[Phantom]

Yesterday I decided I needed to wash my car pretty bad. I just moved to a new area, and the only car wash nearby has some very scary looking brushes in it. So I decided to do it by hand. It was 38 freaking degrees outside, and I froze my ass off washing the car. The whole time I kept thinking how the hell I was going to accomplish this in January when its really cold.

So my question is, how do you all take care of car washing in the winter. People in Florida and California need not apply to this thread.

 

[EricF]

Winter or summer, never use any car wash that has brushes in it...
So when it gets really cold... I use touchless car washes about once every two weeks.
generally they are heated and you don't get cold either.
This winter, I'll wash my car next week.. and leave it clean until spring.. in the garage

 

[Nemesis]

I cant drive through a car wash


For those that cant here are some steps I take to still wash once a week.

- Fill bucket with warm water from inside the house.
- Wear Layers of clothing
- Use rubber dish washing gloves to keep hands from actually touching water
- If you can , after rinsing the car off immediatly pull it into the garage and dry off.

 

[EricF]

George, you have to find the right one.. and the one down the road from the racetrack
that we all piled into During NOPI, was one of those.. nothing under the car, and no guide rails it was all
lazer or light beams...

 

[scottina99]

Originally posted by: DgnZCoug
I cant drive through a car wash


For those that cant here are some steps I take to still wash once a week.

- Fill bucket with warm water from inside the house.
- Wear Layers of clothing
- Use rubber dish washing gloves to keep hands from actually touching water
- If you can , after rinsing the car off immediatly pull it into the garage and dry off.

:thumbsup:

Also...put a real good wax job on it. I take mine to the washes with the power sprayers. Dont get the power sprayer too close to the paint though. Just soak it real good with soap and spray off. Hand wash it with a good car wash soap on the warmer days.

 

[Dei3Nascar8]

I wash my car atleast twice a week when the weather is nice and always after it rains. As for the winter detailing make sure that if you don't plan on waxing in the cold you use a synthetic wax. These waxes will last longer and give you better protection. You might not notice the color depth on darker colored cars but the added protection from the harsh road chemicals and salts will be worth it. You can then reapply with your favorite wax after the snow is gone. As for the plastic gloves go, great idea, make sure you rubber band your wrists cause it sucks when water gets in them.

 

[CougarKat]

synthetic wax?

is that in Mequiars wax

 

[Dei3Nascar8]

Yeah, it man made and will last longer. It is a bit harder to get off than pure carnuba but has better lasting properties. It is harder to tell when you need to rewax though cause it causes water to sheet off rather than bead like carnuba.

 

[hamill]

When I drove my car in the winter I did the following...

1) Wax it in late Sept with 2-3 coats of Mothers Carabana or instant detailer.
2) If it was to late in the year I would take it to a bodyshop and have them wax it indoors in their heated room.
3) Every week I would drive by the car wash and hit it with $2 JUST WATER to spray off the salt/road debris (leaves etc)
4) During the winter I would go LATE at night (like 1am) about once a month to the same spray wash, bring a bucket and 3 coke bottles of hot water, soap, and a wash mit....wash with the right hand, spray with the left hand...total cost $6. then sometimes a friend would come and dry behind me. the soap would freeze to the car the ODD time, but only on VERY COLD days, thats why it's good to bring a friend sometimes.