Detailing tips for winter?

[mcMike]

Hello,



First. I just hate those palms in the autopia-banner. Especially now when we have 10" snow on the ground :grinno:



Well, seriously. I started learning detailing about 6 months ago with my new car. It was spring and then summer. Everything was nice and easy. No raining during summer so only little bit PoorBoys QD for dust and the car was nice and shiny all the summer. Like just waxed. (SSR1 + EX-P + Natty Blue were good base).



Now the winter came in a little bit suprise (Like every year ) . It`s cold and snow everywhere. Can`t wash the car on the yard for next 4 months. Still I like to keep it relatively clean and PoorBoys QD seems to do good job but I don`t dare to use it for dirt. Too afraid of scratching the SSR1-polished clearcoat.



Would anyone like to share some winter-detailing tips? What`s your procedure and products? Or is there any other choice than automatic carwash + some QD afterwards?



Thanks.

[tsniemi]

I feel your pain, as I also happen to be living in Finland.



If you live in a decent size town, there should be DIY-bays at some gas stations. Those are the places I use to wash my car during cold weather. Some even have pressure washers, which are nice for pre-cleaning the car before washing by hand. Those DIY-bays are not exactly cheap, but a much better option than automatic washes, as the touchless washes won`t get rid of the winter-grime and the "soft-bristle"-swirl-o-matics, well.. not for me anyway.



EDIT: I wouldn`t want to use regular QD after a touchless wash, but maybe something like ONR would be good for the remaining dirt. I haven`t tried ONR myself, but I`d really like to give it a go. At this time of year though, I don`t want to order detailing stuff by mail and risk the products freezing during transport. Most of the waxes and polishes I have must be kept from freezing, don`t know about other products and I really don`t want to take the risk.

[Mark77]

Oh wow, two new Finns here, I thought I was the only one here :chuckle: Anyway :welcome to Autopia. There are many threads on ONR or QEW, I have both actually, but only use them every now and then since I can wash in our warm garage. There are many here that uses them in freezing weather, when a hose would be frozen. A DIY self place is great to get most of the dirt off before using ONR or QEW.

[tsniemi]

Oh wow, two new Finns here, I thought I was the only one here. Anyway welcome to Autopia.

:thx



I`ve been lurking here for a little over a year now, gathering knowledge and becoming hooked on better car care. It`d be nice to discuss such things as (good) locally available products or group buys or whatever with other Finnish Autopians. Anyway, back to topic.

[abbeysdad]

Winter can be tough!



I don`t know if they use salt on the roads in Finland like they do here, so you may be luckier.



Winter preparation begins with a good, durable LSP to protect the finish. I personally think the acrylics have an edge in this department. Klasse and Jeffs Werkstat come to mind. In any case, a good polymer base can be an advantage. I

am using the Klasse twins (AIO/KSG x3) but planning to top with Collinite 476S, I highly touted (for detergent resistance and durability) carnauba.



Once you have a good surface the key is keeping it clean without removing the protection. Sun, rain, snow, salt, sand and CAR WASHING all contribute to the slow removal of surface protection.

The detergents used at coin-op and touchless car washes are very strong and likely reduce the long term durability of any surface protection.



I plan on using Optimum No Rinse (ONR) for washing. I`ve only done it once (last week) but was VERY IMPRESSED. Instead of a bucket method, I mixed 1 gal of ONR mix (1oz ONR/gal) in a 1 gal pump sprayer (the kind sold for lawn and garden use). I filled my 5 gal wash bucket with warm rinse water. I sprayed the ONR mix a panel at a time and wiped with a wet (but not sopping) waffle weave MF, followed by a dry MF. I rinsed the wet towel as necessary and rotated in new towels as needed.

It was every bit as good as a wet wash `n dry and much quicker.



During the winter, if the finish is really dirty and/or it is very cold out, I will use my ONR spray at the local coin-op car wash instead of their soap wash. I`ll spray the vehicle with the ONR mix and use the `rinse` or `wax` setting instead of `wash` (so as not to use their harsh detergent).

Incidentally, ONR makes an excellent QD spray at 6oz/gal water.



Last, since I`ve heard such good things about it, I will augment my LSP with Duragloss Aquawax for an extra layer of shine and protection.

I`ll admit this is all probably overkill, but I`d rather invest the modest extra $money and time it takes to better ensure that I get through the winter with well protected paint.

[HenrikP]

Hey, Im a 16 yr old Finnish-American living here in Minnesota. I visit Finland everyother year. I browsed the stores there when I was out there and bought some Farecla products that seem to work pretty well. Is there any detail shops there in Helsinki because I was hoping to come out there and work at one next summer for about a month just for kicks.

[Mark77]

abbeysdad. They use salt here and a lot of it sometimes. Your plan sounds good, I have noticed that my paint looks quite dull after using the coin-op soap wash setting. I`ll try to avoid that, since I guess it removes the wax or LSP.



Henrik P. I have never even heard about Farecla, have to check it out

PM sent about detailing shops.

[mcMike]

Indeed nice to meet fellow Finns here !



And thanks for the tips for everyone. ONR? That`s some drywash stuff but is it from spesific manufacturer or just a common term? Is it available from Finland? Something like PoorBoys Spray and Wipe? (going to try that one next).



The first thing I noticed when I got hooked into detailing was the lack of good products in Finland. Well, we have now Zaino but they are quite expensive here. I was going to try it out during summer but the Finnish Zaino-store was closed over month at that time.



So I used and have been using UK motor-geek which I found to be very nice. They have very good range of products. The price is ok. And delivery very fast (2-3 days) and cheap for couple of products (2-4£). For bigger order the airmail is expensive. (5kg = almost 30£). However the ground-mail up to 30kg is also same 30£ so a group-order would be good if anyone is interested (I have few items on the list I`d need to order soon).

btw, tsniemi thats good tip about order and fear of frozing during delivery. Thanks.



What do you guys think about PoorBoys EX-P as base and topped with Natty Blue? Good for a winter or should I use something more durable? I don`t have experience yet for carnauba based product in wintertime.



We do have a DIY-bay which I plan to use during winter. The polet gives you 5 minutes washing time which isn`t even nearly enaugh. Usually I use an hour but I think I need to learn new procedure for winter. Quick wash in DIY-bay and then finish in carage propably.

[abbeysdad]

ONR = Optimum No Rinse wash `n shine - it is a product made by Optimum Polymer Technologies. (also makers of excellent polish, compounds and such). There are other similar products like QEW (Quick Easy Wash by Protect All). These products contain surfactants and lubricants that allow you to wash/wipe away dirt without scratching the finish. I spray on (1oz/gal water) and wipe off with a wet towel (that I keep rinsing) then follow with a dry towel - works VERY WELL. This would work well in conjunction with the DIY bay.

I think if you can keep it clean and augment with some spray wax you can `survive` winter.



I haven`t used it but believe that Poorboys EX-P is a very good polymer sealant. I don`t know much about Nattys Blue except many quite like it for shine, but I`m not so sure about [winter] durability - I think Collinite might be a better choice for that.



I am using Klasse AIO/SG right now but I`m interested in trying Jeffs Werkstat Acrylic Jet Trigger. But then I`ve heard great things about Duragloss (and amazing low cost) - but of course, I don`t have a clue as to products easily available in Finland - sorry.

[Suurje]

Hi there! Nice to have some Finns here, I thought I was the only one :lol



And as you might quess, I have also same problem as you do, but I found DIY-bays quite good. Here in Lahti at the local Neste-station I spent about 40 minutes washing my car and it cost me about 7 euros.



BTW. Where do you guys from Finland order you detailing products, because Zaino and Megs are the only quality-brands here.