How do I get road grim off?

This is spot-on. Another trick to dry quick is to use a blower if you have one, and for rags I gotta give a shout out to the CarPor DHydrate. Thing is a beast.

 

Lots of products out there, but fact is that a hand wash will always beat a pressure wash or touchless wash. Trust me, my truck is black so I see everything that remains.

 

exactly, I didn't have time to give it the good ol' bucket wash so hit it with a pressure washer to get off the salt. Still plenty left, similar to yours, but don't sweat it two bucket wash will knock it off easy.

 

Use it all the time (spot treat) and follow up with some spray wax to get me through until the next time I apply a paste wax/sealer.

 

Read about simple green and aluminum, then rethink the wheel part

 

What I mean is once you use simple green at all, you're down to the clear coat. This person is trying to wash their entire truck, simple green is not the right choice IMO. Any detergent will get you down to the clear coat if we're honest though. Hence the use of Klasse AIO as a cleaner, it doesn't foam up but it really cleans well and protects too. That's all I use anymore don't even need to apply wax.

 

My misunderstanding. I inferred that the OP was only wanting to clean that grime off the lower panels.

 

I pressure wash the worst off, then foam, then rinse, then hand wash with plenty of soap, then rinse, then dry. I've been using The Last Coat product line and have been very pleased with it.

 

Bucket, soap, water, wash mitt and one of those sponges covered with a net. Dry with an absorber towel. You crazy MF out their doing science and shit. It’s a Tacoma not a Bugatti!! LOL...

Y'all wild.

 

clay bar

 

Gonna need 2 wash mitts. Get you two new mitts, 2 buckets. Wash half the truck with one mitt, then rinse buckets and use the second for the other half. Clean mitts really good after washing. When washing straight lines not circles.

 

Pressure washers will not remove road grime and will always leave a haze after so long. If both grime and washing/detailing seem tedious for you, consider paint protection film and ceramic coating.

Here’s what I do:
2 buckets, 1 Soap 1 Rinse (I prefer the warm soapy stuff.)
Some people use multiple mitts or bypass this step altogether. Depends on cleanliness and what the goal is. Always working top down 1 panel at a time and in the shade/cool, wheels last, followed with a leaf blower air dry. Feeling fancy hit it with a wax. I’m digging this nano ceramic wax but I can’t remember the name right now.

 

When my truck is really dirty, which happens, I will spray it with the hose at home, then drive to the car wash. Just put the minimum coins in the machine, and spray it down with soap or presoak.

Wait 5 minutes or so before putting more coins in. Repeat as needed. For some things, a microfiber towel, fingernail or clay bar might be required.

If you are going to use the brush at the car wash, be sure to spray it out real good before it touches paint.

 

We got a Virgin?
Now we need a "how to wash your truck, correctly" video.

 

Two bucket way sounds good.

 

Lots of incorrect/misinformation responses in here...
To answer your question, yes you will have to do most of that by hand. But there are many ways to treat your vehicle before you wash it with a mitt to loosen the dirt and grime. Adding an 1-3oz of a car detailing specific APC (all purpose cleaner) to your foam cannon will help. Next, using an off-road soap will help assuming you aren't concerned about stripping wax or sealant. You should also follow the two bucket method and I would suggest using 4 to 6 wash mitts per vehicle. This paired with the two bucket method will greatly help you. Also never wash in a circular motion...always in lines and never scrub hard. Just let the wash mitt gently glide on the surface.

 

I'm sure others may have said this, but a microfiber wash mitt, good car soap, and a couple of buckets is all that's needed. The microfiber wash mitt will hold the dirt better when wiping and prevent the dirt from scratching the clear coat/paint as best as possible.

If you're really that concerned about the dirt scratching, make sure to use 2 buckets. One for rinsing and one for soap.

Make sure to rinse the dirty wash mitt in the "rinse" bucket thoroughly and often. Then re-suds it up in the "soap" bucket. That way it helps prevent rubbing the dirt back onto the paint.

I like using Meguiars Ultimate car wash.

 

I’m a detailer. Use an extremely soft bristle brush this one time to get that shit off. After that I recommend you wax after every wash or if you got the coin, ceramic coat your truck to increase paint life and also make it easier for yourself when it’s time to wash again. Top detailing products that I use are from a brand called Optimum Polymer Technologies. In specific, I recommend their Opti-Coat No Rinse to wash your truck, and their OPT spray wax. If you’re considering a ceramic coat, I recommend you find a shop that deals with Optimum as they also carry top quality ceramic coats. Here’s my brothers old truck coated with Opti-Coat Pro+

 

Opti-Coat No Rinse:
https://youtu.be/j2RkhGp08xk


OPT Premium Spray Wax:

 

Oh and another thing, don’t waste your time with Chemical Guys. They’re overpriced and have a shitty Armor All quality. I will say the Chemical Guys VRP and Tire Kicker products are amazing for tires using an application sponge.