Using an automatic carwash in COLD temps

[Playsinsnow]

So after noticing a carwash open as I got gas today, -8*F, I gave the TB and the salted out rims a bath. I have read posts and comments about others afraid of washing due to locks and doors freezing. So I am posting my way of NEVER having my doors lock or freeze on me. This is my way that has never failed me.

I make sure the cabin is WARM. No frost on windows and the steering wheel and shifter are not cold anymore. 20minutes of driving minimum for me today. I keep it warm. No 5 minute lollygaggin inside the store.

At each pass of the wash, rinse soap etc cycles, I work the door locks a few times to keep the mechanisms ice free. I make sure the door locks remain unlocked when I leave and for several hours afterwards. I usually wash it on the way home. It's garaged.

As I pull out, when some begin to dry there ride in summer time, I get out and open and slam each door 2-3 times. I do this again, all 5doors, when I get where I am going. 2-3 times hard. From the inside handle and the outside handle. It really takes about a minute. Like a walk around.

I will also open the close the windows and inch or two several times on the drive back to keep them from freezing. The streaks don't matter because there is already salt again regardless of where you go. Sure is weird seeing puddles of water when temps are sub zero Fahrenheit. That's a lot of salt.

Essentially keep your ride as warm as possible before and after. Open and make move anything you do not want to freeze SEVERAL TIMES. My passenger door wouldn't open from the outside when I got where I was going, 15min drive later, but a push from the inside and the door opened.

Leave your locks unlocked. Better to have them freeze unlocked than the alternative.

Using the warmth of the ride over an air compressor to displace the water is my route after 18years of cold weather car washing. Now go get a carwash!

 

[dmanns67]

I like to park in my nice warm garage after a wash in the winter

 

[IllogicTC]

Yeah, that road salt, man... West Virginia must have had plenty of budget for it this year. They went bananas during our last decent snow.

I wonder, for automatic car washes that have the squirrel-cage blowers, if the water on the outside is still hot/warm, even if the blowers aren't heated, will they be worth using to remove the water?

 

[meerschm]

you only really have to wash the salt off when it warms up.



unless it makes you feel better.

then go for it

 

[IllogicTC]

Considering this is in the Appearance section, I guess it makes plenty of people feel better.

Road salt can accelerate corrosion on bare-metal surfaces (and you're right, it gets worse at 40+ Fahrenheit according to some sources), and has also been said to damage clear coat. A common suggestion to prevent that is to make sure to wax your vehicle before winter, and of course wash whenever possible. At minimum, I would suggest focusing on at least the underbody, as there's plenty of bare metal down there, a great place for salt accumulation being so close to the road and having the tires all around, and usually isn't waxed, which would give some sort of protective coating for a little while.

But come on, if you're going to do some, may as well do it all and make her look pretty for about 5 miles. I've got mudflaps (came on it when I bought it) which helps mitigate the amount of crap being thrown onto the sides of the vehicle, but that only does so much when you've got idiots on the other side of the road speeding in a snow storm.

 

[Playsinsnow]

The road salt in MN will melt the snow/ice to at least -5*F. So if it can melt in that cold it can cause corrosion and rust. Also, what's "warm". 20s feel great right now! (I'm not in MN at the moment)

 

[xtitan1]

Considering this is in the Appearance section, I guess it makes plenty of people feel better.

Road salt can accelerate corrosion on bare-metal surfaces (and you're right, it gets worse at 40+ Fahrenheit according to some sources), and has also been said to damage clear coat. A common suggestion to prevent that is to make sure to wax your vehicle before winter, and of course wash whenever possible. At minimum, I would suggest focusing on at least the underbody, as there's plenty of bare metal down there, a great place for salt accumulation being so close to the road and having the tires all around, and usually isn't waxed, which would give some sort of protective coating for a little while.

But come on, if you're going to do some, may as well do it all and make her look pretty for about 5 miles. I've got mudflaps (came on it when I bought it) which helps mitigate the amount of crap being thrown onto the sides of the vehicle, but that only does so much when you've got idiots on the other side of the road speeding in a snow storm.

Thats what I did, I put paint sealant and wax known for its longevity on right before winter. I don't like using car washes and we shut the water for the hoses off during the winter to prevent freezing. I supposed I could do a rinseless wash but I'm not going to bother. I do buy into the possibility of salt creating etches into your clear coat, but considering how many people are okay with the outrageous swirls they have, I don't think it's that big of a deal for most people.

As far as the undercarriage goes, I made a thread a while back about that. I've heard that the difference in rust on a car that is from the South versus one that is from somewhere where it snows during the winter is huge.

In Canada I hear that they have shops that can do undercoating applications. There aren't any shops where I live that do it (at least I don't think so). There are DIY options for spraying the undercarriage yourself with this black rubbery stuff, but some say that if you aren't treating the inside of the frame (which takes special equipment) you are missing the majority of the problem. Also, you could end up getting the rubbery stuff on places it shouldn't be and mess something up. I'm still considering it myself.

 

[meerschm]

I guess I am not the best person to post on appearance.

(you can find photos of the underside parts I have and see some corrosion after ten years)

 

[IllogicTC]

I guess I am not the best person to post on appearance.

(you can find photos of the underside parts I have and see some corrosion after ten years)

It's okay. We don't blame you, we blame automakers for still leaving bare-metal stuff on the underside after 80 years of seeing what road salt can do to them.

 

[triz]

I usually like to use the bikini washes because it definitely keeps the car warm. + the money goes to a good cause...haha.

 

[Playsinsnow]

I guess I am not the best person to post on appearance.

(you can find photos of the underside parts I have and see some corrosion after ten years)

I've got quite a bit underneath too. It's more or less when the outside is so salty it rubs off on your jacket and pants.


There are rust treatments that body shops can do. I still have yet to have a car break in half because of rust but the outside gets salty. (What would you write on someone's car?) I think toyota puts something on their frames now. Who knows if it works. I'm not paying for something like that. Although I do make sure to get an undercarriage option in the winter.

 

[cyberpunk]

I've got quite a bit underneath too. It's more or less when the outside is so salty it rubs off on your jacket and pants.


There are rust treatments that body shops can do. I still have yet to have a car break in half because of rust but the outside gets salty. (What would you write on someone's car?) I think toyota puts something on their frames now. Who knows if it works. I'm not paying for something like that. Although I do make sure to get an undercarriage option in the winter.

being in ohio i now see the salts harshness. being that i lived 15 years in new mexico i feel spoiled from the wear and tear of road salt. but being that my tb has never left ohio it has seen a lot of salt or at least 110,000 miles of it.