Car wash

[Hd74ica]

Hello. Bought a new 2021 2500 and wondering about car wash and the paint. Use to be you would have to let the paint "cure" or settle on the truck before going to a car wash with brushes. I'm wondering if it's safe to get the truck wash. I'm not sure when in 2021 truck was built. Thanks for the board's input.

David
Michigan's thumb

 

[turkeybird56]

No Brushes, whatsoever. Or depending upon color, U will have a pretty swirl job on the paint. Most of the detail guys on here hand wash and use a Ceramic Based Product. If U gotta do a Car Wash, say just to knock off a lot of road grime, only brushless, or hand spray, or U may not like the end result, all IMHO...

This is what I use, but there are a lot of different products out there that are similar, so not gonna tout one over another.. But remember, this product after U hand wash and follow those directions. Also, yup, I do end up a lot of time at the "Laser" car wash or where I can hand spray to get the everyday dirt off. Especially in Winter, tho I got a dirt/dust/mud issue, not a salt issue. I do need to make the plunge and buy some rear wheel liners and get them installed. Money just short right now.

 

[JoeCo]

No Brushes, whatsoever. Or depending upon color, U will have a pretty swirl job on the paint. Most of the detail guys on here hand wash and use a Ceramic Based Product. If U gotta do a Car Wash, say just to knock off a lot of road grime, only brushless, or hand spray, or U may not like the end result, all IMHO...

This is what I use, but there are a lot of different products out there that are similar, so not gonna tout one over another.. But remember, this product after U hand wash and follow those directions.

View attachment 473106

That is all good and fine if you have the time. I'm one that doesn't have the time at all to hand wash, and with our northeast winters, it's car washes for my truck. Only way to keep it rust free, I'd like to hand wash but I have a summer only car and I haven't even washed that once this summer so just no time. I may have a swirl or two in my paint (none that I notice) but my trucks never have any rust on them when I trade in, most important to holding value up here.

To the original poster, just depends on your variables. If you don't have the time to hand wash and are going to do car washes, I'm not sure if there's an appropriate waiting time or not but mine was in it's first car wash the first week I had it. That was over a month from it coming out of the factory though.

 

[Dean2]

I don't know about you guys but we have a lot dirt, and salt so we have to keep the truck clean or it rusts very fast. Virtually every car wash here is a touchless. If they weren't I would find a touchless handy and use it all the time. Up here we can buy passes for unlimited washes for about $100 a month. Now that I am retired I use the Wand wash because I have the time. I try to wait 6 months for the paint to cure before I get too close to the paint even in the wand wash. No matter how long you let the paint dry, the washes with brushes will scratch the hell out of your paint.

 

[Razzman]

It's great if you have the time to do this stuff, I don't nor will my back let me. I don't worry about swirls either, it's a truck not a show car so off to the car wash it goes, especially since it has to be washed every week or so due to dirt roads. If it bugs me I have it buffed and ceramic re-coated.

 

[Treburkulosis]

When my truck had some paint work done I let it cure for 6 weeks. I just used a waterless wash on it. Your best bet is to hand wash it. I did the car wash route for a while and man it really messed up the paint. I spent several hours correcting the paint and then ceramic coating it. If you have a system you can hand wash your truck about as long as it takes to run it through one. I spend roughly 30 minutes start to finish on mine. Interior takes about 15 minutes to do.

 

[Dean2]

It's great if you have the time to do this stuff, I don't nor will my back let me. I don't worry about swirls either, it's a truck not a show car so off to the car wash it goes, especially since it has to be washed every week or so due to dirt roads. If it bugs me I have it buffed and ceramic re-coated.

This is what 26 year old factory paint looks like if you take care of it. Washed at the wand wash or touchless at least weekly, waxed once a year. I live in Alberta so lots of dirt, heavy clay mud and road salt in the winter. Truck is used year round, most of it's 162,000 miles have been not on pavement.

 

[Papa Red]

I can't hand wash and use a local car wash. I waited several months after purchase before send her through but I'm happy with the results plus she shines for a long time afterwards. I don't worry about swirl marks. To date I have none.

Red

 

[mikeru]

I'm not sure when in 2021 truck was built. Thanks for the board's input.

One of the stickers on the driver door jam will show when your truck was built.

 

[Jim Carelas]

Hello. Bought a new 2021 2500 and wondering about car wash and the paint. Use to be you would have to let the paint "cure" or settle on the truck before going to a car wash with brushes. I'm wondering if it's safe to get the truck wash. I'm not sure when in 2021 truck was built. Thanks for the board's input.

David
Michigan's thumb

I will put my truck through a "brushless" at times and have a word of caution when/if you do. It's regarding the high pressure stream most systems will give for the underneath part. Designed to wash away the winter salts from below.

My word of caution is this past year I ran my truck through the high pressure from below and it ran further back than most times before. (Prior times I would not get much of the truck through before the high pressure turned off.) The next time I tried to fill up my gas tank I had a problem. It would only pump about 1.5 gallons before the pump wants to shut off. I would then have to slowly pump the gas at two tenths of a gallon at a click. Taking me ten+ minutes to pump 8 gallons into the tank. My Dealer worked with me for over two weeks as he interfaced with the Ram Factory. I believe when the high pressure shot against my gas tank (this time) it caused the "roll-over" vent to activate. My research showed others having problems with the roll-over valve as well. My final fix was for my Dealer to replace the gas tank which contains the roll-over valve.

So my CAUTION to all of you is -- if you go through a car wash be careful with the high pressure shot from below. NEVER go past the drivers seat area for a Crew Cab truck while the high pressure hose is shooting out water. Because the gas tank is exposed to anything from below once you get past the second row seats of the Crew Cab.

 

[brian42]

Hello. Bought a new 2021 2500 and wondering about car wash and the paint. Use to be you would have to let the paint "cure" or settle on the truck before going to a car wash with brushes. I'm wondering if it's safe to get the truck wash. I'm not sure when in 2021 truck was built. Thanks for the board's input.

David
Michigan's thumb

No need for cure time any more. Technology is far more advanced that the "old days" where you had to wait to wash it and even more to wax it.

Now it's whatever your comfort level is. You can wash it before the ink dries on the purchase paperwork.

 

[Denny B]

I go to the car wash at least twice a week. It's not brushless and the truck always looks great and no swirl marks.

 

[redvetram]

Can’t tell you how long to wait, but I’ve taken my truck through a car wash at least once a month or more since I bought it 2 years ago. Also run the high pressure undercarriage flush from bumper to bumper to get off the caked on mud and salt. I’ve never had swirls or undercarriage issues. I Get it professionally detailed once/year and have ceramic coating applied. Looks gorgeous.

 

[pictureofuu]

Hello. Bought a new 2021 2500 and wondering about car wash and the paint. Use to be you would have to let the paint "cure" or settle on the truck before going to a car wash with brushes. I'm wondering if it's safe to get the truck wash. I'm not sure when in 2021 truck was built. Thanks for the board's input.

David
Michigan's thumb

I NEVER go to car wash. I always do it myself. The scratches and nasty water etc is bad even if they recycle. Think about it,, you go into a wash,, were the brushes cleaned before you git in there,, nope. So all of everyone's grease and oil and dirt is just wear and tear on your paint. Also the paint jobs today are not as great so extra care is needed. I use to work at a car wash in my teens. I also do not use any soaps on my vehicles, just plain water. I wax and seal twice a year fall and spring.

 

[sam darakjy]

That is all good and fine if you have the time. I'm one that doesn't have the time at all to hand wash, and with our northeast winters, it's car washes for my truck. Only way to keep it rust free, I'd like to hand wash but I have a summer only car and I haven't even washed that once this summer so just no time. I may have a swirl or two in my paint (none that I notice) but my trucks never have any rust on them when I trade in, most important to holding value up here.

To the original poster, just depends on your variables. If you don't have the time to hand wash and are going to do car washes, I'm not sure if there's an appropriate waiting time or not but mine was in it's first car wash the first week I had it. That was over a month from it coming out of the factory though.

Your post makes sense but some of the others about washing a truck??


Lord...to each his own but people way over think this stuff. Its a truck not a restored classic Mustang show car.

 

[Moparfanatic21]

This is what 26 year old factory paint looks like if you take care of it. Washed at the wand wash or touchless at least weekly, waxed once a year. I live in Alberta so lots of dirt, heavy clay mud and road salt in the winter. Truck is used year round, most of it's 162,000 miles have been not on pavement.

View attachment 473169

Damn that's nice

 

[Bigs]

I hand wash in the spring, summer fall then winter is touchless wash.

Sure it's a truck, but when your truck looks good and it turns heads, it's all worth it IMO.

To each his own, but I like driving around in a clean good looking truck.

 

[brian42]

In my younger years when I was a single technician I had all the time in the world so detailing was not an issue. Every other Saturday was 8-10 hours of top to bottom field day. The "off" Saturday was ~4 hours of a 'quick' detail.

30 years later and I just don't have that kind of time to dedicate to a pristine vehicle, especially since it's not just me riding around in it. The wife, kids, and dogs all have different ideas of what clean is and the time and effort it takes to keep my truck pristine these days just isn't there so I don't have any qualms about running it through the Costco car wash every now and then.

My '92 Toyota pickup cost me $8888 (that's about $18K in today's dollars) and had a gorgeous paint job from the factory...it cast a perfect reflection. My $54K Big Horn came with an orange peel paint job and is probably 1/2 as thick as the one my Toyota had.