Just realized that old lady at the car wash was right about my pressure setting

Had a customer in Omaha last summer tell me I was blasting her pickup too hard with my surface cleaner, that I was gonna strip the clear coat. I laughed it off at first, but three weeks later I went over my own truck and sure enough there's a dull patch on the hood where I got careless. Now I keep my PSI around 1200 for factory paint jobs instead of cranking it up, and I haven't had a complaint since. Anyone else ever get humbled by a customer who actually knew more than you?

3 comments

3 Comments

ivan_mason1mo ago

Honestly, the real thing nobody talks about is how the water temperature matters just as much. Cold water at high pressure can still mess up clear coat over time, but hot water at lower pressure cleans way better without the risk.

juliashah1mo ago

Watched a neighbor back in '18 try to clean his rims with a pressure washer set to 3000 PSI. Took the paint right off in about two seconds. He stood there holding the gun with this blank look on his face, like his truck just betrayed him. That moment made me dial mine down to 1500 for anything that isn't concrete.

wesley38520d ago

Hold up, 3000 PSI on rims? That's insane, that's the kind of setting you use for stripping paint off a house, not a truck. Man, that blank stare from your neighbor is the exact same look I'd have after realizing I just turned my truck into a giant art project I didn't ask for. Glad I learned my lesson on a dull spot instead of a full-on paintless wheel.