How Are You Cleaning After a Day in the Dirt?

[spazzyfry123]

What's everyone's method after getting it in the mud? Sure, the pressure washer gets the big stuff off, but there's still plenty left behind. What are you doing to prevent swirls? I've had a lot of fun cars that I would wash frequently and had my methods to avoid any scratches to the paint, but they never got this dirty. Any Jeeps I've had in the past were purpose built (chopped body, 40s, one ton axles, etc.) and I didn't care about the paint finish since most of it would be dented up any way. This go-round, I've got a brand new Jeep that I intend to get dirty, but don't want to start swirling in the dirt just yet.

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[futzin']

Mostly unrelated, but yesterday the wife and I visited a nearby Jeep dealer and was very surprised by the black streaks visible in several spots on the white JTs.

More to your point, wonder if certain colors would do better at hiding the swirls? If I get one, I intend to get it dirty as well. Will try not to scratch it up too much right away, though. Try . . .

 

[spazzyfry123]

Mostly unrelated, but yesterday the wife and I visited a nearby Jeep dealer and was very surprised by the black streaks visible in several spots on the white JTs.

More to your point, wonder if certain colors would do better at hiding the swirls? If I get one, I intend to get it dirty as well. Will try not to scratch it up too much right away, though. Try . . .

Well I have Sting Gray which will probably show it the worst of the bunch since it's a bit of a flat hue.

Also, black streaks?

 

[futzin']

Well I have Sting Gray which will probably show it the worst of the bunch since it's a bit of a flat hue.

Also, black streaks?

Yep, from the black hard top and from (probably) the black trim pieces on the hood. Streaks were quite noticeable on the doors and front fender.

 

[JCJeep1]

Well I have Sting Gray which will probably show it the worst of the bunch since it's a bit of a flat hue.

Also, black streaks?

Black streaks tend to be more from the dirt and crap in the air collecting on the flat surfaces - running down the sides Tends to be at the drip points.

 

[SamO.5]

This part of FLorida, at this time of year...I just let it rain on it.
I washed my JT once that I remember since I bought it new in August, and then it was my wife that talked me into doing it. She thought it was appropriate because I was picking up a friend, his wife, and taking them somewhere nice.
My method is a good rinse, get everything I can off of it. Then a soft brush, or Mitt, on a long stick to work the soap in, rinsing before the soap dries- so, I do small areas at a time. Roof first, rinse, all glass, rinse, hood, rinse, and so on.
Tire cleaner if they need it- and I always wash/clean the tires with a different brush then the paint!...and never mix the two. The tire brush is always the the body brush that is worn down to the stiffer bristles.
The only time I use the pressure washer is when someone at Work drags out the pressure waa...wait...I have washed my JT more than once! Ive washed it twice! (I went through a muddy trail with a friend in his FJ on the way to work, my buddy drug out the pressure washer to wash his FJ) It was pressure washer only, I didnt have my stuff at work with me...I didnt like the outcome.

Also, that day after I washed it, and back to work the next day, I did an experiment:
I work 2nd shift, weekends. On Saturdays, I pass a bunch of Jeeps on the way to Work. THEY are coming home from the beach (Canaveral National Seashore or the Merritt Island Wildlife Refuge). With my clean Gladdy I got 1 of 9 Jeeps to wave back at me. The next Saturday, she was muddy, not shiny anywhere, and I got 8 out of 8 Jeep waves! Most all of them did the wave first! Allso noted it appeared that maybe 4 were Jeeps I had seen before.
So, I am in no hurry to wash my Jeep.

 

[Camaroboi13]

So, I am in no hurry to wash my Jeep.

Also in no hurry to respond to a 5 year old post

 

[BigBry]

Why wash? Just gonna get dirty next weekend……

 

[Volt0]

Also in no hurry to respond to a 5 year old post

Oh dang, just saw this.

 

[SamO.5]

Also in no hurry to respond to a 5 year old post

Rookie mistake. I just saw this today. I wasnt looking for it, it appeared on the main page.
Welp, Ta hell with this Group. I didnt know that was "uncool". I just made a fool out of myself, and wasted a lot of time.

 

[Camaroboi13]

Rookie mistake. I just saw this today. I wasnt looking for it, it appeared on the main page.
Welp, Ta hell with this Group. I didnt know that was "uncool". I just made a fool out of myself, and wasted a lot of time.

Nah, stick around a while, you’ll find several people who are a lot less cool than you

 

[Panthers65]

powerwash the body and either use an undercarage pressure washer for the bottom, or the old rotating sprinkler trick for an hour or so.

Once the physical stuff is off, just wash it as normal. I do a foam cannon and a 1 bucket system, or I take it to a DIY place and wash the body that way. Mypaint is swirley and I have faactory orange peel, it's a jeep not a mercedes. I'll take care of it, but I"m not trying to turn it into something it's not.

 

[KevinM60]

Rookie mistake. I just saw this today. I wasnt looking for it, it appeared on the main page.
Welp, Ta hell with this Group. I didnt know that was "uncool". I just made a fool out of myself, and wasted a lot of time.

Not to worry.
You made your point
You can expect other opinions with different views.
That’s part of what makes the world go ‘round.

After this mud bath it took two power washes to get all the mud off then it was off to the car wash to get the full cleaning and wipe down.
She’ll take a lot of dirt but I gotta take good care of her too.

 

[SamO.5]

Not to worry.
You made your point
You can expect other opinions with different views.
That’s part of what makes the world go ‘round.

After this mud bath it took two power washes to get all the mud off then it was off to the car wash to get the full cleaning and wipe down.
She’ll take a lot of dirt but I gotta take good care of her too.

Thanks.
True.
That's muddy. Mine is not quite that muddy, almost. Today, I had a Dr appointment to talk about my knee, on the way home on Hwy 46, west of Mims, FL, middle of nowhere. I took a long dirt road, that went further into nowhere. An elderly friend used to pick me up in his Jeep Cherokee, back when I was unemployed, and we would ride out these dirt roads to visit friends of his. As the years went by, I lost contact with him. I just recently found out that he died. Driving those muddy roads today was a nice way to remember him. It is really wild back in there. The people who live in those woods like it that way. Long driveways, cameras, and gates.
It turns out that a race car mechanic from Canada bought up a lot of property years ago, he built a Garage, warehouse, welding shop, paint shop, and on and on, put roads in. He hired people, giving them an acre or more of land if they move down there and work for him. I don't know what Drivers he does work for, or anything like that, I just hear that he and his specialists do very good work. The old timer and I used to visit a Cabinet maker that worked for him.
He also has a huge multi story building that houses his car collection. If ya drive on those roads, the woods are so thick that one cannot see any of this. It can only be seen from the air. But, it is like a close knit old Florida village back in there. ....anyway...I took a drive on muddy roads on the way home, today.

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