What's the biggest problem most of us face in the winter? Snow! Sure, a vehicle getting snowed on doesn't hurt it, or even really detract from it, but, rock salt sure does. What was once a shiny beacon of Detroit's Finest easing down the road is almost instantly transformed into a dirty old clunker. For some people, this is fine - a vehicle is nothing more than something that allows you to get from point A to point B without walking. For the rest of us, this is unacceptable.
First, an example of what a single 40 mile trip can do to a nice vehicle:
First, we need a medium to get the salt off the vehicle for good. I use Meguiars Gold Class Car Wash, or, in a pinch, Zip Wax Cash Wash works. They say one oz. per gallon, but I usually pour a soda can worth in there, as it's just not as watered down, plus it does a better job cleaning the wheel wells and so on. I use a 5 gal. bucket to hold it all, but if you're just doing 1 vehicle, a 2 gal. bucket will do fine.
It's best to hose the vehicle down first, as (depending on your water pressure) it will knock off ~ 50-70% of the salt buildup. However, that is just the extra buildup, it doesn't clean off what has adhered to your vehicles' surface.
Contrary to what people will tell you, it's fine to use the "jet" stream on your nozzle. It won't affect the paint any. If your paint is loose and flaking, it probably will, but if your paint is that bad, I doubt you care about washing it, and if you do care about it's appearance, you might as well get it repainted.
Now, comes the time to wash. With this, it is important. Clear coat finishes scratch fairly easy, believe it or not. I recommend microfiber, lambswool, or similar to wash. DO NOT USE A COTTON WASHCLOTH. They are fine for your skin, but not clearcoats. DO NOT USE DISH DETERGENTS! They are fine for dishes, but will damage clearcoat/paint after extended use. The cleaners they contain are too abrasive. It's like taking sandpaper to your clearcoat.
Just go in a up/down or side/side motion. Rubbing in circles does nothing more than create spider web scratches in the clearcoat. If your car is white or silver, it's not a big deal, as you really can't tell. But if it's a darker color (esp. black) it will be incredibly obvious in the sun.
Then, it's just a matter of washing it off. Work quickly, as, surfaces hitting the sun, esp. the horizontal ones, will dry quickly. If they dry with the car wash stuff on them, usually it'll just come off if the wash is reapplied, but on dark colored vehicles, the water marks can become permanent.
Then, dry it with a microfiber, or chamois cloth. Again, do NOt use a washcloth, or anything of the like. They WILL scratch the clearcoat. If it's 100% cotton, and made for auto use (there is a difference) it can be used, but I prefer microfiber. Very absorbent, leave no "fuzzy" material behind, and do not scratch a finish.
After it dries, you're done!
One more important thing to mention. Naturally, when it's below freezing, water freezes easily. If water i "moving" it won't start to freeze until ~ 20-24* or so. I bring the wash bucket inside, and fill it with water that's lukewarm. I use that to wash, which gives me ~ a 2-3 minute window before it starts to try and freeze. then, hit it with the hose, and wipe quickly. Works fine for me. When it's real cold, it's fine to use water UP TO 35-40 degrees warmer than the outside temp. So, 20* outside, 55-60* wash water. You cannot use 120* water on a paint surface that is 20*. The paint is not designed to expand/contract that quickly. You won't notice anything at first, but after a few times, the paint and or clearcoat will start separating.
Till next time,
Peace.
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But nice write up!
