whens it too cold?

J

jason(england)

New member
Winter is moving in here and we are set for a cold snap temps wont rise much above freezing.
My question ,how cold is it before you mobile guys say its no good today.
I have gotten a little tired of working in sub zero temps its murder on the hands .
I have done for years but im loosing patience with the cold,im also cautious about spraying water about in case some nerd tries to claim ,you can just hear it I slipped on the water from the valeter who comes here.

If poorboys listening what temps are ther polishes good for as I would not want them wrecked up.

All the best.

Jay.
 
IMO anything below 50 is COLD, way to cold to detail. 10-15 minutes and your hands will be ice, if you have a heated garage then it's never to cold.
 
30 degrees is my cutoff. Above that and I go out, below that and I don't. Every minute out there in the cold sucks. Over the past 15 years I've learned to accept it but never have gotten used to it.
 
Hey Jason

These guys are Wusses, nothing wrong with a bit of good old English weather to get the veins pumping :-))

Stuart
 
Anything below 70 degrees Fahrenheit is too cold for me.:)

If I were doing this for a living, I might look at things differently, but....
Most of the products I use on my personal cars seem to work best at temperatures above 50 dgrees Fahrenheit or 10 degrees Celsius.
Washing becomes not only uncomfortable, but very difficult at 32 degrees F and 0 dgrees Celsius. I don't really see how you could wash a vehicle when the water freezes on it. Windows freeze, door locks freeze, person washing freezes.
Washing at a temperature slightly above freezing could be done, but I think some neoprene gloves and waterproof boots would be necessary. It would still be uncomfortable, but possible.
Polishing and waxing would seem to require 50 F or 10 C based on the products I have used.

Charles
 
I detailed a Maxima today and when it QEWed in the garage it froze on the paint if I didn't wipe dry fast enough. The temp was around freezing and I used hot water. All of the products worked fine (SSR 2.5, HT Light Cut, UPP). So as long as it's above freezing you should be okay.
 
I have a garage, but the floor isn't great for drainage. This morning it was 14C, which was lovely, though a little windy. Temp dropped to 3C by the afternoon and I nearly froze.
Then I went inside the nice warm garage to do the rest. Sorry mobilers.
 
Ferrarislave said:
IMO anything below 50 is COLD, way to cold to detail. 10-15 minutes and your hands will be ice, if you have a heated garage then it's never to cold.
Click to expand...

When its cold I have these sweet waterproof gloves I use, and then I use really hot water....to wash and rinse.
 
I've detailed while its been in the 30's. I can tell you its not fun but i love money. I think anything below 30 you should call it a day.
 
Have You considered using a pressurized steamer to clean vehicles?

I have a vaporized steam cleaner that I use when the temps are between 32 - 16 degrees to clean the entire vehicle inside and out. As a matter of fact I used my steamer to clean the fleet of vehicles that our company cleans twice a month. This past saturday we cleaned 18 dodge mini-vans, we fill the steamer with 2 & 1/2 cups water mixed with 4 cap fulls of QEW and we are able to clean about four vans with each filling.

The unit puts out about 50 psi so it does move loose debris, but it is the 150 degree steam that does the hard work of removing the stuck on dirt. All I have to do is take my microfiber towel and wipe the moisture off of the vehicle.A nice added bonus to using steam is that it also keep you warm.

I hope this helps.
 
The only thing with steam is I'd be careful because it may heat the paint up too fast and crack it along with shatter the glass... Same thing with using hot water aswell, but it is a very good idea.
 
Here is the steamer that we use for cleaning during the cold weather season. This has helped us tremendously. Hope it helps you as well.
 
ezragipson said:
I have a vaporized steam cleaner that I use when the temps are between 32 - 16 degrees.
Click to expand...
Sounds a little dangerous to me.... Hot steam vs. Cold car.....

Doesn't the steam take off the wax / sealant?

I know that wax is heat sensitive, what about sealant?
 
I did two cars this morning and it was 11*. Even with warm water, it flash-froze in under 5 seconds. I will no longer wash in anything under 25*.

My limit now is 25* in full sun or 32* in anything with shade or clouds. I hate dealing with ice.


Luster: Steam will melt wax but not sealants. I have always had luck with the warm water pressure washers at the DIY places.
 
GSRstilez said:
I did two cars this morning and it was 11*. Even with warm water, it flash-froze in under 5 seconds. I will no longer wash in anything under 25*.

My limit now is 25* in full sun or 32* in anything with shade or clouds. I hate dealing with ice.


Luster: Steam will melt wax but not sealants. I have always had luck with the warm water pressure washers at the DIY places.
Click to expand...

Thanks for the steamer clarification...

11 degrees ??? !!!!! Are you crazy ???? !!!
Oh well.... I guess we all are, or we wouldn't be here!!!

BTW... my comfort zone for detailing is 50* to 95*......

.
 
where getting ready for more snow 3 to 6inch and although i washed the car sunday i had road salt i wanted to remove before the next snow ,here's what i did.

pre treat each panel with S & W and i used several mf's for removal. the temp 29 F and i had no problems using the pb's S & W as a matter a fact it thicken up a little after the first wipe down and then i used a couple mf's to buff. my car shines like glass and is slick as ice i love this stuff, i'm sure you guys know this already i just wanted to share. i'm surprised S & W isn't purchased in 55 gln drums. steve as soon as i can afford it i'm getting a gallon.i'm gonna use on everything.
 
11 degrees lol NUT :)

I wish I could solve my winter problems. Today I ventured out at 7am. I only have one 7am regular appointment. I try to keep doing her car as long as I can stand it. I know once I have to stop hers that things really start to stink. I think it was 29 when I left. Normally I wouldn't have gone out but since I've been using QEW I figured I'd give it a shot. Before I left I took a container of very hot water with me which I added to what I had in a bucket sitting in my truck. It warmed it up some. Didn't have too much problems except the roof which started to freeze before I could get it completely dry. Nothing major though. It was cold and unpleasant but the next vehicle was far worse. Got to my 8am appointment and had hoped the sun would be up enough. Sadly a building blocked the sun until last few minutes. Took me forever to clean the minivan. My hands just got too cold and I couldn't move real well. I apply dressing with a brush and brush wasn't being held correctly so I could use it. I couldn't turn the brush in my hands and had to drop it and pick it up again. When I was done I sat in my truck for a few minutes to let my left hand warm up as I couldn't grasp real well and though steering would be a bad idea lol. Couple questions for those of you that work outdoors in the winter.

1) Is there anything you can add to the water to drop the freezing point.

2) What about a heater outside? Thought about those ones that go on top propane tanks. Though moving it around car might work. Other idea where a hair dryer or heat gun to warm panels up a little.

3) What gloves are you using. I wear a pair of latex gloves to keep water off my hands and help them from drying out and a pair of red rubber coated gloves overtop. Looking for something that will insulate better as my hands still get too cold. Thought about the chemical heater packs to put one in my left gloves at my right hand doesn't do much work in the winter. If you have great pair of gloves a price and link or location would be nice.

Good news is I'm getting used to wearing gloves again and can hold onto the MF better. Also had two customers buy years worth of monthly cleaning which came to $800.
 
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