Washing question for truck owners

B

Blackmirror

New member
Its winter in NJ and I got a chance to wash the F150 Harley. Man was it dirty! I don't get to wash often when its winter time and I don't have garage to put the truck in. So it stays out 24/7(that sucks!) First started with the tires, then wheels then wheel wells. Then washed the whole truck afterwards. I think it took me 2 to 3 hours to get the whole truck thoroughly cleaned! I had to go over each panel twice because of winter weather. Also its a big truck to wash. How long does it take you truck guys to wash your trucks?
 
All depends on how i feel.

Yesterday i worked over 2 hours on my truck just power washing it at home to get all the mud and salt off the frame.
 
It only takes me about 2 hours to clean the wheels/tires/wheel wells/ glass and wash the paint on our Super Duty crew cab with a long bed and cap on the back.



But, I also have a pretty well practiced routine to do it :)



BTW, this is with mitts, not brushes.
 
Just got my first truck and I've washed it twice so far.

I noticed the the roof is the most difficult to reach. Don't want to use a brush and can't open the doors and stand on the sill while washing. Ok to stand there to dry so I'm looking for a step stool,

something plastic so it can't scratch. Any ideas?
 
buldog said:
Just got my first truck and I've washed it twice so far.

I noticed the the roof is the most difficult to reach. Don't want to use a brush and can't open the doors and stand on the sill while washing. Ok to stand there to dry so I'm looking for a step stool,

something plastic so it can't scratch. Any ideas?
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You can look for a soft rubber/plastic one, but I just use our folding metal one and set it far enough away from the paint that it won't scratch.
 
I feel your pain! I have an Expedition and it takes me a while to wash it.

If I do the following:

Tires, WW, wash (roof included) with mitts, glass, door jambs, interior, vacuum, interior glass and dress every thing inside and out, it takes me about 3 hours.

I need to use a ladder to reach the roof so that takes up a big chunk of my time. I split the roof into six sections and move the ladder to reach each section. I have tried dividing the roof into quarters but I have to lean pretty far out on the ladder to do that, I don't think that the time savings would be worth it if I fell and got injured or fell and the ladder scratched up the side of my vehicle. Then I have to move the ladder to dry the roof.

Any advice on how to get the roof done more efficiently would be greatly appreciated.
 
Wow, thats a long time. I have a '02 Dakota club, and I can go to the self serve and have the outside done in an easy 20 minutes. Then when I get back home, a vacuum, run with the Swiffer duster, and a splash of Stoner I.G., and I can be done in an hour flat including the drive home.



And to get the roof. I open the door, lay down a towel, and stand on the sill. It doesn't hurt anything, you just have to be carefull with the water. The top rubber seal should keep water from draining it.



Here is how I do the outside...

The self serve give us 2 minutes with the sprayer.

I plunk in a buck and fill my bucket. By then I have an easy minute and a half and walk around the truck spraying top to bottom over and over, until it stops. Then I take a folded, soaked, soapy, wash mit and begin rubbing. With a total of 4 turns of the mit (all clean sides) I get the entire cab done. Re-dunk the mit and re-fold it, then do the box.

I then plunk in another dallor and rinse the entire truck...no more than 2 minutes has gone, and a fine mist is going through the air from the other people. Then I give the truck a farely thorough drying.

Then I take my second mit and do the wheels, since the paint is clean, I am not worried about the dirty water. After I finish the wheels, I do the wheel wells and under the rocker panels with a third mit.

Being carefull with the sprayer I give the wheels and underbody a final spray...Take the first towel and dry the wheels. Then I take a clean towel and dry spots I may have gotten with the sprayer. Then out the door I go.



Easy thorough winter wash for $3. Can't go wrong.



In the summer...It easily takes 4 hours to wash my truck...Funny how that is.
 
If I do a hose wash (instead of QEW), it takes me 60-90 minutes to wash and dry our F-150 SuperCrew. If I had salt and anything else winter related to deal with, I could easily see 2-3 hours to thoroughly wash.



BTW, QEW takes me 30-40 minutes on the same truck. Quite a time saver but I am not sure I would want to use it on salt encrusted paint (though I know plenty on here do).
 
For $3 a detail guy can afford to do a quick was twice a week, thats not enough time for salt to really settle. Just make sure you rinse well with warm water, and dry thoroughly before driving in the cold again...Hasn't failed me yet.
 
What do you guys use to protect the plastic bedliner?

Being that it has ridges for strength what is the best way to apply. I'm thinking a spray, any ideas?
 
Stratous I will try standing in the door sill.

When I lived in Pittsburgh and I would take it to the spray and wash it would take me much less time to wash it. Funny how that works.
 
When I bring my truck and the wife's into the firehouse to wash it (after the Chief's office closes, nights and weekends) it takes me an average of two to three hours to remove winter's wrath, road salt, etc.
 
buldog said:
What do you guys use to protect the plastic bedliner?

Being that it has ridges for strength what is the best way to apply. I'm thinking a spray, any ideas?
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Have you seen under you bedliner lately?? I would just say to ditch the plastic and get an under-the-rail spray on.
 
With QEW, I can wash an Excursion in around 60-75 minutes, including wheels, wheel wells and door jams. Add 15-30 if washing conventionally. I do this all the time though and you get faster after a while.
 
Stratous said:
Have you seen under you bedliner lately?? I would just say to ditch the plastic and get an under-the-rail spray on.
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Absolutely! Plastic drop-in liners are completely worthless. They do not keep cargo from sliding around, they remove the paint from where it sits and it traps moisture. So, no paint + moisture = ? Anyone? Beuller? Beuller?



If any truck owners out there are contemplating getting a spray-in liner, let me tell you that it is the only way to go. I don't know if I would recommend one on a truck that is used for show. But if your truck is used like a truck should used, then get one. With all the brands out there it may a tough decision, but I can explain the pros and cons of just about every brand out there. We (where I work) have been spraying beds for just over 3 years. We average 3-4 a day. Feel free to ask questions if you are interested but undecided about which brand to go with.
 
About an hour an a half for my Tacoma Extended Cab with a shell using QEW. I stand on the door sills for the cab roof and standing on the back tires I can do the whole shell.
 
I have a lifted Z71 and it takes me about 1 1/2 - 2 hours on average. It took me 3 hours yesterday because I had to remove a ton of dirt/mud. 3 hours on just the outside. I didn't even do the inside yesterday.
 
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