Washing underside of truck what should I be careful of?
 

I live in a mountainous region where we get a lot of snow and because of that the roads get salted a lot. I want to give the underside of the truck a good washing this summer to wash away all the salts and road grime. I have never done it before and I want to be careful not to harm something I shouldn't or put water or soap somewhere it should not be. I have a pressure washer, would it be safe to use it? What kind of soap to use? Just regular Meguiars wash shampoo?

Thanks

I think the soap should be fine regardless of what you use. I would try and be careful around the rockers. The plastic sill plates in the cab just clip into the floor, and with a pressure washer you might blow that sill plate up and inadvertently fill your cab with water

Personally, I think the pressure washer is overkill. A good thorough spray down with a typical garden hose and a nozzle should be sufficient. Be most careful of the engine bay.

Great tips, I'll forgo the pressure washer and just scrub everything down with some soap and rinse with a high pressure spray nozzle. I will pay extra attention when I'm under the engine bay.

Thanks a lot guys :-X22

in your manual it says to cover the battery, alternator, and intake opening only. I power wash my motor all the timejust to keepit looking new with a 2200 PSI washer. I spray everything with bleachwhite, then scrub it all with a soft wheel brush and then rinse, never had a problem with COP, or plugs. Undercarriage i just wash real good with the garden hose

Just curious, do you mean Wesley's Bleach White? If so, why do you use it on the motor, does it brighten the aluminum?

Some carwashes have high pressure underbody wash at the start. Use it, you're done.

They miss a lot of the nooks and crannies. I get the undercarriage with my car wash, but I still get under there a few times a year to get the spots they missed

Not trying to be snobby Papa Tiger, but I hate the idea of running any vehicle through an automatic car wash, I worked at a carwash as a teenager and I saw a lot damage done to otherwise good paint jobs because of them. The car wash I worked at for 2 years was required to spray down, clean and replace the rocker panel washers and mitters, rarely was that ever done to a satisfactory level. The end result was hairline scratches and swirls galore especially on darker colored cars. I think about as fondly of auto car washes as I do quickie lubes, I don't. They only exist because most people don't know better. Touchless car washes may be okay but they are harder to find. Anyway, not a personal attack, thanks for the idea.

Put a lawn sprinkler under it and VIOLA!

I have more problems with bugs on the windshield and grill. LOL

Ah yes! bug guts one of the joys of truck ownership :)

Now if I can only get the grandchildren to stop throwing rocks into the bed of the truck and behave better? LOL

I love this idea awesome!!

I power wash the underside of my truck once a month and I've never had any problems. It's not any different than driving in the rain.