How to wash in winter.

These noeprene gloves I have do come past my wrist by about 3-4". Have a big velro closure on the top of them to keep everything out.



They work awesome!!



MIKE
 
COBRyan said:
A little confused by your post :think:
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Just a play on words. We're taking about Winter with snow,ice and very cold temperatures.



If your in SoCal then your winters are probaly a little more rainy but certainly not like the northeast/midwest and such.



Sorry for the confusion.
 
thanks for the tips so far, still don't know what I'm going to do. that QEW sounds kinda crazy to me, i'm sure ti works good, but with dried road salt on my car, i definately need to be rinsing.
 
QEW works great in the winter. The trick is, if at all possible, to wash the salt/dirt off while there's still a bit of water (melted snow/slush) on the paint as well. That's when it's easiest to wash the salt off. If you allow it all to evaporate, then you'll be left with a dried layer of salt on the paint. That's not fun to wash off. :(
 
The more often you use QEW the more amazed you will be. At first you will be afraid to use it when the car is really dirty but after you try it and get more of a comfort level you just keep trying it when the car is a little dirtier and a little dirtier and you will continually be amazed at the job QEW does without marring the paint. If the car is really dirty I not only use the two bucket method but I change wash gloves two or three times. I do the wash in the garage with lukewarm water and it does not make any bigger mess than driving the car into the garage in a big rain.



The best part of QEW is the amazed looks of everyone else when the highs for the day are below freezing and you are driving around in a spotless car. It makes you feel very Autopian...
 
OutlawTitan said:
The best part of QEW is the amazed looks of everyone else when the highs for the day are below freezing and you are driving around in a spotless car.
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With dressed tires too! That's my favorite part of winter...driving around in a clean car with dressed tires, when every one else's car is covered in salt and mud, and the tires are a nasty gray color.
 
How messy is QEW in terms of spillage? The one How-To thread I saw with pics here made it look like a pretty sloppy operation. My problem is I live in a condo building with underground parking and bitchy neighbours just waiting for something to complain about so if I made a mess they would be all over me.
 
ChuChu said:
How messy is QEW in terms of spillage? The one How-To thread I saw with pics here made it look like a pretty sloppy operation. My problem is I live in a condo building with underground parking and bitchy neighbours just waiting for something to complain about so if I made a mess they would be all over me.
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I use QEW all year round, in my garage, and my floor never gets very wet (a few drops here and there).....



Here's my method.



1. Two buckets. One towel on floor to set the buckets on.

2. One with clear water, add QEW to the other.

3. Dip clean MF in the QEW water and wring out more than half the water.

4. Fold into quarters

5. Wipe one panel at a time, re-folding the MF after each stroke for a total of 8 strokes.

6. Rinse MF in the clear water bucket and WRING OUT DRY.

7. Re-dip in QEW and repeat process.

8. I don't dry the car after wiping with QEW, I just follow with QD after car is clean, takes 5 minutes.

9. Start top down, wheels last.



If the car is extremely dirty, I don't wring the MF as much, leaving more water to lubricate.



A lot of guys don't wring the MF at all, but I fail to see the point. I've never had a scratch using my method, even on a black car.



Good luck. PM me if you have any questions...... :2thumbs:
 
If you're really paranoid about water spillage, you could always lay old bath towels around the perimeter of you car and then throw them in the washer when your done, but that does seem excessive...... :nixweiss



Also...

That's my favorite part of winter...driving around in a clean car with dressed tires, when every one else's car is covered in salt and mud, and the tires are a nasty gray color.
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I love that!!!!! :chuckle: Expecially when your average-Joe who only washes his car in the Spring says.... "You're the only guy I know who keeps his black car clean in the middle of winter... how do you do that?"





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Yeah it's really not that messy. If you use the towels when they're soaking wet, of course you'll have a bit more water dripping off onto the floor. The amount of water on the floor is minimal after using QEW.
 
I use an adapter that replaces the aerator on my kitchen sink faucet. I then hook up a water hose to it.



Adapter.jpg
 
so where does all the dirt/salt go with the QEW? I'm starting to do detailing on the weekends on other peoples cars at my house, Is this going to be a safe method of washing in the winter for a clients car?
 
The dirt and salt go into the microfiber towel. Then you rinse the towel in the "rinse" bucket, and then dip it back into the "wash" bucket to pick up more clean soapy water solution.



And yes, it's perfectly safe to wash your car or anyone else's, if used properly.
 
I'm moments away from my first run with QEW.



3-car garage and I have a propane heater hooked to a BBQ grill. It's 25 in Chicago. I have hot and cold water in the garage, but no drain---but I do have a big squeege:)



What do you guys do about the wheel wells---especially in the rear? I worry about accumulated salt/debris that eats the paint and could lead to rust. I suppose I could saturate the area with the QEW solution, but there's so much crap in there, that I don't think it would work. I might blast it first with hot water. Same concern with the underside of the vehicle.



Anyway, in three weeks I'll have my real, forced air natural gas 45,000 BTU heater up and running. No more propane attachment on my BBQ grill tank.



Shumax
 
Honestly, I don't wash the wheelwells at all during the winter. That's what the touchless wash is for. I wash from the roof to the rocker panels, in several sections. Roof/hood/trunk, windows, top half of panels (above the side trim strip) and front bumper, and then finally the lower half of panels + rockers. Then I do the wheels and tires. I go quick and careless on the plastic wheel covers, because I really don't care if the wheel covers get scratched. They're so curbed from the previous owner that it doesn't make any difference.

I can't wait to put my alloys on in the spring. :)



I think a touchless wash is a good idea to run through at least a couple times per winter.
 
I agree w/White95Max. B4 I got a Electric PW and a garage w/170.000 BTU kerosene heater I used QEW but did make trips to the touchless wash by my house. I would use the self-wash bays to blast the wheels and wells and the panels.



Then pull over into the touch-less bay. Boy the looks I got.



I don't have a drain in my garage either but wash my car in there all last winter and whenever the weather doesn't cooperate in the warmer months.
 
MorBid said:
I agree w/White95Max. B4 I got a Electric PW and a garage w/170.000 BTU kerosene heater I used QEW but did make trips to the touchless wash by my house. I would use the self-wash bays to blast the wheels and wells and the panels.



Then pull over into the touch-less bay. Boy the looks I got.



I don't have a drain in my garage either but wash my car in there all last winter and whenever the weather doesn't cooperate in the warmer months.
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Yea, I'll still be taking my car to a touchless car wash at least once every two weeks as I do worry about the buildup in the rear wheel wells and the underbody. The place I take it to actually dries it for you too---though, not as good as I'd like it to be done :) I can say it never got scratched though, either.



You know, I have a gas powered power washer that I never even though to use. Perhaps I'll fire that beast up and blast the car and then QEW? Thoughts??



I'm going to dive into it this afternoon. Install the snow tires (michelin X-Ice) and then wash and Zaino her up. Too bad it's my wifes car, not mine. My Ford 500 company vehicle is washed by hand (me), but it's our daily runner when the roads are crappy---like right now.



Maybe I'll snap some pics while I'm in the process.



Shumax
 
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