Cold weather washing tips?

J

Jling55

New member
Hi I'm new to the forum. I just wanted to know what everyone does when it's cold out and your car is a mess I have a new black mercedes I just want to know everyone's solution to keeping it clean after a rain or snow thanks for he help. Jay from nj.
 
If it's not too dirty I do a waterless wash in my garage. It takes about 30 minutes and I get great results with no scratches on the paint.
 
Hosing a car down after a snowy slushy drive will remove 90% of what mother nature and the highway department just threw at you..

What I would suggest Jay is a pair of mid forearm rubber coated gloves, very warm soapy water, and a naturally a rinse.

Warm water not only dissolves contaminates faster and easier, it also warms your hands and that's a big deal..

If it's only slightly soiled, a rinseless wash is an ideal solution that can be done in the comfort of your garage...Again, warm water does all the above PLUS, warms the panel making it easier to dry..

Mike's provided a like to some great information Todd Helme wrote an article on...
 
I would do a rinseless wash. I pretreat the panels with a waterless wash solution and then use my rinseless wash. I always use warm water in the winter too.
 
Gary Dean rinseless wash method using ONR. If the car is really dirty a quick trip to the do it yourself car wash to get the nasty off first.
 
I pretty much follow what Mustang81 does with a couple other points. I don't use the soap at the car wash unless I'm going to spend some time adding a layer of protection after. That limits me to either being able to get my garage to over 40-45 degrees or to using water only at the car wash. After the car wash, I do an ONR rinseless in the garage - warm water is damn near a must... Good luck with the Benz
 
I never wash my car in the winter. First, it is pointless, when you drive a mile down the road and it gets dirty again. Secondly, once salt dries on a a car, it is harmless. Washing it and getting it wet again, creates salt water...very corrosive.
MY 6 year old car has no rust, and while it is painted black, it is mostly white from December through March. There isn't even rust on the undercarriage. Of course it helps to get the chassis and body oil sprayed each fall which I do.
 
IDGAS said:
Secondly, once salt dries on a a car, it is harmless. Washing it and getting it wet again, creates salt water...very corrosive.
MY 6 year old car has no rust, and while it is painted black, it is mostly white from December through March.
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We do not see much salt here but you can see rust on certain under car parts. The majority of parts do have anti-rust coatings andpaint is the basis for good protection against rust on metal. Dried salt will get moist regularly as temperatures go up and down so not sure if I agree with the dried salt idea.
 
IDGAS said:
I never wash my car in the winter. First, it is pointless, when you drive a mile down the road and it gets dirty again. Secondly, once salt dries on a a car, it is harmless. Washing it and getting it wet again, creates salt water...very corrosive.
MY 6 year old car has no rust, and while it is painted black, it is mostly white from December through March. There isn't even rust on the undercarriage. Of course it helps to get the chassis and body oil sprayed each fall which I do.
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From my understanding, it is the combination of salt & moisture (even moisture in the air) that will cause rusting. Without moisture, rust cannot occur. There can still be moisture in the air when the temperature is below freezing (for the same reason a puddle evaporates below boiling).
 
As has been mentioned, hit the quarter car wash, blast off what you can with plain water then go home and do a rinse less wash (ONR for me) with warm water.


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Bunky said:
Dried salt will get moist regularly as temperatures go up and down so not sure if I agree with the dried salt idea.
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Dried salt on the vehicle will take moisture out of the air, however in my opinion and from my experience, it will not get wet enough to damage paint. Actually I don't think it does any damage to paint when completely wet. It is the untreated metal that it plays havoc with, and most of the unpainted metal is coated as you say. As mentioned, I do get the whole car, inner panels and chassis oiled every fall. I also wax it with a good wax, twice a year, not that I believe waxing does anything but give my black car a nice shine. Still looks like it came out of the showroom and nary a swirl to be seen.
 
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