Keeping Model 3 clean in hard-to reach places

[GolanB]

In a video from earlier this month, @DirtyT3sla posted about his experience cleaning out dirt accumulation that formed above his aero shield in the rear of the Model 3. In his case, he removed about 15lbs of dirt (buildup from a year worth of driving across 6 miles of dirt roads a day) - and in one case I also saw online, another Model 3 in Canada accumulated several times more.

Aside from removing the panels or wheels from the car, has anyone had experience keeping these areas clean by running water through the trunk drainage channels?

Does anyone know whether or not this will reach the regions that build up dirt? If not, has anyone tried cleaning these areas out once their rear wheels are off? I remove them twice a year between summer/winter seasons and it may be a good time to get in there with a pressure washer.

URLs:

Dirty Tesla? Owner Finds 15 Pounds Of Dirt In His Model 3: Video
I found 15 pounds of dirt in my Model 3 (more info in comments) : cars
The Tesla Model 3 underbody is scooping up dirt and keeping it

 

[DirtyT3sla]

Thanks for the tag.

I got a lot of comments telling me I should regularly clean out that area, but it's easier said than done. I think you probably could get a hose back there without taking the rear tires off, but it wouldn't be super easy. Also, I'm not sure how much of the dirt would come out from just letting water flow in through the side...I guess I can be the guinea pig and test it in a few months when I have more dirt.

When the wheel is off, that opening is wide and easily accessible, so you could definitely do the cleanings at those times.

Whether you actually need to clean out this area other than for the sake of doing it...I'm not a professional, but I'm not sure there's a reason to do it. You can see my rear motor was still very clean (even tho it's sealed so it probably doesn't matter) and I don't think there's anything in that area to be hurt by the dirt.

Some were concerned about rusting from the dirt, and especially from road salt getting in there...I really don't have an opinion on that, but I'll be the first to let everyone know if I see it.

So far, the car looks awesome even after all my harsh driving. It's holding up really well!

 

[ZoomsansVroom]

Any suggestions for easier ways/tools to make it easier to clean the rear window?

 

[GolanB]

Any suggestions for easier ways/tools to make it easier to clean the rear window?

I've been using a silicone blade for cleaning the windows - I usually don't need to use them on the outside after a proper washing, but I do use them on the inside when they need to be cleaned. You can find them on Amazon for around 12 bucks - some merchants will sell 4 for that price. Most of the cleaning products I use I got from Chemical Guys. They've got really great stuff -- if you haven't seen their website, you might want to have a look. They've got tons of instructional videos online as well.

 

[KenC]

He did 6 miles of dirt road driving a day. How much do you do? I drive ¼ mile of dirt road a day, back and forth, so ½ mile total, and I just rotated my tires and looked into the rear undertray area from the wheel wells. And, the dirt was minimal. I also tapped on the plastic undertray near the bumper, to hear if there was an accumulation of dirt up there, and no, minimal.

If you rotate your tires, or swap out your all-seasons for snows, then, that's typically twice a year you take your rear tires off, so check then. More than that is unnecessary, imo.