Winter Paint Protection

B

Basshog

New member
I live in Wisconsin and face harsh...very harsh winters. I park outside 24/7 and have a black truck. The roads are heavily salted around here and makes me truck look downright crappy.



My question is...if it is too cold to handwash at my house...is it better to go through a drive-thru or just leave it until there is a warm spell so I can hardwash it?



I currently use Meg's GC wax but have heard that it's longevity to rather short, I want a wax that will protect my truck for the next 4 months. What should I use?



-Dusty
 
For a durable wax..get collinite....476s...fleetwat..915..any of these will carry you thru the winter...



as for washing the truck..I go to a wand wash....I carry a spray bottle mixed with 1 oz of car shampoo and 30 oz of water..I spray the truck with the bottle..let it sit for a minute or so..I spray with the rinse water....no soap..thier soap is very harsh stuff...



if you go at night and no one is in line..bring a bucket and a mitt and shampoo...fill bucket..spray truck with rinse water and wash like you were at home then rinse it again



Al
 
John Styrnol said:
If all else fails, go with the touchless. I would go with a sealant or Collinite.
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+1



I also live in Wisconsin and apply two coats of sealant and top with a coat of #16. Lately I have been taking my winters in southern Florida to avoid this mess.



Touchless Laser wash seem to be the best alternative if it is not possible to hand wash due to the cold.
 
If its too cold to wash and you can hit a coin-op wand wash, grab some of the meguairs body brushes at your local biglots and your own bucket+soap.
 
I picked up some elbow length neoprene insulated gloves just for those freak 45 degree sunny days. I find that those self serve bays can be really bad with all that cold mist and ice cold wands.



I'm liking the idea of the Meguiar's brush
 
I have a lot of people using the Blitz Wax for winter protection. Persoanlly I usually do one good detail before the winter hits and just go through touchless washes all winter. I am sure the touchlesses strip any wax after a few washes but I guess it is better than having salt all over the car all winter. Then come spring I just do another good detail on the vehicles.
 
Basshog- I have a very similar situation - living in Cleveland, park outside with a black HD truck. I typically just suck it up and handwash when I get a chance in the driveway..on those warm days above 30F :) I usually run the hose from the garage where I can blend hot/cold water so the water doesn' t freeze my fingers to death. I'm thinking about getting one of those flow-thru boars hair brushes to help ease the washes during the winter.



Basically though i'll just leave the thick white salt cover on the paint until I get a chance to do this..the soaps at the pressure wash or touchless wash are too harsh and will strip off any protection you've got. In the next month or so, I plan on undertaking the huge project, and detailing the whole truck from top to bottom. I plan on going into this winter with a nice polish job, aio, and then probably 3 coats of KSG. We'll see how it lasts..unfortunately the truck is too big to pull into the garage, so I can't reapply mid winter..
 
Jelfbab, you must have the only touchless in the world with normal soaps then..lucky you! In my experience in a few different cities the touchless washes all strip wax/sealant. They have to use strong soaps to help remove/dissolve dirt because there is nothing touching your paint.
 
Lightman said:
Jelfbab, you must have the only touchless in the world with normal soaps then..lucky you! In my experience in a few different cities the touchless washes all strip wax/sealant. They have to use strong soaps to help remove/dissolve dirt because there is nothing touching your paint.
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Except high pressure water that acts to dislodge salt and dirt much like a wash mitt.



All I can tell you is that my cars with two coats of sealant and a topper of #16 are still beading profusely in spring after having several touchless Laser washes throughout the winter. In fact, there was still slickness to the finish in spring when I got back to my hand washing. They passed the squeak test too. FWIW, I used the cheapest wash-only touchless option and usually I'm forced to use touchless 6-8 times throughout a typical 4month winter period.



Sorry to hear that your sealant doesn't hold up to your touchless washes. I see that your sealant washes off with Meguiar's wash soap as you posted in another thread. Doesn't sound like a very durable product you are using. What brand of touchless carwashes have you used and what sealant do you use?
 
Thanks for the info guys..any particular series of Collonite you prefer? I see there are a few kinds.



I used the drive thru car wash on my old truck and a few times...my truck came out like a popsicle :furious: :LOLOL how embarassing
 
Search around, you should get a lot of info about recommended Collinite versions.



Most people use the Collinite 845 liquid version. It gives nice shine, relatively amazing durability (4-5 months with 2+ layers). Others (like me) use the paste version, which is 476S. It has slightly higher carnauba content, even more protection (around 1 month more), slightly less shine.



BTW, the 915 fleetwax is the exact same as the 476S, just different size container.
 
Do you double layer the 476S? I am looking for the longest protection possible...Wisconsin is brutal...especially Northern WI!! :scared:
 
Yes, the 476S is usually doubled layered or sometimes triple layered in one detailing session. However, the downside to layering in one session is that the original layer of wax may be disturbed and therefore rendered useless (not completely useless, of course). Usually the recommended method is strip the old wax, put 1 layer on, wait a few days, and then continue with your second layer. Naturally, you will want to wash the car clean before putting on the new layer. This way, your carnauba wax will be able to "cure" and harden before you add on the new layer.



So basically, if you want durability, add a layer every few days until you get a total of 3-4 layers. After that, any more layering will probably not produce any noticeable results.
 
IMO 845 doesn't layer, the solvents would just dissolve the previous layer. Out of 1 layer of 845, I got 6 months all summer(April to October), no garage, no QD. I can't really see how any one could need anything more durable than that.
 
Basshog said:
Strip off the old wax?? (sorry im a newb) How do you go about doing this and what is the purpose of doing so?
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Stripping off the old wax is just basically doing a thorough wash, claying, and possibly polishing to clean your paint surface so your car is ready for a good waxing.
 
jfelbab said:
Except high pressure water that acts to dislodge salt and dirt much like a wash mitt.



All I can tell you is that my cars with two coats of sealant and a topper of #16 are still beading profusely in spring after having several touchless Laser washes throughout the winter. In fact, there was still slickness to the finish in spring when I got back to my hand washing. They passed the squeak test too. FWIW, I used the cheapest wash-only touchless option and usually I'm forced to use touchless 6-8 times throughout a typical 4month winter period.



Sorry to hear that your sealant doesn't hold up to your touchless washes. I see that your sealant washes off with Meguiar's wash soap as you posted in another thread. Doesn't sound like a very durable product you are using. What brand of touchless carwashes have you used and what sealant do you use?
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You must have a good wash near you, I wasn't questioning your results at all. Very lucky.



I have been using the klasse twins. In my garaged vehicle the 3x sg has lasted and beaded for months. On my black truck that's parked outside, nothing has lasted very long.
 
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