Drivers warned against easy mistake to make when washing their car
You should pressure wash your car from approximately 1 metre away
With the weather getting wetter, cars are more likely to pick up dirt, mud, and other grime from the roads. However, there’s one thing you should never do when washing your car, or it could cost you very expensive repairs.
Pressure washers could cause damage
A pressure washer is the easiest and quickest way to clean your car but using it incorrectly could lead to an expensive mistake.
Graham Conway, managing director at car leasing experts Select Car Leasing, said: “Pressure washers can be an incredibly handy tool to give your car a new lease of life in a short space of time. But hosing down your motor on a gravel driveway could be a serious error and leave you facing forking out hundreds of pounds to repair dents and scuffed paintwork.”
When washing your car, it’s almost guaranteed that you’ll point the pressure washer at the ground at some point. This can send gravel flying up towards your car. Not only will it scuff the paint, it can also cause dents. Gravel could also hit the underside of your car, causing much more extensive damage.
Using a pressure washer too close to the surface of your car can also cause damage. If you have it on the wrong setting, you can strip paint from the car. It can also damage your windows, as they’re more fragile than the body of the car.
How to safely pressure wash your car
The most important thing to remember is that the thinner the spray coming from the nozzle, the more powerful it is.
To begin, you should stand about a metre away from your car. This will make sure you’re far enough away not to damage the paint, but close enough you can still clean your car effectively.
Set the nozzle between 5-8cm to get the top layer of dirt and grime off the car. You’ll need to use a wider and less powerful setting for the windows.
Then, you’ll need to switch to the least powerful setting to apply the soap. Let the soap sit for a few minutes so it has a chance to work. You’ll want to switch to a brush so you can get the more stubborn bits of dirt off. You can also take this chance to scrub your wheels.
After that, you can go back to the 5-8cm setting and wash all the soap off.
Top tip: Make sure you have the correct soap to wash your car. A purpose-made car shampoo is safest for your paintwork.
Check out our blog on mistakes to avoid when cleaning your car for more information.
