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I have been checking past threads on pressure washers with a view to buying one, but they are over a year old now, and was wondering if there is anything currently on the market that B.R`s could recommend that may be superior to the Karcher 520M. Any advice would be much appreciated.
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Don't use my 520 all that often, but when I do it starts, does the job and stops and for that I'm grateful. As recommended by Karcher,I always dry it out and then run a drop of WD40 through it and store it in the dry free of frost. Do they still make them?......Mine cost about £159 on special from Halfords.
KB.
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Been one or two mostly favourable comments on a certain model of yellow pressure washers. As always there are two sides to any story so if HJ/Mark allows it would like to present my view. (Mark if not feel free to zap)
My own model from this manufacturer failed at ~13 months old despite being looked after carefully and totally in line with instructions. Contacted manufacturer UK agent and was told to take it to their local service agent who would look at it and report the situation to them.
Local agent's advice before I even took it out of the box was "throw it away and buy another make!" Seemed rather a defeatist attitude to me. He wanted non returnable £15 plus VAT to inspect the washer. So took a punt paid up and got his report which was the pump header had split due to ??? He agreed with my view that, whilst it was appreciated that this was not the Mercedes Benz of pressure washers I had every right to feel aggrieved; but he would not enter into any discussion with the manufacturer. ?? Is he an agent or isn't he?
I contacted the customer service dept again to see if some goodwill could be possible. Speaking to the same person as earlier now they said that I should not have taken it to the local agent as advised by them but now wanted it returned to them for a full inspection. Cost of postage ?? Cost of inspection?? Also they were of the opinion that regardless of the condition of the machine and level of use there was no chance of them helping. Basically it was all very unfriendly.
In the end after politely stating my case in a very long phone call a senior person agreed that overall this was somewhat unsatisfactory and they would replace the part FOC. They accepted my offer of the £15 plus VAT as my contribution towards the agent's labour fee.
A fair result and one which would have eluded many likely to have given up earlier. So good for them one might think.
A postscript is that on the very next visit to a large DIY chain standing at the returns desk a customer ahead presented a faulty washer by the same manufacturer. The assistant was heard to say to a colleague "Oh no not another one of these…" and the rest better not repeat for fear of getting M's edit button in action.
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I've had a Karcher 411A for about four years. It's never broken and does more than just cars.
It (and I assume the same goes for most pressure washers) is not a substitue for detergent and a sponge on mucky paintwork but is great for wheel arches and cleaning the underside of the car.
Gongoozler
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I've got a KEW 'Hobby' (no, nothing to do with gardening!) It's OK, but I don't know that it's any better or worse than anything else. This is my second KEW - the first one started making dire noises and expired when I tried to put hot water through it - even although it said you could in the instructions!
Pressure washers are OK for firing off dirt from the wheelarches etc, but I find it pretty hopeless for dirty paintwork. In fact, it's downright dangerous! I knocked bits of paint off my last car (Xantia) so haven't used it on the new C5 at all.You also stand a chance of forcing water past seals and into door locks. Beware!
They're good (but slow) for cleaning paths or washing down stonework.
Graeme
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Sorry to hijack the thread, but does anyone have any advice on the best way to use pressure washers on cars? I got a cheap (£40) one from Focus recently and it did very little in itself to clean the car, even when used with the proper detergent. I gave the car a wipe over with a chamois once I'd got it nice and wet, then rinsed the car with the washer and it came up nice and clean though.
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As I say, Steve, I've never found my Kew machine much use for cleaning the car. I even bought a brush that allows the water from the washer to flow through it, but to tell the truth, I'm just as well with the same brush on the end of a hose.
When I'm washing the car these days, I start by wetting everything with the (ordinary) hose. Then I wash down the car with a soft brush on the hose with water running through. Then I wash everything with a bucket of warm water and shampoo with sponge. I rinse all the suds off with the hose and finally dry with a proper chamois. I can't seem to manage it with anything less - and I'm scared I put in scratches by rubbing too hard with grit on the panels. My C5 is black - a real nightmare as far as cleaning goes!
I have found though that the two stage treatment from Autoglym (can I advertise?) - ie resin polish followed by gloss protection works well and makes the car easier to clean.
Graeme
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Agree with most of what's been said especially re de-salting and de-mudding the semi-hidden, semi-accessible areas such as wheel arches and underbody.
Just would add that apparently they are not recommended to be used over rear parking distance sensors (presumably too harsh).
Oz (as was)
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Hi Steve I've got a Karcher and have to say that they wont get any dirt off the car at all. I still go round with a bucket and sponge as the dirt still needs elbow grease to shift it. Pressure washers are only good for rinsing the soap off. You get a strong straight jet wich is easier to direct at the bodywork than a dribbling hose. Be careful with them though, I managed to take off the clear lacquer on my drivers door with the thing on full pelt. Wont do that again!
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If you really must use a hose or other type of pressure washer on your car, make sure you care for your door locks. Take a look at:
www.honestjohn.co.uk/forum/post/index.htm?f=4&t=84...3
and
www.honestjohn.co.uk/forum/post/index.htm?v=i&t=56...0
look for the advice I give on door lock care. If you can, put tape over the locks when using a hose.
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The pressure washer certainly won't remove the need to use a bucket and sponge.
*But* I always try and hose the car off with the pressure washer before cleaning as it removes so much of the grit and surface dirt. This is why even after many, many washes, I don't get many swirl marks in my paint from rubbing grit over it with the sponge. The pressure hose will remove the surface dirt much better than an ordinary hose, and just leave you to wash the grime off. A worthwhile investment if you can...
Blue
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Personally I'd never wash a car with a pressure washer. May as well just sandblast it! High pressure water will force it's way in to areas that would other wise be or suppose to be dry (behind seals, etc). As for cleaning the underbody, how many people who blast them then go on to replace any protection that may have been removed. A garden hose and a soft brush work better IMHO.
Steve.
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I had an entry level karcher for nine years when it developed a leak from a split in the casing. I wasn`t going to bother getting a replacement until i took it apart to see if it could be fixed. I was so impressed with the innards i went out and bought a model 620 mh, they were on offer in halfords. I always use the rotating brush attachment after first hosing down the car. Rinsing off can be as vigourous as you like, the nozzle is adjustable. The new model also has a built in detergent tank with metered dispensing. The only downside is the high cost of accessories and a rather poor easily kinked high pressure hose.
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They are pretty useless for actually cleaning the car, but invaluable for shifting mud first. They really come into their own for getting caked mud off from under wings etc.
Yes, it will lift dodgy body seal too, but that is a bonus. Then you know where it is weak and can redo it once it has dried.
I never bother too much about the appearance of the topsides - it's the clumps of damp mud sitting behind wing edges or nestling on box sections and outriggers that I try and blast off.
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Cliff
I wasn't aluding to body seals though that is a problem, I was aiming more at bearing seals, etc. I know it's quite common for off road bikers to pressure wash their machines but wonder how many re-wax the chain and check the wheel bearings and engine seals for water ingress. I don't really see how you can though without stripping it all down.
Steve.
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I was in the market for a pressure washer a couple of years ago so I could clean the green stuff off my paving.Had a look at the Karchers and other offering at Halford,B & Q etc and was a bit put off by the cost of the necessary accessories such as the jet with the rotating bit in the end.
At the same time Lidl,one of those cheap german supermarkets had a "Lavorwash" on offer at about £75 I think.It came with 3 lances including the rotating one and a rotary car wash brush.I must say the quality was excellent with brass fittings on the lances.On comparing it with the Karchers I believe it to be superior.
Does everthing I wanted and cleans stone up a treat.
Only problem is,these things tend to be on sale for a couple of weeks only in the year and when their gone,thats it till next time.
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Bernie,
I have an old Karcher that had at least two owners before I bought it and had been very heavily used. I thought I'd try this before buying new as I'd never used a pressure washer before.
The Karcher has given me about ten years of very good service and the only thing to have gone wrong is a sticky valve. In trying to find why it wasn't working properly I stupidly parted the main motor and let the oil run out. An e-mail to Karcher brought an immediate response advising me which oil to use and how much, plus some other useful tips. I would buy Karcher again for that good service alone.
By the way, I have no trouble cleaning a large block-paved driveway plus slabbed patio and garden paths with just the plain jet, i.e. no rotating part. Admittedly I do have to take care not to miss bits and leave green streaks.
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Dude
£159 form Argos 520m with pencil jet attachment and wash brush, thats at least £40 worth of extras. Never used it to wash a car unless its to remove built up mud etc as they are said to remove any polish on your car let alone more potential damage.
The £159 was in least seasons catalogue, do not know the price at present.
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The £159 was in least seasons catalogue, do not know the price at present.
tinyurl.com/4zsz
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We've had a Karcher for a few years now and it is definately the best that we have owned.
Also, it has no pencil jet attachment which makes it very good for cleaning the car, it's never stripped paint or polish, I've no doubt that it could do this, but we've never let it. :)
Blue
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