how cold is too cold to wash your truck?

Where's the option of, as long as the water flows?

Truck was salty/filthy the other day and I just couldn't take it any more. It was about 24degs (f) and sunny, so it felt a lot nicer.

Took it to the local self wash. Pretty funny, the walls had frozen water/soap all over them. Interesting pink icicles.

Soon as you pull out of the stall, the droplets freeze to your truck.

But dang, she sure looked purty again.

Left her in the sun on the black asphalt driveway and even in sub freezing temps, the droplets melt and I can dry her up nicely.

 

'til it freezes on the truck.


CC

 

65 is about it. Last weekend was 62 early in the morning so i decided not to put myself through that. This weekend should be around 80 in the afternoon, so i am planning on washing.

 

I live in Canada and tomorrow is -18 my truck was dirty and I washed at the car wash. I have a heated garage. It can be 3-6 months straight of always below freezing weather. You have to wash your vehicle with all the road salt and gravel not to mention ice and snow build up.

 

At first I was wondering why anyone would want to wash their vehicles in cold weather. Then I realized that they salt the roads where most of you live. I'm one of the 3 that voted below 70* and it can stay dirty. Glad they don't salt the roads here.
Don't get me wrong I'll go and blast the mud off at the wash if its colder but it'll have to be full of mud and hard to see.

 

My truck gets washed most weekends. Tomorrow it will be 15-20F with wind chills in the single digits.

I don't do it by hand, though. I just run it through the shitty washer at the gas station. I'm just looking to knock some of the salt and hoar off it.

You just gotta make sure you do it during the day and run the truck for a while to let the water sublimate off the window and door seals.

 

It was 80 deg. here today so my best guess would be when it starts to freeze.

 

A couple of weeks ago I decided to knock the salt off. It was 35 degrees out, I figured I'd be ok. Halfway through the wand wash the wind picked up HARD and started blowing through the stall at least 35 mph. It looked like the skin on my hands shrunk to the bones!

Then I looked up and saw the spray was carrying clear across the street and giving all four drivers at the gas pumps free showers. Gave me some rotten looks.

Didn't stop the wash. After all, I wasn't washing my old Civic, this is my Tacoma. Plus the machine had 3 minutes on the timer yet...

 

Haha that's funny I like the big as ones that have wash bays inside a building instead of single bays. Could not close the door?

 

No doors to close, unfortunately. Usually the wind comes out of the west, which isn't an issue, but for some reason it suddenly came straight out of the south like no one's business and made sure EVERYONE got a car wash.

 

no colder than -10C...

 

Is this for real?

 

water would never sublimate off of a car... sublimation is the skipping of a phase, during phase change. Generally meaning a solid would go to a gas and skip the liquid phase. Think dry ice. Wanter droplets on a car, even if freezing will melt before they evaporate.

Please only use big words if you know what they mean.

 

Ditto - I have a mixing valve to my exterior hose bib so I just get the water warm enough to do a quick once over if it's above 40.

 

Ba du ba.

 

Up here in Northern Vt the car washes have heated water.
I've washed mine in 20 degree weather to get the salt off.
I actually need to real soon!

 

Does it look like we're joking?

300 post. hell ya!!

 

If its below 60 my truck aint getting washed lol

 

I won't even attempt to wash the truck below mid 20's.
The water freezes on contact and leaves me with a dirty truck covered in ice

 

I go to the touchless for five bucks with heated water ne time i want