[IanB]

All,
I just wanted to know if anyone has ever had a pressure washer mar/scratch there perfect paint? I corrected with 85rd this past Friday to perfection on all surfaces, and put down a layer of 1Z glance. This did not cause any marring. Well Saturday (one day later) I took the pressure washer and sprayed down all the pollen, but did not touch with car with any soap or wash medium, it was just a rinse off. I expected zero marring, however I took a look at the car in full sun and through the pollen haze, I can see 4 or 5 pretty distinct swirls. Should I be pre-spraying with the pressure turned way down first, then crank it up to 1300psi? I have a small Karcher unit.

What am I doing wrong here? Is water actually marring the car now too???!

2005 Audi Midnight Blue Paint.

Thanks for any feedback/help.
IB

	1Z Einszett Products

[D&D Auto Detailing]

How would a pressure washer create a swirl mark? Ive never experienced anything like that.

[Deep Gloss Auto Salon]

Are you sure you 100% corrected the paint? Did you do a prep sol or equivalent wipe down?

[Esienmann_M6]

a pressure washer "can" marr the paint easily especially if you have soft
clear coat. I learned this the hard way...

If you don't have a foam canon, now is the time to buy one if you
want to keep on using your pressure washer for "pre wash"

First you foam the car up "NO WATER RINSE" after you foam the car,
then you can rinse it with water as you like. the dirt will be then easy to remove and it won't scratch your clearcoat.

also keep your distance, no need for blasting the paint with a pressure washer "at all" especially if you pre foam it.
oh want to keep your LSP longer? use less soap in the foam canon, and rinse before the foam starts to dry or drips allot.

if the car is dirty and you will reLSP it, then use more soap and maybe PS21 total auto wash mix, leave the foam longer on the car and rinse

	LSP Last Step Product, meaning protection either wax or sealant.

[Al-53]

I can not see how a pressure washer swirls it..the water is straight line ..I believe if you did not do a wipe down after polishing the pressure from the water would lift any polish filling the swirls swirls...the water it self against the pollen will not swirl it...if your 3-4 feet away the pressure hitting the paint is not all that powerful and the water droplets are micro sized...

I pressure wash my GF's CRV..which is soft paint..and its 98% perfect..and even after PWing it ..it still stays the same...

Al

[sneek]

I think it is removing something from the paint (dare I say fillers?) and that is causing you to see the swirls. As Al said, water from a PW travels fairly straight, and I can't see how it would inflict circular scatches.

[FMINUS]

I have never seen PW marr paint regardless of how soft it is.

I think its poor polishing and checks thats the culprit

[Pro-Techt]

Originally Posted by Esienmann_M6

a pressure washer "can" marr the paint easily especially if you have soft
clear coat. I learned this the hard way...

Sorry, but there's no way power washing will do any kind of damage to your paint unless your using wayyyy too much pressure & you don't take proper care/caution. I could and do wash this close with 1800 psi on every car I detail and wash for many, many years and never witnesses a single problem.

[SuperBee364]

IMO, what you're seeing is the concealing effect of PO85RD. PO106FF does it, too. It isn't an intentional filling effect according to Menzerna, it's just what the lubes they use in those two polishes *do*. Most pros will do either a prepsol or IPA wipedown after using either of those two polishes to make sure nothing is being concealed by them and their leftover lubes. It's pretty amazing how well they will conceal stuff.

The concealed defects simply became visible after you removed all the polish remnants with your PW. I'm in the group of peeps that think there is no way a PW is gonna mar your paint. And if it did, it isn't going to be swirled, but straight line scratches. And that ain't gonna happen, either.

[Esienmann_M6]

let me get this straight, so any of you pros which I personally learned allot from
during those couple of years, blast the paint that has dirt like lower parts with water
from the PW before washing to remove that dirt? water no soap?