[S6F]

car washing? Have a friend who uses it exclusively, without soap!, on his 2020 540iX and claims the finish is as new. What do you think?

[AP]

It gets most of the dirt off but certainly not all of it. The colour of the car will disguise this , I have bluestone and at a distance ut looks ok but look closer and it's far from perfect.

Think also advice is not to spray the parking sensors too closely.

[fooliojp]

I use a Karacher to wash my old F31. Albeit towards the end I did notice the clear coat on the front bumper was flaking off when sprayed with the jet wash! The car was 10 years old...

Generally though I would go easy on the pressure by adjusting the jet spray's nozzle. I'm a big fan of contact-free washing using my foam spray attachment. Don't believe the youTube vids which claim the dirt will just wash off, I guess it depends on how dirty you car is and if it had been previously waxed etc., will have a bearing of how easy it is to wash off any dirt or grime.

First pass with the Karacher to wet the car down and remove loose dirt.
Second pass with foam attachment - leave for 5 minutes for foam to fall away.
Third pass with Karacher again.

Then take the car for a spin to air-dry...

[G30 B58]

Use a white tip if the sprayer has changeable tips.

[chuckles1313]

When I researched this topic, internet seems to say modern clear coats should be fine under 2000 psi of pressure. Personally I find I don't need above 1500 psi. I use 40 angle and never get closer than 12 inches with my pressure washer. I also use the soap gun attachment to get a foaming shampoo on there.

[BWilson263]

Originally Posted by G30 B58

Use a white tip if the sprayer has changeable tips.

Just use the wide angle spray tip and you should be fine.

[540iSUP]

I use a power washer every time, but I also agitate with a microfiber sponge thing.

[Sanjuro1]

It's fine, keep it under 1500 psi and look for something that can get you close to 2 Gallons per minute. I use a Kranzle K1322TS, love it.

[Scott in Houston]

I don't get this post...

Sure, you can spray off contaminants with a power washer, but how is he drying? If he's not using soap, and then has to dry it... there won't be any lubrication and/or there is likely still micro-dirt on the car.

Power washers can be great, but soap is ultra important ... look up how it works. You can't truly remove things without it, and it provides lubrication that helps avoid micro-marring.

The only exception I can imagine is if it's using distilled or pure water and letting it air dry... only spraying off surface stuff but not really cleaning.

[chuckles1313]

I agree not using soap seems odd. I use a power washer BUT I first use it with a foam gun on my power washer AND then I still do a contact wash and use the power washer to rinse before drying.