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Mudding Harmful to Jeep?

Will mud hurt the Jeep?


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PyrPatriot

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Posting in General because there is both a Cosmetic/Protection question and a general maintenance question

Saw folks saying that mud is bad for the Jeep. From the clear coat erroding to mud forever causing mechanical interference with moving components and getting into the radiator, brakes, diff, etc.

I pressure washed the undercarriage briefly (but thoroughly on hands and knees) and rinsed the grill/radiator with a gentle spray.

how bad is mud like this bad for the Jeep?

will I really be “paying” for the outing of fun a “decade” from now?

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Oletimer

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Posting in General because there is both a Cosmetic/Protection question and a general maintenance question

Saw folks saying that mud is bad for the Jeep. From the clear coat erroding to mud forever causing mechanical interference with moving components and getting into the radiator, brakes, diff, etc.

I pressure washed the undercarriage briefly (but thoroughly on hands and knees) and rinsed the grill/radiator with a gentle spray.

how bad is mud like this bad for the Jeep?

will I really be “paying” for the outing of fun a “decade” from now?
Brakes and rotors will be biggest wear factors, but still not a deal breaker. deep water is another issue.
Enjoy your jeep for what it's made for.
 
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PyrPatriot

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Forgot to upload pic for reference, if that affects anyone’s decision
 

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PyrPatriot

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The mud makes your Wrangler look longer in the back.

Still not other damage.
It is a Gladiator, asked on that forum but because it isnt as busy as this one and the question applies to JLs as well as JTs I asked here
 

sourdough

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This reminds me of seeing commericals where a vehicle drives in the Ocean's surf. Fleeting fun, while it lasts but there's no dought how it ends. haha, you might as well drive in the surf to wash the mud off.
 

Covfefe

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Mud contains hundreds if not thousands of micro sediments that will permanently embed itself into your clear coat even after using the world's most expensive clay bar, because the particulates are so small that you'll need a nano fiber towel to clean it. The more you wipe down your car after mudding, even if you can't feel a single thing, it will continue to swirl the clear coat for years to come until you completely remove the clear coat, strip, and sand the panel.

Think of it as permanent poison ivy on your skin that can't wash off until you burn it off and regrow a new top layer.

You should also always wear eye protection if you're going to be mudding with the windows open or around vehicles mudding. Imagine what kind of damage it can do to your eyes down the road. It could be a decade or more later before you even notice anything is wrong with your eyes.
 
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multicam

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Mud contains hundreds if not thousands of micro sediments that will permanently embed itself into your clear coat even after using the world's most expensive clay bar, because the particulates are so small that you'll need a nano fiber towel to clean it. The more you wipe down your car after mudding, even if you can't feel a single thing, it will continue to swirl the clear coat for years to come until you completely remove the clear coat, strip, and sand the panel.

Think of it as permanent poison ivy on your skin that can't wash off until you burn it off and regrow a new top layer.

You should also always wear eye protection if you're going to be mudding with the windows open or around vehicles mudding. Imagine what kind of damage it can do to your eyes down the road. It could be a decade or more later before you even notice anything is wrong with your eyes.
Agreed about long-term damage to clear coat but I honestly can’t tell if you’re being serious about the whole eye protection thing. I’ve spent practically my whole life getting filthy in dirt and mud for play, sport and work and never had anything remotely close to an issue.
 

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It depends on the type of mud some of it's a lot worse than others.

Around here we have a lot of clay that has a lot of silt in it and it's appropriately nicknamed sandpaper mud. It'll strip paint off of frames and destroy any sort of seal. And also hardens it's like concrete when it dries which does oa numbern paint and also makes it almost impossible to completely clear out of your radiator.
 
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PyrPatriot

PyrPatriot

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Did all that come from that mud puddle ?
That don't really look fun or worth it.
Find some decent trails and learn to really use your jeep correctly. It will be less cleanup and more fun.

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no it came from a parking lot that is by the river and flooded a few days back (20ft deep). Had to drive through it today with the water down and a 2” thick layer of mud caused enough slipping that mud was kicked up. What you see is a 30ft straight shot through at 5-10mph
 

ArizonaJLUR

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Regular old mud made of dirt and water no potential issues as long as you are careful when washing and not grinding the grit into the clearcoat when you wash the body and are thorough when hosing off the under carriage.

Now if it's volcanic or silt mud that's an entirely different story. That will F some stuff up but still just be sure to spend a whole day washing after and you'll be fine.
 
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PyrPatriot

PyrPatriot

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Now if it's volcanic or silt mud that's an entirely different story. That will F some stuff up but still just be sure to spend a whole day washing after and you'll be fine.
Hmmm, wonder what kind of mud I went through. It was river mud, very clay like but watery. It smeared evenly between two fingers and had a nice paste/slop consistency.

A whole day? Well crap. I'll have to spend a few hours today on the undercarriage (spent about 10min an hour after I got done mudding, it wasn't even dried on yet) and a whole day next weekend.
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