How To Wash Your ATV
ATVs take you over dirt roads, muddy puddles and rocky mountain trails so it stands to reason that they get pretty dirty and grimy at the end of the day! Leaving all that debris caked to the machine can lead to rust and clog up vital engine components. It’s good to give your quad a proper scrub so it gets back to its gleaming good looks!
As your local ATV dealer in Lake Villa, IL, we at Nielsen Enterprises have rounded up some information to help you clean your four-wheeler properly. If you need professional ATV service and repair near Chicago or Milwaukee, our trained experts are always happy to be of help. We also have a wide selection of ATVs for sale!
Before You Start
Begin by selecting a place spacious enough for you to keep your four-wheeler and cleaning gear. You should also be able to move around freely so you don’t end up banging your head or stubbing your toe. You don’t want weeds and wild grass being added to your lawn so hose down your ATV in the driveway. Also hose down the sidewalk so the grime goes down the drain and not onto the street or a neighbor’s lawn!
Scrape and Soak
If there’s a lot of mud caked onto your ATV, you’re going to have to either scrape it off (without damaging the paint job!) or soak it to loosen it up. Use a plastic mud scraper to take off big chunks of dirt without leaving any scratches behind. You can also choose to hose down the quad and wash all the dirt off before you apply the soap.
Pressure Wash
If there’s some really stubborn dirt on your four-wheeler, a pressure washer will help get rid of it. You can choose from either a gas or an electric pressure washer; the former one will be a more powerful device. A hose and nozzle can also help you deal with stubborn grime if you don’t want to invest in a washer. You want to get most of the dirt off this way so you have less scrubbing to do by hand.
Add Soap and Scrub
Once the ATV is free from most of the caked-on dirt, it’s time to soap it up. Use a wash mitt or a sponge to apply some bike soap or automotive detergent to scrub your quad all over, from the wheels to the handlebar. To remove grime from nooks and crannies, you can use a stiff brush to help loosen and drag it out. Very oily areas can be handled with a degreaser. You just spray it on, scrub it and then rinse it off to remove any residue.
Dry it Off
If it’s hot enough outside, you can let the sun do its job of drying your ATV. If not, you can take it to the garage and wipe it off with a lint-free towel. An air compressor, if you have one, can blast water out of every crevice in your ATV and get it dry in no time, preventing rust and saving you the trouble of drying by hand.
Polish
Now that it’s clean, you have to give your ATV a good polish. A plastic polish can be sprayed over the quad and wiped down to give it that gleaming, new-vehicle shine. Avoid getting any polish on the seat as it can become slippery and make it harder for you to remain seated on your quad during a bumpy ride. Avoid lingering too long with the polish as you can end up rubbing it into the paint.
We hope these steps help you keep your four-wheeler looking clean and pristine! Of course, sometimes a vehicle needs something more than surface cleaning! If you’re looking for ATV service and repair in Lake Villa, IL, get in touch with us at Nielsen Enterprises and have a talk with one of our friendly technicians. We’re proud to be the chosen ATV dealer of our friends from Chicago and Milwaukee!