View Full Version : car wash in winter??
KENNYJG
12-03-2005, 04:36 PM
I have a 2000 Suburban, black and big. What do you all use for washing your car in winter? I can try to find a touchless car wash. Or I could use those wands at the car wash. Anyway to do a better job with the wands??
GregCavi
12-03-2005, 04:41 PM
I woudl do a little research on QEW. "quick easy wash" by protect all. This wash doesnt require a hose its just wash solution with mitt directly on paint, scary I know but it really works. Do alot of research to see what everyone is using, you will need alot of high quality mitts, and a heated garage woudl be great! What you can do prior to the QEW is go to a car wash and just use the wash wand to spray a majority of the salt and gunk off then drive home and do the qew.
Greg
CharlesW
12-03-2005, 04:46 PM
Any DIY or touchless wash I have ever used left quite a lot of dirt and road film on the vehicle. Enough that I wouldn`t want to run a drying towel over it.
Another concern is recycled water. Some wash places use it for economics, but some cities require it.
If you can find a place that uses fresh water, you can do it there and then remove the remaing dirt/film with Poorboy`s Spray & Wipe. I`ve been doing that for 2 or 3 years now with pretty good luck. You do need a place that can be heated to at least 40 or 50 degrees for the S&W to work good, at least IMO.
My garage isn`t heated, but I have a 90,000 BTU kerosene torpedo style heater that raises the temperature by 20 to 40 degrees in about 10 or 15 minutes.
Charles
Mikeyc
12-03-2005, 05:01 PM
I woudl do a little research on QEW. "quick easy wash" by protect all. This wash doesnt require a hose its just wash solution with mitt directly on paint, scary I know but it really works. Do alot of research to see what everyone is using, you will need alot of high quality mitts, and a heated garage woudl be great! What you can do prior to the QEW is go to a car wash and just use the wash wand to spray a majority of the salt and gunk off then drive home and do the qew.
Greg
Personally, I would love to try QEW myself. However, I don`t have anyplace warm enough to use it during the winter. I really have no interest in getting my hands wet when it`s 10*F out even with rubber gloves on it`s still terribly cold. So, I just go to a touchless wash. I don`t towel it off afterward. I just air dry because the wash doesn`t get all the dirt off. I have so much wax on the car the water just slides right off anyway at least for the first month or so.
Luster
12-03-2005, 05:15 PM
Personally, I would love to try QEW myself. However, I don`t have anyplace warm enough to use it during the winter. I really have no interest in getting my hands wet when it`s 10*F out even with rubber gloves on it`s still terribly cold. So, I just go to a touchless wash. I don`t towel it off afterward. I just air dry because the wash doesn`t get all the dirt off. I have so much wax on the car the water just slides right off anyway at least for the first month or so.
I use warm water for both the QEW water and the rinse water. It stays pretty warm for the 20 minutes that it takes to wash the car. And QEW gets the car MUCH cleaner than a self-service car wash.
Typical winter temps here range from lows 10`s to 20`s. Highs 20`s to 30`s.
I do have a garage, but if the sun is shining and it`s cold, I usually wash outside.
rabbi
12-03-2005, 05:33 PM
I wash mine with a wand until the temps. go above 40 then I hand wash it.
playloud
12-03-2005, 05:47 PM
What`s all this talk about changing how you wash your car because of Winter? Why change a thing just because of what month it is?
(Spoken like a true Southern California Punk)
70 degrees today.
KENNYJG
12-03-2005, 06:31 PM
Thanks guys. The only touchless place within 10 miles is too small for the Burb. I think I will do the wand wash and hand wash over 40 degrees like Rabbi. There is a wand wash place 2 minutes down the road. Better than nothing.
hammondc
12-06-2005, 09:33 AM
can anyone recommend (ouch, I know) a brush, sponge, mit `on a stick` that works well in the winter?
Luster
12-06-2005, 09:46 AM
http://us.st11.yimg.com/store1.yimg.com/I/autopia_1870_1292366
OXO Wash Brush (http://www.autopia-carcare.com/oxo-17007.html)
I have one of these... absolutely will not scratch. Use plenty of water/QEW and gently rub on the car surface. I`ve used it on black vehicles, and no scratching. Nice soft, tapered fibers.
This one might be better for winter....
http://store1.yimg.com/I/autogeek_1874_15611447
OXO Wash Brush (long handle) (http://www.autogeek.net/carwashbrush.html)
CharlesW
12-06-2005, 09:49 AM
can anyone recommend (ouch, I know) a brush, sponge, mit `on a stick` that works well in the winter?While I`m not going to recommend it, the Enterprise Car Rental place near me uses a Boar`s hair brush on a handle with Car-Brite products.
The employees, both male and female wash the vehicles in dress clothes using the brush, rinse it with a hose, wipe the windows with a water blade and they are finished with the exterior. No wiping down of the paint at all.
The vehicles look surprisingly good. Not great, but passable for normal folks Not nearly as swirled as I would have expected.
If you have an Enterprise rental near you, it might be worth your time to stop and see their process and results.
Charles
PhaRO
12-06-2005, 10:19 PM
I got my QEW in yesterday and used it today on the cars I did. I loved it. Don`t know why it works but it did. I`ve thought about using warm water when it was at or below freezing. My concern is shocking the glass and cracking it. Next would be heating the water while I`m out. Large aquarium heater might heat a gallon or two while I vacuum. Other idea was to wrap my generator muffler in copper tubing and put quick connect on it for my hose. Should be enough to heat the water up.
Luster
12-07-2005, 08:10 AM
If you get your warm water from the inside tap, it should stay pretty warm for the 20 minutes that it takes to wash the car, with no attempt to re-warm.
budman3
12-07-2005, 08:35 AM
I drove to a clients house about 15 minutes away when the temps were in the teens, unloaded, turned a small heater on and then began the QEW wash and the water was still steaming. I used hot hot water because I knew of the freezing drive but it works fine.
AlfaEric
12-07-2005, 10:02 AM
Personally, I would love to try QEW myself. However, I don`t have anyplace warm enough to use it during the winter. I really have no interest in getting my hands wet when it`s 10*F out even with rubber gloves on it`s still terribly cold. So, I just go to a touchless wash. I don`t towel it off afterward. I just air dry because the wash doesn`t get all the dirt off. I have so much wax on the car the water just slides right off anyway at least for the first month or so.
Go buy yourself a pair of dishwashing gloves.
I have a friend with an office that has a hose in the basement garage so we can wash our cars through the winter. Unfortunately, the water is really cold. I picked up a pair of dishwashing gloves and can`t feel the cold water anymore. :)
---Eric