Washing/Rinsing undercarriage without running water

[SixZee]

Hello folks,

Does anyone have any ideas on how I can wash/rinse undercarriage in winter? I live in an apartment complex where we do not have access to the running water or electricity. Our local car wash places claim to have undercarriage wash option but they have never ever washed undercarriage. When pointed out, they play dumb. I have a garden sprayer (Chapin 1 gallon sprayer) but I doubt if it is useful to give a quick rinse without going underneath the car.

Any other options?

Thanks in advance

 

[Mdjas]

During winter my outside water i shut off. If u have a coin operated car wash with self service bays just use pressure washer under there. Thats all i do till spring and then give a good cleaning when it warms up. Is there a place around that has self serve bays?


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[SixZee]

If u have a coin operated car wash with self service bays just use pressure washer under there.

Thank you. There is only one coin-op car wash about 15-20 mins drive from my place. So by the time, I will be back from this place, the undercarriage will be salty all over again. Hence, looking for something that I can do in the parking lot so the car can at least sit clean overnight.

 

[Mdjas]

Best bet might be the pressure sprayer u have and do it that way. May not be high pressure but its better then nothing. Closest one to me is about 15 min away but i still during winter or after few days after a storm ill go and least spray it off. Its not ment to get it clean just get the bulk of it from sitting on there. I still do it bout once a week during winter just because. Have never had a problem this way for last 14 yrs of md winters.


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[SWETM]

Think it's Ryobi that has a cordless PW with a tank on it .they also has a nozzle beam on 2 wheels which you rinse the undercarriage with. If I'm not wrong you have a soap dispenser on the PW that you can get some alkaline based degreaser on as a pretreatment and then rinse it off with the nozzle wheel thingy. Maybe not the most powerfull way but could be an option to go with. You also have the WORX Hydro Shoot that's build in another way but to the same end. Look up which battery that gives you the highest pressure from the PW.

 

[PaulMys]

An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure, the saying goes.

Given your restricted water access, I would do this:

Get under the car (truck?) before winter, and saturate the entire undercarriage (except any exhaust components) with something like Fluid Film.

This protects WAY better than any weak-ish spray from a pump sprayer.

 

[Klasse Act]

Easy answer...Worx hydroshot

All you need is the Worx hydroshot and a bucket, that's it. I originally bought mine just to rinse down the tires/wheels/wells but infact it has enough power to do a 2BM and now I use it all the time for everything. Spend the extra money and get the 4.0v battery, trust me. Not only does it give a little bit more power but the battery lasts longer too!

Any questions about the Worx hydroshot, ask away

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[DETAILROOKIE]

Easy answer...Worx hydroshot

All you need is the Worx hydroshot and a bucket, that's it. I originally bought mine just to rinse down the tires/wheels/wells but infact it has enough power to do a 2BM and now I use it all the time for everything. Spend the extra money and get the 4.0v battery, trust me. Not only does it give a little bit more power but the battery lasts longer too!

Any questions about the Worx hydroshot, ask away

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Well just bought this for my dad!! Thank you!!! He lives in an apartment and is taking his G90 through the car way! Yikes!!!!

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[SixZee]

Think it's Ryobi that has a cordless PW with a tank on it .they also has a nozzle beam on 2 wheels which you rinse the undercarriage with.

I was aware of their undercarriage roller wash but I didn't know of their cordless pressure washer. Thanks a lot. Looks relatively smaller and not too pricey either. Have to keep an eye one it for a deal during Thanksgiving or something.

Get under the car (truck?) before winter, and saturate the entire undercarriage (except any exhaust components) with something like Fluid Film.

This protects WAY better than any weak-ish spray from a pump sprayer.

Last year when I was doing spray cleaning the underbody, I noticed too much rust. I asked the mechanic about the fluid film and he suggested against it. His argument was, there is no way you will be able to remove all of the rust, esp from the nooks and crannies, where the rust actually begins. If I apply the fluid film, then it may actually spread faster underneath the film.

Easy answer...Worx hydroshot

It is definitely one of the best. I had an eye on this one for a while after I noticed Scott from Dallas Paint Correction using it, but I am trying to stay in a single ecosystem. I have some Ryobi and DeWalt tools. Maintaining separate batteries is getting expensive. Now I plan to stay in Ryobi ecosystem as I may consider their cordless buffer and wet/dry vacuum as well.

 

[Desertnate]

Thank you. There is only one coin-op car wash about 15-20 mins drive from my place. So by the time, I will be back from this place, the undercarriage will be salty all over again. Hence, looking for something that I can do in the parking lot so the car can at least sit clean overnight.

In the conditions you describe, even if you were able to clean the undercarriage at home, the minute you left your parking lot it would be dirty again. In the depths of winter, our cars are never totally clean for more than a few minutes to a day or two. The whole point is to simply knock down the bulk of the grime and salt to the best of your ability. Your best bet would beto go to the coin-op on a day when the roads are dry and clean it out.

What are the automated car wash places like in your area? Around my area most of the automated car washes, both with brushes and touchless. You can actually see the equipment sitting at opening of the car wash bay, so there is no question as to whether it is there or not. By selecting the middle to top tear wash options you get the undercarriage/wheel well option. I use the touchless washes and will drive through the opening REALLY slowly to blast off all the salt.

 

[FUNX650]

There is only one coin-op car wash about
15-20 mins drive from my place. So by the
time, I will be back from this place, the under-
carriage will be salty all over again.

Hence, looking for something that I can do
in the parking lot so the car can at least sit
clean overnight.

Sounds like you possibly share the
parking lot with other tenants?

Please don’t forgo their safe passage by
creating possible slip/fall hazards from
your undercarriage cleaning effluent.


Bob

 

[SixZee]

In the conditions you describe, even if you were able to clean the undercarriage at home, the minute you left your parking lot it would be dirty again. In the depths of winter, our cars are never totally clean for more than a few minutes to a day or two. The whole point is to simply knock down the bulk of the grime and salt to the best of your ability. Your best bet would beto go to the coin-op on a day when the roads are dry and clean it out.

What are the automated car wash places like in your area? Around my area most of the automated car washes, both with brushes and touchless. You can actually see the equipment sitting at opening of the car wash bay, so there is no question as to whether it is there or not. By selecting the middle to top tear wash options you get the undercarriage/wheel well option. I use the touchless washes and will drive through the opening REALLY slowly to blast off all the salt.

That is true. Even on a dry day, the dried salt on the road makes its way underneath or on the car.
Automated car washes make me cringe when I see the kind of cars in the line. As I said in the OP, these places do claim undercarriage wash, but even after paying their best offering ($38 for a car wash), my car's undercarriage is always bone dry.
It is pretty frustrating to see all rusted underbody of a 5-year-old car.

Sounds like you possibly share the
parking lot with other tenants?

Please don’t forgo their safe passage by
creating possible slip/fall hazards from
your undercarriage cleaning effluent.


Bob

Yes, I do share the parking lot with other tenants. Not that rich yet to own a house in NYC.
And yes, I make sure that my rear end is covered in that regards as well. All work is done at the extreme end of the parking lot, which is way out of everyone's way.

 

[Desertnate]

That is true. Even on a dry day, the dried salt on the road makes its way underneath or on the car.
Automated car washes make me cringe when I see the kind of cars in the line. As I said in the OP, these places do claim undercarriage wash, but even after paying their best offering ($38 for a car wash), my car's undercarriage is always bone dry.
It is pretty frustrating to see all rusted underbody of a 5-year-old car.

I thought you were talking about the hand wash places, not the automatic ones.

Interesting those places claim to have an underbody, but you can't tell it's done. Around here, the underbody spray consists of high pressure jets aimed at your wheels/wheel wells off to each side of the bay and a line of jets which spray water as you drive in. There is no missing it going off and it's actually pretty effective.

 

[rangerbay]

There is a product called Saltaway that's made for marine use. It rinses salt off surfaces with just a sprayer of any kind. I use it with a 2 gallon sprayer for removing salt off any surface.
Try it. My boat is used exclusively in salt water, and it not the trailer have any corrosion.

Bill

 

[FUNX650]

Yes, I do share the parking lot
with other tenants.

And yes, I make sure that my rear end
is covered in that regards as well. All work
is done at the extreme end of the parking lot,
which is way out of everyone's way.

rops:

Bob

 

[SixZee]

I thought you were talking about the hand wash places, not the automatic ones.

Hand wash places are no different.

There is a product called Saltaway that's made for marine use. It rinses salt off surfaces with just a sprayer of any kind. I use it with a 2 gallon sprayer for removing salt off any surface.
Try it. My boat is used exclusively in salt water, and it not the trailer have any corrosion.

Bill

A colleague mentioned it but AFAIK, most small boats are made of fiberglass and/or their paint structure may be different than that of the car, being in the water all the time. So I didn't consider any of those as I wasn't too sure if it will harm the paint in any way. There are many products actually

Salt Away
https://www.amazon.com/SA32-Salt-S-Away-32oz-Concentrate/dp/B00144EOLC

Salt Off
https://www.amazon.com/Star-brite-Salt-Protector-Gallon/dp/B004A7J8FW

Salt Terminator
https://www.amazon.com/CRC-SX128-Terminator-Corrosion-Inhibitor/dp/B00546F77G

I would love to know if anyone tried it and it worked. It will be great to keep a spray bottle in the car to give a quick wipe down after the trip or at the end of the day.