Car Pressure Washer WWYD?

C

Caled4

New member
Hi guys for Christmas we’re getting our dad a new pressure washer for cleaning his cars. The only thing is he’ll sometimes pressure wash his garage floor and siding etc. PRICE ISNT AN ISSUE (as long as it’s under a $1000) they’re thinking of this

https://www.tractorsupply.com/tsc/p...MIy8OXzoyk7QIViJ-zCh252gOsEAQYCyABEgJvGPD_BwE

I was thinking a Karcher K5 but let me guys know your ideal pressure washer that’s on its own or a combo of attachments to total under $1000

Thank you
 
Caled4 said:
Hi guys for Christmas we’re getting our dad a new pressure washer for cleaning his cars. The only thing is he’ll sometimes pressure wash his garage floor and siding etc. PRICE ISNT AN ISSUE (as long as it’s under a $1000) they’re thinking of this

https://www.tractorsupply.com/tsc/p...MIy8OXzoyk7QIViJ-zCh252gOsEAQYCyABEgJvGPD_BwE

I was thinking a Karcher K5 but let me guys know your ideal pressure washer that’s on its own or a combo of attachments to total under $1000

Thank you
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Caled4 -
Hope you and yours had a great Thanksgiving !

The pressure washer at Tractor Supply is 4 gpm, a LOT of water coming out at pressure..

I have had a 3 gpm unit before, and it was very good at cleaning concrete, etc., but you have to watch it because it is - removing - material easily and quickly if not used carefully..

I have never owned an Electric pressure washer; the ones I have seen being used do not have the pressure or gpm to do the same amount of work as a gas powered unit .. I read about the electric units failing quicker compared to a gas powered unit too..

For example, my own DeVilbiss gas powered pressure washer, 2.0 gpm, 2,000 psi, 6hp B&S gas powered engine, has been running flawlessly for 25 years, and never had 1 issue...All I have ever done to it is change the oil for the engine. I think I bought it at Home Depot in 1995..

It has cleaned the siding on a dozen houses I painted, a few commercial buildings, cleaned the engine compartments on a few hundred vehicles, and slowly, but surely, cleaned a lot of exposed aggregate driveway I had for over 10 years.

Whatever you decide to purchase, please see that you also get an extra 25 or more, feet of hose, so that your Dad has room to do more with it and not have the motor so close to the work.. I think I have an extra 50 feet of hose on mine, because I was washing down houses prior to painting the exteriors...

I have an extension on the wand so I can get close to places and not have the water splash back at me, etc..

Also, a must for me - get a Wide Fan Tip for it, and it will do more, and better work, than anything else, unless you want to drill into things with a fine tip..
Water under pressure is also dangerous with any tip, but more with a finer point tip...

I use my pressure washer every time I wash out the underside of my lawnmower, and the top of it carefully... Nothing works better for cleaning a lot of things than water pressure carefully sprayed...

Good luck with your research !
Dan F
 
Check out the Kranzle options at Obsessed Garage he usually never runs a discount except for this time of year (black friday). Believe he also has some cheaper options as far instead of the Kranzles. Regardless of unit he does carry some nice options as for the gun/wand and pressure washer hoses, quick disconnect fittings etc... So even if you did go with a Tractor Supply gas unit those upgrades will give you him a much nicer user experience when using it.

Obviously outside of car washing an electric isn`t as well suited for cleaning a driveway.
 
Personally I like the nicer electric pressure washers. Gas has the power but over time EVERY gas engine will eventually have issues and become more problematic. I’d look for a Comet or Kranzle on the nicer end or the better Karchers if electric is an option.
 
Caled4 said:
Hi guys for Christmas we’re getting our dad a new pressure washer for cleaning his cars. The only thing is he’ll sometimes pressure wash his garage floor and siding etc. PRICE ISNT AN ISSUE (as long as it’s under a $1000) they’re thinking of this

https://www.tractorsupply.com/tsc/p...MIy8OXzoyk7QIViJ-zCh252gOsEAQYCyABEgJvGPD_BwE

I was thinking a Karcher K5 but let me guys know your ideal pressure washer that’s on its own or a combo of attachments to total under $1000

Thank you
Click to expand...


Hey Caled4,

I have a similar Simpson unit. It works well, I`ve used it for washing tons of car, semi`s, heavy equipment, etc. It starts easily, and has good pressure. I think i purchased it at Lowe`s, and upgraded to a longer wand, and an additional 100` of hose. Obviously with longer hose the pressure at the wand will be reduced. I believe I`ve had mine for about 3 years now, and have only changed the engine oil, and spark plug.
Sounds like your Dad is is using it as a home owner use, as opposed to professional use, so I`m sure it will work fine for him.
I`m in the process of upgrading to a bigger unit from Northern Tool only because I want one with a belt driven pump for my mobile rig, but I will certainly keep this one around to wash cars at the shop.
Good luck with your search, and have a Merry Christmas, Rob.
 
4200psi is DANGEROUS to use on a vehicle. One slip up and you`re repainting something. I would even venture to say it could possibly crack a window if not careful. It`ll probably be amazing for cleaning the garage floor (could potentially damage the concrete as well), however I wouldn`t trust that pressure on siding. Overall IMO that`s an extreme amount of pressure and major overkill for the intended uses.

I personally had a bad experience with Karcher, having 2 units fail back to back (one after about a year, the free replacement failed in the same manner after only a few months). So I personally don`t recommend them.

For washing cars you want a high GPM but pressure really isn`t a major concern. 2+gpm is good. 2000psi (rated pressure washer) is about as high as I feel safe using on a vehicle, and that`s with a 40deg tip (ill use a 25deg tip in rare instances where its warranted). There`s almost NEVER an instance when it comes to washing a car that you`ll need more. If you`re blasting your car with tons of pressure to get it clean, you`re doing it wrong. I personally (if it was in my budget currently) would be looking at an electric pressure washer that`s ~2GPM and 1000-1200psi. Obviously that`s not ideal for cleaning concrete (2400-3000PSI would be better) but its safe for your car and probably OK for siding (I really don`t know much about washing siding, but know how easily it can be broken).

Kranzle has some good options around your budget, sun joe has an electric option as well but I don`t believe its an on demand pump (only runs when you pull the trigger) and then there AR Blue which has a couple electric options with those type of specs within your budget.
 
FWIW, the pressure washer I prefer for washing the vehicles is *MUCH* too weak for me to enjoy using it for anything else. But that lack of potency makes it *PERFECT* for the carwashes.

So...I recommend a really cheap little electric thing for carwashes (I have the lowest-end AR and it`s been plenty powerful enough and has worked great for years) that I`d consider disposable, and a better gas-powered one for other jobs.
 
My current setup since I`m just a hobbyist is just a SunJoe SPX3001, MTM PF22 foam canon with the 1.1mm orifice I ordered through MTM. Works pretty well, especially for my needs. I`m on two years so far with that setup. I haven`t taken the time to figure out all the sizes for adapters to do quick connectors. Maybe some day.
 
Like Shane said do not get a 4200 to wash the car
2000-2400 is good. I have a 2400. I use it on the wood deck and vinyl siding and other stuff
i have a short wand for vehicles and a longer wand for other things
the short wand is easier to use (only requires 1hand)
 
I’ve had nice electric and gas pressure washers. None of them last. And honestly the nice ones are too much for a car anyway. I’m on the $60 special now and it’s lasted as long as my AR Blue did before it started giving me problems. Best part, no maintenance, if it breaks Amazon has one at my door the next day.
 
I have a 10 year old $99 Menards no name unit that has fallen off a roof (cleaning shingles) blasted decks etc. It just won`t die!

But I`d never use it on a car finish. The amount of time to drag it out and put it away after is not worth it.
 
John U said:
I have a 10 year old $99 Menards no name unit that ... just won`t die!

But I`d never use it on a car finish. The amount of time to drag it out and put it away after is not worth it.
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That`s something that stops people from using CRS/etc. too. I`m able to just leave such stuff set up in the washbay all the time, and/but can sure appreciate what a hassle it could be to get out/put away every time.
 
John U said:
I have a 10 year old $99 Menards no name unit that has fallen off a roof (cleaning shingles) blasted decks etc. It just won`t die!

But I`d never use it on a car finish. The amount of time to drag it out and put it away after is not worth it.
Click to expand...
I have mine setup for quick use. But even without the time savings (as well as water) is worth it. I find that I can blast off all the dirt leaving just road film. Then I can be really sloppy about washing. I dip mitt once per panel. I also save time by only using one wash bucket...lol.
 
Dan said:
I have mine setup for quick use. But even without the time savings (as well as water) is worth it. I find that I can blast off all the dirt leaving just road film. Then I can be really sloppy about washing. I dip mitt once per panel. I also save time by only using one wash bucket...lol.
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That`s how I see it...not that I`m the least bit "sloppy" about the (multiple) subsequent steps ;)

Blasting the big stuff off before touching it seems so [freakin`] no-brainer beneficial that I :o about not doing it sooner. Eh, better late than never...

When a vehicle is simply *encrusted* with [crap] to the point that you can`t tell what color it is, it`s great to be able to get it clean without any marring. Just *so much easier* when you pressure wash it.
 
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