i have a question about the cars paint

does mud affect the cars paint in anyway? because every time i wash my car a week or 2 later it becomes muddy so if i just dont wash it for a month with the paint start chipping?? or fading?
also does the mud under the car cause rust? or should i not even worry about the mud?

 

The mud sitting on the paint wont hurt it.
The sun hitting the paint not covered by the mud will fade and the paint covered by mud will not.
The only problem with the mud under the truck is that it can clog drain holes in the frame, if the mud has salt in it then the salt will sit there and eat stuff.
Just run it through the automatic car wash and get the underbody flush and all is good.
Its just a truck.

 

Always wash the mud off the same day or, especially under the truck, you will get a build up that you will never be able to get rid of.
I power scrub my entire truck I come off a trail.

 

Brush your teeth...
Make your bed...
Wash your truck....

 

I agree with Mike on this one. A.) Its easier to wash off same day. B.) Mud cooking in your engine smells. C.) The more you stay on top of mud the easier its going to be in the future. If you have loads of mud caked on, do NOT go through an automatic car wash. You will leave behind chunks and thats rude, and the people next in line wont be too happy.

Also, if you have no choice except to drive through a carwash, pull over after your trailride and knock off as much chunks as you can. (Again, this is easier when the mud is fresh) Dont ever go through a sponge wash because they hold dirt rocks sometimes. Laserwash would be better. So basically what im saying is... get a power washer if you dont have one! You will become addicted to it, and its great to wash your rover (and the engine bay).

 

Agree with Cam and Mike but I would not put a power washer on the engine - top or bottom. Use a degreaser and a low-pressure (garden) hose on the engine and use a small stiff nylon brush if necessary. I've ruined too many electrical parts on car engines by a careless wave of the wand - also knocked a loose oil cap off and sent a nice burst of suds in the engine of my Vette.....

 

alright thanks for the replies...


i do have a power washer and i will start powerwashing under neath but i wont powerwash the engine bay also should i becareful with the powerwasher not to chip the paint?

 

In that order, please.

Also, if you wax the truck after cleaning it then most of the mud will just slide off. Power washers are hard on the sidewalls of the tires from what I've heard it somehow deteriorates the rubber in the sidewalls. And they strip wax off too!!

My personal favorite: wax the truck with any cheap or expensive wax you want (Turtle wax lasts a long time) and spray tire dressing all over the inner fenders - mud won't stick to it (stay away from the exaust) and pressure wash the bottom side of the truck when it gets really muddy.

Most of all, GET OFF ROAD and HAVE FUN!!!

 

Before you powerwash on the paint, if you choose to do so, spray the mud lightly and loosen it up (this gets alot of grit and rocks off). Once you have done that, then you can powerwash the paint. A sponge and soap is how I do the paint, but a ALWAYS powerwash the underbody.

BTW, dont be afraid to do the engine. Mike will say the same. In fact, he's the one who told me about it about two years ago when I bought the rover and started off roading. Just be careful not to get to close to the hoses. Disco's can handle water very well. I've done it tons of times with no problem.

 

thanks for all the advice and one last question i read somewhere about spraying the bottom of the truck with truck bed liner or a spray similar to this?

would it be a bad idea to spray the bottom of the truck with bed liner?

like line-X?