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How the heck do you wash this thing?

I saw Simple Green mentioned a few times above. Be aware that unless you’re using the “aircraft” Simple Green then be careful not to leave it on any aluminum for more than a few minutes. It can cause corrosion and pitting.
 
jsalbre said:
I saw Simple Green mentioned a few times above. Be aware that unless you’re using the “aircraft” Simple Green then be careful not to leave it on any aluminum for more than a few minutes. It can cause corrosion and pitting.
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Totally agree with this. Be very weary of other caustic materials on the exposed aluminum. There is little to no protection on these parts and just about anything will cause corrosion. Even hard water.
 
Sorry didn't think about what parts are in the engine bay, know there are many, was more thinking of the exterior of the vehicle. Aluminium wheels, yeah.
 
Silver Ram
Silver Outback
Silver Harley
I've been around the block a few times.
 
123zk said:
Silver is the best color. With crome bumpers. With a good wax. Dirt washes right off. I never use a brush on my mega cab. Milwaukee leaf blower helps.
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Love the silver for low maintenance cleaning. But I have fallen out of love with chrome. Yes, painted bumpers can chip, but dented chrome is forever.

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I enjoy washing and having a nice looking ride. What I don"t enjoy is drying . Our water in S Cal is rock hard and if you don't dry it right away it gets covered with hard to remove spots . I installed a 3 filter deionizer does a great job. Wash it ,rinse it and walkaway . Spotless glass and paint .
 
ClawSS said:
I have washed numerous engine bays in my previous life of car shows. Some of them had the levels of plastic the Ram does. Steps taken for a decent result:
  1. On a Cool Dry Engine - Use Windex (no ammonia) and soak everything you can get to. If heavily soiled/greasy/oily spots you can hit those areas with a 50/50 Simple Green mix.
  2. Close hood and Start engine and idle till up to operating temp. 5+min
  3. Turn off engine & Open hood. Mist/spray rinse with house pressure only (not pressure washer) everywhere you had sprayed with the cleaner. Do not focus pressure on ignition/intake/air filter areas.
  4. Close hood and restart engine idling for 3-5min. This helps create a steaming effect using the engine's heat to help break up grease/oily areas better.
  5. Turn off engine & Open hood. Grab an old micro-fiber mitt that aged out of the exterior duties and single-bucket wash all the places you can reach that needs cleaning. Don't forget the underside of the hood. Take care to not "fuzz up" your hood insulation if applicable with too much cleaning vigor.
  6. Mist/spray rinse with house pressure only (not pressure washer) everywhere you had suds up.
  7. Dry using handheld blower / leaf blower or by hand-towel.
  8. Detail with your choice of a spray-on plastic protector. You can essentially cover everything in the engine bay and just wipe off excess and exposed metal inner fenders, aluminum, etc. This step could be replaced with one of the Ceramic spray detailers that will immensely aide in the next time you want to do this task instead of the more greasy Armor-All like sprays.
I know that this is a bunch of steps, but I definitely wouldn't do this every week. Just when you think you want to...I do it prior to a Dealer visit (no that's not weekly...god I hope not).
You can skip 1,2,7,8 and just do 3,4,5,6 + 7 alone if just trying to spruce it up or doing a weekly.
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Thanks this is great, and comprehensive.

Instead of the other cleaners mentioned, has anyone tried Bike Brite or S100 (for motorcycles) on their truck engines?


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I am a huge fan of Adam's Polishes. My method is if the truck isn't covered in mud or heavy dirt, I have an unlimited plan for $15.99 a month, and I'll take it thru a touchless wash. Then take it home and dry it off and wipe it down with Adam's Detail spray. If it's super dirty and I know touchless won't get the dirt off, I'll use the 2 bucket method and clean it that way. But either way, I'll only use Adam's Polishes stuff. I have used it for almost 8 years now and love it. Lots of good videos on their website too on how to use their products. 040337E5-B54B-4F94-9BC2-0984FDE3F82E.jpeg
 
BSN81 said:
I am a huge fan of Adam's Polishes. My method is if the truck isn't covered in mud or heavy dirt, I have an unlimited plan for $15.99 a month, and I'll take it thru a touchless wash. Then take it home and dry it off and wipe it down with Adam's Detail spray. If it's super dirty and I know touchless won't get the dirt off, I'll use the 2 bucket method and clean it that way. But either way, I'll only use Adam's Polishes stuff. I have used it for almost 8 years now and love it. Lots of good videos on their website too on how to use their products. View attachment 45886
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I swore by Adam's stuff when I was showing cars. It helped that they had a facility in Denver back then and we knew a guy that worked there. I do miss their old interior detail spray though. I'm not a fan of the strong scent of the new stuff.
 
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