Ok I live in MA and well it's 7 degrees outside and my trucks filthy from the salt. 7 degrees = no bucket and sponges, I like having fingers. I'm not doing the drive through car wash but what about the High pressure hose DIY car washes. I'm willing to get out and hose her down but are there any real negatives with this type of washing. I know you Southern boys frown on the drive through Touchless so I'll stay away their. Any tips from the boys up north?

 

I use the high pressure wash and also the touchless drive thru car wash to clean the salt off my truck. I'm in the same situation and know that the lesser of the two evils is to get the salt and road grim off my truck.

Ron

 

I use the high pressure "wand" at my local car wash to get the built up dirt, salt and grime off of mine a couple of times a week in the winter. I then take her home and give her the "final" wash with a sponge and buckets back in my garage.

That said, when it's below about 15 degrees (like it was yesterday), I don't wash it at all. As much as it pains me to drive a dirty truck, I don't like getting it wet just to allow the water to freeze and expand in places where it might do even more damage than leaving it dirty. My reasoning? Oxidation (rust) is a chemical process. The colder it gets, the slower a chemical process goes. Yea, it hurts to look at her, but I'm not making a bad situation worse.

Take heart, it's supposed to get back up above freezing today!

 

I do exactly what 2stroked specified...

Further though, if the water is frozen on the vehicle when I get it back to the garage, I leave it alone until everything has thawed. Ice can scratch your paint in a big time way...

RP

 

Thanks for the info guys unfortunately the garage is detached and not heated and full of junk

 

If you can find a day that approaches 25 or so, you can typically pull off a car wash with the wand and your own soap and bucket (if allowed by your car wash owner).

Personally, I have a favorite wand car wash. It's VERY well lit with fluorescent lighting, features hot water, and the owner there loves me because I typically spend like $10-$15 in water alone. Talk about straight profit...

Just pay EXTRA special attention if you do it by hand in the wash bay. Those areas are typically LOADED UP with sand and grit and thus, you need to take special precautions to make 100% certain that your sponges stay EXTRA clean so to not scratch the clear.

RP

 

Man that sucks. It is a cool 75 degrees here in the good old south. Washed my truck today in a T-shirt and shorts. My great suggest is MOVE, lol. I have no clue to how you guys manage in the cold weather year after year. Best of luck and stay safe this holiday season my friend.

 

When it's to cold to wash mine, I just go to the handheld wand washes and spray it down with high pressure soap and rinse it. I always spray the undercarriage off real good to get all the salt off.

 

I'm also in the same cold weather situation here in SD. Yesterday the high was 0 degrees and -20 degrees at night. It's going to warm up into the 40's by the beginning of next week so I can't wait to wash it.

 

I'd go through one of the touchless car washes.

 

I use to prefer the touchless car washes over the pressure wand. The reason was with the touchless it had a much better “pre-wash”. I am not sure what they called it but it was a soap type substance that was like a degreaser.

It wasn’t a degreaser but it did break down the salt and grime much better then the “pre-wash” of the pressure wands. The touchless also “seem” to have a higher water pressure. I use Zaino, which is a synthetic polish and with my last truck I would wash it in the touchless car wash at least once a week. The pre-wash chemicals did not affect the polish and thus never hurt the paint in any way.

Now mind you when I talk about touchless it is just that, NOTHING touches the paint but high pressure water. It is not a drive through type wash either. It is usually something you drive into and sit while it does it thing.

If you do use the pressure wand do NOT under any conditions EVERY use the brush on your vehicle. You will NOT get all the grime off with just the pressure wand so again do NOT be tempted to pick up the brush. Look at that brush hanging in the bay as a sanding stone. That is exactly what it will do to your paint should you decide to use the brush, it will be like picking up a piece of sandpaper and rubbing it across your paint…

 

Thats what we have to do up here in Jersey.
BTW...........I look forward to a 25 degree day

 

lol...thanx guys...I know it was mentioned that the "touchless" car wash chemicals may be too harsh. I also am looking forward to 25 deg. it's supposed to be in the 40's sometime this week i think..