I've never been a big fan of pressure washers. People I know that have them always bitch about them being broken so they just sit.

However, I see a lot of people using them to wash their cars on youtube, and expensive cars at that which tells me they might not be a bad idea.

A few questions/concerns....

1. Anything to worry about with the pressured water blowing the dirt/grit across the surface of the car?

2. What should I look for in a decent pressure washer so it'll keep going for years?

3. I saw a vid where a guy was using a "GreenWorks $99 pressure washer" on his Porsche. Looked like a little compact unit that'd be easy to toss in the trunk and use at my station. Not sure if they are good quality at that cheap of a price point. Thoughts?

4. Any other suggestions pertaining to pressure washing a car?

Thanks

-Emt1581

I thought they were free 

I use the self-service car washes and the water is pressurized. 
I don't have one but plan to get one. I'm thinking of getting an electric one. If I get a gas powered one, it might break down like a lawn mower. I just saw a dude throw one away at the recycling dump this weekend.

I'm in the car wash bid' ness. There's no problem using a pressure washer responsibly on modern cars.  Most car washes run about 3-4GPM nozzles at 1100 psi or so.  Residential electric tend to use higher pressures and lower flows, which can be a problem on certain things like pinstripes, etc.  

My recommendation for a good pressure washer for general use would be get one that is belt driven with a Honda engine and a Cat pump. Mine is at least 15 years old.

Blowing grit around isn't something to worry about too much, be even moderate pressure can be harmful to some surfaces and paint.  If paint is already loose, it can easily come off in spots.  Be extra careful on painted plastic parts where paint adhesion is often not great to begin with. This is also true on wood, especially old wood weathered wood.  Pressure washing decks can be well over done.  

You get what you pay for when it comes to pressure washers, both in durability and performance.  Electric ones usually are the worst.  The power of the electric ones is quite limited since they are usually limited to around 15 amps if using normal outlets.  The "best" electric ones will still be less powerful than the cheapest gas types.   The lower priced gas powered types work fine at first, but have a limited life.  The pumps are the weak point usually.  The motors usually don't break before the pumps.  When the pumps break, if you can even get parts or a new pump for these cheaper units, it makes sense just to buy a whole new unit.  Most of the bad pressure washers I've come across still run and start fine, but don't spray with adequate pressure anymore.  They might be a good source for a small engine if for some reason you are only needing an engine.

Quality of hoses and attachments varies.  The cheaper gas ones and probably all the electric ones have what appears to be quarter inch polyethylene tubing, which works fine until it gets kinked.  It is not super flexible so it is easy to kink and damage; you have to be careful coiling it up.  

They are great tools when used properly.

I never liked them on cars because they didn't really seem to clean the dirt.

However, if you get one a way to help with keeping it running right is always turn the water on and let it go through the pump before you start the engine.  I've been told running the pumps dry is a cause of failure.

I use a PW on my cars.  One thing I found was that a good car wash liquid made a difference.  I use the one from Chemical Guys.  I use a hose to remove loose dirt, and then a foam gun on the PW.  Sometimes I hand wash a little, and then clean with moderate pressure on the PW.  I use the widest tip to the second widest.  I never use a high pressure tip.

Get all your pressure washers at Walmart !!!!

Get one and then buy a foam cannon.  They spray out a foam that is almost as thick as shaving cream.  Makes washing a cinch.

Get one from Northern Tools with a Honda engine

For home use get at least 2.5 GPM/2500 PSI

Most will have wands with removable nozzles of 0, 15, 25, 40 degress

CAT pumps are the best but pricey

Sun Joe SPX3001 or SPX4001.  Nowhere near the stated ratings but 1200psi for sure with the high and low settings.  Has the auto shut off.  Whenever you let go of the water trigger the engine stops.  Unlike gas pw where the engine is running and water being circulated through the pump.  Good for car washing and light duty but doesn't replace a Gas PW for cleaning concrete etc......

This, foam cannon is great, use it on my boat as well.

ETA:  also got a leaf blower to dry the vehicles works

Get the MTM PF22 foam cannon and run Adam's car wash soap(3oz) and Adam's APC(1.5oz) mixture

There are quite few pressure car washes here in my AO that mix "filtered" reclaimed wash water with fresh water.
I won't use them at all, not even for spraying the mud off my dirtbike.

I don't reclaim self serve water. Too many variables. Some jackass can come in the middle of the night and pour paint or oil down the drain. However, In some areas of the Country it is mandated.

The biggest problem there is people will start the engine with no water hooked up & running.
This causes near instant damage to, or outright fries, the pressure pump.
The pressure pump relies on water to cool it, and it's easy to forget. A few moments of forgetfulness can be very expensive.

On the other hand... the pressure pump is very easy to replace. They start at about $150 and go up from there.  
Better pumps are usually made so they can be rebuilt.

I've have the same cheap azz pressure washer from sam's for nearly 5 years now. It's a DELCO or some thing of the others.

Only issue I have had is I melted the original hose on the muffler once, completely my fault plus I replaced it with a longer one., win/win.

Anyhow if you want your pressure washer to last a long long time and have little issue this is what you do.

Step 1. Check the oil level before you start it.
Step 2. before you start the pressure washer, make sure all the air is out of the system by holding the wand down until it's just water coming out.
Step 3. when going to store the pressure washer, always run the gas out of the carb and always use 100% gas with a fuel stabilizer.

You do those things, your pressure washer will last a long time.