Taking care of a vehicle that goes off road

[o1Kcx5f]

Hi, I made yesterday a post http://www.autogeekonline.net/forum/auto-detailing-101/33209-new-car-what-do-first-post.html asking some general questions about what to do with a new vehicle. Thanks a lot for the advice and replies I've received there. I'd like to know also though what one should do with a vehicle that is driven off road. This vehicle (unfortunately) will be driven off road (dirt roads, gravel roads, mud, etc., but no coal roads).

I would assume that I should just wash it often, but I thought that might be a bad idea because it would cause swirling in the paint (spider webs). What process would you recommend?

 

[Finemess]

Yes, wash that bad boy. You may want to try some IW 845. If you keep it washed and waxed its easier to keep up.

 

[tuscarora dave]

Power wash as much of the grit off of it as you can before you touch it with a wash mitt. Have 2 wash mitts, 1 for the upper half of the vehicle and a separate mitt for the lower (gritty) half of the vehicle. I suggest that they be 2 different colors so you can't confuse the two. Use the slickest most lubricious car wash concentrate you can get to prevent scratching. (Duragloss # 901 comes to mind)

Lay down a few base coats of sealant first and keep a top coat of wax applied and maintained. This should cover most of your off road (dirt) issues. You may want to consider undercoating and a frequent dose of undercarriage spray such as Griot's Garage Undercarriage Spray to protect the underneath from rusting out before the end of the service life of the car. Mud stuck to the bottom and in wheel wells will hold moisture and rust things out with a quickness. Good luck

 

[o1Kcx5f]

Thanks for the replies.

Regarding the undercoating... I don't know what this is or where I can get it.

The dual mitt idea is good, thanks. Which brands of polish/sealant/wax would you use? I'm not worried about how it looks so much as I am with how well it holds up/protects.