Landau Bar Cleaning & Maintenance

Keep your G. Burns removable landau bars looking their best with simple routine cleaning and proper care. This guide covers how to clean your bars, how to handle them when washing your vehicle, and how to protect them for long-term use.

Cleaning & Maintaining Removable Landau Bars

G. Burns Removable Landau Bars are designed for long-term use on hearses, SUVs, vans, and other funeral vehicles. Routine cleaning helps remove road dirt, water spots, fingerprints, and other buildup while maintaining the finish and appearance of the bars.

For best results, we recommend occasionally removing your landau bars from the vehicle for cleaning. This makes it easier to clean both sides of the bars, clean the vehicle glass behind them, and inspect the mounting hardware before reinstalling.

Important: Remove Landau Bars Before Automatic Car Washes

Always remove your landau bars before entering an automatic car wash, including touchless car washes. Concentrated water pressure and automatic washing equipment can place unnecessary stress on the landau bars and mounting hardware.

The adhesive fasteners can remain installed on the vehicle while the bars are removed.

Avoid Direct Water Pressure on the Fasteners

When hand washing or rinsing your vehicle, avoid directing concentrated water pressure at the adhesive fasteners or underneath their edges.

This is especially important when using a pressure washer or high-pressure spray nozzle. Aim the water away from the fasteners rather than spraying them directly.

What to Avoid

For routine cleaning and maintenance, avoid:

  • Abrasive pads, brushes, or coarse towels

  • Harsh chemicals or abrasive cleaning products

  • Scraping or aggressively rubbing dried dirt from the finish

  • Polishing a heavily soiled bar before removing loose dirt and grit

  • Direct high-pressure water on the adhesive fasteners

  • Overtightening the acorn nuts when reinstalling the bars

How to Clean Your Landau Bars

  1. Remove the landau bars from the vehicle. Leave the adhesive fasteners installed on the glass. Removing the bars makes it easier to clean the front, back, and edges while also giving you access to the vehicle glass behind them.

  2. Remove loose dirt and heavy residue first. Before polishing, gently remove road dirt, dust, grit, and other buildup. If needed, use water and a mild soap with a clean microfiber towel for this first cleaning step.

  3. Dry the bars completely. Use a clean microfiber towel to dry the surface before applying a polish or protectant.

  4. Clean, polish, and protect the finish. We recommend Blackline Vionyx Ceramic Protectant for all G. Burns landau bar finishes. Apply a small amount with a clean microfiber towel according to the product directions, then buff the surface to a clean, polished finish. Other automotive-safe polishes may also be used when appropriate.

  5. Clean the vehicle glass. With the bars removed, clean the glass behind them and gently clean around the installed fasteners.

  6. Inspect the mounting hardware. Check the fasteners, washers, acorn nuts, and other removable hardware for wear or damage before reinstalling the bars. Replace any hardware as needed.

  7. Reinstall the landau bars. Once the bars, glass, and hardware are clean and dry, reinstall the bars. Tighten the acorn nuts only enough to securely hold the bars in place. Do not overtighten.

Use a Clean Microfiber Towel

We recommend using a clean, soft microfiber towel when cleaning, drying, polishing, or protecting your landau bars. Avoid paper towels, shop towels, coarse rags, or anything that may contain trapped dirt or grit that could affect the finish.

Always start with a clean towel. If a microfiber towel has been used on wheels, tires, or heavily soiled exterior surfaces, use a fresh towel for your landau bars.

Protecting & Polishing Your Landau Bars

Once dirt, road grime, and other residue have been removed, the landau bars can be polished and protected.

Our recommended option is Blackline Vionyx Ceramic Protectant for Landau Bars & Funeral Vehicles. We recommend Vionyx for all G. Burns landau bar finishes as an easy way to add protection, enhance shine, repel water, and help make future cleaning easier.

For best results, apply Vionyx to a clean, dry, and cool surface. Use a light application, allow a slight haze to develop, and buff the surface with a clean microfiber towel.

Other automotive-safe polishes and protectants may also be used when appropriate for the finish. Always follow the product manufacturer's instructions and avoid harsh or abrasive products.

Winter & Harsh-Weather Maintenance

Landau bars exposed to winter driving, road salt, moisture, or frequent outdoor conditions may need to be cleaned and protected more often.

Do not allow heavy road salt, grime, or other residue to remain on the bars for extended periods. Clean buildup as needed, dry the bars thoroughly, and reapply a protectant periodically based on vehicle use, weather exposure, and washing frequency.

Regular maintenance is especially important for funeral vehicles that are driven throughout the winter or stored outdoors.

Inspect Your Landau Bar Hardware

Cleaning is also a good time to inspect the mounting hardware. With the landau bars removed, check the adhesive fasteners, washers, acorn nuts, and other hardware for visible wear or damage. Make sure everything is secure and in good condition before reinstalling the bars.

The adhesive fasteners can remain installed on the vehicle during normal removal and cleaning. Do not reuse an adhesive fastener removed from the glass.

Replacement fasteners and landau bar mounting hardware are available from G. Burns when needed.

Shop Landau Bar Hardware

Landau Bar Cleaning & Maintenance FAQs

  • For routine cleaning, first remove loose dirt, road grime, and other residue with a soft microfiber towel. If needed, use water and a mild soap for the initial cleaning. Once the bars are clean and dry, apply a suitable automotive-safe polish or protectant.

    We recommend Blackline Vionyx Ceramic Protectant for cleaning, polishing, and protecting all G. Burns landau bar finishes.

  • We recommend Blackline Vionyx Ceramic Protectant for all G. Burns landau bar finishes. It can be used after the initial cleaning to help enhance shine, add protection, repel water, and make future cleaning easier.

    Other automotive-safe polishes and protectants may also be used when appropriate for the finish.

  • Yes. We recommend Blackline Vionyx Ceramic Protectant for all current G. Burns landau bar finishes, including polished stainless steel and our powder-coated finishes.

  • For a more complete cleaning, yes. Removing the bars gives you access to the front, back, and edges of each bar while also making it easier to clean the vehicle glass behind them.

    The adhesive fasteners can remain installed on the glass while the bars are removed.

  • Yes. Always remove your landau bars before entering an automatic car wash, including touchless car washes.

    The bars can be removed while leaving the adhesive fasteners installed on the vehicle.

  • Use caution around the mounting hardware. Avoid directing concentrated high-pressure water at the adhesive fasteners or underneath their edges.

    When using a pressure washer or high-pressure spray nozzle, direct the water away from the fasteners rather than spraying them directly.

  • Clean your landau bars as needed based on vehicle use, weather exposure, storage conditions, and washing frequency.

    Vehicles exposed to road salt, winter weather, frequent rain, outdoor storage, or heavier road grime may require more frequent cleaning and protection.

  • Yes. Removing the bars for cleaning is a good opportunity to inspect the adhesive fasteners, washers, acorn nuts, and other mounting hardware for visible wear or damage.

    Replace any damaged or worn hardware before reinstalling the bars.

  • The fasteners can remain installed on the vehicle when the landau bars are removed for cleaning. However, once an adhesive fastener is removed from the glass, it should not be reused.

    Replacement fasteners and mounting hardware are available from G. Burns.

  • Landau bars exposed to road salt, moisture, snow, and winter road grime should be cleaned more frequently. Remove buildup as needed, dry the bars thoroughly, and periodically apply a protectant to help maintain the finish.

    Regular cleaning is especially important for vehicles driven throughout the winter or stored outdoors.