winter car owners plz chime in
03-01-13, 01:27 PM
#1
Rookie
Thread Starter
winter car owners plz chime in
This is my first time owning a car through the winter seasons. I've babied my car trying not to get any scratches or dents as much as possible... but after the few weeks of brutal snow fall i noticed tons of mini scratches and swirl like marks.
I'm guessing it's from the snow fall and debris in the snow and also me doing the occasional scraping with the winter brush. It really sucks to see it scratched.
Does everyone that experience snow in the winter have this on their cars? Are there good tips to keep it from damaging the surface?
thanks for any inputs
I'm guessing it's from the snow fall and debris in the snow and also me doing the occasional scraping with the winter brush. It really sucks to see it scratched.
Does everyone that experience snow in the winter have this on their cars? Are there good tips to keep it from damaging the surface?
thanks for any inputs
03-01-13, 01:48 PM
#3
Driver School Candidate
Join Date: Nov 2011
Location: NY
Posts: 26
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Proper washing methods are important. 2 bucket method with a good car shampoo. Adding Optimum No-Rinse to your car shampoo keeps swirl inducing particles encapsulated. Having a fresh layer of wax before any snow helps. Also take great care in removing the snow. You can't just scrape it off. Warm/hot running water hose also helps but not everybody has that. I usually get it properly detailed yearly during spring time.
03-01-13, 02:09 PM
#4
Only use the scraper portion of the brush to scrape ice off of the windows and windshield. I usually make sure when brushing snow off my car to just brush off enough to increase visibility. Example, 3 inches of snow on the hood, brush off snow down to about an inch. I do this to minimize scratches from the bristles of the brush on the paint. If I want my car clean I use the coin operated wand wash.
Also if your roads are heavily salted, its a good idea to do weekly car washes, maybe even more frequently than that. Just quick rinses to get the snow and ice buildup off of the bottom of the car. An even better idea would be to undercoat the bottom of the car.
Also if your roads are heavily salted, its a good idea to do weekly car washes, maybe even more frequently than that. Just quick rinses to get the snow and ice buildup off of the bottom of the car. An even better idea would be to undercoat the bottom of the car.
03-01-13, 03:48 PM
#6
The definitive guide for Winter Washing
Wash with the 2 bucket method and ONR as needed to keep salt and dirt build up to a minimum (first visit the coin op power wash to remove the majority of the dirt if possible).
Maintain your sealant/wax routine throughout the entire year.
Do not touch your paint with an ice scrapper or brush or anything else for snow removal.
^Did a proper wash on a rare/random warm winter day - swirl free perfect finish still.
^I coated my car with 22ple VX1 Pro in November to see how it held up through the winter. It still looks and protects as good as day 1.
Wash with the 2 bucket method and ONR as needed to keep salt and dirt build up to a minimum (first visit the coin op power wash to remove the majority of the dirt if possible).
Maintain your sealant/wax routine throughout the entire year.
Do not touch your paint with an ice scrapper or brush or anything else for snow removal.
^Did a proper wash on a rare/random warm winter day - swirl free perfect finish still.
^I coated my car with 22ple VX1 Pro in November to see how it held up through the winter. It still looks and protects as good as day 1.
03-01-13, 05:25 PM
#7
Canadian here....
I usually do a full detail before winter to prepare for it which includes thorough wash, clay, MAYBE polish depending on circumstance, and wax
I usually wax at least 2 layers of Collinite 845 depending on how lazy I am
Throughout the winter I constantly go to the coin wash where I would first spray bottom half of body with APC (usually OPC diluted solution or other) and just "rinse" with water (I would not use their soap or "wax")
This is really just to get rid of all the road salt from winter because they can really get to your paint
Sometimes I'm just passing by the wash and go in for a rinse, but if I'm purposely going to the coin wash then after I would go home into the garage and thoroughly wash with ONR, which is pretty safe now since all the big dirt/grime are rinsed off from the coin wash
I may add a layer of wax depending on the level of my laziness, and usually finish off with some spray wax
Occasionally I'd go to a touchless gas station wash ONLY for the purpose of an underbody spray, the soap from these are also really strong and strips the wax but nothing I can do here...I try not to do it as much but underbody definitely need a rinse every now and then
When brushing snow I try not to put too much force into it, also I try to face the bristles in the opposite direction that i'm swiping to, so it's kind of like having the brush sliding down the roof/hood and not having the bristles jamming into the paint
I also try to leave a "thin" layer of snow/ice left on the hood/roof so it can melt itself once car is warm, this induces less touching of the body
Never use the scraper on the paint..only window
Once spring time comes I start washing thoroughly and when it's warm enough I do another full detail consisting of machine polish to rid the swirl buildup from winter
I usually do a full detail before winter to prepare for it which includes thorough wash, clay, MAYBE polish depending on circumstance, and wax
I usually wax at least 2 layers of Collinite 845 depending on how lazy I am
Throughout the winter I constantly go to the coin wash where I would first spray bottom half of body with APC (usually OPC diluted solution or other) and just "rinse" with water (I would not use their soap or "wax")
This is really just to get rid of all the road salt from winter because they can really get to your paint
Sometimes I'm just passing by the wash and go in for a rinse, but if I'm purposely going to the coin wash then after I would go home into the garage and thoroughly wash with ONR, which is pretty safe now since all the big dirt/grime are rinsed off from the coin wash
I may add a layer of wax depending on the level of my laziness, and usually finish off with some spray wax
Occasionally I'd go to a touchless gas station wash ONLY for the purpose of an underbody spray, the soap from these are also really strong and strips the wax but nothing I can do here...I try not to do it as much but underbody definitely need a rinse every now and then
When brushing snow I try not to put too much force into it, also I try to face the bristles in the opposite direction that i'm swiping to, so it's kind of like having the brush sliding down the roof/hood and not having the bristles jamming into the paint
I also try to leave a "thin" layer of snow/ice left on the hood/roof so it can melt itself once car is warm, this induces less touching of the body
Never use the scraper on the paint..only window
Once spring time comes I start washing thoroughly and when it's warm enough I do another full detail consisting of machine polish to rid the swirl buildup from winter
Last edited by reyoasian; 03-03-13 at 03:21 PM.
Thread
Thread Starter
Forum
Replies
Last Post