Beating the cold -- detailing in winter?

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04lss

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Given the nationwide cold snap right now, and the supreme irritation of not being able to wash my new car, (which has dealer detailing streaks all over it). Im curious, does anyone have any tricks,tips,products or otherwise for detailing below freezing. I figure this is a long shot, but maybe someone has a game changer i dont know about.
 
To avoid threads like Don’t make my mistake, just wait til it warms up a bit and do it right. My truck is trashed and I’ve thought about cranking the heater up to wash but I’ve still got snow melt yet to come, it’s gonna be 50 here next week and I’m targeting that.
 
I wait until it gets back above freezing, go to the self wash bay, foam the car, rinse it off, blow it dry, then come home and maybe wash it at home.
 
If you have access to a garage, utilize a propane turbo heater or similar. I did this last night. It was -20's outside but that heater kept it warm.

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Use warm water and work with the Sun at your back. Once it dips below 28° nothing you do will help.
 
If you have a wand wash and a touchless tunnel wash and no other options then knock off the worst of the crap with the wand and soap it down well and then take a trip through the touchless tunnel to get an undercarriage wash and finish the job

Use a pump sprayer or pump foamer to hit it with a good prewash before you wand wash it, if you have that option

You should be hearing from the prewash crowd before too long...

It's not perfect but it beats sitting all winter and watching your precious ride suffer needlessly
 
vobro said:
To avoid threads like Don’t make my mistake, just wait til it warms up a bit and do it right. My truck is trashed and I’ve thought about cranking the heater up to wash but I’ve still got snow melt yet to come, it’s gonna be 50 here next week and I’m targeting that.
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:iagree:
 
vobro said:
To avoid threads like Don’t make my mistake, just wait til it warms up a bit and do it right. My truck is trashed and I’ve thought about cranking the heater up to wash but I’ve still got snow melt yet to come, it’s gonna be 50 here next week and I’m targeting that.
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I'll second this one. I don't even bother detailing this time of year.

If the temps get above freezing, I'll run vehicles through a touchless wash. Should the temps crack 50-ish, I'll do a hand wash in my driveway but be very careful to drain my hoses and disconnect everything when I'm done. I'll do a little vacuuming on the interior as needed, but that's it. Too many detailing products, but interior and exterior, just don't work right in the cold temps and make more of a mess than they fix.

This time of year, I've just learned to be patient, not worry about a dirty/flawed vehicle, and wait until Spring.

I do sympathize with the OP. My last two car purchases happened in the winter and it's hard waiting. In both cases I took advantage of a warm day to wash and then hit the car with an LSP to hold it over until warmer weather returns.
 
Desertnate said:
I'll second this one. I don't even bother detailing this time of year.

…

This time of year, I've just learned to be patient, not worry about a dirty/flawed vehicle, and wait until Spring.
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Indeed…sometimes doing nothing is better/safer (and easier ) than doing *something*. Have faith in the prep & protection and let it ride until better days.


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BudgetPlan1 said:
Have faith in the prep & protection and let it ride until better days.


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Exactly.

This was discussed in another thread recently. And John (2Black1's) mentioned (and I agreed) that the salt/grime on your paint is the least of your worries if you have a reputable LSP applied to it.

It's the undercarriage and all of the tiny cracks and crevices that will do your car in if left untreated.
 
PaulMys said:
Exactly.

This was discussed in another thread recently. And John (2Black1's) mentioned (and I agreed) that the salt/grime on your paint is the least of your worries if you have a reputable LSP applied to it.

It's the undercarriage and all of the tiny cracks and crevices that will do your car in if left untreated.
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Fluid film!....i know you know lol

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PaulMys said:
Exactly.

This was discussed in another thread recently. And John (2Black1's) mentioned (and I agreed) that the salt/grime on your paint is the least of your worries if you have a reputable LSP applied to it.

It's the undercarriage and all of the tiny cracks and crevices that will do your car in if left untreated.
Click to expand...

Thats the real gripe, no LSP applied at present. I was going to take advantage of temps in the 60s this weekend to do it, but car is going to the dealer friday to take care of some issues. Might just wait until it warms up a bit, slap some Griots ceramic 3 in 1 on it, to hold it to spring.
 
04lss said:
Thats the real gripe, no LSP applied at present. I was going to take advantage of temps in the 60s this weekend to do it, but car is going to the dealer friday to take care of some issues. Might just wait until it warms up a bit, slap some Griots ceramic 3 in 1 on it, to hold it to spring.
Click to expand...

If there's no LSP, you could foam it with something like AutoFoam without worrying about the high pH.
 
Back in the day when threads like this would pop up there would be dozens of responses on how to beat the cold. Now all we get are weak men with weak excuses ... wait until spring :rolleyes:
 
The first time some smart Ass punk takes his finger and wipes “wash me” through your months old stash of winter grime and ghosts your paint you might rethink that “leaving it dirty is safer” mantra

To each his own


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VISITOR said:
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I don’t know if I’d go the “cheap Chinese version” for something I plug in, drop in the water and then dunk my hand in .

Also box said for water only. Maybe a rinseless or bucket wash would gum it up?


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