Lesser of Two Evils...

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NYCLR3

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With the winter season fast approaching New York, I was curious to hear people's opinions on the lesser of two evils....Leaving salt and road grime on the car or bringing it to car wash? I can't forsee myself washing the car in the dead of winter, but do really know other options.
 
NYCLR3 said:
With the winter season fast approaching New York, I was curious to hear people's opinions on the lesser of two evils....Leaving salt and road grime on the car or bringing it to car wash? I can't forsee myself washing the car in the dead of winter, but do really know other options.
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Living in New England I can appreciate your dilemma.

If the sand and chemicals applied to the roads is allowed to remain on the finish for extended periods, the bottom line is it will attack and deteriorate the paint.

Washing and applying a protective costing / coatings is your only defense if you intend to drive the vehicle and keep the finish looking new. Anything taken care of immediately stands out from something that's been ignored.

Rinseless

Rinseless washes are very popular and work quite well especially if the finish is protected with a sealant and or wax.

Car Wash

A pressure wand at a local car wash is better than nothing. When I use this approach I only use the rinse cycle, never the soap as it much too harsh and will strip all the products with exception os coating like Optimum Opti-Coat 2.0 or similar.

Many times I'll mix up a 5 gallon pail with soap and hot water then snap on a cover and take it along with gloves and a wax mitt to the car wash. I'll spray off the vehicle with plain water then use the mitt and soapy solution. This does a great job at cleaning the finish....:props:

I've never had anyone question me in all the years I've been doing this....:dblthumb2:
 
BobbyG, I am a good listener (reader) and paid attention to your posts. I just finished last weekend topping my MPL with 845. Car is as protected as I am going to get without Cqaurtz or Opti Coat.

Would the no rinse solution mar the paint by dragging the salt and sand that they lay down on the roads here?

When I lived in Michigan they had those power wash stalls everywhere. They don't have them near me. So it is all or nothing as far as car washes go.
 
NYCLR3 said:
BobbyG, I am a good listener (reader) and paid attention to your posts. I just finished last weekend topping my MPL with 845. Car is as protected as I am going to get without Cqaurtz or Opti Coat.

Would the no rinse solution mar the paint by dragging the salt and sand that they lay down on the roads here?

When I lived in Michigan they had those power wash stalls everywhere. They don't have them near me. So it is all or nothing as far as car washes go.
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If there's built up grime on my car and I want to go the rinseless route, I usually do a pressure wash with a hose (or in a stall) to get off as much as I can. Leaving salt and dirt on the vehicle and jumping right in to a rinsless wash will almost certainly cash marring, swirls, and other undesirable effects.

If you don't have a stall do pressure wash in, would it be possible to use a hose outlet and then roll it into the garage to do the rinseless?
 
If the weather is warm enough, I'll use an adapter and hook the hose on the the bathroom sink or the utility sink in our basement so I can get warm water outside to wash with. Typically I just spray off at a carwash if I got some change on me. By warm enough, I mean so the water doesn't freeze instantly when hitting the car!
 
Last year my car didn't fair well, as far as marring, with the rinseless wash, despite rinsing first at a commecial car wash. I'm hoping this year will be differnt, as I have protected the paint much better. Hopfully the gritty film that stays aven after pre washing won't stick as much.

With as nasty as a winter daily driver gets it almost seems like it's fighting a loosing battle. I still fear the rinseless concept except on a nearly clean car.
 
I bring my truck to the self service wash tunnel and do a regular wash with my stuff. I just use their pressure washer for rinse.
 
IndeedSS said:
Last year my car didn't fair well, as far as marring, with the rinseless wash, despite rinsing first at a commecial car wash. I'm hoping this year will be differnt, as I have protected the paint much better. Hopfully the gritty film that stays aven after pre washing won't stick as much.

With as nasty as a winter daily driver gets it almost seems like it's fighting a loosing battle. I still fear the rinseless concept except on a nearly clean car.
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I'll keep that in mind. I know the weather in California doesn't get quite as rough as the Northeast, so I don't know first hand just how gritty that salt and grime can get.

Best of luck to you this year :xyxthumbs:
 
mark2dx said:
If there's built up grime on my car and I want to go the rinseless route, I usually do a pressure wash with a hose (or in a stall) to get off as much as I can. Leaving salt and dirt on the vehicle and jumping right in to a rinsless wash will almost certainly cash marring, swirls, and other undesirable effects.

If you don't have a stall do pressure wash in, would it be possible to use a hose outlet and then roll it into the garage to do the rinseless?
Click to expand...

It is important to do a pre-rinse with ONR QD solution and let it dwell for several minutes. Use a 1 gal pump sprayer available from HD or Lowes.
 
mark2dx said:
I'll keep that in mind. I know the weather in California doesn't get quite as rough as the Northeast, so I don't know first hand just how gritty that salt and grime can get.

Best of luck to you this year :xyxthumbs:
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Thanks! We do get a lot of useful tips here like yours, others and like the pre-soaking and letting it dwell with ONR first. I did this as well. But the sprayer from Lowes idea will keep me from working that cheap spray bottle so much.
 
mark2dx said:
If there's built up grime on my car and I want to go the rinseless route, I usually do a pressure wash with a hose (or in a stall) to get off as much as I can. Leaving salt and dirt on the vehicle and jumping right in to a rinsless wash will almost certainly cash marring, swirls, and other undesirable effects.

If you don't have a stall do pressure wash in, would it be possible to use a hose outlet and then roll it into the garage to do the rinseless?
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Absolutely YES!

Mark,

I'll freely admit that I was one of the biggest skeptics when it came to these new rinseless products but after doing some reading and with a bit on encouragement from some folks here I decided to give it a try.

Rinseless washes are also an ideal product to use at the car wash. Power rinsing prior to using this type of product is a great idea and can only improve the products performance.

While I haven't tried the new Optimum No Rinse Wash I have tried and really like Detailer’s Pro Series Rinseless Wash & Gloss. I love this product and use it faithfully throughout the winter with great success. :props:

Solution

I mixed the solution according to directions but used very warm water instead of cold. I'm my mind warm water does a nicer job of breaking down and dissolving contaminates.

Using a Rinseless Wash

Using a wool mitt I start at the top flooding the panel I intend to wash. I'll rinse the mitt in the solution then gently flood and wipe the panel in one direction allowing the dirt and debris to flow toward the floor. I repeat this process 3 times until the panel is sparkling clean then dry using a Guzzler towel.

You can also pour some in a pump style garden sprayer and soak each panel prior to washing.

I was impressed to say the least however I think you nailed it by adequately preparing and protecting the finish!! :props:
 
New York goes crazy with salt and sand on the roads. I hate it. I will usually spray on ONR diluted as a QD to loosen the salt and sand up.
 
BobbyG; said:
Car Wash

A pressure wand at a local car wash is better than nothing. When I use this approach I only use the rinse cycle, never the soap as it much too harsh and will strip all the products with exception os coating like Optimum Opti-Coat 2.0 or similar.

Many times I'll mix up a 5 gallon pail with soap and hot water then snap on a cover and take it along with gloves and a wax mitt to the car wash. I'll spray off the vehicle with plain water then use the mitt and soapy solution. This does a great job at cleaning the finish....:props:

I've never had anyone question me in all the years I've been doing this....:dblthumb2:
Click to expand...

+1. Living in SoCal I don't have to deal with harsh winters and the associated problems but I live in an apartment and can't wash my car there so I do exactly what you suggest and mix up my own soap solution to take.
 
BobbyG you are not imagining warm and hot water's effectiveness. Many moons ago I was working as a dishwasher and used very hot water to cut the grease, baked on and dried on food. But, had no idea how effective the hot water was until one time the water heater went out and I was forced to wash with cold (around 50 degree) water. It took at least twice as long and still wasn't as clean...
 
Sand can be a big problem. ONR is great, but big gritty pieces of sand will scratch. Pre-washing at a self serve or touchless tunnel are a good idea, then follow up with ONR.
 
My theory is that if it's so cold that you can't wash the car, it's safer to leave the grime (even salt) on a waxed / sealed car than it is to go to a car wash.

I really don't think much happens between paint/wax/sealant/salt until you touch it, especially at very low temps. So IMO, leave it be until you can wash correctly.

I would love to see some kind of scientific evidence on this subject...
 
dougaross said:
It is important to do a pre-rinse with ONR QD solution and let it dwell for several minutes. Use a 1 gal pump sprayer available from HD or Lowes.
Click to expand...
I have a 2 gallon commercial garden sprayer I keep full of UWW+. I spray the whole car and let dwell a few minutes and then do the ONR. This leaves a marr free surface for me but I dont have much winter.
 
I really like the rinse-less washes available now. ONR is my favorite! But washing your car (top side) does nothing for the underside. Living in MN, we know about cruddy weather, below zero temps and salted roads. So it's almost impossible not to hit a car wash once and a while. But there are plenty of times, when it gets too cold and the car washes aren't open at all!

That damn salt gets everywhere and needs to be removed. Luckily there are plenty of no touch washes, which do a pretty good job.

Just some of the pleasures of Winter!!

:props:
 
BobbyG said:
If the sand and chemicals applied to the roads is allowed to remain on the finish for extended periods, the bottom line is it will attack and deteriorate the paint.

Washing and applying a protective costing / coatings is your only defense if you intend to drive the vehicle and keep the finish looking new. Anything taken care of immediately stands out from something that's been ignored.
Click to expand...

^^That sounds like a great pitch to a potential customer who wonders why he/she would bother to have their car washed during the winter months.
 
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