Do Power washers ruin the paintwork on your car?

[Vish8895]

Just use a hose lol, worked for me for how ever long!

[stealthwolf]

I once took my first car/pride and joy to an 'autoshine express' car wash place and the pressure washer they used lifted the lacquer off my bonnet and front bumper in places.

IIRC that would only have happened if there was already damage eg stone chips as it's then easier for the water to get under the clear coat.

[dmac1969]

Only way it will take paint off is if there's some sort of defect or scratch for the water to get under to remove the paint

True...I can vouch for that...managed to take some paint off my bumper near the parking sensor a while back

I have just scratched my paintwork using a power washer with a brush on it, stupid stupid 
i hope it can be polished away 

NEVER EVER use the brushes at these places , you dont know how many times they have been on the ground , whether a builder has just rubbed half a tonne of brick dust and grit off his van with it etc!!! Also never let the hose touch your car , as that will have been on the gritty ground as well - as long as you just use the foam lance and dont let te hose rub on your car you should be fine tbh.

[Jimflin]

They are harmless. Just don't get too close to those seals.

[itismebigd]

Is it just me or is everyone missing the point here...its not about the power of your pw its more to do with the consentrate of the soap you put through it,at least thats what i was always told,let the soap do its work then only use your pw to rinse the car,stubborn stains should never be blasted off as there are always cleaners to use in the first instance,or maybe im just being to special with my beloved golf lmao

Dougie

[xjay1337]

Soap does not cause your paint to be pulled off if that's what you mean.

You can have the best soap on the car but without a decent source of pressure to blast it off it won't  do much. You need to use a quality snow foam and then jet it off.
And also be wary of the concentration of soap as you call it - As if you are too strong it will strip all your wax off it.