How do you wash your TJ?

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mousehunter

TJ Enthusiast
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Texas
Just curious, how do people wash their Jeeps. Car wash, hose, it's own personal power washer... Do you have a wash schedule, to you let it sit till you can not stand looking at the dust, dirt, and mud anymore - do you wash after every trail use...

I guess this is more of a phycology question than anything else. I have had a habbit of not washing often and eventually watching virtually every paint job oxidise into oblivian. Part of me would prefer NOT doing that to my LJ. My wife apparently wants to stop that cycle on her vehicles - but detailers add up. I think she is having them detailed about 4 times a year right now. That could easily pay for a nice pressure washer fairly quickly.
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so far my only investment in this is fixing my water hose and getting a new hose reel.
 
I was after every wheeling trip with the cheapest electric ryobi pressure washer they have. It's under $100 on sale quite a bit. I have a stubby power washer gun I use from Amazon which makes it easier for getting fender wells clean.

I usually foam cannon with meguiars gold class to pre soak after the initial rinse. Then sponge/cloth clean. I foam cannon the undercarriage as well.

I just use soap on the wheels and a tire brush on the tires with soap.

I need to clean the inside, I don't do that as frequently as I should.

I need to wax it as thay does make it easier to clean and keeps it cleaner longer.
 
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Really the wash process for all my vehicle exteriors is about the same- This is general-

I prefer to avoid pressure washers because a chip can turn into something worse, but they have their place and work-

I spray the tires with a good tire cleaner

I blast the exterior to get all the loose dirt off

I use a real car wash soap and wash from the top down , never let it dry

I like the soft brushes with a handle because it’s fast and you can reach everything-

I’ll drop a microfiber towel in the bucket and then use that to get any places like behind the spare and raise the hood to get where the hood and fenders meet, then do the wheels with it last

Then i drive it to air dry it, taking several clean cloths to buff it after a few miles - a spray detailer gets anything I miss and any water spots

I ‘ll use the same damp cloth to wipe down the dash and mats
 
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My beadlocks like to trap a little bit of dirt behind the rings. It never fails no matter how much I think I have them clean it will fling all over the wheels as I drive off. Often times takes 2-3 rounds of doing that for them to stay clean.
 
TRE3TOP said:
My beadlocks like to trap a little bit of dirt behind the rings. It never fails no matter how much I think I have them clean it will fling all over the wheels as I drive off. Often times takes 2-3 rounds of doing that for them to stay clean.
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They are a pain and get yucky- be noce if they had weep holes

Ive had mine catch water at speed- oh boy- death wobble to the max
 
AndyG said:
They are a pain and get yucky- be noce if they had weep holes

Ive had mine catch water at speed- oh boy- death wobble to the max
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My buddies kmc’s don’t hold water, not sure if it’s all their wheels or that specific wheel. Certain nuances you don’t really notice until you own something and spend time with it.
 
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As dumb as it is, I find washing my vehicles a bit cathartic. I generally try to keep them clean and waxed, although I haven't had much time to do either as of late. However, when I do, I use this process:

  • Spray down with jet setting on the nozzle to get the big stuff off.
  • Followed by soap down with Optimum car wash using the two bucket method with grit spacers and soap mitt (if the lower half/rear is really bad from excess dirt, I'll switch to a different mitt and wash separately from the rest). Scrubbing hard to remove bugs, grime, etc up front.
  • Wash off with nozzle on shower setting.
  • Dry horizontal parts and glass parts with corresponding microfiber towels, top to bottom. Get these before they dry.
  • Continuing on to dry the sides.
  • Spot dry tough areas (like popping the hood and letting the water run the channels, door handles, etc)
  • I'll tackle the rims/tires with Sonax wheel cleaner and a Mothers wheel brush for the rim and tire brush for the tire (obviously). Spray down and dry with general microfiber towel (one for the wheel and a separate for the tire)

If I'm doing a wax, I'll wipe on with a microfiber, let it get a bit opaque and polish off with a separate microfiber. I've used electric "polishers" before, and they work, but typically wind up getting the wax where I don't want it.

I got all of my towels from The Rag Company and they have ones specifically for drying, glass, or multipurposed. At first, I thought that was a bit excessive, but they actually do make a difference. Much different than when I was in high school drying with a chamois and doing windows with newspaper.

PXL_20211016_191047752 (2).jpg
 
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I used to do a few applications of wax each each year (spring, middle summer, fall). Now I simply wash/scrub at the washing bays after a trail run and leave it at that.
 
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rasband said:
I don't bother anymore! I'll do the windows and that's about it.
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if my undercarriage gets muddy i drive to the creek crossing up the road and park in the middle until the water runs clear ! It's a jeep it's supposed to be dirty and covered in mud !!! some time if it's the 1st Saturday of the month I'll take a bar of soap with me !!!
 
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I only use water when I need to and even then I do a quick rinse, wash with turtle wax hybrid solutions car wash, and rinse.

Turtle wax hybrid solution detailer (gray and pink) works great and looks like a wax job. I also use their wax spray (gray and green) to maximize protection. The gloss is legit.

For the affordable price it’s hard to beat imo. I’ve made my purchases on Amazon and Walmart. I use the detailer the most and one bottle lasted me over a year.

And it wipes off just fine for me in the sun. I’ve been super happy bc the low cost allows me to use the product as I wish rather than trying to hoard it like gold.
 
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72afr said:
As dumb as it is, I find washing my vehicles a bit cathartic. I generally try to keep them clean and waxed, although I haven't had much time to do either as of late. However, when I do, I use this process:

  • Spray down with jet setting on the nozzle to get the big stuff off.
  • Followed by soap down with Optimum car wash using the two bucket method with grit spacers and soap mitt (if the lower half/rear is really bad from excess dirt, I'll switch to a different mitt and wash separately from the rest). Scrubbing hard to remove bugs, grime, etc up front.
  • Wash off with nozzle on shower setting.
  • Dry horizontal parts and glass parts with corresponding microfiber towels, top to bottom. Get these before they dry.
  • Continuing on to dry the sides.
  • Spot dry tough areas (like popping the hood and letting the water run the channels, door handles, etc)
  • I'll tackle the rims/tires with Sonax wheel cleaner and a Mothers wheel brush for the rim and tire brush for the tire (obviously). Spray down and dry with general microfiber towel (one for the wheel and a separate for the tire)

If I'm doing a wax, I'll wipe on with a microfiber, let it get a bit opaque and polish off with a separate microfiber. I've used electric "polishers" before, and they work, but typically wind up getting the wax where I don't want it.

I got all of my towels from The Rag Company and they have ones specifically for drying, glass, or multipurposed. At first, I thought that was a bit excessive, but they actually do make a difference. Much different than when I was in high school drying with a chamois and doing windows with newspaper.

View attachment 336222
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Has anyone seen my black Rubicon? His looks veeeeeery similar.....😳
8F54F9E9-FD67-4945-8CD3-B0C56A84756B.jpeg
 
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used the pressure washer to blow all the farm mud out of it when I first got it. After that it depends on the mood. Sometimes I leave it in the rain, most times it is a hose a soapy bucket and brush on a long handle and hose it down. I'll clean the windows when they need it. Pressure washer if it has stubborn mud.
 
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