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recently pulled the plastic panels in the forward area of the rear wheel wells. lots of loose dirt that I brushed
away and wiped down.
thinking of taking the car to a car wash pressure wand and spraying out the inner fenders, but
also thinking that might be a really bad idea and water will get into nooks and crannys, not dry, and
create a problem that currently does not exist
I don't think a car wash pressure washer has enough pressure to do any damage, but still be careful about getting the nozzle too close.. Done it myself to wash off salt in the winter time. There is enough spray from the tires during wet conditions to get in any nook or cranny.
My only thought would be to check your ABS harness, these days many are cracking and have exposed wires..
No dirt is good dirt. I have a Karcher electric pressure washer that theoretically makes 1700 psi, it's enough to knock stuff off but not enough to hurt anything. Makes for very satisfying before and after pics of wheelwells.
Pressure Washer, Two buckets, Foam Gun, two micro fiber mits.......
Mine is a 0 - 3800psi adjustable gas powered unit, the various tips are also a factor in what you could damage.
Maximum pressure with a 0 degree tip will take paint off.
Washing the car typically use a 35-40 degree tip which I suspect is what the car washes use. For really pesky stuck on debris I may put on the 20 degree tip but still keep the pressure cranked down a bit.
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Originally Posted by Bertrand Daoust
Soft degreaser, regular garden hose and elbow grease would be my way of cleaning this part of the car. Actually, all sections of the car...
Unless it would be all apart, like for a full resto, I would not use a pressure washer on my car.
But, that's me...
Professional detailers use pressure washers, and not to save time.
The more dirt & debris you can remove without "touching" the car the less chance you will cause swirl marks or something worse. Rubbing that piece of debirs away with "elbow grease" is a great way to carry that debris across the paint causing damage.
High pressure water is much less evasive.
Like any tool, you need to use your head and work into things slowly, you absolutely can damage things with too much pressure and too concentrated tip. But that applies to many things when working on cars......
Watch this guy use a pressure washer under the fenders of Harry's Countach:
I use a pressure washer on all my cars, easiest way to keep them clean, and like Hacker said, the less you touch the car the less swirls, scratches, etc you put on it. I use the pressure washer on the inner fenders, as well as under the body. Only place not to use it is in the engine compartment, I use a small steamer to clean the engine compartment with, no cleaners, just steam and a micro fiber cloth.
...it's just so much easier to get into those nooks and crannies if you take the car apart.
Originally Posted by Rob Edwards
No dirt is good dirt. I have a Karcher electric pressure washer that theoretically makes 1700 psi, it's enough to knock stuff off but not enough to hurt anything. Makes for very satisfying before and after pics of wheelwells.
I'm with Erik, Bob V, and Rob: I use the pressure washer regularly to clean the cars. The topside gets the foam cannon treatment, and a lite washdown with a fiber mitt. The wheels, wheelwells and exposed suspension get the same but with a more intensice first rinse-off and final rinse-off. The cars all get regular full cleaning and detailing, and that includes the wheelwells and undercarriage/suspension, for which the pressure washer is the perfect solution.
A decent electric power washer is perfect for this duty. I found a great gas-powered unit on sale locally for the same price as electric so I grabbed it, but soon decided that an electric will be better just because of the noise and fumes. Cars get washed inside in the winter, and that means the gas pressure washer sits outside while it's running. I could park the pump section of an electric on the wall above the water mixing valve for this duty, with a long high-pressure hose.
I have the cheap Harbor Freight electric power washer and it has lived up to the positive reviews. It's just the right amount of pressure for washing cars. The feature I like the most is the pressure switch that almost instantly shuts down the pump when the trigger is released - quieter than a gasser while running, silent when the trigger is released.
Just keep the water away from the rear side markers and PSD system. The water won't hurt those, but it can get into the electrical connections. The rear markers like to get completely corroded even without spraying water directly on them.
Luckily, it's not a '91+ with the self-destructing full rear liners.
01-13-2018, 11:40 AM
Presssure washing inside rear inner fenders?
