or both :p or how much of a freak you are :) (xenon takes 5 hrs or so to clean his car.. DAMN.. but that thing is spotless) :)

to clean the rims, use black magic tire cleaner found at CT or walmart.. i got a bottle ofthat + tire wet (combo) for 15bux.,. a steal

yeah, so you can use the pressure washer on teh fence, side of teh house, but really how often will you do it? and is it worth your hassle and frustration? it wasn\'t worth mine.. HTH..

[///M]

Coin-op\'s the way to go.

[myko]

yeah, i was lookin\' at the 1600 at CT... been lookin\' at it for the past few months whenever i\'ve gone to CT as they have plenty of them lyin\' around at a \'good\' price (the 130 you paid, hehehe). i guess there\'s a reason why it\'s so cheap, ha ha ha... i was considering that one, or the 1400... but inferring from the big discount they\'re offering on the 1600, maybe i\'ll stay away from the 1400 as well ($70 off), hehe...

[majic]

Originally posted by myko


yeah, i was lookin\' at the 1600 at CT... been lookin\' at it for the past few months whenever i\'ve gone to CT as they have plenty of them lyin\' around at a \'good\' price (the 130 you paid, hehehe). i guess there\'s a reason why it\'s so cheap, ha ha ha... i was considering that one, or the 1400... but inferring from the big discount they\'re offering on the 1600, maybe i\'ll stay away from the 1400 as well ($70 off), hehe...

notice how most boxes are \'re-taped\' .. they got all those returns it\'s not even funny.. if u like to spend $130 for ONE carwash.. go ahead ;) but seriously coin-op industrial strength ones give you 1) way better pressure 2) wider nozzle spray 3) soapy water w/o mixing hassles..

you could try mr clean.. i think i might this summer.. but i dunno.. sponge and some luv and it\'ll sparkle :)

[miggiddy]

I use the good old traditional water hose with my car. I\'ve tried the pressure washer and for all the hassles of hooking it up and moving it around I think I still spent the same amount of time (1 hour) washing the car. Maybe if you have some crazy setup like a coin-op in your garage then sure, otherwise like the others said for 4-6 bucks you can use some industrial powered washer and make all the mess you like. Unless you need the pressue washer for other things around the house, like cleaning the fence (does a wicked job) I wouldn\'t bother.

[david3]

mr clean autocar wash > pressure washer

[car_demon]

JobMate 1500psi @ 1.5gpm $74.99 door crasher sale Canadian Tire April 2nd Only

Despite the periodic stories, if you live in a house with a garage and have access to a hose this is a great deal. It\'s not the Mercedez Benz\'s of power washers compared to Simonize or Karcher but JobMate brand is CT generic brand and you can\'t go wrong for the psi at that price.

I\'ll be there at 8:00am picking one up.

[MazdaTree]

Originally posted by car_demon


JobMate 1500psi @ 1.5gpm $74.99 door crasher sale Canadian Tire April 2nd Only

Despite the periodic stories, if you live in a house with a garage and have access to a hose this is a great deal. It\'s not the Mercedez Benz\'s of power washers compared to Simonize or Karcher but JobMate brand is CT generic brand and you can\'t go wrong for the psi at that price.

I\'ll be there at 8:00am picking one up.

thanks car demon im gonna get my rents to buy one so they can \"clean the windows\" and ill use it for the rims

[majic]

Originally posted by MazdaTree



Originally posted by car_demon


JobMate 1500psi @ 1.5gpm $74.99 door crasher sale Canadian Tire April 2nd Only

Despite the periodic stories, if you live in a house with a garage and have access to a hose this is a great deal. It\'s not the Mercedez Benz\'s of power washers compared to Simonize or Karcher but JobMate brand is CT generic brand and you can\'t go wrong for the psi at that price.

I\'ll be there at 8:00am picking one up.

thanks car demon im gonna get my rents to buy one so they can \"clean the windows\" and ill use it for the rims

IMHO, it\'s not worth it.. but do as you wish.. just 75bux.. maybe the jobmate is better than the simoniz?? dunno.. but as i stated before (i think) some black magic rim cleaner will do the same trick as a 75$ pressure wash.. in all honesty, how often will u wash the windows? the novelty will wear off quite quickly :p

[MazdaTree]

i got some purple stuff its pretty good meguires or something. I think it would be easier for me (and my gf who always does the rims when shes over) if i get the pressure washer and if my parents dont wanna buy it, It can be one of those gifts you give for fathers day that you end up using more.:p

[car_demon]

Couldn\'t resist the heavy ethnic crowd as in a few days you\'ll be seeing these sold at Flea Markets in Brampton, Mississauga and Rexdale. You\'ld think that this was a U.N. rice drop as certain people took their wives and kids to take one each.

I picked up 2 my damn self; for that price like I said, \"you can\'t go wrong.\" One to use and one for parts or to be sold to anyone who didn\'t get one. 1yr warranty and Options Card customers get some extra warranty shit too. It\'s more a tool for the Suburban dweller and home owner who has a garage, porch, patio, driveway etc. I live in a newly developed and construction area and the IRaqi duststorms around here are unbelievable.

[Illmatic]

Originally posted by majic



Originally posted by MazdaTree



Originally posted by car_demon


JobMate 1500psi @ 1.5gpm $74.99 door crasher sale Canadian Tire April 2nd Only

Despite the periodic stories, if you live in a house with a garage and have access to a hose this is a great deal. It\'s not the Mercedez Benz\'s of power washers compared to Simonize or Karcher but JobMate brand is CT generic brand and you can\'t go wrong for the psi at that price.

I\'ll be there at 8:00am picking one up.

thanks car demon im gonna get my rents to buy one so they can \"clean the windows\" and ill use it for the rims

IMHO, it\'s not worth it.. but do as you wish.. just 75bux.. maybe the jobmate is better than the simoniz?? dunno.. but as i stated before (i think) some black magic rim cleaner will do the same trick as a 75$ pressure wash.. in all honesty, how often will u wash the windows? the novelty will wear off quite quickly :p

Actually Simoniz is supposed to be better that Jobmate. The Simoniz brand is one of Canadian Tire\'s own (like Mastercraft).

[Illmatic]

Originally posted by MazdaTree


i got some purple stuff its pretty good meguires or something. I think it would be easier for me (and my gf who always does the rims when shes over) if i get the pressure washer and if my parents dont wanna buy it, It can be one of those gifts you give for fathers day that you end up using more.:p

If you didn\'t get one on Saturday then don\'t worry. I can almost guarantee that CTC will have them on sale more than once in the next few weeks/months!

[majic]

Originally posted by Illmatic

Actually Simoniz is supposed to be better that Jobmate. The Simoniz brand is one of Canadian Tire\'s own (like Mastercraft).

wow.. then i really don\'t want to know how good that jobmate is gonna be... then again.. i may have bitten into a rotten apple.. YMMV i guess

[Zaku_4]

hmm,
lol i have a simonioz one from a vey long time ago,. i think its 1600-1700 psi. anyways yeah its been really good to the family. the only problem we had was the hose like leaked but we got a replacement somewhere.

keep in mind this thing is like atleast hmm like i think we got it in 5 years old? hmm lol we had it when i was back downtown still =D the old time =( lollll =D yeah so i dunno i like using the pressure washer, its really clean haha its just setting up every time is pissing me off =p

[car_demon]

Remember when storing them for winter to keep it in your basement and on it\'s last usage run a 50/50 solution of water/antifreeze/CLR through it to lubricate the internal parts. They say that the most common problem is the freezing and ceasing of internal parts when left in subzero temperatures in garages and sheds.

Karcher is another good brand sold mostly out of WalMarts too with the distribution Ctr or Plant out of Mississauga Argentia Road. And if you know WalMart; that lifetime return policy kicks in lovely. :p

[Xenon]

For the record....

yes, every month or two I do spend 5 hours cleaning the inside and outside of my car.

As for the pressure washer, my dad bought one last year to clean his fence. I use it sparingly on my car. I only use it to clean the wheel wells and the rims.

Wheel wells I just spray out (no soap or anything) but for the rims, i use Meguiars Hot Rim cleaner (purple bottle) let it sit for about 5 mins then pressure wash it all off. The rims come out clean and virtually clear of brake dust.

[Illmatic]

Originally posted by Xenon


For the record....

yes, every month or two I do spend 5 hours cleaning the inside and outside of my car.

As for the pressure washer, my dad bought one last year to clean his fence. I use it sparingly on my car. I only use it to clean the wheel wells and the rims.

Wheel wells I just spray out (no soap or anything) but for the rims, i use Meguiars Hot Rim cleaner (purple bottle) let it sit for about 5 mins then pressure wash it all off. The rims come out clean and virtually clear of brake dust.

What loving care you show your 3! How much to show mine the same sort of affection? ;)

[myko]

so i wilted to the pressure, and bought a pressure washer... i wasn\'t plannin\' on gettin\' one, especially after majic\'s comments, but i\'m a sucker for a good deal, so i ended up gettin\' the jobmate dealie...

anyway, tried it out yesterday on my wheels and rims, and it\'s pretty good... the build\'s pretty good, and the plastic casing is solid. anyway, i have a question for anyone who knows: is it okay to use the highest pressure (around 1500 psi) on the area around the brakes (i.e. the discs)??? would i damage them in any way?

[PlatMS6]

it will be fine on the calipers and everything else...just be carefull around the rubber/plastic piece that sits at the base of the window ....one time a bird crapped a big one on the window and dripped to the plastic and pooled there....mustave been a big birdie :p ...anyways i didnt wanna touch it so i put the coinop nozzle close the the window and blasted it....kept it on there for about 30secs without looking at it... once the wash was done i thought ...crap there is still some leftower bird crap there but when i loooked at it closer it was actually the plastic/rubber all rippled up, almost if u scored it bad with a dull mettal object....so ppl we have soft mouldings just remember that :D

[MZ3_GS]

Pressure Washers are great. Had mine for over a Year now, paid 60 bucks :P

[Titanium_M3GT]

OK guys,

Here is the low down on pressure washers (I designed some of the Simoniz pressure washers)

The simoniz line of pressure washers are made by 2 different companies and are private labeled for Canadian Tire. One of the manufacturers is Karcher, and the other one is Kodiak. I have worked for both of these companies and know my S*!t. If you are paying less than $500 for a pressure washer, you will most likely have problems as these are designed to be cost efficient in the manufacturing process so they can sell them cheap. The life expectancy of a simoniz pressure washer is suppose to be 200 hours of total use. The actual life of that pressure washer will be 1/4 (50H) due to abuse/misuse or stupidity. If you are going to buy a cheap pressure washer, please take the following into consideration:

1: Make sure that there are no plastic parts on the pump head (Usually found on Karcher pressure washers like the S1400)

2: The pressure advertised on the box is Peak pressure. As a rule of thumb, take 400PSI off of the advertised pressure and you will have your actual pressure.

3: If it is on sale for a very cheap price, it\'s a refurbished pressure washer. CT sends returns back to the manufacturer who made the pressure waher for repair. When CT gets it back, they sell it off at cost +5%.

The return rate of a pressure washer from Canadian tire to the manufacturer is approx. 10%-15%. This means that 10%-15% of pressure washers break down in the first week of use as CT only accepts returns of pressure washers for 7 days after purchase.

If you are going to buy one from Canadian Tire, at least you can now make an informed decision.

[Whos ur dadd]

I love posts that provide definite and comprehensive answers. Well done, Ti3

[Titanium_M3GT]

Thanks,

Its always good when people can make an informed decision!

[Krakilin]

Pressure washer is good if you have more than 1 car in your household, because you really save alot of time if you have to wash 2 cars.

[eguiyab]

That is true, if you\'ve got more than one car it can really help. There are two cars and an SUV in my family and in about 1Hr we can get all of them spotless. I bought the Simoniz S1500 more than a year ago when I got my 3. I find it works great. I haven\'t had any problems so far. I\'ve heard all the issues about the paint and it getting stuff blown into it by the high pressure and all. However I feel that as long as your using the fan spray at a fair distance its not that strong. I never never use a straight spray on my pressure washer, on anything acutally. That could really cause damage. I usually clay bar my car about once or twice a year, so if anything I\'m pulling it out of the paint then.
I dont know if I myself would have bought a pressure washer if there wasn\'t other functions that i could use if for. Like my deck, driveway, patio furniture, because if you really really wanted to you can still achieve the same results with a hose. It will just take a really good shade and a bit more effort.

[1flycdnM3]

Personally, I like the Pressure Washer too, but we are on our 2nd here so I think we\'ve figured it out this time :)

I am retarded and spend HOURS cleaning my car! I use the pressure washer first to get all the real \"hard to get\" stuff off, but then I do it by hand. No better way to clean the car really than a good \'ol scrub. I use the Turtle Wax Tire Shine and it lasts quite a while, but don\'t have an all-wheel cleaner yet, but black magic is GREAT! I am thinking about getting the micro-fibre towels next since they seem to be worthwhile. I like my chamois though, but worth a try :D

[Hanif]

I\'ve had my pressure washer for a couple years now. Mine is a Simoniz one although can\'t remember which one but it was the bigger one of the 2 that CT was carrying at the time. It\'s been great and I have no complaints. The only downside is that it needs lots of power! I tried connecting it through an outdoor extension cord that has a reset button and it kept tripping it every MINUTE!

The first time I used it I thought I bought a lemon. I thought it was the washer itself that kept turning off. When I realized that it was the extension cord I had to get the extra extension cord that is meant for computers and then it worked fine. I must say that the pencil jet nozil is REALLY powerful. You really have to hold it with both hands to properly control that thing :D

I\'ve even used it on our deck in our backyard and I must say, you could literally see the dirt peeling off. All in all, I\'m very happy with it.

I must admit though, I haven\'t used it on my 3 yet. Prefer going to the touchless washes.