car wash question

[FordFairmontAU2000]

here's a simple question

can you introduce swirls or scratches to a car's paintwork just by spraying it with a normal garden hose at high velocity?

[speed3blackmica]

Re: car wash question

i do not believe so...however i think if there is heavy dirt on the paint, such as lleaves and stems stuck to the paint, blasting them "could" scratch the paint as they rinse off..but dont quote me on that..i try and use gentle stream of water always..someone will chime in on your question in the morning

[Murr1525]

Re: car wash question

Yeah, you would want to be gentle with actual debris, but otherwise should be ok.

Plenty of people on here seem to use a pressure washer with no problem, though seems un-needed to me.

[speed3blackmica]

Re: car wash question

yeah pressure washes really seem uneeded to me as well..the only thing its really good for is cleaning of the fender wells..it makes it easy to just blast everything away in there and rinse it clean...otherwise you can just put your thumb over your hose to make the water blast against the paint.

[Markus Kleis]

Re: car wash question

Yeah, you would want to be gentle with actual debris, but otherwise should be ok.

Plenty of people on here seem to use a pressure washer with no problem, though seems un-needed to me.

Maybe you can put a nice how-to video together to show us your technique?

We would love to see the work of such a great veteran here on MOL.

[Murr1525]

Re: car wash question

It has corssed my mind before from the foam gun questions.

[TOGWT]

Re: car wash question

There are many 'foam cannon' how-to's available

High Pressure Foam Cannon

The difference between this and a Gilmour Foamaster II Foam Gun is the water pressure (40 to 90 psi) usually connected to a low pressure garden hose; the HP Foam Lance (Rated Pressure - 2,300 psi) is connected to a high pressure washer (i.e. Karcher Model K5.93M or similar unit)

Also known as foam cannon, foam lance or cam spray unit; the principle behind them is to minimize the amount of paint surface friction necessary to clean the vehicle by pre-soaking it with foam. By allowing the aerated cleaning agent to dwell on the paint surface, giving the surfactants time to reduce the surface tension; so that water /foam can spread and wet the surface.

When using foam cannon, the viscosity of the product plays a huge part in how much foam is obtained and how much product is used. The foam starts loosening and lubricating the paint immediately, thus gentle touch washing with a soft mitt substantially decreases the risk of micro-marring because the paint is covered in a layer of lubrication. Its other advantage is that the surface isn't 'touched' as much as in hand washing

High Pressure Foam Lance

The benefits of using foam cannon with a pressure washer is you can coat the whole vehicle in soap (lubrication) while loosening a lot of dirt at the same time, and its must quicker than a conventional wash uses less water. The Foam Cannon work with a pressure washer, it delivers a mixture of water and soap through the tip at high pressure.

A Heavy Duty (High Pressure) Foam Lance that is constructed from a solid brass body, the extension pipe is made from zinc and fits directly onto a high pressure washer, like any other attachment. The nozzle can be adjusted for the pattern of foam delivered and the valve on the top regulates the chemical dilution rate.

Using this foam lance combined with a suitable shampoo and ideally snow foam it is possible to produce a very thick layer of foam which clings to the surface of the vehicle encapsulating, softening and removing dirt making the wash process much safer and more efficient (and fun!)

The multi-ratio injector offers various settings to adjust the dilution rate; by injecting the flow from the hose to the reservoir to provide the dilution ratio selected, it provides a mixture of water and soap through the tip at a high pressure that will release road dirt and soil from the paint surface, its built-in filters ensure any sediment in the water supply is removed before it reaches your car. Foam cannon use less water than a hose, but pack a lot of pressure, an anti-siphon valve protects the water supply by preventing soapy water from siphoning back into the hose (when the water supply is turned off, you may notice a slight discharge of water at the base of the handle - this is normal and indicates that the anti-siphon valve is functioning properly).

When it comes time to rinse, just remove the reservoir from the gun and rinse as usual.

A wide range of adaptors are available to fit most pressure washers on the market. Simply match the adaptor to the coupling on your pressure washer. Foam cannon are built to work with virtually any pressure washer. It includes the brass male nipple connector to connect the foam gun with the desired pressure washer fitting.

You also get your choice of pressure washer fitting; six fittings are available, and you can buy extras if you ever buy a different pressure washer- http://tinyurl.com/yljbkf5

Karcher Parts / spares – Pressure Parts.com http://bit.ly/61D6uX

Specification:
• Rated Pressure - 2,300 psi (160 bar)
• Permissible Pressure - 2,600 psi (180 bar)
• Flow Rate - 5.3 gallons per minute (20 l/min)
• Rated Temperature - 140 °F (60 °C)
• Tank capacity - 0.264 gallon (1 Litre)

Filling the Foam Cannon Reservoir

Pour the appropriate amount (1-2oz) of wash concentrate (Chemical Guy’s Citrus Based High-Performance Wash or DP Xtreme Foam Formula Auto Shampoo)
1. Pour some wash concentrate into the reservoir and fill the remainder with clean water.
2. Adjust the dial to the appropriate dilution setting
3. Shake the foam gun tank to mix the shampoo and water.
4. Attach the reservoir to the foam cannon

Note - Always flush the gun thoroughly with clean water after foaming as this cleans out the internals and prolongs its workable life

[William_F]

Re: car wash question

I would think that in cases of extremly soft paint, this could be an issue. I have heard of some paint so soft that even with proper washing techniques, tools etc it still ends up with scratches.

[TOGWT]

Re: car wash question

What do you feel could be "An issue"?

[William_F]

Re: car wash question

What do you feel could be "An issue"?

Sorry about that. I didn't think how my response could be confusing. Let me clarify- On a car with extremely soft paint and a lot of dirt, I believe a garden hose can produce enough pressure to instill some scratches in the finish.