Gladiator Maintenance - Undercarriage Washing; How Necessary Is It?

[Rei]

Hi fellow Gladiators,

I purchased my Gladiator and I'd really like to make sure it's kept in good shape for the long haul.

Let me premise by saying I know little about cars or trucks. But I'm always willing to learn.

Reading this evening, I read that trucks & cars should have their undercarriage washed at least once or twice a year. I've had a Crosstrek, and a Challenger. And now (my favorite) the Gladiator. I don't recall ever washing the undercarriage on any of my vehicles.

How necessary is that for maintenance of the Gladiator? (In context - I live in California, not in the east coast.)

Ty in advance for any advice

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[Kevin_D]

Many automated car washes offer an undercarriage wash. I just do that once in a while.
But I, like you, don’t live in the Rust Belt.

Kevin

 

[Chance575]

Have a power washer ? $30 from Amazon will get you one of these

 

[Rei]

Many automated car washes offer an undercarriage wash. I just do that once in a while.
But I, like you, don’t live in the Rust Belt.

Kevin

I've had this truck for about 9 months now. It never occurred to me to wash the undercarriage. Given our climates, would it be safe to say once or so a year would suffice?

 

[Rei]

Have a power washer ? $30 from Amazon will get you one of these

I actually do! That seems like a genius product.

Do I just run it on the undercarriage, hitting all the areas I can? Oh, important question - are there any parts I'm not suppose to use a pressure washer, or this attachment, on? (As in sensitive parts that may be damaged by a pressure washer.)

 

[Kevin_D]

I've had this truck for about 9 months now. It never occurred to me to wash the undercarriage. Given our climates, would it be safe to say once or so a year would suffice?

I wash mine once or twice a year.
If I’ve gotten it particularly dirty (mud,) I’ll spray it down with a garden hose nozzle.

Kevin

 

[jac04]

IMO, a pressure washer is good at pushing salty water/sand/debris into places it would not normally get, and places you don't necessarily want it to be. I recommend a relatively low pressure flush.

I wash out the undercarriage and fenderwells of my Jeep JK a lot - almost every time I go wheeling - to get mud & debris off. I have found that a multi-pattern watering wand is the best tool for this (FYI my house water pressure is 50-60psi). I like the telescoping type, and they are only about $20. The design lets you wash down from all angles and reach into tight spaces instead of just spraying water up from underneath. You can gently flush areas like brakes and the insides of the wheels with the shower pattern, while you can use the more aggressive fan pattern for the fenderwells. The jet pattern is good for flushing out the LCA and shock mount areas. And you can reach all these areas without crawling under the Jeep, or worrying about damaging something or forcing water & debris into places it shouldn't be.

When the mud & dirt is caked on and dry, I soak with water first then use a pump sprayer to liberally apply a car wash & water solution and let it sit for about 5-10 minutes. This helps loosen up the dirt.

This is the type of wand I use:

Melnor RelaxGrip 33 in. 8-Pattern Watering Extension Wand-R8639 - The Home Depot
RelaxGrip handles are designed to provide a more comfortable grip, so you can get more chores done with ease. Adjust the water flow with the thumb control, eliminating extra strain on your hands. The pivoting head makes it easy to adjust the spray angle. Choose between 8-patterns to water the...
www.homedepot.com

 

[Chance575]

I actually do! That seems like a genius product.

Do I just run it on the undercarriage, hitting all the areas I can? Oh, important question - are there any parts I'm not suppose to use a pressure washer, or this attachment, on? (As in sensitive parts that may be damaged by a pressure washer.)

just a few passes with it is good, don’t super hose everything and it will be fine. I wash off my motor each wash with no problems. Some have problems with this, I’ve never had a issue.

now I don’t understand the pushing stuff into cracks comments. You don’t think driving it wet weather for hours doesn’t do this??? Most on here won’t own their vehicles long enough for rust to form. A quick blast with a under washer will do more good than harm. A consumer based power washer spread between 4 to 5 nozzles really knocks down the pressure anyway.

pick which advise you would like, I’ve used a pressure washer attachment for around ten years and love it.

 

[foo.c]

Hi fellow Gladiators,

I purchased my Gladiator and I'd really like to make sure it's kept in good shape for the long haul.

Let me premise by saying I know little about cars or trucks. But I'm always willing to learn.

Reading this evening, I read that trucks & cars should have their undercarriage washed at least once or twice a year. I've had a Crosstrek, and a Challenger. And now (my favorite) the Gladiator. I don't recall ever washing the undercarriage on any of my vehicles.

How necessary is that for maintenance of the Gladiator? (In context - I live in California, not in the east coast.)

Ty in advance for any advice

You're in LA. Totally unnecessary, IMO.

 

[Rei]

IMO, a pressure washer is good at pushing salty water/sand/debris into places it would not normally get, and places you don't necessarily want it to be. I recommend a relatively low pressure flush.

I wash out the undercarriage and fenderwells of my Jeep JK a lot - almost every time I go wheeling - to get mud & debris off. I have found that a multi-pattern watering wand is the best tool for this (FYI my house water pressure is 50-60psi). I like the telescoping type, and they are only about $20. The design lets you wash down from all angles and reach into tight spaces instead of just spraying water up from underneath. You can gently flush areas like brakes and the insides of the wheels with the shower pattern, while you can use the more aggressive fan pattern for the fenderwells. The jet pattern is good for flushing out the LCA and shock mount areas. And you can reach all these areas without crawling under the Jeep, or worrying about damaging something or forcing water & debris into places it shouldn't be.

When the mud & dirt is caked on and dry, I soak with water first then use a pump sprayer to liberally apply a car wash & water solution and let it sit for about 5-10 minutes. This helps loosen up the dirt.

This is the type of wand I use:

Melnor RelaxGrip 33 in. 8-Pattern Watering Extension Wand-R8639 - The Home Depot
RelaxGrip handles are designed to provide a more comfortable grip, so you can get more chores done with ease. Adjust the water flow with the thumb control, eliminating extra strain on your hands. The pivoting head makes it easy to adjust the spray angle. Choose between 8-patterns to water the...
www.homedepot.com

I could actually use an attachment like that. I'm not tall enough to reach the top of the roof, lol

Thank you for the advice

 

[Rei]

just a few passes with it is good, don’t super hose everything and it will be fine. I wash off my motor each wash with no problems. Some have problems with this, I’ve never had a issue.

now I don’t understand the pushing stuff into cracks comments. You don’t think driving it wet weather for hours doesn’t do this??? Most on here won’t own their vehicles long enough for rust to form. A quick blast with a under washer will do more good than harm. A consumer based power washer spread between 4 to 5 nozzles really knocks down the pressure anyway.

pick which advise you would like, I’ve used a pressure washer attachment for around ten years and love it.

Oh, okay. I was concerned I wasn't to wash with the jets pointing upwards on the undercarriage around the engine; I was worried of damaging sensitive parts.

Thank you for the advice

 

[Rei]

You're in LA. Totally unnecessary, IMO.

I was thinking the same. Unless I'm going up to Big Bear or Tahoe, I doubt they're salting the roads on the 10 or 60.

But washing it once or twice a year doesn't seem too bad. I just didn't want to soak the wrong areas.

Thank you

 

[Gren71]

I drove on the beach a lot with my jku. Id rinse the under carriage after every trip, but still got funk under there. I took to once a year hitting most of the underside with rust converter and then black engine spray paint. Kept it so nice the dealer always commented on it during service.

havent done this for the Jt yet, but its in my radar.

 

[Rei]

I drove on the beach a lot with my jku. Id rinse the under carriage after every trip, but still got funk under there. I took to once a year hitting most of the underside with rust converter and then black engine spray paint. Kept it so nice the dealer always commented on it during service.

havent done this for the Jt yet, but its in my radar.

I read that Jeep was one of the few companies that still had rust-proofing done on all its vehicles.

But given that it's meant for a rougher life, do you think it's just better to make peace with the idea that at some point it will get some funk on the undercarriage?

Don't get me wrong, I want to keep my Gladiator for as long as time lets me. But I'm starting to wonder if it's better just to live it up with the Gladiator and accept what happens, stress-free. (lol, that latter sounds impossible.)

 

[XraytecH]

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