Keping it Clean In the Winter
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Keping it Clean In the Winter
We have relatively mild winters here in Salisbury, MD. However, it's usually cold enough not to wash the car outside. What I have been doing is to run to those coin op car washes and have a good high pressure soap/rinse (no brush, of course) and then wipe off. Sometimes all the dirt comes off sometimes not - expecially at bottom. The every so often, I plan to take it to be professionally detailed -2 or 3 times over the short winter, or do it myself when it get a bit warm outside. Any suggestions anyone has on winter cleaning will be helpful. Is my technique OK or am I slowly killing the paint?
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Joined: Nov 2001
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From: Toronto, Ontario Canada
2002 C240 Classic - Orion Blue Beast!!
Keeping it clean in the winter is a PITA. I wish winter in Toronto was that mild.
Problems:
1. Be careful with the high pressure washes. The force of the water might force dirt into your clear.
2. You said that it will not always get all the dirt off, but you'll still "wipe off". Be careful, you may end up dragging leftover dirt across your clear, thus creating swirls.
3. Don't take it to be professionally detailed. There is NOTHING professional about those people. I've heard too many horror stories about so called professional detailers. The only person who washes my car is me.
Problems:
1. Be careful with the high pressure washes. The force of the water might force dirt into your clear.
2. You said that it will not always get all the dirt off, but you'll still "wipe off". Be careful, you may end up dragging leftover dirt across your clear, thus creating swirls.
3. Don't take it to be professionally detailed. There is NOTHING professional about those people. I've heard too many horror stories about so called professional detailers. The only person who washes my car is me.
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Joined: Nov 2001
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From: Southern California, USA
2003 CL55 AMG
David, you should also mention that the "Soap" the majority of those coin-ops use are real harsh and WILL strip all the wax from your vehicle in most instances.
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From: Toronto, Ontario Canada
2002 C240 Classic - Orion Blue Beast!!
Originally posted by awiner
David, you should also mention that the "Soap" the majority of those coin-ops use are real harsh and WILL strip all the wax from your vehicle in most instances.
David, you should also mention that the "Soap" the majority of those coin-ops use are real harsh and WILL strip all the wax from your vehicle in most instances.
Carnuba will definately not hold up, but I'm hoping my Klasse does. I'll be testing it out this winter when I go through some touchless automatic car washes. Unfortunately I have no choice. It just gets too cold here to wash. My water line in the garage freezes in the winter. Oh well, maybe I'll move to sunny SoCal one day.
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From: Kansas City
2010 E550
The trick to the coin operated washed is to let the soap do it's job before using the high pressure. Soak your car with the wand on the wash cycle BUT DON'T PULL THE TRIGGER. Use the soap spray pressure just as it comes out of the nozzle. Go all around the car soaping it. This will allow the soap to do it's work and dissolve the dirt rather than trying to POWER wash it off right away. After it has soaked then you can pull the trigger and use high pressure to wash away the dissolved dirt and soap. This method keeps you from powerwashing the dirt particles accross you car which can scratch.
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Here's the long Story
Originally posted by David N.
Keeping it clean in the winter is a PITA. I wish winter in Toronto was that mild.
Problems:
1. Be careful with the high pressure washes. The force of the water might force dirt into your clear.
2. You said that it will not always get all the dirt off, but you'll still "wipe off". Be careful, you may end up dragging leftover dirt across your clear, thus creating swirls.
3. Don't take it to be professionally detailed. There is NOTHING professional about those people. I've heard too many horror stories about so called professional detailers. The only person who washes my car is me.
Keeping it clean in the winter is a PITA. I wish winter in Toronto was that mild.
Problems:
1. Be careful with the high pressure washes. The force of the water might force dirt into your clear.
2. You said that it will not always get all the dirt off, but you'll still "wipe off". Be careful, you may end up dragging leftover dirt across your clear, thus creating swirls.
3. Don't take it to be professionally detailed. There is NOTHING professional about those people. I've heard too many horror stories about so called professional detailers. The only person who washes my car is me.
I also will take your point about pro. detailing. Some (a lot) do an excllent job and others don't. I will kep using this method, waxing myself on those warm days and hope that the clearcoat stands the winter hazards.
