The real answer is my car stays dirty and unwashed for 4-5 months. You wouldn't watch to chance using a waterless wash with that much dirt and salt, scratching the paint etc. I tell myself that I would bring it over to a DIY touchless car wash bay a few times over the winter, but I haven't done that in years. When you car never sees temperatures above freezing for weeks at a time, it is best to just leave it dirty.
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“Wash-by-handers” in Northeast, what do you do in the Winter?
- Thread starter Rothgarr
- Start date
Silicon Desert
Well-Known Member
yup. that's what I do. Similar weather here in northern Nevada. I wait till spring and pleasantly surprised to see I bought a silver car instead of a black one
ConcordeSST
Member
yup. that's what I do. Similar weather here in northern Nevada. I wait till spring and pleasantly surprised to see I bought a silver car instead of a black one
I thought I was the only one! Relieved to see that I'm not!
Bill Foster
I'm going home!
I agree completely. Wash wax all is a much higher quality waterless car wash than all the other brands. It also is meant to be used with a wet cloth for the first wipe then once it is clean you dry with a fresh towel. I used it on the road grime during the last snow storm in Seattle. Spray the are till it is dripping wet with wash wax all. Wait 1-2 minutes for it to pull the grime into the liquid. Use a sopping wet microfiber towel with a heavy nap to remove the grime. Rotate the towel to a clean side with every wipe. Make sure you have lifted all the grime off the car. If not spray one more time then wipe with a fresh side of the sopping wet towel. Then dry and buff with a fine nap microfiber towel.
You will get some water on the floor with this but not more than the snow melting off your cars wheel wells.
I would also suggest using the concentrate to save plastic. The concentrate bottle is less than half the height of the gallon jug. I keep it a spray bottle and some towels in the frunk so I can wash on the go.
Aero Cosmetics Wet or Waterless car Wash Wax Kit with 2 Gallon Concentrate for Aircraft RV Boat https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00YQFB3U6/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_CABxDbMEKHDH2
Aero Cosmetics Wet or Waterless car Wash Wax Kit with 2 Gallon Concentrate for Aircraft RV Boat https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00YQFB3U6/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_CABxDbMEKHDH2
Car Care, exterior and interior and PPF
I washed all winter with low power pressure wash to rinse off salt and dirt, then a WARM bucket of ONR and nitrile gloves did the rest. The coldest day was about 20 degrees because I’d wait for sunlight. I washed the Tesla about every 4-6 weeks to keep the dirt down. Admittedly the ppf was great.
I washed all winter with low power pressure wash to rinse off salt and dirt, then a WARM bucket of ONR and nitrile gloves did the rest. The coldest day was about 20 degrees because I’d wait for sunlight. I washed the Tesla about every 4-6 weeks to keep the dirt down. Admittedly the ppf was great.
I just wait for a good day. It's rarely Below Freezing for a month, occasionally yes.
I drain the hose every time. Use Hot Water which is not that hot by the time I reach the car.
I do have a garage that rarely is below freezing, especially if it's warm enough outside to wash.
Occasionally I go to a Hand Wash Bay at Scrub A Dub it's to cold to long.
When Vehicles are Older I might use a Touchless to get the worst off, but I'm never thrilled with the results.
I'm in MA and NH.
I drain the hose every time. Use Hot Water which is not that hot by the time I reach the car.
I do have a garage that rarely is below freezing, especially if it's warm enough outside to wash.
Occasionally I go to a Hand Wash Bay at Scrub A Dub it's to cold to long.
When Vehicles are Older I might use a Touchless to get the worst off, but I'm never thrilled with the results.
I'm in MA and NH.
groovidad
Living the Dream!
Just curious, how did you care for other cars you may have owned, during the winter months, in the past?
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I always ran them through car washes. I honestly didn't care about those cars as much as I do the Tesla.
This is what I do too, garage and two buckets with no-rinse. I try to do it when there is no precep in the weather or when the dirt gets too much on the car.
I do a touchless car wash bay to get the salt and sand off. For most of the winter, this keeps the car acceptably clean. If I need it cleaner, then after the touchless wash, I do the rinseless technique inside my garage with ONR.
But like others have said, I don't really need the car to sparkle during winter, since it's going to get very dirty very frequently.
I also don't do the touchless wash until the roads are dry. If it's wet at all, the tires kick up a ton of salt/sand onto the car, so by the time you drive home, it looks like you never did a wash.
Another thing that helps immensely is to apply a ceramic coating while the weather is still nice. I do homeowner-grade coating once a year. Once you have that coating, the touchless car wash gets your car really really clean because less stuff can cling onto your clear coat.
But like others have said, I don't really need the car to sparkle during winter, since it's going to get very dirty very frequently.
I also don't do the touchless wash until the roads are dry. If it's wet at all, the tires kick up a ton of salt/sand onto the car, so by the time you drive home, it looks like you never did a wash.
Another thing that helps immensely is to apply a ceramic coating while the weather is still nice. I do homeowner-grade coating once a year. Once you have that coating, the touchless car wash gets your car really really clean because less stuff can cling onto your clear coat.
A number of you recommended home ceramic coating. any particular videos you'd recommend to watch to make sure I do it correctly the first try?
I just surfed YT a bit until I got an idea of what's involved. Homeowner-grade ceramic coating just means it's very forgiving to work with, and it's hard to mess up. The tradeoff is that it doesn't last as long. But it will be good for at least a year.
Basically you apply the stuff with the applicator until you see that the surface is wet. Less is more; you don't need a lot on the applicator at all. Make a pass in both horizontal and vertical direction to ensure coverage. Do 1 panel at a time. Wait until the wetness turns a bit hazy (about 2 min if you're applying at comfy room temp), then wipe it off gently with a MF cloth. It's actually really similar to doing a carnauba wax job but easier, IMO and lasts longer.
Only gotcha is to make sure you wipe off every part you applied it on. If you forget a spot, it will cure too thick and make that spot permanently hazy. Well semi-permanently. You can buff it out, or you can wait it out (a year or so); it will fade away. If it's cold when you apply (50F), you'll want to wait a bit longer before wiping off. Anything colder than 50F, it probably won't cure properly and you're just wasting it.
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