Problems with using QEW in the winter

T

tommyortom

New member
i used QEW for the first time this winter. i used 3-4 ounces with 2 gallons of hot water. used a chenile covered sponge to apply it, and a few regular microfibers to dry it. right when i made a pass with the sponge, the remaining water froze to my car! it was 17 degrees out...pretty cold. I also had troube getting a clean finish after drying. Maybe I need better drying towels or something.



So I planned on just going over my car with NXT quick detail spray after. I did that...but that stuff froze right when i spray it out of the bottle! So did my 20/20 glass cleaner.



WINTER SUCKS!!!
 
I think your problems are entirely due to the temperature. I would find a garage or wait until the temperature rises above freezing.
 
Yeah... 17 degrees is pretty darn cold to be doing anything outside.



I'm a big QEW fan, but I must admit I've never done it in sub-freezing temps.



If you can get the car in a sunny location, on the south side of a building, midday, you might possibly be able to do this.



Best bet? Hope for 33 degrees.
 
yea....winter in michigan is pretty cold sometimes...there are days that are sunny and a little warmer and slightly about 32...



i have a garage.....but its only insulated right now. its a huge 5 car l shaped garage, and there will soon be two natural gas heaters being installed that will turn on whenever there is something to do in the garage. hopefully those will help!
 
I have washed my car in those temps before, but only in the garage. And it's a 1-car garage. I drive the car first to generate some heat. The cockpit will get warm, which in turn warms up the door panels. The engine gets warm, which warms up the fenders and hood. That really comes in handy when you're worried about water freezing on the car.



How big of a section were you trying to wash at a time?
 
White95Max said:
I have washed my car in those temps before, but only in the garage. And it's a 1-car garage. I drive the car first to generate some heat. The cockpit will get warm, which in turn warms up the door panels. The engine gets warm, which warms up the fenders and hood. That really comes in handy when you're worried about water freezing on the car.



How big of a section were you trying to wash at a time?
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i did about 3-4 quick passes with the sponge, then i tried to dry it.



maybe illl warm up the body of my car with a heat gun or something before i start washing it haha. or ill just have to get those damn heaters installed.
 
3-4 passes on how big of an area? Were those passes over an 8" area or 24" area or what? I've washed my car in temps much below 20*F, and it will work, but only if you wash a very small section at a time and dry it immediately. The colder it gets, the smaller the area that you can wash/dry before it freezes.
 
White95Max said:
3-4 passes on how big of an area? Were those passes over an 8" area or 24" area or what? I've washed my car in temps much below 20*F, and it will work, but only if you wash a very small section at a time and dry it immediately. The colder it gets, the smaller the area that you can wash/dry before it freezes.
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3 or 4 passes with the sponge...so however big my sponge is..times 3 or 4...but less since they are overlapping. probably over an 8" area.





also, any recommendations for quick detail sprays and window cleaner that wont freeze when it is sprayed? it was like the snow machines at ski mountains haha. it shoots out as a liquid, but if falls as "snow".



i did try smaller sections..but the water still froze almost immedietely.
 
tommyortom said:
3 or 4 passes with the sponge...so however big my sponge is..times 3 or 4...but less since they are overlapping. probably over an 8" area.





also, any recommendations for quick detail sprays and window cleaner that wont freeze when it is sprayed? it was like the snow machines at ski mountains haha. it shoots out as a liquid, but if falls as "snow".
Click to expand...



I may be wrong on this but... if the temperature is below freezing you may have to wait until the temps rise to above freezing. No matter what detail spray you use.
 
Any detail spray or glass cleaner is going to freeze on impact, UNLESS you have a warm cockpit and the glass is warm.



Otherwise it's just like sticking your tongue to a metal pole in the winter. Yes your tongue is warm, but the amount of heat energy it has is so miniscule compared to the ability of that pole to pull the heat away. It will freeze within seconds of contact.
 
Scottwax said:
Upper 20 IN THE SUN are about as cold as you can successfully wash a car with QEW.
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Maybe for you spoiled Texans. ;)



We have to deal with these below-freezing temps for several months or more. I've successfully washed/dried my car with QEW in the garage when it's been in the teens plenty of times. I've been having trouble finding the motivation to do that lately though. I'll be waiting until Sunday to wash it next, since they're calling for low-mid 30s. :xyxthumbs
 
I've actually done QEW in 0... that sucked... I had to go back twice. I did mine last Saturday with it in the lower 20's, other than some streaking while drying it was fine.
 
My record was 3*F, when I washed the Maxima. It definitely does suck.



I get a lot of streaking on the car when it's below freezing. What really frustrates me is when I'm drying the streaks off and they turn to ice crystals. Eventually you realize that you're rubbing ice crystals around on the paint. :(
 
The winter is the rainy season I believe. A quick comparison:



Oregon: 40s in the winter. Lows in the 30s. Frequent rain events.



Wisconsin: 10s-20s in the winter. Lows well below zero common. Frequent snow/wind. Temperatures occasionally staying below 0*F for daytime highs. Occasional low temps below -20*F.



I'll gladly take the moderate temps and rain.
 
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