How I detail at -25C (-13F)

Andr3wilson

Andr3wilson

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So as a Canadian, I am not phased by cold, no matter how deep the snow, mother nature and her pathetic snow and has never stopped a Canuck! ... Just kidding!

To detail in the cold, you need the right tools and some imagination

Today I am detailing my 2010 Lexus RX350 and throwing Exo on it.

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As you can see, its dirty and snowy

I have hot/cold softened water in the taps in my garage, along with a 15 inch deep sump

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Tri-Bucket system, 2 for the body, black one for the wheels

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Im stripping off all old wax and a 3 month old WGDGPS. CG citrus wash is a really good cleanser!

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Wheel and fenderwell brushes. On felted fenderwells, having the super stiff blue brush is an absolute asset

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Foam Gun is best for indoors like this, pressure washer sprays too much

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CG Diablo in a Kwazar (love these bottles!!)

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Megs APC for the fender wells, works awesome!

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FOAM TIME (lol still a child)

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Wash time

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Here is where cold starts to get annoying, im heating up my clay so I can work it LOL

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Blow dry with my shop vac

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Towel up any last spots

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Work table (on wheels). Plan of attack: White CCS with Menz SF4500. Lexus uses softest clear coat they can find. I just wanna lift off any little scuffs, no major swirl removing.

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minor scuffs

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Average thickness around the car, still thick :)

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All Clear :)

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Dressing the vinyl, and touching up any little areas I may have missed

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Exo time, now on the can they say the paint has to be above 20C, i dont know what the exact temperature was but it went on nice. In my experience with this product, temperature has never really affect the durability or the end result. Probably the easiest sealant to apply... in the world

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Rinse bucket, dirty! Keep in mind the suds you see have been there for 4-5 hours and i had to pull some away to see the water. CG makes great soap!

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Finally the finished product! Exo really looks good.

So, for my heat I use an electric patio heater, Im installing a more permanent gas heater soon, keep business plowing (pun intended) in the winter months!

If anyone has any questions feel free to ask :)

Post your winter solutions too!
 
Great work, looks awesome, I love exo. I love your setup though, wish I had garage space and a drain 😔 I'm limited to the driveway, so it makes it tough in the winter months. Inspiring write up though, makes me wanna go out in the cold weather and clean something...almost! ;)
 
We Northerners are a hearty bunch and very also resourceful. With the cold must come careful planning because both the product and user will be testing their limits.

Depending on the weather and temp, a portion of the detail, usually the washing is done outdoors then in the garage with the woodstove roaring and a space heater really adds to the warming..

Great post and some helpful how-to's! :props:
 
I can now say I've seen a Lexus with Foose wheels.

Great post.:props:

Wish I could say I had a winter solution for my truck. Won't fit in the garage with the door closed and still have room to work.
 
Ryry11 said:
Great work, looks awesome, I love exo. I love your setup though, wish I had garage space and a drain 😔 I'm limited to the driveway, so it makes it tough in the winter months. Inspiring write up though, makes me wanna go out in the cold weather and clean something...almost! ;)
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Well you can always interior detail!! Thanks a lot! Because of snow and ice, majority of new houses have sumps, snow melts dirt all melts in the garage and needs a place to go. Mine happened to have the Hot and cold in the garage so i have a Y pipe going to a hose reel.

Chris's FX4 said:
I can now say I've seen a Lexus with Foose wheels.

Great post.:props:

Wish I could say I had a winter solution for my truck. Won't fit in the garage with the door closed and still have room to work.
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LMAO!!! That comment made my day!! They were on my Infiniti FX50s before I traded her up and on the lexus i had a 235 studded tire, didnt care for them and the Infiniti took a 265 section on a 20inch, decided to try them on the lexus, they fit perfect and really look awesome!

BobbyG said:
We Northerners are a hearty bunch and very also resourceful. With the cold must come careful planning because both the product and user will be testing their limits.

Depending on the weather and temp, a portion of the detail, usually the washing is done outdoors then in the garage with the woodstove roaring and a space heater really adds to the warming..

Great post and some helpful how-to's! :props:
Click to expand...

Thanks a lot!! Took a bit for me to figure out how to do the photos properly but i got it worked out! :)
 
I can remember an incident about 20 years ago, when I was living in Chicago, and detailing one of my cars in the garage in the middle of winter.

I was using a 35,000 BTU forced air propane bullet, the garage was nice and toasty, was in a t-shirt in fact, was working just great!

Then I went to light a cigarette, and the damn Zippo Cigarette Lighter isn't working? Hmm, I said to myself, "I just filled this thing, what the heck!?"

Then I realized, there's no oxygen! Crap! I opened the door, was a horrid inrush of ice cold air, but then realized I was slowly aphyxiating myself in that garage with that heater running. Sure enough, the lighter lit right after.

Do be careful folks when using such appliances. Mark
 
great point Mark. very important. but stop smoking cause that will kill you too, lol. just messing with you bro.
 
very nicely done Andrew & also in winter

I am really frustrated as I migrated from Pakistan to Newfoundland Canada, never saw my ride so dirty in pakistan but here every 2nd day rain & temperature is also in minus anyway I manage to do 2 coats of wolfgang DG sealant & its behaving good I did NXT last week at 7 degree so far going good

dont know why only thumbnails & not full picture :(
 
You just proved that even the elements are no excuse to neglect a vehicle. Well done!

Sent from my LG-P769 using Tapatalk 2
 
MarkD51 said:
I can remember an incident about 20 years ago, when I was living in Chicago, and detailing one of my cars in the garage in the middle of winter.

I was using a 35,000 BTU forced air propane bullet, the garage was nice and toasty, was in a t-shirt in fact, was working just great!

Then I went to light a cigarette, and the damn Zippo Cigarette Lighter isn't working? Hmm, I said to myself, "I just filled this thing, what the heck!?"

Then I realized, there's no oxygen! Crap! I opened the door, was a horrid inrush of ice cold air, but then realized I was slowly aphyxiating myself in that garage with that heater running. Sure enough, the lighter lit right after.

Do be careful folks when using such appliances. Mark
Click to expand...

Very good point!! I was looking for some forced air heaters with a vent in it. But those can get super expensive to run, let alone buy.

Right now in the winter, my air conditioning unit lies dormant (gets up to 35-40C (95-104F) here in the summer), it is hooked up to a 40amp breaker. Im planning on calling in an electrician and get him to run a 220V outlet into the garage for a high powered electric heater.

thanks for the tip tho! I have often wondered about natural gas though. Having gas burner stove inside is pretty common, but those are ventilated I think.

gamagreen said:
very nicely done Andrew & also in winter

I am really frustrated as I migrated from Pakistan to Newfoundland Canada, never saw my ride so dirty in pakistan but here every 2nd day rain & temperature is also in minus anyway I manage to do 2 coats of wolfgang DG sealant & its behaving good I did NXT last week at 7 degree so far going good

dont know why only thumbnails & not full picture :(
Click to expand...

Good on you! I know what you're on about, here I am lucky if the car stays clean for a few days. For that reason Id recommend you try Gtechniq Exo. Stuff works awesome on the body and windows for repelling rain and dirt! :)

ps for pictures take a look at the video in the link.

http://www.autogeekonline.net/forum/how-articles/54730-how-upload-photos-autogeek-proper-way.html
 
Nice set up. Just wondering, I have hot and cold in my garage from the washer. I've tapped the cold to use as a hose spigot, as I love in a townhouse and we don't have hoses. I was thinking of switching to hot water, but I'm afraid it willed up my pressure washer ( electric). Have you ever used hot water with a pressure washer?
 
swanicyouth said:
Nice set up. Just wondering, I have hot and cold in my garage from the washer. I've tapped the cold to use as a hose spigot, as I love in a townhouse and we don't have hoses. I was thinking of switching to hot water, but I'm afraid it willed up my pressure washer ( electric). Have you ever used hot water with a pressure washer?
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Good question. In the past I actually wrecked a gas pressure washer from the pump getting too hot (left it idling with water pumping but not being flowing), so with my 1500psi electric pressure washer, I have only used cold water through it, I think there may be too much heat with warm water. It also depends on the frequency of the use. Short bursts wouldn't hurt it, but long burst may cause some overheating issues. They were designed to be used with cold water. Its sort of like some snowmobiles out there, if you don't have the track in deep snow cooling it can melt.

Overall with the hand wash. I have the water just above luke warm, take the chill off of things. I would not run the pressure washer with hot water. If you are alternating between cold and hot, wanting quick turn on and off with them, take a look at a Y-Connector .

Hope this helps :)
 
MarkD51 said:
I can remember an incident about 20 years ago, when I was living in Chicago, and detailing one of my cars in the garage in the middle of winter.

I was using a 35,000 BTU forced air propane bullet, the garage was nice and toasty, was in a t-shirt in fact, was working just great!

Then I went to light a cigarette, and the damn Zippo Cigarette Lighter isn't working? Hmm, I said to myself, "I just filled this thing, what the heck!?"

Then I realized, there's no oxygen! Crap! I opened the door, was a horrid inrush of ice cold air, but then realized I was slowly aphyxiating myself in that garage with that heater running. Sure enough, the lighter lit right after.

Do be careful folks when using such appliances. Mark
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This friggin detailing thing is tuff! :wow:
 
I learned a lot. I bet the foam gun really helped in the beginning. I really appreciate the post w/ pictures.
 
Next time try placing your clay in a cup of warm water before starting. Softens it right up.:xyxthumbs:
 
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