Heavy-duty truck repair doesn’t just mean the mechanical components of your vehicle. No, according to Mach 6 Truck & Heavy Equipment Repair also includes maintaining the look of your vehicle. While it might not be as hard as a wheel alignment, fluid change or tune-up, cleaning your vehicle is an important step in a complete preventative maintenance program.
But, the world of heavy-duty truck repair and cleaning has many cleaning solution manufacturers. There are specialty products for wheels, interiors, seats, dashboards, tires, truck beds, lights and just about every other component in your vehicle. But are these specialty products necessary? Are all-purpose products really “all-purpose?” What cleaners should you use for your heavy-duty truck?
Let’s take a look at the answers to these questions.
Exterior Cleaning Solutions
It’s important to be realistic about your heavy-duty truck repair and cleaning products, especially for your vehicle’s exterior. What we mean by this is that cars, trucks and every other automobile will get dirty over time. That’s just the way it is. So, while it is an excellent idea to keep your vehicle looking fresh and clean, it may not be worthwhile to ensure every component is meticulously maintained.
Instead, it is easier, faster and more environmentally-conscious for you to use a single cleaning product for your truck’s exterior. One of our favourite products is the THU100 Thunderbolt solution available from Ver-tech. It foams up nicely and comes with a handy spray tool. However, if you are looking for a more environmentally friendly choice, consider Chemical Guys Citrus Wash.
Interior Cleaning Solutions
Cleaning the interior of your truck does actually require a few more steps. After all, there are several different materials inside your vehicle, like fabrics, plastics and metals. For the fabrics, we recommend any aerosol air freshener or a fabric cleaner. If the interior smells like tobacco smoke, this spray from Dakota Products may help.
When it comes to cleaning your dashboard, cup holders, steering wheel and other plastics, there are several good options available. A product with consistently high reviews is Mothers Protectant. You may also want to look at leather cleaning kits if your upholstery is made of the material.
Specialty Cleaners
As we mentioned above, the specialty cleaner market can really get out of hand. Still, that doesn’t mean there aren’t good tools or products to be had here, for example, a clay bar. These miracle devices are great for removing fine particulate from the outside of your vehicle and do a pretty good job on the headlights/ taillights as well.
Additionally, you may be wondering about the best ways to clean the area under the hood. Now, you don’t want to get out of hand here, but a good degreaser can make a world of difference for the hood’s interior and other safe surfaces.
As a closing note, try to avoid products that seem to reinvent the wheel. We don’t mean to shame them exclusively, but we are talking about the “cleaning mitts” and “microfibre cloths.” If you are maintaining a classic car for a car show, these might have some value, but for the rough and rugged world of big trucks, they simply get in the way.