The acquisition of a house with a garden has prompted the purchase of a number of vital home-owning related accessories. There are the usual basics: a spade, a hoe and a trowel, plus a massive pruning device which is probably intended for castrating elephants but works equally well on substantial branches. I was not allowed a wheelbarrow because we don’t need one (fortunately the “need” argument is not applied to camera gear), and a ride-on lawn mower would have been over the top for our small patch of grass (and anyway there is man who comes and cuts it twice a week). But I did manage to pop this into the shopping trolley:
It’s a power washer and if Saddam Hussein had had one of these then the West really could have claimed he had a weapon of mass destruction.
The intended purpose for the device is for washing the car. No way am I letting my new baby be manhandled by young men in car washes; but then neither am I going to risk scratching it by using the traditional bucket of soapy water and a sponge technique. This thing cleans off the car in no time, without the needs for rubbing; and it’s fun too; especially if the cat comes within range.
I have also used it to clean off the pebbledash around the pool. It was looking grubby when we bought the house, and a month or so of contractors cutting tiles next to it has not helped. I had pebbledash in my bathroom in our condo and spent bloody hours with increasingly toxic fluids attempting to scrub it clean by hand, and had nothing to show for it except for more stains and a lingering whiff of burned skin. But half an hour with this thing had my pool surround sparkling clean.
Suitably enthused, I decided to clean a wall in preparation for painting. It was particularly grubby in one section so I adjusted the nozzle to a thin stream and it not only removed the dirt but it also removed the existing paint. On closer inspection I realised that it had not only removed the paint; but had dug a substantial hole in the brickwork! The reminders on the web, not to get too close when washing the car, are good advice. Not sure that the BMW five year warranty extends to holes I have drilled in the bodywork with a power washer.
Comments 🔗
2014-09-17| Camberley saysFive year warranty? The cheapskates in the UK only offer a 3 year warranty, on the same car!
2014-09-17| Grant saysMate! A water blaster, bloody cracker! Next, a chain saw! Pity it’s too damned hot for a log splitter… Garden toys are great, what about one of those nifty little Japanese back hoes for weeding around the bamboo and crushing centipedes?
2014-09-17| Spike saysFive year warranty and five year free service. But import taxes mean the car costs 2-3 times UK price.
2014-09-17| Spike saysA chain saw may be a little over the top; but tell me more about the back hoes, I love nifty little Japanese things.
2014-09-17| Chang Noi saysActually some car manufactures do recommend you NOT to use a high-pressure device to clean your car. And as my wife does not trust the car-washers she does it herself. I of course supervise and check that the materials used for cleaning are indeed clean.
BTW 5 years warranty … I think on the oil not the car. Free service but not the parts.
BMW Did you already drift and burn some rubber of your new Blauw Mit WeiSS?
2014-09-17| Spike saysFrom BMW Thailand: “All-inclusive for perfect peace of mind are: - Change of engine oil including top-ups - Service or replacement of air filters, micro-filters, spark plugs, brake fluid - Front and rear brake discs and brake pads - Windscreen wiper blades as part of routine maintenance - Vehicle check and standard services as set out in the BMW service booklet in the owner’s documentation - Extends legal entitlement to the remedy of defects”
I pay for tyres and fuel.
2014-09-17| Clive saysI’ve used a commercial-scale jetwash and had the same experience. Personally, I’d not be willing to use a pressure washer on car paintwork - what happens is that the water lifts tiny particles from the surface of the paint/plastic/glass/rubber and then blasts them across the surface of your car, backed by very high pressure water. The result? Lots and lots of microfine scratches. Not so visible on pebbledash, but not so good for a car’s lacquered paintwork …
If you are interested in good suggestions for safe ways to clean a new car, try here:-
http://www.detailingworld.co.uk/
It’s a bit of an anorak site, to be honest, but lots of material from professional detailers who seem to know what they’re doing. Among the “little things” I’ve picked up I would include:
Use wash mits, not sponges Use a proper drying towel, not a chamois or imitation chamois leather [ I always used to use a flunky car cloth - these towels are better] Get a bucket with a scratch shield built into the bottom of it - it lets grit sink past it to the bottom, thus not sticking in your wash mit Get a set of “wheel woolies” or simple brushes to keep alloy wheels sparkling - use the Autoglym wheel cleaner and the protector spray too Get a long handle “wheel brush” - it’s perfect for scrubbing mud/crap off wheel arches and Resist the temptation to pay someone else to wash your car - it will get scratched!
2014-09-17| Spike saysI am thinking of having glass coating done. Then indeed I will use the power washer for an initial soaking and applying soap; but then I will donning cleaning mitts.
2014-09-17| Clive saysNot a bad idea. I bought my MX-5 Roadster Coupe new in 2011 and had all the bodywork sealed and the interior too - special treatment for the leather, Scotchguard for the carpets, the works. Cost me about £300. Full lifetime, no quibble warranty, and they’ve been superb. Well worth it.
2014-09-18| Grant saysGoogle ‘Kubota K008’, click on images, fill yer boots…
2014-09-18| Camberley saysI leave it to the rain to wash my car. No danger of scratching there.
2014-09-18| Clive saysHang on, when did we leave the topic of pressure washers? I thought a “hoe” was (American “Valley”) slang for (girlfriend/suitable young,cute female ornamentation). E.g. “Bro’s before hoe’s”… Not familiar with a “back hoe” though. Sounds like it might be slang for “masseuse”. Did she come with the car?
2014-09-20| Spike saysI have been glass coated; or rather my car has.Shines like a shiny thing that has recently been shined and is guaranteed to do so for the next five years by which time I will have sold it and bought a Yaris.