Wash your Ram or let alone for a few days

[BrewCrew]

Most of my off-roading is on the beach, so I wash it right away. Mudd, you might think of it as a mud bath for your truck.

Yea big difference from mud and salty sand.

 

[Down the Tubes]

When I lived closer to the north shore (2 miles down a dirt road in the jungle), I washed my trucks a lot, too much salt in the rain!

Now, twice a year or so......I work on a dirt road, it rains a lot, there are sprinklers on the dirt road (usually on when it's raining for some reason)......
When I can't see out of it, I wash it!

My white 2500 4x4 diesel is always tan colored. It's going to my wife next week when my tan Power Wagon arrives.
Dirt colored truck means less washing!

 

[Trailmaker]

When I lived closer to the north shore (2 miles down a dirt road in the jungle), I washed my trucks a lot, too much salt in the rain!

Now, twice a year or so......I work on a dirt road, it rains a lot, there are sprinklers on the dirt road (usually on when it's raining for some reason)......
When I can't see out of it, I wash it!

My white 2500 4x4 diesel is always tan colored. It's going to my wife next week when my tan Power Wagon arrives.
Dirt colored truck means less washing!

Funny you mention the tan color as I was just going to post that color as a preferred option to all the one who checked the “wash my truck... once a year maybe” box

 

[olyelr]

Yeah right... you barely put 10k on it a year. Though I bet it is a chore keeping that chrome clean. Haha. Like you said “ chrome gets you home” ... lol just giving you grief. Cheers​

Yep, just under 10k a year. But thats a fair bit more than the ‘12 rubicon was getting that i replaced with this truck. I put 20+k a year on my work truck, though.

And the chrome is the easiest part to wash

 

[Down the Tubes]

Funny you mention the tan color as I was just going to post that color as a preferred option to all the one who checked the “wash my truck... once a year maybe” box

Hell yeah! Perfect color for the guy that hates to wash his truck!

 

[Truckit]

I vote clean it! Here is my and my son's Wranglers after wheeling. Guess which is mine LOL

 

[JohnnyMac]

Like others, I clean mine fairly quickly. If not, some ******* will surely rub up against it somewhere and grind the grit into the paint. Also, on older trucks I've had, it always seemed to break down at it's dirtiest and while laying underneath, I spend as much time digging sand out of my eyes as wrenching on it.

 

[Maligator]

I used to religiously wash and wax my 1500 once a week usually , my power wagon not so much. I paint corrected it when I first got it over a year ago and I think I've washed it good only twice since then

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[Trailmaker]

I used to religiously wash and wax my 1500 once a week usually , my power wagon not so much. I paint corrected it when I first got it over a year ago and I think I've washed it good only twice since then

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Oh your truck is not mate black? Haha

 

[Maligator]

Oh your truck is not mate black? Haha

It identifies as a clean truck[emoji23]

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[Grand Mesa]

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[soonersfan]

I hate mud. If I really get into it, I at least try to get the undercarriage clean. The mud I get into usually has some fine gravel. That stuff will got stuck everywhere and create all sorts of squeaks and issues.

 

[TomB 1269]

Wash / Don't Wash personal preference. However, mud retains moisture. Moisture accelerates corrosion. Some mud when it fully dries becomes hard as rock......... Its yours do as you like........ My trucks a road queen and got washed weekly at least up until the wife backed into in the driveway and it went for body work. Since then its only been every other week or so, but then again I've been busy this fall. Now with the holidays here to run it thru car wash not only requires pulling off light bar but removing and reattaching holiday decorations, bows, bells. I have yet to configure lights for it but a plan /idea is running around in my little brain of different ways to add Xmas lights........

 

[Tim Garceau]

Modern salt brine can begin corrosion to exposed metal within 10 days, either way you need to be proactive or reactive if in the salt belt.

 

[Trailmaker]

Can't recall ever washing the oldest of my 3 working pickups which is my 1978. Have to repair some broken fencing today with it on the west acreage which is far up a hill near those trees shown in the background at the tailgate (photo taken yesterday, below). Being a tiny vehicle it's much easier on the snow and mud covered acreage at just 2,700 pounds, versus, my massive over 7,000 pound PW which just makes deep mud ruts and a mess. Might use the winch on the PW to pull that fence taut though. In the past 40 years and over 300,000 miles of driving the 1978, I can't recall actually washing it, ever. Semi-retired it back in 1998. I could hose the road salt and mud off it though once a year to keep it from rusting, but usually the dogs peeing on it cleans it pretty good.

View attachment 188559

Anyhow, my PW gets about the same treatment. Maybe a bit more washing than none at all. My high pressure outdoor usage well water is too hard and so it leaves a gray messy film on the body and glass. Too low of pressure to rely on the indoor water softener for clean wash water. Makes it quite tough to wash. Takes a long time to clean off the hard water marks on such a large truck. I usually give up.

Dang! It sucks to be your truck. I can assume you don’t name your trucks to keep it impersonal? Haha. I’m really surprised that it’s not a rust bucket by now... definitely one one side of the spectrum. I should have had an option (4) stating ‘ I never wash my truck!’
I’m now curious if there will be anyone else you reply to this thread with “I have never washed my Ram”

good luck with your fence today.

 

[Tracy in IL]

White Ram 1500. Bought the paint protection pkg and love it.
I wash it maybe once during the summer, but due to winter salting here in upper Illinois (so much salt road looks white with no snow present) I wash it after every snow/salt cycle once the ambient temp gets above freezing (that way small amounts of water under trim areas drys out before it freezes).

 

[Trailmaker]

White Ram 1500. Bought the paint protection pkg and love it.
I wash it maybe once during the summer, but due to winter salting here in upper Illinois (so much salt road looks white with no snow present) I wash it after every snow/salt cycle once the ambient temp gets above freezing (that way small amounts of water under trim areas drys out before it freezes).

Hey Tracy, do you off road with it? If so do you sport the dirt/mud/snow down the side of it for a few days?

 

[Grand Mesa]

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[Trailmaker]

OK, I admit that I wash off the mud, salt, and grime when it's needed out of necessity. I wouldn't have my older trucks, if I hadn't sprayed the mud and salt off.

Driving in winter in Colorado, Wyoming, Utah, and Nevada they use road gravel with salt and magnesium chloride heavily. My trailers take the most beating. At my old US Defense work location within the Rocky Mountains they literally dumped tanker loads onto the steep grade. I started quite early and so it was usually being sprayed and I would splash through the puddles. I pressure wash at car wash booths out of necessity.

Once sprayed on with magnesium chloride it attracts road grime. You can't see out the side windows of the truck without pressure washing it off. The windows and doors are entirely gooped over on trips to either Reno or Colorado Springs during winter conditions. On all of my vehicles I pressure hose wash out under the frame, suspension, and through out the wheel wells as soon as I can do it when it is above freezing temperatures. You got to get it off underneath the frame or it will rust out. Magnesium Chloride gets sprayed by tanker trucks on the Interstate Highways and toll roads when I lived on the Front Range. No matter what they say, it's highly corrosive.

On my 1998 K1500 pickup I would drive through their tanker spray and so it really shows on the destroyed paint of my hood and topper. On my 1978 the floorboards are pretty much entirely rusted away, replaced the tailgate due to it rusted away, and hand spray painted the sides and bed. It gets dirty immediately, but I keep up with all of the vehicle maintenance including getting the mud out of the suspension and frame. My Power Wagon got sprayed so bad earlier this winter season when going over Hoosier Pass. We had to stop on the trip at a high pressure car wash before going any further.

I see.

well the point of the thread was do you clean up after off roading or not. And you do not. You a 10 others rarely wash your trucks, who has voted so far. I don’t count hosing or pressuring only as “washing”. I can hardly count the touch-less car washes neither. And definitely can not count on the rain as a wash.

 

[Trailmaker]

So far I have:
17 wash their Ram right after they took it out wheelin’

9 are like me and will drive it around a few days showing off our latest adventure

10 people seem not to care about “wasting water and soap” on the task.