winter detailing

[devilsown]

hey all,

now that it`s getting cold up here in michigan i am starting to close the garage door and turn on a propane heater when i wash and detail my car. I try to get the garage toasty warm before i start washing so the car`s panels are freezing cold and then i use warm water when i wash so i don`t freeze my hands off. my question is what do you all think of this? i`ve heard never to use anything other than cold water, but man, when it`s 20 out, i can`t take it. Also, as long as my garage is warm do you think it`d be ok to do a few coats of zaino as long as the panels are warm as well?

[Detailing NY]

sounds good to me, just dont make it to hot.

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PLEASE REMEMBER NOT TO DETAIL YOUR CAR INSIDE THE GARAGE WITH THE DOOR CLOSED AND THE CAR RUNNING

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[devilsown]

of course not with the car running, i even keep the garage door up about an inch to let the water run out and for ventalation. In time i`m gonna run a gas line out there and hang a heater up in the corner to i can stop going to the hardware store to refill my propane. I also need the heater because eventually I want an acura nsx and i`ll keep that baby nice and warm for the winter.

[imported_jenn1270]

Hey dnyhof could you tell me a little bit about your heater? Like how long it takes to heat up your garage? What size garage do you have ? And what make & model you have? and any other things that would be helpful in choosing a good heater for the garage ...thanks



GRT

[devilsown]

well to be honest with you i have no clue. i "borrowed" it from my dad who has a kerosene one he uses that looks like a jet engine. mine is not like that, its still like a cylinder but one that is up on end and more or less a fire is at the bottem that blows air up. there is a cover at the top of it that`s maybe 3-4 inches off of the the vertical edges of the cylinder. then depending on how far you open the gas valve dertermines how big ur flame is and how hot you make the garage. my garage has no insulation and i can get it really hot. i have a feeling its overkill but it works for me. plus it was free.

[Scottwax]

I am sure glad it doesn`t regularly get that cold in the Dallas area...now if someone would turn off the damn faucet so it would stop raining here...:mad:



Anyway, I still work all winter detailing and have polished and waxed cars when the temps are in the low 30`s. Very uncomfortable, but I have some noeprene rubber gloves that I wear with some smaller knit gloves underneath, so my hands don`t get too cold, but I also lose some sense of touch.



If you can warm your garage into the 50`s or so, you shouldn`t have any problems, other than maybe longer drying times for Zainos.

[Detailing NY]

Originally posted by Scottwax

[B If you can warm your garage into the 50`s or so, you shouldn`t have any problems, other than maybe longer drying times for Zainos. [/B]



Hey scott, I think it is pretty funny that we think because it hits the 50`s we can detail. Some people on autopia have never seen 50 degree weather. If the winter was only 50 degrees, i would be so happy.

Lets hope for 50 degrees or warmer, except on out days off, then let it snow, turn to slush. That comes out to more car detailing.

[Scottwax]

Originally posted by NY detailer

Lets hope for 50 degrees or warmer, except on out days off, then let it snow, turn to slush. That comes out to more car detailing.



Uh, lets not! Honestly, with all the lawn sprinklers spraying the streets, dust and tree sap, I don`t need any inclement weather to dirty the cars. Besides, they use sand around here and the cars are really nasty. I guess I am lucky in that Dallas winters are pretty moderate compared to much of the country and that the people here seem to get so much of their self esteem from their cars that they want them tip top all the time, which is more business for me!