Winter Washing

I have a no-touch car wash down the street that I go to about once a week. Now that it's insanely cold out (currently 7 degrees F) I'm not sure when I can get my truck washed. Today it's sunny and the roads are totally clear but obviously the temperature is a concern. Later in the week it will be warmer (low 40s) but is supposed to be snowing. Are there any reasons that I shouldn't wash the truck in this temp? Obviously I'll need to make sure the locks, door jambs and windows are dry so they don't freeze shut. Or should I wait until it's warmer even though there will be snow?

 

I did a touchless this week in below zero temps. Had I actually stopped to think about it, I may have waited. But I just pulled in and did it without thinking, as that's my weekly routine. No problems at all.

My recommendation would be to drive around a bit with the heater on so the interior temp warms up the glass a bit (just to play it safe). Other than that, I wouldn't worry about it. You should be fine.

 

I used this stuff and worked great, but if you have heavy salt accumulation its best to spray it off at a wash then wipe it down. im very impressed by it I only used it once but results are great and it beads water like crazy after. Walmart has it bout $11, no water buckets to fill or lug and frozen hands.highly rec it. theres youtube vids and autogeek reviews too

 

When using the wash bays in the winter and its not below freezing, is there anything wrong with not drying the truck as long as you use the spotless rinse?

I wash my truck usually during my lunch hour at work so anything to cut the time down helps.

 

I use one of these blades its fast and gets the majority of the heavy surface water off real fast!http://www.ebay.com/bhp/car-water-blade

 

They do move the water quickly but if there is any dirt left it can cause scratches.

 

This was my first thought.

 

I had mine for about 15 years. the silicone/rubber must be getting hard. the corner put a 12 inch scratch right down the middle of the hood on the truck first day I washed it off the dealers lot. I don't use it on my car because it's only an A4 so it takes 5 minutes to dry by hand so I hadn't used it in a few years (last time I had a truck/SUV as a second vehicle). But the truck's bigger so I brought it back out. I made sure I wiped off the edge. The scratch isn't deep so I can polish it out but I haven't yet because it's not directly visible and it fits with the other pinstripes on the side I've since earned. I'm going to get a new blade eventually. But guessing they need to be replaced every few years.

 

Most detailers will tell you to run far away from these blades due to this reason alone.

 

I picked some of this up the other day when I was replacing my bug deflector. The amount of time it saved me was worth the $10. I'm definitely using this for winter washings.

 

These kinds of "waterless washes" work really well but make sure you use a clean section of towel when wiping each pass so you are not running dirt and grit back over the paint. It doesn't hurt to pressure wash off all the big grit off at the touchless bay either.

 

that's exactly my plan, pressure wash exterior of all salt/grit then wipe down, I did a test run without pressure washing and it works extremely well but you will use at least 5-6 towels to complete the job. and it also does a great job of protecting the finish with wax.

 

That's a great plan! Being ready for winter is all about prep. Get a good sealant or wax on there before the weather get's crappy and it makes cleaning off all the crud much easier. I have a 1 gal chemical sprayer that I mix Ultima waterless wash in that I spray on our vehicles then use a plush wash mitt to do my passes and a grit guard at the bottom of the bucket to get all the crap out of the mitt. It's almost a waterless wash but it's more rinseless wash.

 

I was going to try optimum rinseless wash but I would have to fill 2 buckets up with warm water and lug them to the power wash place, with the meguires I will spray down the exterior and underneath with the wand, dry with blade, and wipe down with the meguires. lately also I was having issues with the owner of the power wash with me bringing buckets of wash into the bays,so I decided this route of power washing and then get out.

 

Yeah those guys can be a pain even if it's dead an no one is there. I am going to make the jump to trying the waterless wash and towels and just use a higher concentration of the ultima when spring rolls around. Optimum is great stuff as well! I have had good success with it.

 

I go on Sunday but the guy collects the money then and busts my ass about not using the foaming brush there, I said im not using that filthy thing on my paint, it escalated from there. I usually went early in the morning so no one was behind me waiting so I wasn't being ignorant of others.