Winter washing - what to do?

[Accumulator]

This then [raises] the question - if you are in a cold snap withh weather at best in the 20`s for the forseeable future and you don`t have access to a heated garage of even a "touchless" wash, do you week a few more weeks hoping to get a 40 degree day or bring it to a "better" auto car wash and let it air dry or use my own MF cloths? (Have a coating (Nanolex))on for some months now. Would it damage/remove the coating?

I`m the wrong guy to ask as that situation is pretty unimaginable to me; under those conditions I`d rent a car or something.

BUT, OK...back in the early `80s when I got serious about my education and quit playing with stuff like cars, I bought something boring/reliable and just ran it through carwashes. Yes indeed, "wash-induced marring" something awful. I just traded it in that way after getting my Bachelor`s, and the dealer who took it thought it looked great, marring and all. IME, nobody outside Autopia gives [two hoots] for swirls/scratches/etc.

Now OTOH, if you really do *care* about the vehicle in question, that`s a whole `nother ballgame and a challenging one indeed! I`d rent something until conditions improved, or find a local Pro. Pricey solution that I`m sure isn`t right for many people, but I honestly see it as a no-win situation where you simply have to rank your priorities.

This topic does make me think of how every home I`ve had, even which state/region I`ll live in (or not), was chosen with my vehicles firmly in mind. The tail has indeed wagged my dog in that regard

[skibik]

I don`t mean to sound like a total butt wad but I think you are taking detailing way to serious. I say this because I was in the same boat winter of 2012/13 and then winter of 2013/14 before I realized I was getting way too serious trying to keep my Camaro clean. I never treated any of my past vehicles this nice and of course my intentions were to not drive this car in winter. Well for me owning two cars just doesn`t make sense so I was going above and beyond to make it look nice this time of the year. It is almost impossible and I have succumbed to accepting it as it is. My last car, a 2004 Monte Carlo, got washed at a wash when it was warm enough, we are talking at least 15F. Never got polished but got waxed about twice a year. Sure it had swirls but it didn`t like this black does. When I traded that car off I cleaned up up and it actually looked quite nice after 8 years and not a spot of rust.

It has now been at least 4 weeks since it has been washed and was hoping to get it through the car wash tomorrow but the highs that were predicted last weekend for this week went south and tomorrows high will be around -5F. Looks like another week before it sees the car wash as I certainly hate standing outside trying to dry door jams at -5F. I certainly have lapsed this year on detailing it. The car has not seen wax in a year, more my fault being burned out on making this black thing look nice. I was going to get a coating on last October but thanks to someone back into my car and knocking a hole in the bumper and scraped the fender I did not get around to waxing or coating it. I am actually still waiting after 3 months to hear from the shop when they are going to fix it(small town and only one or two shops within 80 miles to do it). Spring it will get a full polish(first in 3 years) and wax and it will like like new, provided the front end is fixed by then. Then it will be time to trade it off for a brighter color that doesn`t show the nasty stuff so much and one that I don`t are about this time of year.

There is an alternative, buy a vehicle that has been through the ringer that still runs good and drive it through the winter.

Again if I sound like an ass that really is not my intention.

[nickclark08]

I have no advice - just popped in to say you guys are making me feel bad for not washing my car in temps below about 50-55 haha. I hate being cold.

[skibik]

You are just living too far south!. My drive to work this morning at 6:30 was a calm and cool -29F. It wasn`t all that bad but that was because there was absolutely no breeze.

[Accumulator]

I don`t mean to sound like a total butt wad but I think you are taking detailing way to serious. ...Again if I sound like an ass that really is not my intention.

If ya spend enough time here, it`s very easy to take this stuff too seriously. Heh heh, it`s also easy to sound like a [jerk] to other Autopians, on both sides of this particular fence...I kinda feel like I do it (and I seem to argue both sides too!) all the time.

[TheMeanGreen]

If the water has the ability to freeze in the hose, it`s too cold.

[bob m]

Well, I have my solution at hand. I called the detailer who placed XPEL and Nanalex coating on my Allroad last year- Phil at Detailers Domain (NJ) and made an appointment to have him hand wash the car. Yep, it`s an hours drive and about an hour wait but will at least get the last month`s salt and dirt off the car.

[skibik]

Left work an hour early and it was still about -10F. Dead calm and actually felt quite nice since the sun was out. I was looking at the touchless car wash on the way by going to get groceries, one in the stall but I just could do it. I might take a road trip on Sunday and it is supposed to be in the mid 20`s so might have to find a touchless where I am going and get it done, I might even settle for a soft touch since it has had a month to set in. We have a few nice days coming then single digit and light snow coming in the forecast so it might be a waste of time also.

[mobiledynamics]

Off topic ....SO, looks like we might have a stint of warmer weather starting mid week. Hopefully the forecasted rain on next Friday will wash away some of the dust/salt/etc that is in the air/and streets !


What are ya`ll using for your heavy winter washes.
Ahh, decisions, decisions.

I think for the salt crusted one where I can`t even make out my license plate, I`m digging out the AF Avalanch to give it another round of testing again
For sure, Reset for the post pre-wash.

[MattPersman]

Left work an hour early and it was still about -10F. Dead calm and actually felt quite nice since the sun was out. I was looking at the touchless car wash on the way by going to get groceries, one in the stall but I just could do it. I might take a road trip on Sunday and it is supposed to be in the mid 20`s so might have to find a touchless where I am going and get it done, I might even settle for a soft touch since it has had a month to set in. We have a few nice days coming then single digit and light snow coming in the forecast so it might be a waste of time also.

Ran mine through the wash around lunch time yesterday it was 4 degrees out my MF I was using to get any remaining water off it and the door jams was getting frozen lol. But it looked great


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[mobiledynamics]

But it looked great


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Heh. Indeed. Even a mildly dirty car looks amazing FRESH AND CLEAN against bright white snow backdrop. Well, give it 10 minutes and then the airborn salt seems to have some weird affinity to a clean static paint ;-)

[Accumulator]

Even a mildly dirty car looks amazing FRESH AND CLEAN against bright white snow backdrop.

Exactly!

I *just now* finished giving the Tahoe another Pressure Washer Rinse, not doing one of my washes until it really needs it.

PW with regular (softened/filtered) water. PW again with Deionized water. Hit the areas that still looked filthy with the Tornador (filled with Distilled water, just used that rather than switch to Deionized). Blew most of the water off with the Air Wand and did a cursory follow up with the compressor. Wiped the running boards and pebble-grained trim with ONR (not wasting my IUDJ on this) and did the exterior glass (GG PFMs for Glass, Christmas gift from Accumulatorette, work *great*). Vacuumed and wiped the Floor Liners. Wiped the door seals with ONR, left them open so things`ll dry better/OK. Done in under 90 minutes thanks to working FAST; it was hard, constant-motion work, but the thing looks OK so worth it IMO. No, it`s not nearly Autopian, but it`s Best SUV in the Parking Lot for my area at present.

When I finally *do* give it a Real Accumulator-style Wash it`s gonna be a brutal task playing catch-up, but I`ve been getting by with just this kind of thing for an incredibly long time while reserving my resources for the Audis, which get washed properly every time.

[Nizmo]

Maybe I`m not as picky as I used to be, or have gotten lazy, but during the winter time it is the automatic touchless for me. Living in the area I do there`s pretty much a constant salt layer on the mountain from late November to early March. I`m not dragging my wash stuff out of the basement, fill the buckets with warm water in the tub, etc. if it`s going to be slightly salty the next drive. The S10 I`ll grab some quarters and use the self serve bay. I`ll double layer so I can kneel on the concrete to blast underneath (I get some strange looks for that...). The car wash in the town I work in has a desalt solution that is great for that. Sure it`s a little rusty underneath already, but why create more? Right now with temps around 5° to 15° nothing is getting washed. The company truck is annihilated with salt and muck (thanks PA Turnpike...), but washing it will only freeze the thing solid. You guys that will wash outside around 20° to 30° my hats off to you, I guess I`m not that dedicated anymore.

[Accumulator]

Nizmo- As I often post..."Life is not a car show". And/but you`re really doing right by that S10.

[mobiledynamics]

I`ve never tried just a HP rinse. Maybe this friday and well - in staying with the touchless theme, HP rinse and then blown dry ?
Is the HP rinse sufficient enough to actually remove some of the -juice- that is on the car - aka, think of a black car that looks silver, as a example.

IME, even HP water on trim won`t remove the white off trim. I have to test it with paint. I do know that once water hit`s the paint, the salt does create a exothermic reaction, and the panels do get hot and drys whatever moisture/liquid is on the paint . Almost, but not akin, to washing in the sun. Hence, in salt crust, I do foam just to keep as much moisture going on then just straight water.