rottweiler

well it snowed here in jersey for the first time this year and i already hate the winter time. all that salt is making my car lookhorrible. how do u guys clean your cars during the winter months. im afraid that the salt will scratch up the paint while cleaning it off. and if i take it to one of those drive through washes will just make the paint full of scratches. please give advice to clean the car during the winter months.
thanks alot and cant wait to read some of your advice

picus

If you have a garage you can use a waterless wash product like Protectall's QEW. If you don't then finding a coin op that will let you bring in a bucket/soap and your own mitts is a good way to go.

rgarjr

iTrader: (1)

To wash the car you have to rinse it, soap it, then rinse it back. You have to use water otherwise you will scratch the paint.

lexusondubs

iTrader: (9)

i have 2 words for you BUCKET HEATER !! its worth its weight in gold so you dont have to put your hands in ice cold water !! many detail suppy stores carry them they are about $50 well worth the money

picus

That was the point of my post - with a waterless wash you don't need to soak or rinse, all you need is one bucket of water. Professional detailers have been using waterless wash products (QEW being the most popular) for decades. You mix in the QEW solution with the water in the bucket then wash with clean mitts. If you do it right you won't scratch the paint. I've been using QEW on customer cars (and my own) for 5 years now with no problems. Here is a link to Protect All's QEW site.

http://www.protectall.com/qelg.htm

And here are some recent (last two weeks) threads regarding QEW over at Autopia. As you can see it's very well regarded.

http://autopia.org/forum/showthread....&highlight=QEW
http://autopia.org/forum/showthread....&highlight=QEW
http://autopia.org/forum/showthread....&highlight=QEW
http://autopia.org/forum/showthread....&highlight=QEW
http://autopia.org/forum/showthread....&highlight=QEW
http://autopia.org/forum/showthread....&highlight=QEW

John U

Okay, Explain how this "system" will remove the "chunks" of white salt that I just got done washing off the sides of my black minivan without scratching the heck out of it? I have a devil of a time keeping the micro scratching down to a minimum.
I applied a coat of Zaino Z5 and topped it with Z6.
Thanks,
JU

picus

You can search autopia for more info on waterless washes. I use QEW all winter. The idea is it's a super high lubricity which lifts the dirt and salt off the paint as you soak/wipe.

GSoup

i was looking for something like this..cool..thanx picus your the man....

Morrissey

Excellent...so with this waterless car wash system you folks think it'll reduce the risk of getting micro scratches?

I live in Denver and the snow is getting to me. My IS350 is dirty all the time. I can't wash it msyelf because we've shut the outside water off for the winter. And I've gone through touchless carwashes twice, but i think that CAUSED the micro scratches on my IS350 to appear.

picus

My car is black and I use it - you just have to be very careful, but that goes without saying with a black car. Try to use 3-4 mitts (ditch one when it gets dirty), really soak the mitt in the solution before washing, wash top to bottom, cleanest panels first etc...There is definitely the risk of scratching, just like regular washing of a really dirty car, but if you use caution you'll be ok.

GSoup

hey got my package today... any other tips i should know about this stuff? thanks...

ebruce2

iTrader: (1)

or just go to a touchless place like I do in the winter time. No brushses or cloth touching the vehicle and the wash is actually half-decent. Only on those freak "nice" days in the winter do I hand wash.

picus

Just follow the directions very carefully, try to use as many mitts as possible, and be cautious. Like it says on the bottle just get a lot of water/solution mix on the mitt before cleaning and you'll be fine.

Edit - this thread just got posted over at autopia.

http://autopia.org/forum/showthread.php?t=65424

as with everyone over there, including me, the OP doesn't take any chances and adds a little extra QEW to his mix - either way it's a good post about using QEW.

SC400-V8

iTrader: (1)

Just go to the coin-op car wash and just use high-pressure rinsing to spray the car off. It takes 3-4 minutes, which is how long you get for $2.00 and basically removes or dissolves all salt on and under the car, some dirt or dust may remain, but that wont hurt the car's finsih like salt will. and to be honest with you, lexus bodies and paint seem to be completely unaffected by salt from the winter months... the emblems are a different story

GSoup

umm.there are like only 2-4 spots in NYC that have pressure washers where you can do it yourself . They're outdoors so when its below 32 forget it...not going to happen their lines get frozen... been there...

and i have yet to take my baby thru a carwash..not going to do it... so i was looking at other options...plus i live in an apartment building so its not the same as living out in the suburbs...


love the pesticide sprayer idea .... going out to pick one up ..thats a great idea...