Cleaning a muddy defender

[bapo]

Hi Everyone,

I'm quite new to this and would really appreciate some help!
I've just gotten my 2011 deefer nice and muddy for the first time up in the glass house mountains. So now I need to clean it! Normally i just blast my cars with a pressure cleaner, but was thinking - my bike mechanic told me not to pressure clean my mountain bike because the high pressure water can blast dirt/grit under rubber seals and into bearings.
Is it OK to just blast the car all over or are there any points that I should try not to hit with the water?

Any help would be greatly appreciated!

[DiscoMick]

No way I'd blast any vehicle of mine with a pressure cleaner. I've taken paint off walls and pavers with those things. Vehicle paint is pretty thin. Just use a hose and then a sponge and bucket is my theory.

[solmanic]

X2

Standard hose with town water pressure on jet stream moves just about everything without damage. And be sure to flush tons of water through the chassis. Remove the rubber plugs (one on the very front end of each chassis rail) at the front under the bumper and wait until all the water coming out the various drain holes is clear.

[clive22]

I'd go along with for the most part. Certainly for paint & seals, that said

I use the pressure washer (low setting) as its very good for cleaning water out of the gap between the body and front outriggers and in the rear X member both of which are defender rust spot. Its hard to get close to some spots.

I would point it near seals,gaskets etc. But for getting the nooks and crannies, with a bit of care, I think there pretty good.

[Loubrey]

I would also only go for town water pressure with a suitable jet nozzle (something like the one in the link)

Premium Metal Spray Gun Adjustable Flow rate 18mm - Garden sprayer (http://www.gardena.com/au/water-management/garden-sprayer/premium-metal-spray-gun-adjustable-flow-rate-18mm/)

wear some protective eye wear and get in under the chassis for a proper clean with one of these. IMO nothing on a Defender seals well enough for higher pressure...

Cheers,

Lou

[mike_beecham]

l wash all our vehicles with high presure cold water. No issues. The wife's Subaru loves it. Never had an issue. Ever.

There is no way l'd get my Defender clean with a hose and bucket? Having said that, my neighbour seems to get his Camry sparking that way?!

Cheers,
Mike

[The Cone of Silence]

I tend to use a Guerni (non-commercial pressure sprayer from Bunnings) and follow this procedure:


Spraying from about 2 feet away. Get everything nice and wet. Don't try and clean, just soak.
Realising your rear window is down 5mm, open door, mop up water from inside, wind window up, get back to soaking.
Get yourself a bucket, sponge and some car shampoo - go round getting all the dirt off the bodywork, windows, gutters, wheels, really lather everything up. Old skool is good skool.
Back to the sprayer and get rid of all the bubbles. Find the spots you missed and get the sponge back to attack them one by one. Repeat until there are no spots unwashed!
While the top of the car is drying, get underneath and go nuts with the sprayer. You get a super opportunity to see what's going on and if anything needs attention. Even better if you can put the front wheels up on ramps.


I tend to be a bit more brutal with the sprayer underneath, getting rid of the mud but I'm still happy to crawl under and remove mud by hand that the sprayer won't get rid of, rather than putting the nozzle too close to the paint.

That's just my way of doing it, I'm sure everyone has their own way. I'd be very surprised if you forced dirt into bearings using a pressure sprayer.....unless you were up way too close to it and there was a terrible disturbance in the Force....but more experienced owners would be better placed to advise.

Doing the roof can be done by standing on the wheels, rock sliders or by being taller than me.

Bobby

[camel_landy]

Frankly I'd just get in there with a pressure washer & blast it all out...

M

[Xtreme]

I've used a pressure cleaner occassionally but really for getting at all the little hidden spots where mud, gravel, sand and salt spray collects underneath there is IMHO no substitute for the standard garden hose with a small jet type nozzle.

This was proven on a recent trip to the Mt McColl area of SW Tasmania - we had to thoroughly clean the vehicles before Parks Tassie would hand over the key to the Wilderness Area. Some used pressure cleaners and some used ordinary garden hoses - suffice to say that the only ones that passed inspection the first time were those that had used the ordinary garden hoses.

For cleaning inside the chassis rails, get a 1m length of rigid pipe that will fit through the holes in the chassis, put a 90 deg bend close to one end and fit a small jet to the end and a hose fitting to the other end. Insert it through the holes at various points along the chassis rails for the good thorough flush.
Also, it is advisable after any beach run to park on your lawn and run a garden sprinkler under the vehicle for half an hour or so. This is also advisable after travelling through mud which has dried out before you get time to hose it off.

[DiscoMick]

I've got a Staun Massojet which connects to a standard hose and increases the pressure, but nowhere near as much as on a pressure washer. The extended arm is also good for getting into tight spaces.

[BigBlackDog]

DiscoMick beat me to it, that staun cleaner probe is brilliant, can get up in the guards. Good on the road car too

[newhue]

Bapo, I soak under the car first then wash the top. I take to the top with a soft bristle broom head and a bucket of bubbles, using just town pressure from the hose.

Underneath I tend to jet the hose and poke it into as many holes as I can find. Not sure about 110's, but 130's have a cross member just in front of the fuel tank. It's a great spot for 10mm pebbles to wedge against the plastic fuel tank.
Top back side of the mid cross member in front of the rear suspension is a great dirt collector. Hard to get to but you'll manage with once you discover inch deep mud sitting there.

I have also found pebbles like to lodge under the fuel like as it runs along the chassis. It's usually just at the bend in the line as it meets the chassis from the tank.

Oh, and ear plugs stop that annoying dirty water from going where it shouldn't as you crouch under with the hose. Have fun.

[thedrover]

In case you missed the best thing, Xtreme mentioned:

Sprinkler

Run the hose under the entire length of the car and attach Sprinkler. Drag it slowly (a small amount every couple of minutes) back through. If needed you can go crossways too, and sit it on top of the wheels to help with wheel arches.