ojay

iTrader: (4)

i know hardcore people like sooner and mogwai have stuff to add, so feel free to do so

a few satisfied people whose cars i detailed have asked me how to maintain their daily drivers in winter, so i'd figure i'll share my advice here.

give it a full detail before it becomes lower than freezing point outside. it's also a good time to examine any imperfections, check out anything else like brakes, suspension, etc.
includes wash, clay, polish, and protected with a sealant/wax.

get those wheels/wheel wells clean as well, as it's probably the last time you'll see them clean in awhile.

go over the interior as well, get rid of that summer baggage and muddy carpets, the sooner you get those clean the easier they are to remove.

if you don't have a the resources to a detailing haven such as a heated garage and/or with water drains, you'll probably have to resort to a car wash. LOOK FOR A TOUCHLESS CAR WASH IN YOUR AREA, aka NO SCRUBBERS! i can't stress this enough, it hurts me so much that a good 5 hours of my detailing work goes to waste as they spend $2 for the swirl-o-matic. pay the extra $5 or bring quarters, do what you need to do. i shoot for doing it as least once a week, but it's hard to keep a schedule around snowstorms and such, so i'd usually hit a car wash up when there's more salt covering my car than snow...

i've found that carrying waterless wash (quick detailer) with your in your car is essential, along with wheel cleaner, and a few microfibers. freezing these products shouldn't alter them as much as say a wax or polish, so keep them in your trunk with your blanket or something.

before you enter the wash, spraying the car down with quick detailer helps with removing stubborn salt and other stuff, while the wheel cleaner will do it's best for your wheels. if the roads are dry, you should dry your car up, but a lot of people are too cold to get their butts out of their car.

if you know there's going to be freezing rain or a drastic drop in temperature, consider flipping up the wipers when you get home, so you don't see them frozen to the windshield the next morning.

oh yes and lastly, the snow brush: keep those bristles away from your paint if you can! a microfiber as a snow remover is ideal, but your rubber glove is definitely much better than say those some of those freaking bristles.

soonercivic

Great post! I agree 100% with everything you said. Got a few suggestions of my own though. When it comes to snow on the car, try to let as much melt of as possible before wiping it off the paint. This will prevent any jagged edges or debris underneath it from scratching the surface as it slides. Try to keep an road salt off the paint as much as possible. If you rinse it off spray downward, parallel to the panel so that you dont sandblast the paint and it goes down and away instead of causing small scratches. The better care you take of your car in the winter will reward you in the spring. Rep for you though!

dacali

A possible alternative to a regular wash is trying out Protect-All Quick and Easy Wash (QEW). It probably wouldn't hurt to double the recommended ratio when using it on a truly dirty car. I generally use a sheepskin mit to wash and a few microfiber cloths to dry the car. You may be able to find it at Wal-Mart, but I haven't had much luck with that. Camping World stocks it if you have one near you.

For a normal wash (during summer), it takes me two gallons of water and 1 oz. of QEW: One gallon in a bucket with water mixed with QEW and one with just water to rinse. At least you'll be able to use warm water this way!

-Dacali

mogwai

iTrader: (4)

Ahhh yeah, I'm hardcore!

Great post Ojay! The only problem is... I'm in San Diego where it was schorching hot this past weekend. So on that note... winter? What's winter? j/k, I think you covered all the winter steps nicely.

I agree, I can't tell you how sad it is to deliver a car with little to no swirls to customers only to get them back all swirled to hell because of Car Wash brushes.

jonw440

Great Post!
I would like to add the following:
Be sure and clean and wax the bottom of your door on the interior side. Also check the weather stripping. It can hold a lot of salt and sand there. In fact I wax those areas and then let it stay. I don't wipe it off.
The same applies to the hood,trunk and gas filler door.All of these areas will keep salt there, and when you wash the car. the water re activates the salt to further reek havoc!

DDragon7

^^by letting the wax stay, wont the wax damage the area in the long run?

jonw440

Thats a good question. I only leave the wax stay behind the weatherstripping.If it does stain the paint it is at a location you cant see so I don't really care about that. I would rather have a wax stain instead of rust.....
If you want just apply the wax, then wipe it off.