Peter42 Posted March 12, 2009 Share Posted March 12, 2009 I recently purchased a K'archer pressure washer, which came with a car-wash brush and a container of detergent. Does anyone know whether this detergent is safe to use on a GRP motorhome bodywork. I usually use Turtle Wax shampoo with no detrimental effects (quite the opposite, in fact) and would not wish to harm the existing finish by using an unsuitable product. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Usinmyknaus Posted March 12, 2009 Share Posted March 12, 2009 I've come across many motorhomers who have reported problems with vehicles suffering water leaks under normal operating conditions (including me) so I have not used my Karcher on the van for fear it would force water through seams, vents, windows' surrounds etc. I had similar experiences with a Ford Fiesta and a Honda CRV so stopped using it for them too. I'll be interested to see what other experiences forum members share with you. My Karcher earns its keep solely on patio cleaning duty twice a year. Bob Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest JudgeMental Posted March 12, 2009 Share Posted March 12, 2009 I have a GRP motorhome as well, get down to Halfords and buy some “Fenwick’s Motorhome cleaner” It really makes light work of stubborn black streaks etc...... When using the Karcher you turn the spray to low when spraying on detergent...I use a long handled brush to clean it over.......then once again with detergent leave it a while then high pressure - but not to close! Or you will remove decals and damage the van, and do not spray at all near seams! They do a "bobby dazzler" finish which just gives a nice shine as well, it just needs spraying on afterwards. I feel like a rep for them lol but after 20 years of hard graft cleaning vans it was Syd on here that alerted me to this stuff and it is an eye opener. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kedavi Posted March 12, 2009 Share Posted March 12, 2009 I have a Karcher too and agree about being very cautious in its use - I tend not to use mine much on any decent vehicle. They are extremely agressive to painted surfaces and they will rapidly strip off any residual wax coat. You can do a lot of damage with them - the most powerful ones can even dent panels if used too close. Be especially careful if you use it with hot water as it may melt the glue holding your decals and badges on and they will just slide off! You didn't give much information on the 'detergent'? If it is described as TFR (trafic film remover) then I wouldn't use it on your motorhome. Some TFRs are fairly agressive chemicals that are mainly used to clean large commercial vehicles like lorries and buses. They need to be diluted properly and not left on too long before rinsing as they can etch the surface of anything aluminium. That said, GRP is very inert and shouldn't suffer too much. It's everything else around it like door and window seals, fridge vents, power sockets etc that you would need to be careful with. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peter42 Posted March 12, 2009 Author Share Posted March 12, 2009 The K'archer I have purchased has fixed pressure i.e. it can only be reduced by keeping the jet a decent distance from the vehicle or object to be cleaned. However the car-wash brush appears to reduce the pressure (owing to the bigger cross section), so I was considering using the brush to apply the detergent ( if it is safe to use on a motorhome) and an 'ordinary' garden hose to rinse it off. However, on the evidence of the above comments, perhaps I'll stick to Turtle wax or maybe try Fenwicks. Thanks for the replies. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest JudgeMental Posted March 12, 2009 Share Posted March 12, 2009 Unless a real cheap one I guess....the front of nozzle can be turned? And this reduces the pressure? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lennyhb Posted March 12, 2009 Share Posted March 12, 2009 I only ever use my pressure washer to clean the salt off the underside of my vehicles after the winter. I won't go anywhere near the bodywork with one certainly not a Motorhome or Caravan. There has also been some publicity recently about damage to tyre sidewall. User beware! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tonyishuk Posted March 12, 2009 Share Posted March 12, 2009 I use a washer to "Wet" the m/home with Fenwicks m/home wash, let it stand ( a damp day is good for this) and then wash by hand. There is no halfway house with a pressure washer, it either strips everything in sight (mastic , decals etc) or does nothing. It always surprises me when I wash some thing like garden furniture, then just rub my hand over a bit of washed area to clean of a bit I have missed, only to find that a light rub gets it even cleaner ! Rgds Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peter42 Posted March 15, 2009 Author Share Posted March 15, 2009 JudgeMental - 2009-03-12 5:29 PM Unless a real cheap one I guess....the front of nozzle can be turned? And this reduces the pressure? I'm not too sure what 'cheap' is nowadays! Cost me a weeks Old Age Pension! I have just returned from a weekend Meet, so will look tomorrow to see if the nozzle can be used to reduce the pressure, but I don't think it can. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lizken Posted March 15, 2009 Share Posted March 15, 2009 I would use Fenwick's Motorhome Cleaner, but with pressue on a light spray only, then agitate cleaner by brush. Rinse off again with washer on spray - DO NOT USE WASHER ON HIGH PRESSURE JET. Then spray on Fenwick's Bobby Dazzler - Sparkling Finish Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
davenewellhome Posted March 15, 2009 Share Posted March 15, 2009 Virtually all pressure washers, from the cheapest to the most expensive (my business neighbour has one that cost £3,500!!) have some means of adjusting the nozzle pressure. This may be by an adjusting dial or it may be by adjusting the nozzle itself. There is always the option of using it from a distance which will reduce the pressure at which the water jet hits the bodywork. As for the OP question about the detergent, if it is quoted as being suitable for motor vehicles then it should be fine on a motorhome, just follow the instructions about diluting it and don't get too close with the pressure washer. D. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peter42 Posted March 16, 2009 Author Share Posted March 16, 2009 Peter42 - 2009-03-15 6:23 PM JudgeMental - 2009-03-12 5:29 PM Unless a real cheap one I guess....the front of nozzle can be turned? And this reduces the pressure? I'm not too sure what 'cheap' is nowadays! Cost me a weeks Old Age Pension! I have just returned from a weekend Meet, so will look tomorrow to see if the nozzle can be used to reduce the pressure, but I don't think it can. I had a look this morning and there is no adjustment at the nozzle or elsewhere, so the only method of lessening the pressure is to stand back from the object to be washed. I think I will reserve its use to patios, etc, and keep on using my trusty brush and hose! BTW - the soft-hair brush I usually use is well over 35 years old, anyone beat that? I bet someone will! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest JudgeMental Posted March 16, 2009 Share Posted March 16, 2009 You said earlier that it came with detergent? Now, normally it has either a compartment for the detergent or sucks it up from a tube straight from the container (depending on model) If it has either of these I would be surprised if the power could not be adjusted as you need to turn the power right down to use the detergent.....what model is it? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peter42 Posted March 16, 2009 Author Share Posted March 16, 2009 JudgeMental - 2009-03-16 1:04 PM You said earlier that it came with detergent? Now, normally it has either a compartment for the detergent or sucks it up from a tube straight from the container (depending on model) If it has either of these I would be surprised if the power could not be adjusted as you need to turn the power right down to use the detergent.....what model is it? Its a K2150 model and the nozzles on the 2 lances are definitely fixed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest JudgeMental Posted March 16, 2009 Share Posted March 16, 2009 it's not very powerful at 100 bar, so I would not be worried about using it from a distance. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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