How do you guys wash your car in winter?

[mtnagel]

So the majority of days here are now cold enough that I wouldn't want to go out with a hose and bucket and wash my car the normal way, but my car got really dirty with mud and stuff, so it needed to be washed.

I normally will not go to those DIY car wash places or the small drive-thru ones at gas stations, but like I said, it was dirty and I didn't want to get wet when it was like 55F out, so I went to one at a gas station and it did an okay job, but I was concerned that drying it after a sub-par cleaning (where their was probably still dirt on it) would cause scratches. So I just let it drive it to get most of the water off and not hand dry it (and deal with the spots) to avoid scratching it?

Also, how about cleaning the wheels? I normally use some wheel cleaner that says to spray the wheels with a stream of water, but since I wasn't using the hose, I just put some of the cleaner on a microfiber towel and used that. Then I went over them with a different microfiber towel that was wet with water (so I still got my hands pretty wet and cold).

So after all that, what do you guys do to keep your cars clean in the winter?

[lamonpat]

The best (and the only??) way to clean your car in winter is to find a heated garage to clean the car inside.
That's what I've been doing in the past 4 years. That was easy cauz all that time I was working at a gas station. But now, since I'm not working there anymore, I wonder where to clean my car this winter. I hope to be able to go in that garage once in a while thought.

[tgussie666]

I either suffer through cold hands or take it to the local full service car wash. Not much snow here in Mississippi......but we do get down to some cold temps. So it isn't much of a big deal here as it is in the northern states. As for the wheels...use some of that foam cleaner that you can leave on and just wipe off. Some brands are usually safe for any wheel.

[mtnagel]

Originally posted by tgussie666
I either suffer through cold hands or take it to the local full service car wash. Not much snow here in Mississippi......but we do get down to some cold temps. So it isn't much of a big deal here as it is in the northern states. As for the wheels...use some of that foam cleaner that you can leave on and just wipe off. Some brands are usually safe for any wheel. I was speaking about the rims. The stuff I use (I think Mequiars) says something about spraying it off with a stream of water and maybe even says to not leave it on there for too long. So that kind of worries me that I just wiped it off with a wet rag. Hopefully that will be okay.

Lamonpat - so the garage is heated and you can spray a hose inside of it? That's pretty amazing. I've seen heated garages, which would be nice for the inside, but I just use my non-heated garage (for the vacuuming and inside) and at least it cuts down on the wind.

[Jaysin]

u guys have no idea about coldness when washing your car...i live in keswick...ontario, ya i knew u wouldnt have the slightest clue where it was... a cold little nothing town, where i jjust dream of spring comin every day for my car...hehe DEEP

[mtnagel]

Originally posted by Jaysin
u guys have no idea about coldness when washing your car...i live in keswick...ontario, ya i knew u wouldnt have the slightest clue where it was... a cold little nothing town, where i jjust dream of spring comin every day for my car...hehe DEEP I just looked at a map and I see it's close to Barrie. Once my friend and I drove from Buffalo, NY to Barrie, ON to go to Lollapalooza when The Mighty Mighty Bosstones, Hole, and Sonic Youth played.

[scotiez]

Geez ... 55 degrees is still warm enough to wash it with a bucket and sponge in my opinion. I live in North Dakota were the winters are -20 many days here.
I have my car waxed with 3 coats for protection over the winter. During the winter all my washing is done at a touch less carwash. If my car is so dirty that one run through won't get it clean i go through it a second time. I never take it to a automatic wash where all these brushes and stuff touch the car. That puts scratches in it and also could break something off. Of corse at -20 degrees it's to cold to dry off the car so i just let the air dryer in the carwash dry it the best that it can. Thats all what you can do unless you have a heated garage.
I also work at a place where i have access to a heated shop. sometime in January or Febuary i'll put my car inside over night to get it nice and warm and put another wax job on the entire car, Including the wheels. Then it will be good untill the weather warms up here where i can do it outside and at home.
This is what i do, and hopefully someday i'll be able to aford a place with a heated garage where i can do everything to it at home. Not everyone can get access to a heated garage in the winter so just do the best that you can.
L8erz
Scott

[BBT]

I used to go to DIY washes, but still get cold and wet. I will do it there on warmer days, just below freezing or better. Otherwise, I go to the local gas station that has a 'No Touch' wash. This one does a pretty good job actually, and I am satisfied.

Only thing I do extra is go around the doors and wipe out the excess water & spray silicone on the rubber.

[Subtle_Cynicism]

I try to touch it up with quik-detailers if its not too dirty, or if I can wipe the slush off, but if its really dirty, I wait for a warmer day (probably the 20s or 30s) to go to a touchfree and get an underbody in addition to a wash or two (sometimes double if its uber-dirty)

Other than that, I can take it to a semi-heated manual car wash a few miles away, but...

You talk about cold, it gets to be in the negative farenheits here...

[mtnagel]

Well, I guess I need to find a "no-touch" one near me. I go to the gas station close to my house because it's cheap ($4 is their most expensive wash), but it uses those spinning brushes.

[Subtle_Cynicism]

eeeeh, spinning brushes are like using sandpaper on your face instead of a towel.

[Rayz]

Wash the car in the winter, I never thought about doing that?
My philosophy is that mud will protect the paint from the road salt.

[BBT]

Originally posted by Rayz
Wash the car in the winter, I never thought about doing that?
My philosophy is that mud will protect the paint from the road salt.

Your idea has some merit. A number of years ago I read an item somewhere about how Swedish cars (in Sweden, not over here) last so long without rusting. The answer - few if any heated garages anywhere, and they don't wash the car in the winter. The heat from the garage, or warm washing water, activates any salt on the car, starting the rust cycle. Salt will not work below certain temps (I forget how low), and so leaving it sit on the car in extreme cold causes less harm than washing it off.

[Vimjah]

Originally posted by Subtle_Cynicism
eeeeh, spinning brushes are like using sandpaper on your face instead of a towel.

it all really depends on what type of carwash it is... most full serves pressure wash the vehicle before the cloth and constantly have a rince of water going over the cloth to prevent any particles from sticking to the cloth... however gas station washes don't have high enough pressure to properly clean your car and the cloth is full of debris from other cars.

[RocketFast321]

In the winter time i wash my car in a t-shirt and short pants :)

[Subtle_Cynicism]

While washing the car in the winter may be bad for rust purposes...I dunno what the payoff is then, necessarily, because I'd rather have to fix a few spots of rust than having a dull paint coat because the salt erosion.

[BBT]

Originally posted by RocketFast321
In the winter time i wash my car in a t-shirt and short pants :)

How do you get a t-shirt and shorts on a car? And don't they get in the way of washing it?

[Vimjah]

Originally posted by BBT
How do you get a t-shirt and shorts on a car? And don't they get in the way of washing it?


ROTFL:lol: that's gold

[Jordon'sGrandAm]

comming from pa and it gets cold hear at times. for me anything below 50 car don't get washed. but now my dads boss has a heated garage and all maybe i can wash the car in there but who knows. all i have to say anything below 50 car don't get washed.

[RocketFast321]

Originally posted by BBT
How do you get a t-shirt and shorts on a car? And don't they get in the way of washing it?
:lol:

[Subtle_Cynicism]

Originally posted by Jordon'sGrandAm
comming from pa and it gets cold hear at times. for me anything below 50 car don't get washed. but now my dads boss has a heated garage and all maybe i can wash the car in there but who knows. a
ll i have to say anything below 50 car don't get washed.

That's it? You won't wash under 50 degrees. Dear lord, I'd be jumping hallelujah if I could wash my car in 50 degree weather during winter.

Normally it's washed in tempertures at and under 30 :P.

[Lunitar]

Its 40 deg F. here in cincy this morning:D

I washed it no problem, just use hot water in your soap bucket to warm up your hands between scrubbings :cool:

[Subtle_Cynicism]

Yay. It's 18 degrees here right now.

My car is filthy from the snow, too, perhaps I'll wash it later.

[Customized]

hmmm ...... well let's be logical here, if it's cold, then use hot or warm water in the bucket if you are washing it by hand, so that everytime you apply the sponge you have nice warm hands and all you have to do is hose it down. I bear it out because hand washing and drying is the best and only way to do it !!

[03gagt]

Well it got to a scorching 24 degrees today (without windchill), so when its this cold I take it to one of the car washes around here, there are a few good ones that are touchless and have that high pressure thing. When its sunny and in the 40's or 50's ill jump at the chance to wash it. Thankfully no snow yet so no salt to eat my car.

[2K SE]

My car stayed clean all week until I came home from golfing today. It was above 40 degrees until the cold front hit and it started snowing. By the time I got home it was pretty slushy. Damn I hate winter. I still try to wash my car whenever it gets dirty or salt covered but I won't do it if it's near freezing cause I can't wipe it off fast enough before the water freezes on the car. I'm afraid that cold hands are part of the price you pay for a clean car. The GA is my daily driver but the GTO hasn't seen the snow yet (and I hope to keep it that way). Do the best you can, I know I hate driving a dirty car.

[navybluese00]

I make sure I get several coats of Zaino on the car before winter. Then, like one of the other posts said, if it's really cold, I leave the salt on the car rather than going to the car wash in the extreme cold. Sometimes winter gets nasty here in the northeast, and I made that mistake once and the doors froze and I couldn't get in. Anyway, once it warms up just a little, I go to a totally touchless wash. Then, just before I go through, I spray the underside, the wheel wells, and the wheels with a strong cleaner that's designed to be sprayed on and wiped off. Simple green for the underside, and the wheel wells, and hot wheels for the rims. The water from the car wash will do it's work, and rinse the dirt off. Then the air dryer dries the car, and I'm done. I'm not too concerned about it doing a perfect job, I just want the salt off of it when the temperature rises a little bit and starts corroding the finish. I never, ever dry the car, or go to an automatic wash where brushes touch the car in winter. This will definitely cause scratches.

[Rad_Pander]

lol its -40 here, you might say in celcius and think its not as badm but if you look its the same in farenhiet, its the temperature that hell begins to freeze over, so no complaints about 55 please

[navybluese00]

It's 9 degrees out, and the Aztek if covered in road salt, and the GA is at the dealership seeing if GM will cover the cost of gasket replacement. When the temperature is around 30, cold but not frigid, I go to a good totally touchless wash by my house. It dries the car good with air and everything. Then I take it home and dry the door jams good with a towel so they don't freeze. I spray the car down with a good spray detailer to remove any haze and dirt the wash didn't get off. I use that spray so the paint has some oils and lubricant in it as I wipe it down, so it's less likely to scratch. That should last me till the next snowstorm, when I'll get more salt...

[Chain]

It's dirty and not getting washed. It is soooooo sad. And it has been nice weather. Someone stole my water hose. It was out all summer and just about winter someone steals it. Go figure.

[matts]

i use a big heated shop........with warm running water :D. it's nice too. not too long ago there was snow on the ground. i just pulled my truck in, took off my coat and washed it with some lukewarm water.......under 2 big natural gas heaters. it was really nice. in fact......i even broke a sweat :lol:

[Brandon]

2 weeks ago i washed my car when it was 19F out, 55 is shorts and t-shirt weather around here right now! (nothing compared to north dakota :-D

[DontPassTheFence]

goddamn I hate the road salt, but i love winter. I guess since ive been stuck in this hell hole called arizona for 7 yrs now... No snow here in "the valley of the sun" so, no salt to kill the car. and no rust problems eiher... right now its 55 because its dark outside, but when that sun pops its ugly head out, its 70-80s here. good ol' arizona weather in the winter.

[tommyortom]

use qew (quick and easy wash). its a special car wash that you only need one bucket of water to use it. no hose needed! just clean car, wipe down right after...no drying! i prefer this all year around, not just in the winter. its easier and faster than a traditional wash. try it out.

available here, or exceldetail.com

http://www.protectall.com/products.htm#Quick

optimum car care also has their own qew coming out soon......supposedly a bit better.

[mtnagel]

Originally posted by tommyortom
use qew (quick and easy wash). its a special car wash that you only need one bucket of water to use it. no hose needed! just clean car, wipe down right after...no drying! i prefer this all year around, not just in the winter. its easier and faster than a traditional wash. try it out.

available here, or exceldetail.com

http://www.protectall.com/products.htm#Quick

optimum car care also has their own qew coming out soon......supposedly a bit better. Wow, quite an old thread. Anyway, that stuff sounds pretty cool. I may have to give that a try. I like that I could do it in a closed garage in the winter, which would be warmer than outside. Thanks!

[GrandAmby]

I guess I'm lazy. I go to a indoor hand car wash. No harsh brushes, they clean it top to bottom inside out, and i don't have to do anything but shell out 14 bucks.

[sick2002GAGT]

automated carwashes in the winter, too damn cold to washing by hand, thats for the summer!

[khanley8604]

im lucky. theres an indoor heated car wash not far away from me so i go there. its about 70F in there all the time and the steam that builds up from it being so hot keeps the soap moist on your car so you dont have to worry about it drying. if anyone lives outside of philadelphia the car wash is located near east greenville.

[slowbird]

I take it to the touchless car washes when it's lucky enough to be above freezing.

When it's been real long I'll take it to a coin op and hose it down, and scrub it good....then take it to a Touchless wash to get the rest out and get the underside powerwashed.

I try to wait till the salts off the roads though.

[RickHigginsHtbr]

Originally posted by khanley8604
im lucky. theres an indoor heated car wash not far away from me so i go there. its about 70F in there all the time and the steam that builds up from it being so hot keeps the soap moist on your car so you dont have to worry about it drying. if anyone lives outside of philadelphia the car wash is located near east greenville.

Whats it called? I dont feel like breaking out the hose today, may have to take a road trip.

[Grand_Damn]

same way i do in the summer (its not snowy winter here)...by the end of it, i'm freezing from the cold cold water.

[Crackers]

Washed my car last week when it was above zero; but then it dipped to -10 overnight; my driveway is now a skating rink!

[rabidpanda69]

I go to the touchless car wash. One of the ones up here has an undercarraige spray to get all the salt off. If my dad is around I take it to his shop after that and continue drying and spray wax and whatever I feel like doing.

[matts]

im about to build a new shop and one of the requirements is going to be an inside water spigot and drain.