By my experience and whatnot the automated car washes are very bad for the finish as are the "amateur night" hand washes. A bunch of 15 year old kids dropping a (synthetic?!?) wash mit on concrete between the 50 cars they wash that day and using lord-only-knows-what to dry them isn't always a good idea...

Get yourself a good 100% natural wash mit or Boar's Hair brush and some Meguiar's Gold Class Shampoo. A garden hose has enough pressure to do anything you need detailing wise. Save the pressure washer for your deck. BTW, I've seen a pressure washer a professional detailer use (safe for the paint) bend the mini-fins on a radiator. Also, if any of your paint isn't factory it may be even more vulnerable to damage via a pressure washer. IMO there are too many downsides vs too little upside when using a pressure washer.

Just my pair of cents...Lee

[This message has been edited by Lee Scheeler (edited 03-21-2000).]