Winter maintenance

[ZoomZoom Girl]

Any tips for keeping our cars clean when its -30 below? I think I\'ll be using the self-cleaning car wash places to rinse the car off but won\'t be using a brush on my car. What do you suggest for washing/waxing?

[bluntman]

Honestly, I don\'t wash my car in the winter. It\'s the same way when animals bulk up during the fall when they hibernate for the winter (storing fat), that layer of road salt is the equivalent for a car. If I do wash my car it isn\'t at a self serve car wash but rather a touchless affair.

[ZoomZoom Girl]

Geez, no \"I\'m shocked\" smiley! Well, I\'m a bit overprotective of my nice winning blue color so can\'t go a week without washing. I guess the touchless car washes would do a better job since I don\'t want to use the brushes at those bays. Have to admit, drying a soaked car in -30 degree weather won\'t be fun..... If anybody has tips or advice for keeping our cars clean in the months ahead, please share. :)

[MajesticBlueNTO]

touchless wash with underbody spray every week or as frequently as possible.

i did this on my maxima, which had NO aftermarket rustproofing, and it didn\'t have a spot of rust on the body and no evidence of rust underneath.

you want to get rid of the salt and dirt underneath the car before the spring weather comes. if salt and dirt is left to settle into crevices and such during the winter, you won\'t notice the effects of corrosion until the spring when warmer temps come (unless you park in an underground garage that\'s warmer than freezing).

[bluntman]

Frozen door locks...that sucks!

[ZoomZoom Girl]

...that\'s why we have an automatic door opener :p I\'d rather have a clean car anyways and have my lock deicer ready to go, just in case :sarc

[MajesticBlueNTO]

Originally posted by bluntman


Frozen door locks...that sucks!

prior to the cold weather arriving, spray some penetrating lube in the door lock cylinder (in case the keyless entry power lock solenoid can\'t move the frozen parts), silicone on the door seals, and lithium grease in the door lock mechanism and the strike plate.

[ZoomZoom Girl]

More good advice! Thanks MB. We\'ll be sure to take care of the \"keyless entry power lock solenoid\" :sarc

[MajesticBlueNTO]

Originally posted by ZoomZoom Girl


More good advice! Thanks MB. We\'ll be sure to take care of the \"keyless entry power lock solenoid\" :sarc

i haven\'t used a key to open the door of any car i\'ve owned since 1999...and that includes that one winter when it got to -30C with the windchill :D

too lazy to type \"power lock solenoid that\'s triggered during keyless entry\" ;)

[AfterBurner]

For keeping the car clean I got a good deal from Spongestation (www.spongestation.com)

It consists of 5 visits with full hand washing of exterior including wheels, dressing of tires, Underbody and wheel well High pressure spraying.

And on the first visit I will get a full interior cleaning, with vacuuming, application of protectants, flushing of air conditioning system and vents, interior window cleaning ...

All for $40 total (not per visit). So I am set for the entire winter. And its close to where I work (Highway 7 and Leslie).

Jetsteam (www.jetsteam.com) also offers similar services but like Spongestation, expensive without a deal.

[S.F.W.]

Hey afterburner..how did you get the deal? I want to get the same thing..

[teambedlam]

Just remember if you have Rust Check (and probably Krown) on your car that you do not want to get the underbody blast as it will wash off.

[AfterBurner]

I was at a meeting at a clients office and a salesguy for spongestation walked in. It was a limited time offer till November 30 though.

I don\'t have rust proofing cause I am on a lease!:D

[ZoomZoom Girl]

Is this true?


Originally posted by teambedlam


Just remember if you have Rust Check (and probably Krown) on your car that you do not want to get the underbody blast as it will wash off.

[///M]

Originally posted by teambedlam


Just remember if you have Rust Check (and probably Krown) on your car that you do not want to get the underbody blast as it will wash off.

What about the dealer undercoat? I\'m not sure what they used.