Car Wash for Sprinter

[k6dcp]

IVan needs a bath. And like all Sprinters, he's TALL. I plead guilty to not wanting to do the job myself, for a number of reasons.

A local car wash claims that the van will be "no problem" but looking at the height of their door, I think it's going to be fairly close.

Short of bringing a PVC pipe the length of the highest point on the van and holding it up to assure myself that it will fit, which seems a bit compulsive, does anyone have a better idea? I'd like a suggestion that goes beyond the employee's nod and smile, but not as nit-picking as the previously mentioned PVC pipe.

Or, should I just get off my gluteus maximus and grab a stepladder and the scruff of my neck and toss myself out the door to do it myself?

Suggestions?

[Naio]

Another option: A teenager or adult at an RV park you are staying at might happily do the job for what you would pay elsewhere.

[Heapie]

Hi folks,

I pulled my boat monday and took it to a do it your self car wash. One of the bays was very tall. My rv fits in the same bay and it is a Chev 190 V with a covered fan. Must be about 10 to 11 feet tall. Plenty of room.

Heapie.

[Heapie]

Hi folks,

Most DIY car washes have an outdoor bay at the end of the building. I use it to clean my boat at the end of the season, as well as cleaning my Roadtrek 190 V.

HEAPIE

[Fastpaddler]

One thing that really makes washing my Sprinter much easier is that my son and I wax the entire vehicle every year. Washing is much easier and the paint looks new instead of dull and grungey.

[jjson775]

Get yourself a long handled brush like this at Walmart:
http://www.walmart.com/ip/Detailer-s-Choice-Flow-Thru-Wash-Brush/15111242

You don't need a ladder except to wash the roof once or twice a year. Get some Turtle Wax Ice wash and wax and with the brush you can wash your RV in 30 minutes.

[rwj146]

I just looked on Craigslist in your area, there are several that will do vans. I would just mention yours is a bit taller than normal and they may need a small ladder.

They come to you and you don't pay until they do what you need.

[CA_POPPY]

Another thing to check is belt buckles. A nice, shiny belt buckle can badly "key" your paint job. There are car detailers that come around our neighborhood once in awhile. We usually end up paying them about $100 as the rig is pretty dirty by that time. We watch them work, too. Don't want anybody doing risky aerobatics on the roof. Bud likes to wash the B himself, but pays dearly for it with pain everytime.

[401nailhead]

I like the idea of supporting the kids, but I need to emphasize the point made above about the gritty rags. If you have a vehicle with a decent paint job, it is CRUCIAL to not let gritty rags be used for the main wash. Remember that grit can be near invisible. Rags pick up heavy grit when the previous car is washed on its lower potions and the wheels. That makes the rags like (stealth) sandpaper for the next vehicle. Imagine the horror of pulling into a carwash where they use obvious sandpaper to do the washes. If you use the charity wash with kids, just toss them several new or clean rags of your own (an additional donation), and ask that they clean starting at the top and ending at the bottom. It took me many years of obliviousness before I realized where all those swirls on my car hoods and trunks were coming from - my own lack of caution and tidiness.

[Johno02]

If Mother Nature doesn't want my Class A dirty, she will send rain to clean it. If not, it stays however she wants it. I don't want to make her mad. Of course, if DW thinks it need to be washed, it gets washed. I have learned not to make her mad either. The women stick together. I just duck whenever I see it coming.

[Fastpaddler]

OK. I have a B van Sprinter Plateau TS. I use a long handled brush with soap and clean it off and then spray it off. Easy. if I reach the stage I cannot wash my own Sprinter, then I will sell it and call a cab. Sure, you can use a truck self-wash place but it can be done by you/you most of the time unless you have a physical reason why not to do it My Sprinter is washed often.
AL

[Heapie]

Hi Folks,

I use two ways, the truck bay of a car wash, or in my yard.

I have a wash broom and use the new car wash which cleans and washes in one application. It is a cold wash a does a greatjob. For the roof, I use a medium step ladder, The wash/wax can be found in a car parts place like Auto Zone. Don't try the wash/wax solution at Dollar Tree. It does not work. It is truly amazing stuff.

Heapie

[Johno02]

I would let the kids do it, and pay them well for the job. Tell them what you want done, and how you want it done, and offer a good price to have them do it that way. There are a lot of good kids around trying to do good and raise funds for some reason or another. I would love to find a church group to do our class A, but worry about someone falling off the roof.

[drsolo]

When I bought my 1992 RVan in 2011 it was heavily oxidized. I took it to a portering service for vehicles, aka detailing service. What they did was amazing altho not cheap.

We have a Blue Beacon nearby which would be much cheaper for a quick wash between the yearly cleanup, but when I called and asked they said they dont do vans. Anyone actually go to a Blue Beacon and get a wash?

I think this next year I am going to have one of those "come to the campground" services to clean it up once I get there and see how it compares.

I guess I wouldnt trust a bunch of high school kids with gritty rags doing swirlies on my van.

[midnightsadie]

in our town every week end theres kids washing cars , I have them do ours , its a small C sprinter LTV freedom serenity. they even do my boat.