flatso

I take great care when washing my car but the other day my hose got caught and when I pulled it up it almost hit the hood. My hose always picks up gravel and other crap and at the moment it occurred to me that it could probably scratch the paint pretty good in the right circumstance. So was wondering if there are any tips to moving your hose around the vehicle corners when you are washing the car.

KC_Prelude

Leave some slack and pay attention?

Omicron

"How do you handle your hose?"

Actually, I let Mrs Omi handle it.

:D

(Sorry, couldn't resist)

flatso

dohhhh...why didn't I think of that

flatso

your the bestest moderator ever lol

I, Claudius

I was in Target the other day and noticed these cool new small-bore hoses that coil. You pull it and it stretches out, and then it coils back in a neat bundle when you're done. The hoses come in different lengths, and my first thought was that one of those hoses would be great for car-washing - no problem with the hose getting stuck under a tire when you walk around the car, or accidentally whacking the paint. Has anyone seen these, or (better yet) tried 'em?

silvercloud

I used one of those coiled hoses for gardening last year and loved it. It didn't retain it's perfectly coiled shape for long but was still much easier to move around with than a regular hose.

Speed-ER doc

The coiled hose is what I use to wash my car. I like it, no drawbacks. I hook it up to an electric pressure washer. I use the hardest spray for the wheels, and turn it to softer for the car itself. Got it at Home Depot for around 80 bucks I think.

mikeb

I have to admit I have smacked my car with the hose once or twice ---

blue flash

with two hands

Smoker

Those pressure washer are worth every penny and then some. Does a way better job than any car wash out there. Not to mention to cuts right through the 15 year slow build up of dirt and salt in my garage floor then never get wash away during my annual summer clean up. First time I use it on my garage, couldn't believe my eyes, blasted everything out of ground. If you see one on sale, get it !

boarder

Those coil hoses are nice, but I also use a "hoze nozzle" for protection (insert joke here). It lets me stand farther back on most occasions, so I am less likely to hit the hose against the car. For example:

http://autopia-carcare.com/vk-108.html

That is the one I use, though probably anything like it would work. This one not metal, so its less likely to scratch or dent if you drop it.

BTW, autopia has many nice articles and items for cleaning if you need them (I use the sonus gel wheel cleaner from their site and its good stuff). I have no affiliation other than I bought some items from them recently.

I, Claudius

Oh yeah. I'd second that (or third it, as Doc uses one too). The first week we got ours I pressure-washed everything in sight - the garage floor, the driveway, the back deck, the fence, both cars. The garage floor turned out about five shades lighter when I was done. I don't use it every time I wash the car as I'm too lazy to get it out and set it up each time, but it's great for cutting through bugs and road grime after a trip or a long stretch between washings.

Thanks for the reviews on the curly hoses. I guess I'll be picking one up this weekend.

flatso

just have to be careful you don't drive the debris into the paint

S3/P3/E2

The part I'm worried about is hitting a chipped spot in the paint and increasing its surface area.

bagman

I smacked my hood good a couple of weeks ago and it did indeed leave a nasty scuff. ****!

Speed-ER doc

I use an electric power washer because the jet isn't as strong as the gas models, but it still would probably take some paint off if you used the sharpest spray, whether there was a chip or not. My wife put a hole in her foot with it (ouch).

Just turn it to a (little) finer spray, and it should be OK. But don't quote me....:D

I, Claudius

My power washer is electric as well, and came with two wand tips - one of them creates a spray that's less "sharp," and seems to work very well on the paint. I try to direct the spray at a slightly oblique angle as well, so as not to drive anything into the paint.