Keep it clean, look good. Wash your rig with little water, no hose or bucket.

[Minivanmotoman]

I like to keep my minivan clean and shiny. Mostly. The only problem with exploring down dirt roads, is the dirt roads. A clean vehicle shows care, attention and self respect. Important when living out of your van and going out in public, dealing with people and the law. So how to do this anywhere, cheaply, without a car wash? Here's how I do it for less than a dollar a wash, and in the desert.
Bottle of Windex and a roll of paper towel, which you probably already carry. $2 and good for two washes at least. Dilute the Windex and a bottle goes even farther.
 Start from the top of the car, and work your way down. Do one panel at a time. Spray Windex, wipe with two squares of paper towel folded into a fourth, about the size of your hand. Flip and change towel faces when filled with dirt. Repeat with new panel, using fresh sheets as you go along. Car, truck, van or minivan won't take that long if done every week or two. And for about 50 cents, wax it afterwards ( Turtle wax or any, $5 for wax and towel, good for 10 uses or so) every two months or so to make it even easier to wash. Dirt slides off readily on a waxed surface. Keep the paper towels, let dry, and use to start your campfire. This will protect your paint, allow it to stay looking newer longer. Half an hour at most and she will glow in the sunshine. As will you from your sense of pride. 

Of course, bigger rigs take more time and material. Still doable with zest and zeal.

 

[highdesertranger]

the only problem with that is most places I go you would stand out like a sore thumb. nothing says tourist like a clean and waxed vehicle. even the LEO's trucks are dirty. mind you I am not talking about having your dash piled with trash I am talking about the outside. a rural car wash is a rain storm clean vehicles are a city thing. highdesertranger

 

[Spaceman Spiff]

^^ What HDR said.

Plus dirt is an abrasive.  Every time you are doing this you are sanding your paint.  The protective clear coat is about .002 - .003 inches thick.  It will take a little while, but you will wear through.

 

[John61CT]

To most tourists, the term is not disparaging.

There are many ways to travel, to each their own.

 

[speedhighway46]

Hi all:

Interesting topic. I certainly agree that dirt on your vehicle acts as an abrasive when washed off regardless of what method is used. I have the perspective that the more water you use to "float" the dirt off the less the dirt will abrade the paint. I have always doused the vehicle with copious volumes of water before I even started the brushing/wiping the dirt off using some type of surfactent-based detergent. I'm cheap and don't buy real car wash; cheap green dish washing detergent purchased at The Dollar Store is perfect for me, although over time it does remove the wax layer.

But . . . There is some validity to the OP's posting abt his method. Here is my opinion . . .

1) If you regularly do this the dirt buildup will be minimal (unless you just got off a dirt road) so therefore the abrasive effects will be minimized.

2) Having a clean vehicle is better than having a dirty vehicle.

3) If, after years of washing using this method, the paint finally gets abraded, paint the vehicle.

4) After almost a million miles on my motorhome conversion, I have abraded paint showing down to the primer on several areas of the cab roof. This abrasion is from just the vehicle moving through the air going down the road; granted, air certainly contains particulates.

5) When doing frequent "low liquid volume" washes you have a chance to inspect your vehicle in detail for other developing problems and catch them before they become major issues.

6) Many more opportunities occurr to do a "quick wash" as opposed to a full wash with lots of water. You pull into Walmart; park in the corner; and do a quick wipe down. Pretty neat!

Hey, I was sitting here watching TV and just felt like spouting off!

This site is great, isn't it!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[shadowmoss]

My Mom has for years kept her Kia clean by going out after a rain and wiping the car down with a soft cloth.  This works less well living in a desert

 

[bullfrog]

I used to sell T shirts with brown/red latex paint splattered on to look like mud, thinking I could do the same thing on my old truck to make people keep their distance. Nobody wants to get dirty getting out of their car by parking too close to an old dirty truck, plus everyone knows I probably don't keep full coverage insurance, probably can not stop, and will pull out in front of them at intersections as I have little to loose always let me go first. An old dirty rusty truck with standard transmission, the key always in the ignition ( you got hot wire it anyway) windows rolled down never gets looked at but my new truck they would take in a minute. Gave my new truck to my son and got back my old Jeep truck won't never wash it, life is good.

 

[Minivanmotoman]

Yes, dirt itself scratches when it goes on and when it comes off, no matter what. So do polish and buffing compounds which are used to remove dead paint and reluster paint. Can't be avoided. It's like saying combing your hair will make your hair fall out. Really?
But if you wax frequently, dirt slides off with less damage, easier and gentler. When was the last time that you waxed your vehicle (home)? Obviously, thick coats of dirt and mud isn't ideal for this method, as that requires lots of water to power/rinse off. Not everyone (most?) are out 4x4 in the mud requiring a tanker truck of water to hose off the dirt. But once you have a nice coat of wax on there, just keep spraying with the Windex, or even water, and most of the dirt will start to fall off with the water. Careful wiping, frequent turning off the towel minimizes the scratching. Any washing will scratch once alot of dirt or mud is on there, power wash or hand wash. Obviously don't just mist it on and wipe off. More dirt, more spray. Dirty rig from rving out in the boonies, no problem. Your choice. It's not a clean vs dirty validation debate. It is simply an option for a personal choice. Obviously it isn't everyone's choice and not beneficial to all. Nothing in life is.

You come into town to stealth camp, or rejoin society from NF, BLM, camping, here is a quick, cheap and effective method for when there is no car wash. Do it before you leave camp, obviously when the roads are dry. Do I have to explain everything? Lol.
This is perfect for removing that static cling layer of fine dirt and dust that just gives it that dirty look. Been bombing around the fine dirt of the Southwest all year and this works wonders for me. It might fit others too, if not you. And my van which is an 07 is not all scratched up, paint still looks good and shines in the sun. If I can do it with minimal scratching, so can you.
Fine print disclaimer: Use to your discretion based upon your situation and preferences of course. Prefer car washes and power sprays, or? That's great.
It's all good, is one of my favorite sayings.

 

[Putts]

I admit I'm more of a, "Hey, it's raining. I think I'll go for a drive to wash the truck." sort of a guy.

Having a step van, my stealth mode will be to park more often in some back corner behind WalMart/Home Depot/Tire Warehouse and pretend I'm a work truck. I guess I'm in the HDR club where non-sparkly working trucks are the norm. 

 

[Minivanmotoman]

Full timers have no easy way to wash and keep clean, water is a premium. Stealth campers have to be careful with everything that they do. It should be obvious the benefits of a cheap, quick, no water, anywhere rig cleaning and it's benefits. It is just a quick method that will be beneficial to those who stealth camp and have high potential with run ins. Some may wonder about that. Those exposed am sure know all about it. It will improve their initial status with the public and LEOs by not appearing as not just a homeless, misdemeanour causing, uncaring vagrant. This would go along with a positive attitude, clean appearance that would improve things when in those situations. Not a city folk thing. Minimize negative stereotypes for full time vehicle dwellers specifically. LEOs are trained to profile and assess via stereotypes. They run across it every minute of every day. Heck, we all do. Use if, when and where you may see fit. No more, no less.

 

[Spaceman Spiff]

What HDR was pointing out: in the western US, outside of cities, if you are trying to stealth camp a clean vehicle will stand out; it will not be stealthy.  Dirty vehicles blend in, clean, shiny ones get noticed.

What I was pointing out was that the less water you use the more scratching you will do to the clear coat.  Modern automotive paints are[size=medium] different than the older paints.  The base coat has less resistance to UV and will oxidize quickly if not protected. The protecting clear coat is thinner than a human hair and this is where the UV protection is.  It is impossible to generalize on how long this will take; too many dependencies.[/size]

Ultimately do what makes you comfortable, just understand the tradeoffs.  YMMV.

 

[bigsallysmom]

A quiet, private place, a bucket, a stream. Cleanliness and exercise.

 

[jonsun]

dirt is in fashion

 

[speedhighway46]

Pride of ownership; setting a high standard; being professional.

Anybody can be the lowest common denominator.

Just my opinion . . .

 

[TexasWoman]

A broken sprinkler head  at the office park was shooting up a small geyser of water.

I had the brilliant idea of getting a free car wash.
Pulled up to it frontwards, both sides and backwards.

A few days later, I noticed my rear windshield wiper hanging straight down ...
then realized the plastic cap was missing.
Drove back to the free carwash but no sign of my cap.

During my next oil change the tech tightened up the bolt on the wiper and
I bought a new plastic cap for $5.

Probably won't be getting any more "free" car washes any time soon .....

:heart: :heart: :heart:

 

[Ballenxj]

Where I live there is a mix of residential and farm. I wash the windshield and windows once a day and call it good. My vehicles get washed about once a month. If I were to wash it every time it got a little dirt on it, I would be washing it once or twice a day. No thanks.

 

[sephson]

Pride of ownership; setting a high standard; being professional.

Anybody can be the lowest common denominator.

Just my opinion . . .

I take great pride in bringing down the property values in my neighborhood just by living there! :angel: 

Seriously though, getting back to the subject of this thread, at work I park in a dirt lot, so my car gets filthy quickly. About once a month I run it through a gas station car wash. Maybe twice a year I'll wax the thing. I view this as routine maintenance. I expect to still be driving this car ten years from now, so I take care of it, but without becoming obsessive about it.

I'm not always so good about the interior though. It's not at all unusual to see a stack of comic books on the passenger seat or an empty drive through cup in the cup holder. I just try to keep the clutter from getting too far ahead of me.

 

[DLTooley]

A bucket, which you should have regardless, and a car wash mitt does it for me. Sometimes I'll leave on the thick stuff as a point of distinction. Usually I'll use the coin operated washes, they are pretty convenient and inexpensive.

My truck is (was) white. This color prevents oxidation discoloration. I did get a few spots of rust, mostly from my own cause or at the door edge. I did the Bed liner thing, ALS, Tan with Black trim. I wasn't 100% with the prep but am happy with the results. We will see how it holds up. The underbody is another concern, especially from Magnesium Chloride treated dirt roads.