Winter washing question:

[BillyGman]

For those of you who drive your Marauders daily all year round, I'd like to ask you if you're able to avoid taking your car to an automatic carwash to get it clean when the temperatures get into the 20's and colder. If so, then what technique do you use to avoid having the water freeze on your car before you have a chance to dry it? This is the first car that I've had to drive in the winter that I care about. The nice cars I've had in the past were always summer only cars. And I really don't want to take my Marauder to an automatic carwash.

So far the only thing I've come up with is to take it to one of those "touchless" carwashes that simply uses a water spray and soap, and an air blow-dry to dry the water off before it freezes on your car.

[MMM2003]

Bill:
I drive my MM all year-round. Have for the last two years. We are lucky here in Madison. We have a automatic carwash for $8, where they take your car thru, blow dry the exterior, blow out the locks and wipe it dry before you exit. Still, I only go there on sunny days. The sun, even in cold weather, will heat our cars enough, where you won't have ice on the outside, before you dry it.
I guess that limits your opportunities to get it washed, and you have to wait with everyone else in line, who has the same idea.

Maybe look for one of those full-service car wash services. We have two of them in town: Octopus carwash and Mermaid carwash.

Good luck!

Peter aka MMM2003

P.S.: :Offtopic: You have to let me know, how you MM handles in the snow with the S/C and your 4.56 gears.


For those of you who drive your Marauders daily all year round, I'd like to ask you if you're able to avoid taking your car to an automatic carwash to get it clean when the temperatures get into the 20's and colder. If so, then what technique do you use to avoid having the water freeze on your car before you have a chance to dry it? This is the first car that I've had to drive in the winter that I care about. The nice cars I've had in the past were always summer only cars. And I really don't want to take my Marauder to an automatic carwash.

So far the only thing I've come up with is to take it to one of those "touchless" carwashes that simply uses a water spray and soap, and an air blow-dry to dry the water off before it freezes on your car.

[BillyGman]

Thanks for your reply. It looks like my only option will continue to be having to drive 20 minutes out my way in the winter time in order to drive through that "touchless" automatic carwash that I've mentioned. The only "full service" place that I know of is 30 minutes out of my way, and costs $20. Whenever I've tried to wash it by hand myself in 20 degree weather, I've ended up w/a water film on it that will not come off until it's washed again. I remember having that in December at the racetrack last year and everybody was asking me "Hey, what did you wash your car today?"....and they weren't asking me that because it looked clean. They were asking me that because there was a frozen white film of water on the car.


I don't anticipate there being any problem driving my car even in the snow w/the S/Cer. And last year I drove it in four major snowstorms w/the 4.56 gears and the 3,000 RPM stall speed w/out any problem at all. I'm telling you those Michelin Arctic Alpine snow tires simply work great.

[CRUZTAKER]

Sorry Billy, but the answer I have may seem quite 'simpleton'....but it is the best option.

Wash on a sunny clear day, as already posted, or wait for not only sun, but temps to rise to 30 or better. When I did drive in the winter....one season, I NEVER dried the car to avoid scratching. The whole point was to remove road salt. Shiney never crossed my mind.


I also invested in my own power washer, and sprayed it occationally at home when the sun was out to avoid too much freezing in my drive way.

[jgc61sr2002]

Billy - Lazer (touchless) is the only way to go when the temp is below freezing unless you have a heated garage with a wash bay. Unfortunately there are none that I know of on Long Island. Used one in Hershey and upstate NY and they do a good job. :D

[Fourth Horseman]

Wash on a sunny clear day, as already posted, or wait for not only sun, but temps to rise to 30 or better. When I did drive in the winter....one season, I NEVER dried the car to avoid scratching. The whole point was to remove road salt. Shiney never crossed my mind.


:stupid:
This is my policy as well. I just don't dare wash when it's below 30 deg.

[Bigdogjim]

Billy: As John stated the lazer car works great. I have been using them since my Marauder was repainted last June. Results are great. I also used them last winter. The Marauder is not a winter car but I do drive it once the roads are clear. Still gets dirty. Have you ever take the time to talk to the owner/manager of a [hi-end] car wash you will find out they do not damage the paint at all. :thinker:

I have washed the car and pick-up in weather above 30 with no ill effects. I have special rubber gloves(insert jokes here:) ) You can also use a coin-op self serve place as they offer some protection from the cold.

Ps: No where at work to wash after hours? :bricks:

[SergntMac]

Lifetime Chicago resident here, with a "fetish" for a clean car no matter the weather. Of course, a lot of this has to do with having electric locks, and an inexpensive hand wash available, but I have no problem getting a car wash (note, not washing it myself) when the temps are zero and sub-zero. Hehe...The colder, the better, water evaporates in the cold too, and freezes before it seeps into tiny cracks that can be problematic.

If it's 30 some degrees, I'll pass, it's much to easy to freeze things closed at those temps. But, once the whole car is "frozen" cold like at zero or below, it's wash just like it's spring or fall. Your results may vary...

[valleyman]

:bricks: I can't help it. I know I shouldn't do this, but I can't help it: I am SO glad I don't live where it gets to be 20 degrees right outside my house. Twenty-three year old memories of two Pittsburgh winters just came back to me ....

[Bigdogjim]

:bricks: I can't help it. I know I shouldn't do this, but I can't help it: I am SO glad I don't live where it gets to be 20 degrees right outside my house. Twenty-three year old memories of two Pittsburgh winters just came back to me ....

No offence taken. We all have the abilty to move? (well almost)

I like having 4 seasons:):):):)

Enjoy the "left" coast :poke: It's nice out their :)

You gotta love it!

[BillyGman]

I have but 4 things to say:

#1. Thanks to everyone for their replies since that's what I was asking for. I appreciate that. :)

#2. I've washed my car before in 23 degree air temp, and it was inside the open bay of one of the self-serve coin operated wash places, and the water froze to the car immediately, and I couldn't get it off. It was a white film of water like I've previously described.

#3. I cannot simply abide by the rule of thumb to simply avoid washing my car until the temperatures get above 30 degrees, since we often get cold snaps here when the temperatures can stay in the 20's day and night for a couple weeks. Meanwhile a black car looks like garbage w/the road salt and dirt on it. You guys know about that. On a black car it sticks out like a sore thumb. So going that long w/out washing it is NOT an option as far as I'm concerned.

#4. Besides the one "touchless" carwash that I've previously mentioned, the only automatic car washes within a 50 mile radius of me all either have bristles that spin around (and that's NOT an option!), or rubber strips. And I've already noticed fine scratches in the paint of my car from taking it to one of those w/the rubber strips during last year's winter season. The rubber strips get dirt and sharp objects embedded in them from the sheer volume of cars that pass through them, and your paint gets scratched because of that. You don't notice anything after one or two washes, but atleast on a black car, after several washes you begin to see the fine scratches left in the clearcoat that can only be seen in direct sunlight.So again, it seems that my only option is to take the 20 minute drive out of my way to that "touchless" automatic carwash place since it blow-dries the car before the water can freeze on it.

[cyclone03]

Yea when its really cold,like 35f I wait a day or two for it to warm into the 40's then wash as normal..... :neener:

[duhtroll]

I wash it in my driveway after it's been running. I can do this up until 0 degrees. I use a hose rated for hot water and I use hot for everything. (former owners had washer/dryer in garage so we have the hookups) Then even if it starts to freeze, I pull it into the temp-controlled garage and turn on the heaters and dry it normally.

-A

[BillyGman]

U guys are killin' me!!!!

[jgc61sr2002]

I wash it in my driveway after it's been running. I can do this up until 0 degrees. I use a hose rated for hot water and I use hot for everything. (former owners had washer/dryer in garage so we have the hookups) Then even if it starts to freeze, I pull it into the temp-controlled garage and turn on the heaters and dry it normally.

-A

Not everyone has that luxury.

[gdmjoe]

Originally from MI ( lived there for 34 years ) ... What worked for me ( even in below zero weather ) - not having a heated garage:

- Bucket of hot water + car wash solution, wash mit, chamois, and a can of silicone spray.
- Drive to 25cent car wash ( self-service, wand-type ); they have a space-heater in the stalls to prevent their water lines from freezing.
- Spray the wheel wells and under-carriage real thoroughly. *Plus this gives the water supply pipes time to warm-up.
- Spray the rest of the car; go over it a few times to warm-up the surface a tad.
- Take the bucket o' wash solution and mit and wash the car; you gotta work kinda fast.
- Spray the entire car with the hot wax option, followed by a thorough rinse.
- Leave the car in the heated stall, and chamois.
- Use the silicone spray on all the door / lid mechanisms and weather striping; using the nozzle-tube ( for lack of a better word ) insert it into and spray the key holes.

Did it for years with no problems. Got comments on the order of "How the heck do you keep your car so clean in this weather ?"

BTW ... Do the above during off-hours lest you incur the wrath of those waiting in line behind you. :D

[Bradley G]

I feel very fortunate to have a attached garage with a drain in the floor and hot/cold softend water.Now if I could MT it and start using as a garage I would be delighted:thinker:

[duhtroll]

Not everyone has that luxury.

Hey, I just answered the man's question.

If I said I paid a valet to take it to the detailers every night after work it would still be a valid alternative; just really expensive.

-A

[BillyGman]

Originally from MI ( lived there for 34 years ) ... What worked for me ( even in below zero weather ) - not having a heated garage:

- Bucket of hot water + car wash solution, wash mit, chamois, and a can of silicone spray.
- Drive to 25cent car wash ( self-service, wand-type ); they have a space-heater in the stalls to prevent their water lines from freezing.
I guess I have the worst of both worlds here where I live. I mean our winters aren't usually as harsh as it can be in some areas (especially the northern mid-west states), so there aren't any self-serve carwash bays here that have heated bays like you've mentioned, but it still gets into the 20's for a good portion of winter here, so that makes it very difficult to perform this task yourself w/out the use of an automatic carwash if you want to avoid having the water freeze-up on your car. I wonder if it's just not as noticeable on cars that aren't black.

[Sculldog33]

One option is an external spigot that blends hot and cold water, see the following thread.

http://www.prier.com/hotcold.htm

Haven't actually found a plumbing supply house that stocks this or that can get it, but it's on my list of things to try to get done before the cold hits this year. Don't have the luxury of a heated garage, (or even sadly an unheated one!) but with warm water, can do the wash in your driveway at your own pace, don't freeze your fingers off, and should probably be able to dry the car as well.

A nice application of Zaino seems to help here as well since the water will tend to bead and roll off more quickly.

It's also nice if you have remote start and can run the car with the heater set to high on the off chance the doors freeze up!!

[Heavy351]

Freezing water is not so bad as long as it is not trapped and can expand. There were days with freezing rain that would encase your car entirely in a quarter inch of ice and your only solution was a pouring a kettle of boiling water down the door tracks.

When I lived in Wisconsin, some of us would place a cage light inside the car on a cookie sheet on the floor, this was enough to keep the driver's door from freezing shut.


I have always used the touchless carwashes even during the coldest nights without any issues. I am lucky in that I do have an attached garage that stays above freezing. I aways do this on my way home after work when I know the next stop will be in the garage.

Before I had the garage I would wash on the way to work on sunny days and the car would warm up in the company parking lot. wipe silicone on the weatherstripping and dont lock the doors on the coldest days and you should be fine. Under no circumstances will I touch the finish on the car during the coldest months.

[THE_INTERCEPTOR]

Billy, I've got an idea!! :thinker: :thinker: :thinker:

You could always drive your MM down here to NC, and swap out rides for the winter. You can drive my POS 01 vic, and I'll keep that pretty black SC'ed MM nice and warm down here in NC.

[Dr Caleb]

When I lived in Wisconsin, some of us would place a cage light inside the car on a cookie sheet on the floor, this was enough to keep the driver's door from freezing shut.


http://www.mercurygallery.net/mmnet/showphoto.php/photo/1698/sort/1/cat/500/page/1

My CV has an interior electric heater (plus battery warmer, and circulating heater) and it took me 2 days to get in it after this ;) What did I use? The sun. Big orange thing in the sky. Boiling water will freeze just as fast as cold water, and the temp difference can shatter your windows (that day, you could take a foam cup of boiling water and toss it in the air - what didn't evaporate instantally, fell to the ground as ice). Very bad.

Billy: I wash my car even at -20. I usually go to a coin wash that doesn't mind me drying my car inside. I go about 7 in the evening, and sometimes I'm the only one in a 12 bay car wash. Other days, I use the waterblade to do a half a$$ed job on the outside, and concentrate on the doors and locks. The coin op I use also has an air dryer (leaf blower style!) that can dry the locks and doors PDQ ;)

Ice that forms on the car at -20 will evaporate in the sun in a few days, and doesn't ever leave water spots!

[Matt In Detroit]

If it gets too cold i usually hold off untill it gets at least 35 out. If the weather doesnt lighten up i just use the powerwasher at the car wash (no touching or drying), to keep the bulk of the salt/dirt off untill i can do it in my driveway by hand. The way i look at it, its not worth the time to mint it out because it usually just gets messed up again the next day or so. My neighbors think im nuts....Its always a treat when im out there freezin my azz off and we are doing laundry, i use the dryer vent to warm my hands.....

[gpfarrell]

When I was in high school, I washed & waxed cars every weekend. As noted earlier, Pittsburgh isn't exactly balmy from November to March, but I needed to make money so I could pour it into the gas tank of my old Marquis. Here's what I learned then... echoing a bit of what's posted above....

1) Wax helps. The car stays clean longer, is easier to clean, and any water that runs off won't freeze on the car... making the drying issue much easier.

2) Silicone all the door jams & trunk weather stripping once the cold hits, and perhaps give it another coat or two as the winter wears on.

3) Having the car warmed up helps alot... maybe even let it run. The heat from the engine keeps the hood from freezing, and the doors and roof will do better too... can't really help the trunk, so after washing the car you dry that first, 'cause it will freeze first.

4) Long rubber gloves.

5) Hot water.

6) Several terry cloth towels... switch to a new one as the one your using freezes.

7) Go for a little ride afterwards. The car's motion will chase more water out from hiding places, and you'd much rather a freezing dribble coming from the fuel-filler door than having the door froze shut.

8) Work fast too. You're not going to a car show, and the longer your out there, the more it freezes and the more you freeze, which keeps you from wanting to do it next week, which in turn leads to dirty Marauders.

Fun thread, thanks for getting it started!

Greg

[BillyGman]

Billy, I've got an idea!! :thinker: :thinker: :thinker:

You could always drive your MM down here to NC, and swap out rides for the winter. You can drive my POS 01 vic, and I'll keep that pretty black SC'ed MM nice and warm down here in NC.
:burn: :nono: :nono: :nono: