Cleaning of Underbody

[Simo]

G'day All!!

I hail from a state called Tasmania in Australia

Been reading the forums for a while now and there is some great stuff on here!! Which leads me to my question

My Car is a 2004 Mitsubishi Lancer in Black Mica, The paint is looking pretty good but there is one thing that stands out, The underside of the car! As u can see in the photo I have attached that it all looks good until u see just underneath the doors on the edge of the chassis under the car

Was wondering what the best way would be to clean this?

I was thinking a light degrease?

But if anyone has any other idea's that would be great!

Thanks

Simo

[Tom Claessens]

I know someone who has a "bridge" in his garage, so before winter / after winter I usually get my car on the bridge, get it up in the air and then use APC or Safe degreaser to get rid of all the dirt.

You can wax it too - now I can get it clean by using only a somewhat stronger diluted NXT carwash + some elbow grease.

BTW the paint is looking awesome!

[Murr1525]

Is that part of your chaasis there painted still, or is it the actual metal rails showing?

[Simo]

Originally posted by madsekci
I know someone who has a "bridge" in his garage, so before winter / after winter I usually get my car on the bridge, get it up in the air and then use APC or Safe degreaser to get rid of all the dirt.

You can wax it too - now I can get it clean by using only a somewhat stronger diluted NXT carwash + some elbow grease.

BTW the paint is looking awesome!

Cheers Mate!

Yeah if I had access to a a hoist I would get it up there and clean it all, but i dont so I'm thinking the trolley jack and stands will have to do and I'll just clean what i can get to.

Is that part of your chaasis there painted still, or is it the actual metal rails showing?

Yeah it should still be painted, I think lol!! It was black under there when I bought the car brand new 2 years ago.

[darksparkz]

You could try to find a place that do not use automated washes and might do just an underbody wash for you.

Or you could get a few jackstands and lift the car up and scrub with Simple Green on all the parts. You can also try to use some kind of dressing onto it to make it more shiny, 303 Aerospace would work, might feel like a bit of a waste cause its under the car.

[Murr1525]

As long as it is painted, give it a good washing, claying, cleaning, polishing and waxing.

You may need to use some Bug and Tar remover first to get the thick stuff off. Or at least spray it on thick before washing, let it sit, then wash it off with the soapy water.

[Murr1525]

You cna also go to one of those quarter-do-it-yourself places and blast away with their soapy water mix. That stuff is pretty strong usualy.

THen go home and finish washing, bug and tar, clean/polish/wax, etc, etc.

[Accumulator]

I was just under the M3 today doing some more undercarriage cleanup. It's surprising how nice some regular cars, even with miles on them, can be once you clean 'em up. And once you get it clean it's pretty easy to keep it that way. You might find something that requires servicing too, or catch some rust before it gets serious.

Get some good all purpose cleaner and also some engine degreaser, both will come in handy. Have plenty, you might need it.

Get a bunch of rags and brushes. I prefer natural bristle brushes as they seem to hold up well and rinse clean. Different shapes are helpful when reaching into odd crevices. Get some that you can really scrub with (good handles/ergonomics).

I use a creeper to move around under the vehicle and I wear a face shield to keep stuff out of my eyes/etc.

I jack the car up and put it on jackstands. Pull the wheels (remember to loosen the lugs before jacking it up ). Hose everything off to get the loose stuff off. Spray degreaser/all purpose cleaner on and let it dwell. Agitate with brushes/etc. Rinse off and see where that leaves you.

I work fairly limited areas a few feet square, though I'll sometimes to a quickie job on the whole underside just to start off (gets the worst of it off) before getting serious.

After using a regular nozzle for the main rinsing/etc, I like to use the rubber hose nozzles that flow when you bend them. When you're concentrating on limited areas it's a lot less of a drenching mess to use a nozzle like that.

FWIW, I really find a steamer to be helpful, but, like a pressure washer, not everyone has one and you can do a lot without such fancy stuff.

[Simo]

Thanx for your helpfull info guys!!

I have access to a hot water pressure washer that is used to clean trucks so I reckon I'll give it a go over underneath the car with that then take it home and degrease and scrub it till she's clean!

Thanks again for your ideas and what you do! when I give it ago I'll take some b4 and after pics and post em up to show the results