Washing the Undercarriage

[JSM]

How do most here wash the undercarriage?

Usually I just spray my hose underneath the car at all angles, and it seems to do a fairly decent job.

[Murr1525]

Re: Washing the Undercarriage

Yeah.

Some people also like using a lawn sprinkler.

Then there is also the coin-op place with their wand and soap.

[bitwise]

Re: Washing the Undercarriage

The area that I work at has high concentration of clay in the soil, waterproof mud. For the wheel wells I use my tire brush/mitt and rinse immediately. For the rest of the undercarriage I go to the coin-op car wash and use the wand.

[felixtibs]

Re: Washing the Undercarriage

who cares!?

[Murr1525]

Re: Washing the Undercarriage

who cares!?

Well, for us up here, getting salt out is important.

And you never know who might look under there......

[TOGWT]

Re: Washing the Undercarriage

I lived in Pittsburg, PA for about eight years and became an 'expert' on what salt + water and grit can do to a vehicle's undercarriage

Anti-icing liquids, which according to State authorities, the liquid solution consists of - Magnesium chloride (MgCl2) Calcium chloride (CaCl2) and other liquids that work like anti-freeze, by lowering the freezing temperature of water and preventing ice from forming a strong bond to the road

Needless to state a sprayed brine solution is corrosive; so once you've removed the ice / snow it may be advisable to remove the residue and apply a protective coating, especially on the undercarriage and suspension. Once heat is added to the brine solution (i.e. parked in a heated garage) like any chemical attacking a surface, temperature will dictate reactivity (acceleration of a chemical reaction by a catalyst [moisture and heat].

Corrosion

[: Water has a low electrical conductivity, but this increases significantly with the dissolution of a small amount of ionic material such as sodium chloride. Sodium chloride CI and water H2O produce oxides, which in turn cause corrosion] [1]

Undercarriage Cleaning & Care

Your vehicle’s undercarriage; it’s what you don't see that silently awaits underneath your cars. Removing sprayed brine solution to protect your undercarriage is just as important as detailing the paint. Wheel wells, sub-frame, springs, fender well and all of the other black and gray parts underneath the body need detailing too.

A spray coating of Chemical Guys - Bare Bones not only adds a durable long lasting shine, it also repels dirt but can also hide dirty spots and discoloration between parts, while enhancing any detail .It is possible to do this detail with the wheels on and just jacking the car up, but the ideal way is with the wheels off.

Never go underneath a car supported by the supplied jack - always use axle stands if you wish to work underneath the car. Always jack the car up at the manufacturer's recommended jacking points. Ensure the jack is in stable contact with both the jacking point (see owner's manual) and the ground. Always work on level ground.

After removing dirt, road grime, and etc with a pressure washer (Kärcher Model K5.93M) neutralise the effects of the alkaline sprayed brine solution on the suspension, wheel wells and the undercarriage (See also Road salt)

High Pressure Underbody Lance

Angled spray lance specifically designed to clean those hard to reach areas under the wheel arches and the under carriage, compatible with all Kärcher domestic pressure washers.
Methodology
1. Thoroughly spray an undiluted citrus cleaner (P2IS Total Auto Wash) and let it soak in; remove by thoroughly rinsing with water. If you have a pressure washer available, fill tank with citrus cleaner and spray undercarriage (do not use excess pressure as water may penetrate crevices and seams where it cannot drain, causing corrosion), let it soak and then remove with plain water. Allow to thoroughly dry and then...
2. Spray undercarriage with ValuGard’s part B Alkaline Neutralizer (part of their decontamination system) pH 1.0 that is a blend of acids, which deep cleans painted surfaces to remove alkaline deposits and safely dissolves the alkaline salt particles bond with the paint so that they can be rinsed away. Allow product to dwell for 5-7 minutes. All necessary safety precautions should be taken whilst using this product
3. Rinse vehicle thoroughly and then apply Chemical Guys - Bare Bones, spray over the entire area and wipe in well with an old towel, .one application will leave no residues, noxious fumes or flammable solvents. Makes plastic and rubber look new again, shines painted surfaces, and keeps aluminium and anodized parts from corroding.
4. Protection; apply POR-15® Marine Clean™ and then two coats of a rust inhibitor paint (POR-15®) or (Eastwoods Road Salt Neutralizer) a high performance rust-preventive coating designed for application directly on rusted metal surfaces; apply thin coats and allow each coat to thoroughly dry

[JSM]

Re: Washing the Undercarriage

Well, for us up here, getting salt out is important.

And you never know who might look under there......

Road salt always worries me to a certain extent, since it's "silent damage" to your car that you cannot see. I think I'll head to the coin-op wash and spray down the undercarriage once it warms up.

[paudashlake]

Re: Washing the Undercarriage

The Niagara Touchless Automatic car wash places have a "body blaster." When you are pulling into the car wash bay, your car triggers some water jets that blast the heck out of the bottom of your car. They don't do the best job, but if you cannot do it yourself, this does the job.

[Cat]

Re: Washing the Undercarriage

I've always use the wand to spray down the underside and around the wheel wells after a bad snow and salt on the roads. This summer was the first car show I've ever gone to when I actually had a judge get down on his hands and knees with a mirror to look underneath our cars. Will have to be more careful in cleaning up that area if this is a new trend.

Cat :x

[larry0071]

Re: Washing the Undercarriage

Bringing back the dead! I ran across this using Google to search for ideas, and Post #6 (by TOGWT) looks like a keeper!

I just ordered a Karcher chassis power washer from Amazon, I can get the Chemical Guys Bare Bones and the P2IS Total Auto Wash both from Autoality. The other product is not available by them.

Does anyone know of a similar decontamination product to kill heavy salts and ant-ice chemicals?

[larry0071]

Re: Washing the Undercarriage

Okay, I see that I can get this kit from ValuGard:

http://www.valugard.net/store/p-167-a-b-c-neutralization-system.aspx

I am waiting to see what Autoality comes back to me with as a solution. I sent an email to the owner linking to this forum post asking products that he may have available that are similar.

[JGdetailing]

who cares!?

Well, for us up here, getting salt out is important.

And you never know who might look under there......

Your right Murr! Since some of is live where there is winter and the salt you need to wash your vehicle off. The salt is not good for your paint and your undercarriage.

[Blueline]

Re: Washing the Undercarriage

Just get the vehicle under sprayed by a commercial rust proofing company. I get it done every fall, and my 06 looks almost new underneath. Salt will damage unpainted metal, it has NO effect on the vehicle's paint. My older car (all my cars) is never washed in the winter, and is covered in salt from December to March and when washed in the spring, it shines like new.

[Daniel Kinder]

Re: Washing the Undercarriage

who cares!?

[larry0071]

who cares!?

Well, for us up here, getting salt out is important.

And you never know who might look under there......

Your right Murr! Since some of is live where there is winter and the salt you need to wash your vehicle off. The salt is not good for your paint and your undercarriage.

My cars are completely covered in a nasty white coating of salt as well as other ice fighting chemicals for about 3 months straight. Around here, cars don't wear out. They rust out. The first things to go are the brake, fuel and vacuum lines running along the chassis. Later the body will start to perforate with corrosion that comes through from the back side. My goal is to do battle on the parts that can not be normally seen or protected by getting under the car in April or so and trying to remove as much of the attacking chemicals as is reasonable possible.

I care because I am not only working on my paint, I am under my cars doing the mechanical work and I see the progression of this corrosion first hand as I maintain my vehicles.

The Karcher system appears to be the best option in this battle. I don't want to limit my work at the surface of the finish, I want to go under the vehicles and take the fight to the back sides and the under sides of the parts that normally will silently corrode away while we worry about how shiny and clean the paint looks.
Let the battle commence.