Washing & maintaining high roofs

K

Kevinch

New member
The largest vehicles I've ever owned were a 1967 Chrysler New Yorker & a 1988 Mercury Grand Marquis; both of which I could maintain with my feet pretty much on the ground, or at most a step stool. We have our first SUV now.



How do you folks clean the high roofs & big hoods on large vehicles? I've seen the Flow-Through Boar's Hair Brush & Handle from Griot's; the MF mops, etc. Just wondering what might work for the members here before I get my wallet out.



Any suggestions? Thanks.....
 
I'm usually able to reach everything from a tall folding stool. I also have an aluminum platform from Lowe's that makes it easier to cover larger area. I feel it is important to be able to see what you are cleaning and actually feel it. Granted most people don't see the top of the vehicle, but that's why they are often neglected and the first place the paint fails. The ridges and valleys used for rigidity tend to hold a lot of water and dirt.
 
Even the standard sedan requires a stepstool in order to reach the middle of the roof. I have a stepstool, a small stepladder and a standard sized stepladder that I use to reach the roof areas of my truck and wifey's Edge. The Mustang is no problem...
 
For washing the roofs on my trucks and high sedans or SUVs I open the doors and stand on the doorsill, wash with the mitt with one hand and hang on to something inside with the other. Gives an opportunity to wash the jambs while the doors are open after I step down. For polishing I use the aforementioned Werner Work Platform from Lowe's.



Shop Werner Aluminum Portable Work Platform at Lowes.com



Handy and stable. DO stick the soft loop side of some velcro on the edges facing whatever you're working on.



TL
 
I hadn't considered a portable platform - thanks for the tip. Looks like I missed a good sale at Lowe's recently - $19 for the Werners!
 
Kevinch- I have five (yeah, five) of these: Amazon.com: Bauer 20900 Fold-N-Carry Work Platform: Home Improvement



BTW, I too had an old "C"-body MOPAR back in the day :D And until I got our minivan back in '01 I never had any tall vehicles either. I got my first work platform then, and added additional ones to make the whole thing go easier..ended up with five of 'em when I had the Yukon XLD.



I really don't see how people do the work without such stuff :confused: When inspecting a panel, I want to use all sorts of different viewing angles, and even with the platforms roofs can be challenging. And when it comes to washing, I want to take the same care to avoid marring as I do on the hood; just no way I could do that without the platforms. I need both hands free, and my body well-stabilized, to do my foamgun-centric wash techniques.
 
Kevinch said:
I've seen the Flow-Through Boar's Hair Brush & Handle from Griot's; the MF mops, etc. Just wondering what might work for the members here before I get my wallet out......
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I've had a couple of the flow-through BHBs from Griot's (a couple because I sent the first one back over a leaking swivel-joint).



It's the right idea, but....



-Like most (any?) good BHB, when used properly it's too gentle to get all the dirt off, so you still need to go back over things with a different wash medium (used like in the catalog pix it'd be a scratch-machine)

-If you could flow shampoo mix through it that'd be swell, plain water, eh...not so great

-It's a lot more awkward to use than I thought it would be, especially for doing high roofs/etc. where you're holding it way up in the air (and I'm in good shape so it's not some wimpy-kid issue)

-The current model (round) looks even smaller than the ones I've used (rectangular)

-The brush heads are made by, uhm....[thinking thinking]...maybe it's Braun. So you can get 'em a lot cheaper from other sources (not that I mind supporting Richard). As with all BHBs, gotta inspect *each and every one* for QC issues



Problems with the MF mops:



-Well, nothing that isn't also wrong with how most people wash cars anyhow I suppose (that means "that isn't how I'd want to wash anything!" but that's just me)

-Difficulty in rinsing, it can become a scratch-machine when soiled



I approach it this way- if I treat the roof of my SUV/etc. the same as I'd treat the hood of a showroom-new black Bentley, then it'll probably turn out OK. If I don't take that kind of precaution, then it'll end up all [messed] up and the only person who matters will see it every time I wash the thing.



If somebody doesn't care about the roof getting marred up, well...OK. In that case maybe the MF mop, *with multiple MFs to use on it* would be an OK approach. Hmmm...maybe with ONR, if one is a fan of that stuff.
 
Thanks Accumulatator, it seems that I can buy a couple of platforms for the price of a good brush & wand so that is probably what I'll try.



Bringing home a new vehicle in the middle of winter can be tough; although in this area (near the OH turnpike between Cleveland & Akron) we've had it relatively easy so far the weather is beginning to turn now. I'm limited on space - I keep telling my wife I have too much house & too little garage but I don't think she'll agree - so I will be trying ONR on this vehicle after removing major grime with fairly powerful touch-less near where I work. The garage is 2-car & does have a drain, but with all that's in there maneuvering a hose without damaging what you are working on is about impossible.
 
Kevinch- If you want the Bauer 20900 platforms that I linked to (and I'd sure get those- they're wide, relatively non-slip, very stable), you might have to look around (Amazon is always out of them). Check for the Bauer distributor in your area, I can't remember where it was (I think it was Wooster), but they gave me a price break when I bought a few at a time and drove down to get 'em.
 
Kevinch said:
I hadn't considered a portable platform - thanks for the tip. Looks like I missed a good sale at Lowe's recently - $19 for the Werners!
Click to expand...



Probably didn't miss anything. I went to 3 Lowe's before 6:30am and every one of 'em was out. Contractors swooped down early and scarfed 'em up.... one guy took the entire pallet of 200 at one store!



TL
 
Kevinch said:
Bringing home a new vehicle in the middle of winter can be tough; although in this area (near the OH turnpike between Cleveland & Akron) we've had it relatively easy so far.....
Click to expand...



Around Rt 8? Looked out the window lately? It's that time again... :sosad



TL
 
Do this sort of thing enough and no matter who you are or how carefully you go about it, some day you're gonna slip.



You folks considering something like the Werner ones at the big-box stores *REALLY* need to buy some friction media for their horizontal surfaces. Fall off one of those even once and your life might never be the same. And (relatively) smooth aluminum surfaces get mighty slippery, especially when there's something like car shampoo involved.



TLMitchell said:
You can't have too many...
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Ya know, that really is the truth! I too currently have a project sitting on one of mine. While they're a little low for the job, they make nice movable workbenches.



For doing the roofs, having enough of them means you don't have to climb up/down as often. And even with their nonslip surface, and good footwear, IMO every time you up/down in wet conditions you're taking a chance. With five of 'em I can just walk around even the largest SUV and I'm not tempted to really stretch or othewise get sloppy with my technique.
 
Accumulator said:
Do this sort of thing enough and no matter who you are or how carefully you go about it, some day you're gonna slip.



You folks considering something like the Werner ones at the big-box stores *REALLY* need to buy some friction media for their horizontal surfaces. Fall off one of those even once and your life might never be the same. And (relatively) smooth aluminum surfaces get mighty slippery, especially when there's something like car shampoo involved.
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Absolutely correct! I have an adhesive backed anti-skid on my Werner. Probably more essential than covering the legs etc to prevent scratches. Having multiple platforms is a good idea too. I found myself working towards the end and reaching more than I should and I thought "if I don't get my lazy *** down and move this thing I'm going to end up on my head."



What's the going rate for those Bauers? Every place that I see a listing says Out of Stock with no pricing. Bauer's site lists 'em for $262. They've gotta be available cheaper than that!





TL
 
TLMitchell- I forget what I paid for mine, but yeah...they're pricey. But I guess the fact that I can't remember the cost means they were worth it to me.



IIRC, they cut maybe 10-15% off when I bought a few direct at their warehouse. But there's no way around it, these things aren't cheap.



Speaking of Werner platforms, they used to make one *very* similar to the Bauer 20900. That's what I bought first, and I gotta say that it's better than the Bauers by any measure. Simply better build-quality. But they quit making them long ago, probably priced themselves right out of the market as it was even more than the Bauer ones.
 
TLMitchell said:
Around Rt 8? Looked out the window lately? It's that time again... :sosad



TL
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Sorry - I was away from the site for a couple of days & didn't see this. I'm close to Rt 8; actually in the Macedonia-Twinsburg area. And....I've got the snow-blower near the garage door!
 
Accumulator said:
TLMitchell- I forget what I paid for mine, but yeah...they're pricey. But I guess the fact that I can't remember the cost means they were worth it to me.



IIRC, they cut maybe 10-15% off when I bought a few direct at their warehouse. But there's no way around it, these things aren't cheap.



Speaking of Werner platforms, they used to make one *very* similar to the Bauer 20900. That's what I bought first, and I gotta say that it's better than the Bauers by any measure. Simply better build-quality. But they quit making them long ago, probably priced themselves right out of the market as it was even more than the Bauer ones.
Click to expand...



I see that Griot's sells one that is not quite as expensive as the Bauer but more than the Werner @ $150 (+$20 shipping). It seems like it might be a little "gimmicky" with an integral power strip, pivoting legs that turn it into a workbench with MDF top, etc. But it is rated at 500 Lbs, which is twice the rating on the less expensive Werner. Anyone ever seen one of these?
 
Kevinch said:
I see that Griot's sells one that is not quite as expensive as the Bauer but more than the Werner @ $150 (+$20 shipping). It seems like it might be a little "gimmicky"... But it is rated at 500 Lbs, which is twice the rating on the less expensive Werner...
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I bet I sound like a shill for Bauer, but anyhow...



Check the dimensions on that GG platform (and the Werner for that matter). I really do need at least four of the Bauer ones, so I can't imagine making do with anything smaller.



Yeah, that powerstrip/etc. seems gimmicky for what I usually use mine for and you'd have to run a cord to the platform anyway.



And finally, since I'm bashing it to pieces, the rating might not translate into the kind of functional stability that I consider optimal. And the pivoting legs sound like a potential for trouble of one kind or another (including user-error).



That reminds me, I *have* had to effect repairs on some of the Bauers; the somewhat flimsy leg locking clips aren't as firmly constructed as on my older Werner platform and I didn't perform the needed periodic maintenance (tightening/etc.) so I had to reaffix that part with newer/bigger/better hardware. Kinda ticked me off, considering what I paid.
 
Accumulator said:
I bet I sound like a shill for Bauer, but anyhow...
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No Accumulator - I appreciate the honest opinions & if you like the Bauer (as it is clear you do), I also appreciate the recommendation.
 
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