Undercarriage wash tips

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lxj1

lxj1

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I live in Southern California so yes this is a question of privilege! Maybe 1-3 days a year I’ll go up to the mountains to see snow.

I don’t go enough to apply undercarriage film to protect the car from rust but I feel like I should still do something.

Undercarriage wash at the automated car wash? Spray down with my hose? Leave it alone?

Is there anything with the undercarriage I should be careful about washing?

Thanks!
 
Go nuts with it. Be somewhat mindful of the electrical connectors but they're made to be water proof. I just spent about 3 hours one day last week pressure washing mine. You can get a cheap under carriage pressure washer attachment, basically 3-4 jets facing upward on a roller that you can roll under the truck like a broom.
 
I wash undercarriage as much if not more than body/wheels/brakes/chrome/etc. I always drive to dry brakes, engine and such.

Automated Car Wash undercarriage option is a poor and lazy substitute, but better than nothing.

I use a right angle attachment to my pressure washer. You'll see me out, anytime I've driven on roads covered with salt or mag-chloride deicers. As soon as temp )OAT) is above freezing, I get the salts washed off. Mud is another that need washing off ASAP. If mud dried on. Than the sprinkler under the vehicle (water waster), works to soften mud, but still need power washing after.

I've seen hardware store gutter cleaners attachment for a garden hose, that should work well. But they use more water than a pressure washer and produce less pressure to blow off crud.

I wash radiators fins and engine, with same attachment.
I start washing with engine cool or cold (about hour before start of below video). Ran engine as I cleaned it and radiator, as it warmed up (reduce risk of cold on hot shock). Shut down and started washing again later (took break). It's coil (COP) top seals are newer and tight, so water & sand not washing into spark plug tubes.
I also avoid alternator, drive belt and it's pulleys from direct wash, especial when engine off. I use care to avoid fire wall mat. I've front of vehicle higher than rear, so water in valley flows back and out engine valley drain holes. I avoid direct intense pressure washing on wire housing blocks. I spray downward angle, around fuse boxes. Battery was cleaned with baking soda and you see some additional baking soda I added at clamp/post. This battery someone had cleaned without baking soda to neutralize acid. They blew acids (wet) white powder all over the engine compartment. Fortunately only shortly before I cleaned it, so no real concerns of acid damage.
 
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These answer my questions. Thanks.
MongooseGA said:
Go nuts with it. Be somewhat mindful of the electrical connectors but they're made to be water proof.
Click to expand...
2001LC said:
I wash undercarriage as much if not more than body/wheels/brakes/chrome/etc. I always drive to dry brakes, engine and such.
Click to expand...


But out of curiosity, why is this?
2001LC said:
Automated Car Wash undercarriage option is a poor and lazy substitute, but better than nothing.
Click to expand...
 
Murphy's Oil Soap with a pressure washer foam cannon. Whips up to a nice froth and leaves a nice shine.

1646786474047.png



1646786566361.png


1646786697440.png
 
MongooseGA said:
Do you agitate or just let it soak then blast it?
Click to expand...
At the time, I just let it soak and then used the pressure washer to rinse it. The soap pump on my pressure washer will no longer pick up liquid soap so I started using a foam cannon. I accidentally found Murphy's when my kid ran off with some special Chemical Guys soap for their foam cannon. So I like Murphy's better than the Chemical Guys soap because it clings. He later took the foam cannon so I bought a different one that I've yet to use. If there is a stubborn stain I would use a plastic bristle broom to scrub it.
 
lxj1 said:
These answer my questions. Thanks.

"Automated Car Wash undercarriage option is a poor and lazy substitute, but better than nothing"


But out of curiosity, why is this?
Click to expand...
Simply they just don't do a very good job.

If you think a drive through car wash does good enough. Take a drive in mud. A few days later take to a drive through car wash. Then get under and work on it once dry! You'll see!

I had used a car wash that pre-sprays-soaps in area, vacuumed and hand dry. Very nice and high end. They run through a very nice automated washing system I could watch for behind glass wall. This was in my Pathfinder, which I had for ~13 years. I took biweekly to the same car wash. It ended up with rust issues from road salts. It just did not get all the areas and angles necessary nor any area well enough.

When I got into my 2001 Land Cruiser (The King), in 2003 w/59K on it. I found a coin op car wash with a flexible wand. I'd take a knee pad to get down on and under vehicle and into wheel wheels. It had what appeared to be mild surface rust. Over the years, I found most of it washed away. It looked better 13 years later at 175K than when I first bought it and no rust. Simple by washing thoroughly repeatedly often over time, it got better.

Today I have my own power washer. I found washing my first restores project, took $200 at a coin op. Automated drive through could even come close to cleaning as good as I could myself. Which also is part of my inspection process, as I'm looking over ever inch as I wash. One sees nothing, going to a driving through automated car wash, except shinny body afterwards.

I sold a supper cleans 2011 (Garybird the lost 2012) to a neighbor. Which it comes to me, once a year for service. It's a shame how wheels and undercarriage look. They take to automated car wash and pay extra for undercarriage & wheels.

I've a Duck hunter that comes to me for service. We've been doing some interesting mod in his heavy built 07, to keep AHC working. I mention to him vehicle needs to come to me clean, especially undercarriage. He said he'd cleaned it including undercarriage. Well! I spent 5 hours cleaning undercarriage of dried on mud. Which mud is extremely damaging if left on. I had ~6 shovels full of heavy sand I sweep up after cleaning. At least another 20 shovel full of fine sand, traveled down my curb to city drain. It was the worst I'd seen. I sent him a short video of the mess in my street, where I had washed his supposedly clean rig. I was a bit pissed, as he said he'd cleaned undercarriage. Upon further talks with him. I learned cleaning meant, he took to auto car wash and paid the extra $2 for undercarriage cleaning. In his case I suggested he put a sprinkler under the rig for hours, to soften mud, after these hunting trips. Then get under it with a power washer. If not it's value will go down and his service cost up. It comes to me much cleaner these days.
 
I use one of these 3,400 PSI model with an Annovi Reverberi pump.

It makes a big difference cleaning up an old vehicle for a major maintenance refresh.


1646832219186.png
 
My PS washer is 4 or 5 yrs old and starting to fail. F**in China made crap-o-la. So tied of China sending us their junk. So I'm keeping my eye out for my next PS washer!

I rented a 5,000 PSI gas powered once, similar looking to your 3K PSI. I used it, to blow the paint off a exterior stucco house walls. Thing was bad ass and dangerous.

My dream power washer would be a something along the lines of a Hotsy. It would have adjustable pressure, either by dial or by nozzle selection. So I could turn down to pressures under ~1,500 PSI. So to not damage things like radiators fins. But have supper high PSI (3k or more), for tough components and concern driveways. Also a have pure steam mod, 50/50 and hot or cold water modes. But be in a small package (foot print), for my limited space. It also need to operate quietly for my neighbors. Now how sweet would that be for be.
 
2001LC said:
My PS washer is 4 or 5 yrs old and starting to fail. F**in China made crap-o-la. So tied of China sending us their junk. So I'm keeping my eye out for my next PS washer!

I rented a 5,000 PSI gas powered once, similar looking to your 3K PSI. I used it, to blow the paint off a exterior stucco house walls. Thing was bad ass and dangerous.

My dream power washer would be a something along the lines of a Hotsy. It would have adjustable pressure, either by dial or by nozzle selection. So I could turn down to pressures under ~1,500 PSI. So to not damage things like radiators fins. But have supper high PSI (3k or more), for tough components and concern driveways. Also a have pure steam mod, 50/50 and hot or cold water modes. But be in a small package (foot print), for my limited space. It also need to operate quietly for my neighbors. Now how sweet would that be for be.
Click to expand...
I grew up using a kerosene powered steam washer somewhat like the one in this picture. It used a soap that contained a high concentration lye. It would strip the paint from an engine fairly fast. Then we had an engine painter that used tiny paint guns that make the engine compartment look like new. Tricks of the trade.


1646829810131.png
 
spazzyfry123 said:
I've never heard of this before. What's your mixture ratio for a foam cannon? I've got a pressure washer and have been considering getting a cannon for it. I've only had the hose-end cannons in the past.

Got some gunk from a slight oil leak that I'd like to try and get off.
Click to expand...
The cannon I used was based on the soap being full strength. IIRC, it had a valve that controlled the amount of soap that was mixed with pressurized water.
 
You may consider dry ice cleaning/detailing,



No need to buy, you can actually rent one.

Climate Control Equipment Rental | Herc Rentals

<p>Climate control equipment rentals from Herc Rentals includes 5-25 and 40-80 ton AC units, chillers, desiccant dehumidifiers, water cooled AC units etc. </p>
www.hercrentals.com www.hercrentals.com
 
OEMGUY0720 said:
You may consider dry ice cleaning/detailing,



No need to buy, you can actually rent one.

Climate Control Equipment Rental | Herc Rentals

<p>Climate control equipment rentals from Herc Rentals includes 5-25 and 40-80 ton AC units, chillers, desiccant dehumidifiers, water cooled AC units etc. </p>
www.hercrentals.com www.hercrentals.com
Click to expand...


If this weren't so prohibitively expensive, all of my cars would have been ice blasted by now. $4-500/day on the low end to rent. I'm anal and financially frivolous, but not that much.


@sammybones I showed you mine, show me yours.
 
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