Truck Washing

[Soundguy]

Ok, this may be a fairly lame topic, but I'm wondering where you guys with full size, long bed pickups take your trucks to be washed. Mine is a 3/4T ford with extended cab, and the turning radius is not to good, so I've had issues with some car wash places where its a tight fit. Of course theres the mirrors to watch out for also.

I've taken it to those touchless type washes where you pull in and sit while the nozzles spray around the truck, but I'm not happy with the results.

So where do you all take your trucks for washing???

backyard or driveway.

I don't like those auto car wash places with the dirty hard bristle brushes and machines that eat quarters.

 

[Fixemall]

Ice wash soap smells, cleans and shines the best, soft bristle extendable brush and warm water, if it is muddy or has ice buggers I use hot water first. One of the best things I ever did was put Hot and cold water outlet in garage.
For wheels I use a different bucket and brush with diluted concrete cleaner and rinse well!

 

[RobertBrown]

You're supposed to wash em? Trucks? Really?

I guess I better get busy.

 

[JimRB]

I wash the car and truck using a wash mitt, 5 gallon bucket of water and hose with a spray nozzle. I climb in the bed to get the roof of the truck. I stuck a board on the top of the 5 gallon bucket step up to stand on the front tire to wash the windshield and hood. The car has not seen a commercial wash ever. Paint is in good shape except for all the stone chips on the hood. Truck paint beat to heck from previous owner but it looks ok after a wax.

I did hand wash back when I was a kid living in Ohio. We just waited for rare warm winter days to wash the cars.

 

[PapaPerk]

In my driveway with a bucket and sponge!

 

[US American]

Hand wash with a quality mitt and a quality soap (like Maguires or something similar). If I must go through a car wash it is touchless only but I can count on one hand the # of times I have done that. Wax in the spring and again in the fall (I use a high quality Maguires liquid wax). Rigs live in the shop.

My wife detailed at a Chevy/gmc dealership for five years... I thought I knew detailing before she set me straight. Never ever use a dirty mitt, rag, dish soap, or automated car washes that contact your paint. And Bleche White for the tires works the best and keeps them blacker longer.

 

[Gary Fowler]

Hand washing is the only way to get them really clean. I might powerwash mine if I have it hooked up knocking the mud off the tractor but usually just a jet from the hose removes the crud, then a hand wash with a soft brush and bucket of soapy water, then hose off or pressure wash off the soap. Wax whenever I have the energy which is about every 2 years average for a paste job. I like to let the rain wash it as much as possible and since it is silver gray the dirt doesnt show too bad anyway. The older I get the less particular I am about a spotless vehicle. I do like to keep the interior clean so I dont get dirty sitting in it so it gets vacuumed more than washed.

 

[Jimbrown]

I can't remember when mine was washed last. At least 3 years ago.

I always marvel at peoplel that park their trucks in the driveway and wash them every weekend and never use them as trucks.

And mine has a broke windshiled as does every vehicle I own.

Put a new winshield in the Jeep Liberty last month and it alsready has a big rock hit.

 

[crashz]

My trucks are always used as trucks. But I like to keep them to be as clean and as shiny as possible. That includes a waxing twice a year, chrome polish once a year, wash at least every month and after every snow storm (to rinse the salt brine off), fluid film the underside, scrape and paint all underbody rust (minimal as long as I keep up with the FF), detail the interior a few times a year and liberal amounts of protectant (Armor-All or whatever flavor I have) on interior and exterior trim.

I traded in my 2004 with shiny paint, clean interior and not a single spot of rust on the exterior or underside. Other than a dent on the drivers side bedside, the truck looked like new. It maybe more work than necessary, but I enjoy it, and hopefully it retains more value of the vehicle. Plus a well detailed vehicle is only second to that new car experience.

 

[Deere Dude]

I was with my boy and he took his car to a touchless spray shop to get the salt and dirt off and spent $7.00. When we got home I looked at his car and I was amazed at how dirty it was from a bad wash job. I'm to cheap anyway but I would never do that except to spray underneath the car in the spring.

What about wax? I paste waxed and liquid waxed over the years, but does that work much better than carnuba car wash soap?