Washing a BIG Truck

boarderman15 · February 9, 2007

i have a 2001 chevy 3500 crew cab dually with a long box. i'm in minnesota and my truck is covered in a ton of salt and other road stuff. does anyone know of a place where i could get my truck washed? any hep our ideas would be awesome.

95Sierra2500 · February 9, 2007

I'm not familiar with your area, but you might be able to find a truck stop with a 'truck wash' meant for rigs. I'm sure your truck will fit in that. Either that or get bundled up in your warmest waterproof gear and get out your garden hose, or go to the manual place.

superbee · February 9, 2007

I have an EC LB, and I have had success with the "Touchless" type. They index to the vehicle when you pull in, two "L" shaped sprayers hang from the ceiling. You should be able to fit in one of those. I do.

way_out_there · February 9, 2007

Here is what I usually do during the winter to get my truck really clean:

Use the previously mentioned manual car wash, and try on Fri, Sat, or Sun after dark. If they have a door or doors you can pull down, all the better. The vapor from the warm wash water keeps the temperature reasonable. And since there is usually no demand at those hours, you can bucket wash and dry in the stalls without causing a problem. I still end up spending like 5 bucks, so I don't feel like I'm ripping them off. I usually do this every few weeks, with automatic washes in between.

I also wear a rain suit while doing the underbody rinse, so I don't get soaked.

I live in Wisconsin, and HATE all the road salt, so I'm big on washing the crap off.

Enjoy!

boarderman15 · February 9, 2007

don't the touchless car washes usually have tracks that you drive into?

way_out_there · February 9, 2007

No track at the automatic I use, just a little ramp like deal with a "stop" in the middle. Another one I frequent has lines painted on the floor, everything else is sensors.

boarderman15 · February 9, 2007

now my next goal is to try and find a self service car wash.

Cheekster96 · February 9, 2007

I hate having to look outside at my truck, all covered in salt and grime. I see that and picture a rust bucket many years down the road.

Lately it has been too cold (- single digits overnight and low teens during the day) to wash the truck. I have also taken the truck to a bay and used the bucket and washmitt. Hurts the hands after awhile, getting cold and numb, but seems to give best results.

I just have the regular cab longbed and usually use the touchless system here in town (I think is part of the Mobil gas station). They do a decent job of getting the top dirt and salt off, but wont get down to the real dirty area (where a wash mitt would).

Try to find a place where the washers are either ceiling mounted or on the sides, that can extend.

Good luck in your hunt.

Cheekster

dewfpo · February 9, 2007

The Touchless that I go too doesn't have any rails, or ramp. It's all done by laser. It has an underbody spray but it only opens if the outside temp hits +15F or above. It does an o.k. job but if you really want it clean you have to use the wand. Sometimes I have to do both, depending on how much mud is on it. It can get expensive.

DEWFPO

boarderman15 · February 9, 2007

the temp is a big problem because lately it hasn't gotten above 10 degrees up here and and below zero at night. and it's not supposed get about 10 for about a week.