Spoke to my mate today and he reakons that using a powerwasher will strip the wax off the car. Made me think, I guess if it can blast off dirt then it can blast off the wax. So all those hours of waxing have probably not been as much benefit if I've been powerwashing the car before cleaning it :(

Depends how close you hold the nozzle i suppose, i dont think your supposed to blast the paint from piont blank range with a jetwash.

If its properly waxed you shouldn't need to be blasting with a pressure washer to get the dirt off. Try pre-rinsing with one of the many foam guns on offer and then use a hose. If its going to get fresh treatment/wax then blast away but never closer than about 18" for the sake of the paint if nothing else. Any loose or flaky clear coat will come right off if you are too close especially round windows.

TBH i don't think pressure washing from a suitable distance is any different from using a decent hose that is held closer.

I use the pressure washer purely because you can get a better coverage of rinse without losing any of the pressure associated with using a hose.I use if from a distance though,would never use point blank.

The only time i would use it close would be in the wheel arches.

I've used a pressure washer for a little while now without stripping the sealant / wax that has previously been applied.


Hope this makes sense :wonder:

Yeah good points, I think I need to get a foam gun.

Been using swissol wax for years and it is fantastic. Don't hold the powerwasher too close but think I could do with changing my technique slightly.

As above; we pressure wash all of the cars coming into us, and also our own cars regularly, and never see any significant wax loss (even with the fussier Zymol waxes like Vintage). As long as you kep the nozzle around a foot from the car (except when working in the arches, etc) then they are perfectly safe and in our opinion an essential detailing tool. :)

As above; we pressure wash all of the cars coming into us, and also our own cars regularly, and never see any significant wax loss (even with the fussier Zymol waxes like Vintage). As long as you kep the nozzle around a foot from the car (except when working in the arches, etc) then they are perfectly safe and in our opinion an essential detailing tool. :)

Thanks Rich, that has put my mind at ease.

Need to pop out and see you lot to get some goodies.

Marc