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First Wrangler Wash - PITA

Cappy

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I had to drive a very short distance on a dirt road after a rain. My brand new jeep looked like I spent the day off road. Mud sprayed all over the side . Even on the door handles and a nice coating of mud. I ordered quick release mud flaps that will hopefully limit the mud spray during every day driving.

Anyway, decided to wash it, discovered no gas for the power washer so I decided to use a regular hose and sprayer with my suds bucket instead of going 8 miles to the nearest gas station and filling up my 5 gallon gas can.

Bad move. It took forever, everytime I thought I was done I would find another nook and cranny that was muddy. Some places impossible to clean like behind the hinges around the fenders and by the rock rail. I think with a power washer cleaning will be easier but still not as easy as a jelly bean shaped car.

I hesitate to take through zippy car wash. My last car, a Jeep Trailhawk had a scratch straight down the back by the rear windshield washer. I could not figure out what caused it and I came to the conclusion the only thing that could have done it was Zippy car wash. I am thinking these giant boxes on wheels called Wranglers may take a worse beating in a car wash and I doubt a car wash would clean the hard to get spots. Plus I have the Sky Onetouch top.

For those of you that like to keep your Jeep clean between adventures, what is your strategy?
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cOtter

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I know that this is my own opinion.
But itā€™s a Jeep Wrangler.

I have a gravel / dirt driveway 1/8 mile long on clay to boot. My driveway is only damp in the Spring, fall and winter. Not joking. So dirt / mud spray is constant on my Jeep.

concerning washing it. I typically take it through a touch less wash.

You are 100% correct in the point that the box on wheels at times does not clean well in a standard car wash. So to combat this, I will frequently take it to one of those wash bays where I can use the high pressure wash on it. Spend a few bucks and then take it through the touch less wash.

I also finish with chamois and ceramic coat.

But again in my mind, if the vehicle cannot get dirty and every have dirt on it frequently, Iā€™d say wrangler is not the correct choice.

again my $0.02

Best of luck.
 

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cOtter

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Also to add to this..... to quote my wife..... ā€œIf your not getting a little wet and dirty your doing it wrong!ā€


Come on get your mind out of the gutter. Iā€™m talking about a Jeep.
 

Joe98

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One of the unexpected costs of Jeep ownership is................ cleaning the driveway.

The first time, I was surprised at the amount of mud on my driveway! Out of pride I left the mud there for 3 days :sun:

My Jeep cleaning procedure:
Sweep the driveway of any small stones.
Drive the Jeep onto the driveway.

Take a small screwdriver and remove all stones from tyres.
Sweep the driveway of any small stones.

Drive forward a half turn of the tyres.
Take a small screwdriver and remove all stones from tyres.
Sweep the driveway of any small stones.

Take the Gurney and wash everything. The wheels and undercarriage is where most mud and dirt is found.

At this point I wash my Jeep just the same as I would wash a car, inside and out.

Drive into my garage.

Gurney the driveway.
.
 

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Heimkehr

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For those of you that like to keep your Jeep clean between adventures, what is your strategy?
Hand washes in the driveway, year round. The ambient temp isn't evident in the photo, but it was 30Ā°F that afternoon.

Convertible top fabrics, which includes your one-button sliding sunroof, shouldn't be exposed to the rigors of automatic car washes.

Jeep Wrangler JL First Wrangler Wash - PITA Bucket wash 30th Jan 2021
 

Oncorhynchus

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Some of the Chevron stations in my county have brushless (water jet only) drive through car washes. I always go there for routine rinses and occasionally the self-wash places if a little extra attention is needed in a particular spot. I donā€™t want soap draining out of my driveway into our local watershed. It wonā€™t get squeaky clean but thatā€™s OK. I often wore a sport coat and a suit a few times per month to the office (pre-COVID) for when customers come to headquarters for a VIP visit but I never get tired of parking a dirty Jeep a little too close to the Teslas and Porsches.
 

Coyne11

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I hand wash mine year around (less in the winter) in the driveway. I never use a pressure washer just because I donā€™t want to get it out all the time. We have hard water where Iā€™m at that really shows up on black. So I use my backpack blower after Iā€™m done washing to help dry and blow water out of all the nooks and crannies. Then I hand dry to get whatever I missed.

9B41F0AF-4B5B-42FF-8FB5-DFD05CB6EDC2.jpeg
 

Overland Utah

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I wash mine using a pressure washer to get most of the dirt off, making sure to get under the fenders, undercarriage, etc. Then do the typical handwash and dry, followed by wiping down the interior. All in all it usually takes me about an hour, maybe two hours if it is after a Moab trip.
 

JEEF

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One thing I've found that works REALLY well for all the nooks and crannies is what is sometimes called a "Gong Brush". I can't imagine washing my Jeep without one.

I got a couple at Auto Zone that are nice. The bristles have "flagged' tips I think they call it. It's where they kind of split the ends of the bristles to make them softer. This makes it less likely to scratch the paint.

I got two of them and I scratched the word "Clean" on one and "Dirty" on the other. I use the dirty one for under the wheel wells and under the bumpers and usually the wheels and tires. The clean one is for the painted surfaces like the hinges and the afore mentioned nooks and crannies like the hinges, the Jeep emblems, grill, etc.

I use the dirty one first, hose it off, then the clean one and hose it off and then use a mitt to go over the whole thing.

I only do a good cleaning like this once in a while when it starts to look like it needs it and the drive-thru car wash isn't cuttin' it. I take it through the touchless car wash by my house that does a really good job for what it is. I wouldn't take any vehicle through one of those ones with the brushes. I really only need to do real wash about every 4-6 weeks, or after going off-roading all day.

I applied CQuartz UK 3.0 ceramic to the whole Jeep when it was new and that really helps the dirt come off easy. That stuff is amazing. Seriously.

One thing I do every time I wash it, whether it's when I do a "real" wash, or the drive-thru, is I dry off the door and tailgate jambs and the rubber seals with a towel. I've always done this on every car I've ever owned. It makes such a big difference. If you don't do it, they get water spots and just look nasty in no time at all and makes the car look like an old used car. It's all in the details and this is quick and easy to do.

Also, hit the rubber seals every once in a while with 303, or some other silicone protectant. Not because it looks good, but because it lubricates the seals and allows them so slide a little and keeps all the little squeaks and things from happening and actually keeps that "new car quiet" thing going. I also keep a very light coating of silicone grease on the rear window seals on the hardtop. Theres a bunch of threads on here about strange noises back there and I think this fixes 90% of those.

Having said all that, I get my Jeep seriously dirty, but I'm not one of these people that thinks you should leave it dirty because "It's a Jeep". A nice, clean Jeep is a beautiful thing and I keep it clean as much as possible, but I love getting it dirty. That's when you're having the most fun in it. I don't get it when people have a Jeep and wouldn't dream of taking it off road and getting it dirty.

I plan on keeping this thing forever and I'd like it to develop a nice patina over time, so I'm going to use it like a Jeep and take good care of it.
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