As a small time detailer, and owner of a black truck.... this just doesn't sound like a good idea. Just make sure to hose the dirt off with the water hose before you touch it with a wash mitt until then. I am curious to hear others input on this though.

 

Check on Youtube for a channel called Obsessed Garage, this is an active topic right now.

 

 

My neighbor took the paint right off of his Silverado with a power washer . . . .

 

I have power washed cars/trucks/SUVs but you have to use common sense. You aren't trying to get right up on the paint and blast it. Stand back, at least 2' from nozzle to surface. Most of the washers will have a nozzle tip that turns the stream into more of a "fan" and that's what you want to use. Also not really needed every time you wash your truck - more important is using the two bucket system (one for clean water & suds, one for dirty/rinse), a clean microfiber washing mitt, and a very very clean microfiber drying towel.

For a foam cannon, I generally only use that when I'm doing something like a "degrease" clean (like with Dawn) before proceeding with a hand wash and then paint seal, wax, etc. Otherwise the foam cannon really doesn't "clean" much and you end up having to wash by hand anyway.

 

I have a 1900 psi washer and foam cannon from chemical guys as well as the soap . I also use two bucket method , but I blow dry vs. toweling dry . I also have a de-ionizing system as my well water is very hard .

 

I only wash my truck with a power washer, although my truck is ceramic coated. I use a bunch of Chemical Guys products, take a look at their video which gives you a pretty good breakdown on the best way to keep swirls to a minimum.
My pressure washer came from Northern Tool. https://www.northerntool.com/shop/to...7872_200347872

 

I do most all of the same steps, except I save my tires & wheels for last. My next "investment" will be a water de-ionizer to help eliminate spots.

 

 

Sorry I can't help much with the foam cannon (I don't use one as I think they are a waste of money), but I use the 2-bucket method with the microfiber wash mitt from Walmart, and a Chemical Guys soap. I don't dry it, as my well water is perfect...leaves no spots or residue. My Blue Jeans truck comes out just as shiny as when it left the dealer!

 

I have a foam cannon but I don't use it much anymore. My power washer has a soap tank that uses the same thick soap as the foam cannon. It's way easier to use the power washer than the foam cannon. Either way, I get foamy soap on the vehicle.

But mostly I take my F-350 through the car wash. It does a good job.

 

 

For some caked on dirt a power washer does a little better than a hose. The only real advantage I see from a power washer is you will use less water. Even with a 3500 psi power washer there is still a film of dirt left (maybe if used a different detergent or multiple I would get better results). Plus I think with a power washer you are more likely to get water into area that you don't want to. Two buckets and plenty of rinsing the wash mitt is the most effective. Also regular washing helps so it's not a build up weeks or months of dirt.

If you have hard water, treating it so it's soft will make washing and drying easier.

 

Well if you have the right equipment and chemicals they are certainly not. I have just about every tool and chemical that you can imagine for taking care of paint. I have custom painted vehicles and use the foam cannon religiously along with my CR Spotless water system . The 2 bucket method no good for me because drying takes place too fast plus using the right equipment still have a bucket and sheep's mitt but the foam is a pretreatment at least for me Most of the time sometimes no mitt is needed. When done fire up the Stihl BR 700 and less than 4 minutes there is not one tiny spec of water anywhere including wheels and aero parts on the vette for example. The only time a micro fiber touches (use 3 different types very plush for removing wax) my paint on the custom ones is to remove polish, sealant or wax

Takes longer to hook up all of the quick connects from the hose to the Yamaha Power Washer and the CR spotless system get the blower ready to go than it does to apply foam and rinse it of and blow it dry.... I use the big Bigfoot and the smaller Bigfoot by Rupes for my polishing and waxing duties. I even keep all swirls out of my paint on the truck--not covered up with a wax product carnauba or synthetic but driving on the ranch perfect paint is impossible to maintain. For some people like me --- I have to polish out my trucks every 4 months or so, then Pinnacle Black Diamond sealant followed by every month a application of Pinnacle Black Label Synergy Wax.

This is regimen is not for 99% of the folks here but 1% who like the finest finish obtainable then this is just a brief snippet of my products used and process.