First, thoroughly wash the entire vehicle top to bottom, inside and out.  Not to make it look pretty, but to get rid of the major mud and grime.  Start at a coin-operated car wash.  Using the high-pressure sprayer, wash off as much of the caked-on mud as you can, from the exterior body, engine, and especially the undercarriage.   Clean your Hi-Lift jack also at this time, if it’s mounted outside of your vehicle.  After you’re finished washing, use the last few minutes on the sprayer (or add more money, if needed) to clean up the wash bay.  This will help to improve the public’s perception of our sport.  Back home, pull the interior drain plugs and use the lower-pressure garden hose to spray out the tub (I don’t have any carpet).  Jeep claims you can hose out the entire interior.  But I only do the floor and cargo area.   The dash and seats I just wipe down with a damp cloth.  Next, pull off the wheels and tires, and the rear brake drums.  Clean the brakes really good and the rest of the underside that you couldn’t get to with the wheels on.

With everything clean, it’s easier to spot any damage you may have sustained on the trail.  Concentrate on the underside and the drive train: U-joints, differentials, drive shafts, steering components, shock mounts, etc, etc.  Also check for any fluid leaks.  Before reinstalling the wheels, carefully inspect them for damage, such as dents in the rims, cuts or punctures in the tires, and especially the condition of the beads.  With your tires aired down on the trail, it’s easy to get mud or other debris jammed in between the tire and wheel, causing a slow leak.  You can usually scrape most of the stuff out with a flat-head screwdriver.  But if the bead was broken and air is already leaking, you may have to remove and remount the tire on the wheel (Wal-Mart charged me about $6 last time I needed this done).  Put a little grease in each lug nut and reinstall the wheels.  Speaking of grease, don’t forget to lubricate your Hi-Lift jack with some light oil.

If you used your winch during the ride, pull out the cable and hose it down.  Wipe off any excess dirt and water with a clean rag.  Do not lube the cable, however, as that will attract dirt and shorten the life of the cable.  Rewind the cable under load so that it’s wrapped tight and straight on the spool.  What I do is hook the winch cable to the back of our van, start up the Jeep and put it in Neutral, then winch myself in.  For best results, find a hill to winch your Jeep up, so the cable wraps up good and tight.  By the way, remember to wear gloves to protect your hands whenever you handle a winch cable!