Member Since: 15 Nov 2005
Location: Peterborough
Posts: 46
What pressure / jet wash should I buy
I'm looking to buy a jet wash to clean the car.
What does everyone recommend?
What is the ideal pressure for washing?
I don't want anything to powerful that will take the paint off but want something that is capable of doing the job.
It needs a decent size tank for the water and needs to be able to apply a shampoo etc.
I guess I’ll use it for cleaning jobs around the garden also so it needs to be flexible and not just fit for car cleaning.Gavin.
06, D3 TDV6 HSE, Buck Blue
Member Since: 13 Mar 2006
Location: Wales
Posts: 488
one that has a hose long enough to connect to a tap north of Watford Gap
5th Apr 2006 12:25 pm
jkp
Member Since: 17 Sep 2005
Location: Living among Bawbags
Posts: 4528
Most garden centres or Hal-frauds have these on offer all the time. I bought a Karcher K5..something or other. A good middle of the road unit.
They do not hold water, but are attached to your garden hose and have a small pick-up hose that drops into your cleaning solution and uses a venturi effect (?) to suck up and mix via the nozzle.
The higher pressure you can buy the better as it will be more versatile around the garden as they mostly come with adjusters on the lance to turn down or up the jetting force.
Obvious tips for use on car.....
Don't hold it too close
Be wary of stone chip areas, as the jet may get under the paint and 'flake' it off.
5th Apr 2006 2:19 pm
Gareth Site Moderator
Member Since: 07 Dec 2004
Location: Bramhall
Posts: 26729
I've got a Karcher 730 (I think). Its the biggest they do without going to a petrol engine!
It does a fantastic job of cleaning, especially post off-road work. It will strip paint if you get too close, and never clean the engine bay close up, always reduce the power. Never clean your radiator with full power either, it will blast the mud deep into the core where you will never get it out.
5th Apr 2006 3:01 pm
gmidghall
Member Since: 12 Feb 2006
Location: Onchan
Posts: 34
Hi,
I've got a clarke 125 hot wash jet wash, although not cheap but well worth the money. They have the detergent tank and run on red diesel for the burner for hot water so you dont need a sponge again. They also have a control for temperature, the only down side is the size of it but they do a smaller version.
5th Apr 2006 7:02 pm
davesimmons
Member Since: 11 Feb 2006
Location: Alberta
Posts: 733
I've just bought one from Aldi, 150 bar pressure and 2.1kw £89 it's powerful enough for my Enduro bike and the Disco, happy days!!
5th Apr 2006 10:14 pm
eddtheduck
Member Since: 14 Mar 2006
Location: Norwich
Posts: 164
I spent as much as I could afford on a Karcher washer about 4 years ago. 4 cars and a tractor with regular washing and still going strong! Karcher also have a big spares/repair network and ther are also dealers who deal with refurbished models where you may get a bargain.2008.5 D3 HSE, Stornoway, Ebony
2007 BMW 335iSE - lust for speed satisfied
5th Apr 2006 10:50 pm
SN
Member Since: 03 Jan 2006
Location: Romiley
Posts: 13710
My £30 B+Q one seems to be OK Haven't had the D3 caked in mud yet but quite honestly I'm in the "get a bl**dy sponge and put some elbow grease into it" camp when it comes to cleaning motors!Steve N | 21MY Defender | 08MY Discovery 3 (history) | 06MY Discovery 3 (ancient history)
6th Apr 2006 12:30 am
Dom Harvey Lord of the Four Fingers
Member Since: 15 Apr 2005
Location: Dorset
Posts: 7454
Don't buy a Lavor at the moment, there's a major fault with them apparently, I bought the Tiger as recommended by autoexpress and after about 15 washes it started pouring water evrywhere out of the unit...........stick with a more expensive Karcher they are v.good.2004 Discovery 3 - gone
2006 Discovery 3 - gone
2008 Discovery 3 GS - gone
2011 Freelander LE Special Edition - gone
2007 Discovery 3 XS - gone
2012 Discovery 4 GS - current
Last edited by Dom Harvey on 6th Apr 2006 11:08 am. Edited 1 time in total
6th Apr 2006 9:19 am
DiscoMad
Member Since: 11 Jan 2005
Location: Warwickshire, United Kingdom
Posts: 190
Take care with what you buy - some of the cheap units you see in DIY stores (including Karchers) have vacuum cleaner motors that dont last that long. The more expensive units have better motors that last. This is will know if you ask around.
Ideally, a hot water (heated) unit is far better than a high pressure jet, but these are difficult to find - unless yo go big and petrol.
I have a karcher but now only use it to clean my paths - jet washing a car with modern (read soft) paints isnt a good idea in the long run in my personal view.
Some pressure washers, including the Karcher I've got, will work with a hot water feed too, a cheaper option than buying one with a built in heaterThe End
6th Apr 2006 10:38 am
SN
Member Since: 03 Jan 2006
Location: Romiley
Posts: 13710
DiscoMad wrote:
I have a karcher but now only use it to clean my paths - jet washing a car with modern (read soft) paints isnt a good idea in the long run in my personal view.
Agreed - my cheapo unit is fine for doing the paths and for a gentle blow over the D3 from long range before sponge application!Steve N | 21MY Defender | 08MY Discovery 3 (history) | 06MY Discovery 3 (ancient history)
6th Apr 2006 12:48 pm
gavmurray
Member Since: 15 Nov 2005
Location: Peterborough
Posts: 46
I've heard that you should not wash your car with hot water anyway. It evaporates more quickly leaving water marks. The same problem with washing in hot sunlight. i.e. to be avoided.
I wanted one that held the water in a tank. The idea behind this is that I want to use my own treated water. My window cleaner uses the same treated water. You can buy the water ready to use or make your own. Pass water treated with a solution through a filter and you have 0 rated water. By that I mean no hardness at all. The idea of using this to clean windows is that after a couple of washes. assuming you carry on, you don't need to use any cleaning solution that ultimately leaves a film on the window and holds the dirt. I thought that I'd use this same water when washing the car (with a good shampoo) with a final rinse to finish so that the car did not have to be dried with a leather so not to leave any marks. This water just rolls off and dries mark free. No leather when drying means less scratches/swirls in the paint finish.
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Haven't had the D3 caked in mud yet but quite honestly I'm in the "get a bl**dy sponge and put some elbow grease into it" camp when it comes to cleaning motors!
| 08MY Discovery 3 (history) 
