Preparing a car from the South for the North

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FLAteam

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My friend has a silver 2003 Mazda 6 and it has been in Florida for all its life. He's decided to move to Rhode Island and I told him that he's gonna need to do a bit more than wax his car with normal old turtle wax.



What do you think he should do to protect his car from the snow, salt, etc?



Thanks.
 
Collinite Intensive Wax 845.



EDIT: Whoops, I need to brush up on my acronyms too LOL. I have Collinite's Fleetwax. I have no idea where I got the word "intensive". I'm an idiot
 
Allow me to decode...



Collinite Insulator Wax #845 - well known for its durability, although I can't comment from direct experience.



I did the opposite just recently, but the combination of Klasse All-In-One (AIO) and Four Star Ultimate Paint Protection (UPP) helped me survive the northern winters. I'd hit my car with Four Star's Ultimate Paint Protections Spray (UPPS) about once a month to keep the durability going.



There's a lot of choices out there to beat the northern weather. Do a search on "durability" and you'll probably come up with a treasure trove.
 
Remove the 01 on the doors and confederate flag on the roof :)



Waxing with Collinite 845 is an excellent place to start - advise your friend to wax in the doorjambs and wheels (esp lug nut area) as those areas can become rust traps in the northeast. Also, he should touchup any spots that are through the primer (bad rock chips, key scratches, etc) as they will rust out very quickly and bubble the surrounding paint.
 
wow, you guys really use the hardcore stuff...i've never touched the professional stuff and he's never gotten past turtle wax. I think rust is the biggest scare for him (at least I think it should be).
 
Undercoat everything possible under the car. Keep it washed and waxed. Thats the biggest thing, keep the salt off and it will survive. You also want to tell him that the underside is just as important as the paint up there. Just cause you're taking care of the clear coat doesn't mean its not rusting thru on the other side. I grew up in the ocean state and have seen new cars turn to rust in only a few years. Also throw some of that rustproofing greasy stuff inside the enigine bay areas and have some of it sprayed inside the doors,etc.. Undercoat the wheel wells too. Anything you can think of, do it.



And depending on what area he is moving to he might want to install some better(aftermarket) shocks. The road up there are terrible. It will make for a better ride.
 
Collinite isn't too far on the "pro-stuff" scale, it's very user friendly and inexpensive. It's only really common among "old-timers" as far as the consumer car market goes (I haven't met anyone off the street under 35 who wasn't *sure* that Meguiar's consumer line was the best stuff money could buy), but it's the gold standard among boaters. Many Collinite products are available at local boating stores - and if they don't stock it, they can almost certainly order it for you.



One of the weirdest things about "pro-grade" products is that they are often cheaper and easier to use than the consumer stuff with better results - try putting Meguiar's Deep Crystal #1 and 2 up against #80 and you'll see what I mean. No unusual care is necessary with many pro-grade products (although there are some caveats, mainly in compounds and wheel cleaners). The only caveat with Collinite is not to apply it in direct sun, you *will* regret it - it'll probably take bug and tar remover to get it off.



One of the biggest advantages of 845iw is that it doesn't stain trim - something that very few consumer products can claim. It's always eluded me why Collinite doesn't revamp their marketing to hit end level consumers and sell smaller sized bottles that don't come with 1950's era labeling - 845 is packaged like it's a forgotten anachronism, but it outshines and outlasts the vast majority (if not all) of the products that I see at Walmart, Advance Auto, etc. If they played their cards right, they could *own* the consumer wax market. Same goes for Duragloss.
 
Yeah I wish Collinite would market towards a broader consumer base. I just took a trip to West Marine today and couldn't even find Collinite 925. They had 855 (or whatever is the 476 equivalent) but that wasn't what I wanted.
 
For durability Collonite seems to be fairly popular, although I prefer 476 over 845. Sealants would be good too I would wager. I used a KAIO/SG combo for our truck, Olds, and my car and all of them lasted through winter up here in Canada, with just receiving washing from the local wand wash (generally not too easy to do the 2 bucket method in -30 :P)
 
themightytimmah said:
Collinite isn't too far on the "pro-stuff" scale, it's very user friendly and inexpensive. It's only really common among "old-timers" as far as the consumer car market goes (I haven't met anyone off the street under 35 who wasn't *sure* that Meguiar's consumer line was the best stuff money could buy), but it's the gold standard among boaters. Many Collinite products are available at local boating stores - and if they don't stock it, they can almost certainly order it for you.



One of the weirdest things about "pro-grade" products is that they are often cheaper and easier to use than the consumer stuff with better results - try putting Meguiar's Deep Crystal #1 and 2 up against #80 and you'll see what I mean. No unusual care is necessary with many pro-grade products (although there are some caveats, mainly in compounds and wheel cleaners). The only caveat with Collinite is not to apply it in direct sun, you *will* regret it - it'll probably take bug and tar remover to get it off.



One of the biggest advantages of 845iw is that it doesn't stain trim - something that very few consumer products can claim. It's always eluded me why Collinite doesn't revamp their marketing to hit end level consumers and sell smaller sized bottles that don't come with 1950's era labeling - 845 is packaged like it's a forgotten anachronism, but it outshines and outlasts the vast majority (if not all) of the products that I see at Walmart, Advance Auto, etc. If they played their cards right, they could *own* the consumer wax market. Same goes for Duragloss.
Click to expand...



yea, that's right. i'm an "old-timer":soscared: . i have been using IW845 since 1973:chuckle: .:bolt
 
FLAteam said:
My friend has a silver 2003 Mazda 6 and it has been in Florida for all its life. He's decided to move to Rhode Island and I told him that he's gonna need to do a bit more than wax his car with normal old turtle wax.



What do you think he should do to protect his car from the snow, salt, etc?



Thanks.
Click to expand...



Put the Miata away for the winter and buy himself a "winter rat".



The typical New England "winter rat" has 4 good mud/snow or snow tires, a decent radio and a blast furnace for a heater! :chuckle: :LOLOL
 
You can buy 845 here for $14.25 and free shipping.

Collinite waxes from MacTec | car waxes, boat wax, and detailing supplies

There are other options of course, but this does make a great "winter wax" at the very least.



Tell your friend to get used to hosing out those areas where salt gathers under the car in the winter, paying more attention to the wheelwells and undercarriage. Also tell him to be sure his tires are up to the job and consider getting a spare set of wheels with dedicated winter tires.
 
thanks for all your help. it seems like i may need to do a little research on the products you've mentioned though, but i'll tell him.
 
I used 845IW for the first time this past winter in the Boston area. 2 coats late November on a daily driver that's parked outside, and Collinite was still going mid-April. It looks good, is durable, is easy to apply, and you may luck out and be able to get it locally (Tim's suggestion of checking with your local marine shop is a good one).
 
Collinite isn't the only choice. Zaino is always a good choice when you want to keep a car protected over several months and now with ZAIO and CS, its easy.
 
I too just picked up a southern vehicle that I plan to use year-round ('04 GMC Yukon XL Denali). I shudder at the thought of that clean undercarriage being subjected to Ohio winters :nervous2:



Collinite for me too ;) Semi-Pro stuff or not, it's cheap, user-friendly, and it performs great.



My big concern is undercoating properly so it doesn't start to rust. I'll use a combination of undercoating from AutoIntValueGuard (source: Automotive International - Valugard Product Line ) and Eastwood's Heavy Duty Black Anti-Rust (source: Eastwood Company Home Page ).



The Black Anti-Rust leaves a nice satin black finish; I even used it on the (also from FLA) '84 RX-7 among other vehicles; it looks *nice*, not like what one might expect from an undercoating. Very user-friendly too.



But for true rust protection, the rustproofing stuff from AutoInt/Value guard is, IMO about as good as it gets. I'd recommend buying the (cheap) spray gun and doing it the way the pros do, but the aerosol cans work quite well too and are designed for the DIY amateur.



Then of course you still need to wash the undercarriage regularly and make sure there isn't anything (leaves, dirt, etc.) trapped in out of the way areas where it could stay damp and/or clog drain holes. It can be surprising what you find in those places nobody sees.



If that Miata were mine I'd treat it like the RX-7...i.e., no winters ;) But OTOH, with four snowtires and a limited slip differential, it'd be a fun winter car.
 
I take it he means a Mazda 6 (the small sedan) not a Mazda MX-6 (the miata). It it were a Miata, then I would also recommend just getting a cheap winter beater. This is also very common in the great white north here as convertables just aren't cut out for a Minnesota winter.



I'll throw up another hand way up for Collinite 845. I've used a lot of professional and consumer products out there from waxes to sealants and Turtle Wax to Zymol. For my car and my friends and family, they all get 845 before the snow falls. I still get amazed at how excellent it works and keeps working even 6 months down the line.



Another tip once everything is washed and protected before the winter...

Apply an exterior dressing to the wheel wells on a weekly basis or just before a snow. It keeps the ice and slush from caking up there as it slides right off. Makes it much easier to drive. :secret
 
Ive never had any problems keeping my paint in good shape in the winter. I only use Meguiars products and have been happy.



One thing that makes all the difference is spraying the vehicle off as much as possible. That includes underbody and suspension along with the paint. I found a good coin-op that has the rinse less wash which really cuts down on the spotting. I try to spray it off at least once a week if Im not able to wash it..
 
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