Washing the car during the winter.

Goochie · 15-11-2005, 14:34

I would think that washing your car during the winter is possibly more important than doing so in the summer. However, with this weekend looking like it is going to be freezing yet sunny and the evenings being to dark to wash the car, how do you lot keep your cars clean over the winter months? I dont fancy the thought of pouring water on the car,around door seals etc. just before it freezes.

EddyH · 15-11-2005, 14:37

Wash it, dry it and then drive it before parking up for the night. A brisk drive after washing and drying should get rid of any residual water.

lozgti · 15-11-2005, 14:41

I don't mind it freezing cold and sunny.When I take a chunk out of my knuckles,I never notice till I see the water going red (cleaning under the arches you understand)

Wardy · 15-11-2005, 14:48

A weekend morning usually, if it's dry!

Will try and do a full clean this weekend, polish and wax etc which should hopefully see me through until it gets light again! Will just wash paintwork and do wheels when necessary through the winter months.

Can be difficult fitting the cleaning in though, I know, especially if you've got other stuff on over weekends.

Steve

Goochie · 15-11-2005, 14:53

How do polishes work in the cold weather? I remember trying to use turtle wax on my first car, years ago, and it was a pain to remove if the bodywork was too cold.

I've since moved on to Autoglym but not tried this during the winter months.

EDIT: Just rang AutoGlym who say it should work fine so long as the product is not at zero degrees. The guy said it will work just as well though it may take a little more work.

Wardy · 15-11-2005, 14:59

Quote:

Originally Posted by Goochie

How do polishes work in the cold weather? I remember trying to use turtle wax on my first car, years ago, and it was a pain to remove if the bodywork was too cold.

I've since moved on to Autoglym but not tried this during the winter months.

I know what you mean, I use Meguiars polishes and waxes and they are a little bit more difficult to remove than when it's warmer but not a biggie. And, as I said, probably won't use them until the New Year, after this weekend.

Remember Turtle Wax being a pain ALL the time when I used to use it; bloody white residue all over the place

Steve

Mavrik · 15-11-2005, 15:23

Washing car in winter is easy

drive into local hand car wash, pay a fiver, drive through the relevent wash and wax bays, drive out....job done

lfc958 · 15-11-2005, 16:26

I am going to give the car a good wash and top up the wax, then during the next few months, use our local handwash guys, to use their jetwash hose to get rid of salt etc.

ScoobyChris · 15-11-2005, 16:47

Car was all waxed and protected at the end of the summer - just planning on jet-washing it at Tesco over the winter to wash all the surface cr@p off

Chris

Verr_Err_Ess! · 15-11-2005, 17:14

Daytime washes with a neutral Ph detergent. I like Brazilian carnauba wax, 'cause its easy on / easy off. Its not a hard synthetic wax, so you can re-apply again and again to build up a deep showroom shine. I also use a high-temp wax for the wheels (Poorboy's World Wheel Sealant): break dust just wipes off, easy-peasy, lemon sqeezy!

Verr.

ChrisRs · 15-11-2005, 17:20

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mavrik

Washing car in winter is easy

drive into local hand car wash, pay a fiver, drive through the relevent wash and wax bays, drive out....job done

Aaaaggggghhhhh. They drop the sponge too Aaaaagggghhh

DONT GO THERE !!!!

ChrisRs · 15-11-2005, 17:22

Quote:

Originally Posted by Verr_Err_Ess!

Daytime washes with a neutral Ph detergent. I like Brazilian carnauba wax, 'cause its easy on / easy off. Its not a hard synthetic wax, so you can re-apply again and again to build up a deep showroom shine. I also use a high-temp wax for the wheels (Poorboy's World Wheel Sealant): break dust just wipes off, easy-peasy, lemon sqeezy!

Verr.

Swissol and Meguires pH neutral car wash (NXT) in conjunction with my jet washer

***ColinD*** · 15-11-2005, 17:54

frack, washing it in the summer is hard enough for me at the moment...

Left my jet wash somewhere...oh well I'll have to get closer to the lorrys on the M40.

Glider · 15-11-2005, 20:38

Quote:

Originally Posted by ColinD

frack, washing it in the summer is hard enough for me at the moment...

Left my jet wash somewhere...oh well I'll have to get closer to the lorrys on the M40.

I'm with you on this one put a good dose of grease on things and leave alone till next May.

Jon TDI · 15-11-2005, 20:47

I put a layer or two of wax on the paintwork before the winter.
Infact, I've tried a new doublecoat type of wax this year. Must say, it's brilliant stuff!

Put it on about a month ago & it's still doing the biz!

Have a look here

Wash with Meguiars Gold Class & dry with microfibre cloth every Sunday without fail & then a 5 min drive to blow the standing water off.

Sad, I know!

Wardy · 16-11-2005, 00:28

Quote:

Originally Posted by robbo51

Aaaaggggghhhhh. They drop the sponge too Aaaaagggghhh

DONT GO THERE !!!!

Yep, does happen

Saw this happen once when I was in my Dad's car and he couldn't be bothered to wash it himself

We were behind this absolutely filthy 4x4 and the cleaning monkey was the same sponge to clean out the mud and cr@p from the arches as he was for the bodywork. When it was our turn I asked him if he was gonna use the same sponge for all of our car. He promptly told me to f*ck off and mind my own business!

Cue my Dad heading for the exit pronto, nearly taking the said monkey along with us in the process

Anyway, that's the last time he's ever gone to one of those dodgy 'handwash' places!!

Steve

Stuart_J · 16-11-2005, 06:36

Give it a good wax asap & that wuill get you through the winter,on cold days take Eddies advice & take it for a good spin after youve cleaned it.
Easiest time to wash it round here where the water is very hard is when its raining, cars already wet & it gets a rinse from water that leaves less deposits than the stuff that comes out of the tap

rich1068 · 16-11-2005, 10:20

I gave mine the winter pamper last weekend. A good wash with Meguiars Gold Class then the Meguiars 3 stage treatment - paint cleaner, polish, wax. It looks superb and I also got to try out my new Halfords car polisher. The whole thing took nearly two days and the pain in my lower back is only just starting to go but well worth it

Also, the definative answer to the removal not the covering up of old wax/polish residue on black trim. I still had some small patches from earlier on this year and I can confirm that Meguiars Step 1 Paint Cleaner takes it straight off. I found this out by accident when I was cleaning the paintwork. Bonus!

And while I'm in the mood to impart new (to me anyway) info. Ever fancied one of these http://shop.meguiars.co.uk/cgi-bin/s...l?pc=G104&tp=0 ? Why not try one of these http://www.motor-world.co.uk/kroozin...p?prod_id=4120 instead? Notice any similarity?

Wardy · 16-11-2005, 14:36

Quote:

Originally Posted by Stuart_J

Easiest time to wash it round here where the water is very hard is when its raining, cars already wet & it gets a rinse from water that leaves less deposits than the stuff that comes out of the tap

Blimey, that's not good

I'd get a water filter on the outside tap myself

Seems a bit counterproductive, as the rainwater will have all sorts of deposits in it...

Steve

Johnnyc · 16-11-2005, 15:15

Quote:

Originally Posted by Wardy

Blimey, that's not good

I'd get a water filter on the outside tap myself

Seems a bit counterproductive, as the rainwater will have all sorts of deposits in it...

Steve

Do you not use a water softener? One of those plug in coil things that goes around the water main

WW_VRS · 16-11-2005, 16:06

Got a proper softener and it sure makes a difference to the amount of cleaning to do.

I am too lazy to polish it (the car, the car

) but I will probably do it sometime this year. Pressure washer sounds like a great gift as it may just allow me to get rid of the blasted salty gunk when they go crazy again.

(I know, it serves a purpose, but it still sux)

Stuart_J · 16-11-2005, 16:08

Quote:

Originally Posted by Johnnyc

Do you not use a water softener? One of those plug in coil things that goes around the water main

Yep got 2 of those & they work a treat, problem is they dont soften the water, just stop the deposits from sticking to anything so shower heads, taps etc can just be wiped over to remove the deposits but they are still there, just easier to remove

flatfourburble · 16-11-2005, 17:25

Sorry to hop on the thread but what would you guy suggest I use on my car. I'm going to try Collinite #476 Super doublecoat auto wax last but what should I use for the pre-wash, wash, pre-waxing etc? Is it worth using clay bars if so which one?

Thanks

Wardy · 16-11-2005, 22:21

Quote:

Originally Posted by flatfourburble

Sorry to hop on the thread but what would you guy suggest I use on my car. I'm going to try Collinite #476 Super doublecoat auto wax last but what should I use for the pre-wash, wash, pre-waxing etc? Is it worth using clay bars if so which one?

Thanks

I'd probably go with Meguiars Gold Glass or their NXT shampoo if I needed some now. Again, I've used the Meguiars Claybar and was impressed with the results.

Steve

ScoobyChris · 19-11-2005, 22:31

I just used a Halfords claybar, some Halfords shampoo (with car wax built in apparently) and then some Meguiars polish to finish it off. Looked the dogs danglies after I'd finished it and didn't require too much elbow grease

Chris

15-11-2005, 14:34	#1
Goochie Briskodian Join Date: Jan 2004 Location: Up a tree. Posts: 12,363 Members Car: Thanks: 7 Thanked 27 Times in 25 Posts	Washing the car during the winter. I would think that washing your car during the winter is possibly more important than doing so in the summer. However, with this weekend looking like it is going to be freezing yet sunny and the evenings being to dark to wash the car, how do you lot keep your cars clean over the winter months? I dont fancy the thought of pouring water on the car,around door seals etc. just before it freezes.

15-11-2005, 14:37	#2
EddyH Briskodian Join Date: Jun 2004 Location: West Yorkshire Posts: 4,908 Members Car: Audi S8 Thanks: 41 Thanked 27 Times in 27 Posts	Wash it, dry it and then drive it before parking up for the night. A brisk drive after washing and drying should get rid of any residual water. __________________ EddyH Audi A6 Avant 2.7 TDI Audi A3 2.0 TDI Sport

15-11-2005, 14:53	#5
Goochie Briskodian Join Date: Jan 2004 Location: Up a tree. Posts: 12,363 Members Car: Thanks: 7 Thanked 27 Times in 25 Posts	How do polishes work in the cold weather? I remember trying to use turtle wax on my first car, years ago, and it was a pain to remove if the bodywork was too cold. I've since moved on to Autoglym but not tried this during the winter months. EDIT: Just rang AutoGlym who say it should work fine so long as the product is not at zero degrees. The guy said it will work just as well though it may take a little more work. Last edited by Goochie; 15-11-2005 at 14:58.

15-11-2005, 15:23	#7
Mavrik Briskodian Join Date: Oct 2003 Location: Rochdale Posts: 531 Members Car: Silver Octavia Elegence Estate Thanks: 0 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts	Washing car in winter is easy drive into local hand car wash, pay a fiver, drive through the relevent wash and wax bays, drive out....job done __________________ Silver Octavia Estate Elegance TDi owner ---------------------------- http://www.forl.co.uk/003/index.html

15-11-2005, 16:26	#8
lfc958 500 Power Join Date: Mar 2004 Location: Kent Posts: 4,071 Members Car: Fiat 500 Thanks: 16 Thanked 25 Times in 25 Posts	I am going to give the car a good wash and top up the wax, then during the next few months, use our local handwash guys, to use their jetwash hose to get rid of salt etc. __________________ Steve Man-Bag ? Girlie Car ? - You Decide ( I have - it's neither )

15-11-2005, 14:41	#3
lozgti Briskodian Join Date: Nov 2004 Location: midlands Posts: 5,722 Members Car: Thanks: 10 Thanked 12 Times in 12 Posts	I don't mind it freezing cold and sunny.When I take a chunk out of my knuckles,I never notice till I see the water going red (cleaning under the arches you understand)

15-11-2005, 14:48	#4
Wardy 207/340 Join Date: Oct 2004 Location: Around Manchester & Cheshire Posts: 11,760 Members Car: Skoda Fabia vRS Thanks: 457 Thanked 372 Times in 360 Posts	A weekend morning usually, if it's dry! Will try and do a full clean this weekend, polish and wax etc which should hopefully see me through until it gets light again! Will just wash paintwork and do wheels when necessary through the winter months. Can be difficult fitting the cleaning in though, I know, especially if you've got other stuff on over weekends. Steve __________________ Wardy's Fabia vRS xenons : sunroof : cruise : OEM+ "Racing is life. Anything before or after is just waiting." - Steve McQueen "If in doubt, flat out." - Colin McRae

15-11-2005, 16:47	#9
ScoobyChris Briskodian Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: Andover Posts: 18,198 Members Car: Fiat Panda Thanks: 15 Thanked 337 Times in 290 Posts	Car was all waxed and protected at the end of the summer - just planning on jet-washing it at Tesco over the winter to wash all the surface cr@p off Chris __________________ Holding up the traffic in a little Italian..........

15-11-2005, 17:14	#10
Verr_Err_Ess! Briskodian Join Date: Oct 2005 Location: Peak District (UK) Posts: 431 Members Car: 55 Silver Fabia vRS Thanks: 0 Thanked 7 Times in 6 Posts	Daytime washes with a neutral Ph detergent. I like Brazilian carnauba wax, 'cause its easy on / easy off. Its not a hard synthetic wax, so you can re-apply again and again to build up a deep showroom shine. I also use a high-temp wax for the wheels (Poorboy's World Wheel Sealant): break dust just wipes off, easy-peasy, lemon sqeezy! Verr.

15-11-2005, 17:54	#13
*ColinD* Site owner Join Date: Oct 2002 Location: Hill & Mountains of North Wales Posts: 10,314 Members Car: Roomster Scout Images: 3 Thanks: 29 Thanked 174 Times in 80 Posts	frack, washing it in the summer is hard enough for me at the moment... Left my jet wash somewhere...oh well I'll have to get closer to the lorrys on the M40. __________________ ColinD 1.9 Scout Roomster - Standard www.BRISKODA.net :: Site Owner E-Mail : webmaster at briskoda dot net Got a comment to make about the site? Please feel free to use the feedback form here, we welcome your views.

15-11-2005, 20:47	#15
Jon TDI Briskodian Join Date: Jan 2004 Location: North East England Posts: 3,229 Members Car: SEAT Leon TDI Sport Thanks: 34 Thanked 34 Times in 33 Posts	I put a layer or two of wax on the paintwork before the winter. Infact, I've tried a new doublecoat type of wax this year. Must say, it's brilliant stuff! Put it on about a month ago & it's still doing the biz! Have a look here Wash with Meguiars Gold Class & dry with microfibre cloth every Sunday without fail & then a 5 min drive to blow the standing water off. Sad, I know! __________________ Black Magic SEAT Leon 2.0 TDI Sport - Green panel thingy, Upsolute jiggery pokery, Koni FSD/Eibach Pro Kit bouncy stuff, 18" Audi A8 Parabol rims, '08 Cupra black/honeycombe grille. Also driving around in a Mini ONE that thinks it's a Cooper! John Cooper Works airbox, Superchips Bluefin remap, Sprint Booster, 17" Cooper S Spokes

16-11-2005, 06:36	#17
Stuart_J Briskodian Join Date: Jan 2003 Location: Winchester Posts: 5,719 Members Car: Nissan 350Z Twin Turbo Also Octavia 1.9 TDI L&K & Superb td 140 Thanks: 40 Thanked 85 Times in 78 Posts	Give it a good wax asap & that wuill get you through the winter,on cold days take Eddies advice & take it for a good spin after youve cleaned it. Easiest time to wash it round here where the water is very hard is when its raining, cars already wet & it gets a rinse from water that leaves less deposits than the stuff that comes out of the tap __________________ Speed is an addiction for which thankfully there is no cure

16-11-2005, 10:20	#18
rich1068 Briskodian Join Date: Nov 2002 Location: North Posts: 2,708 Members Car: Thanks: 0 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts	I gave mine the winter pamper last weekend. A good wash with Meguiars Gold Class then the Meguiars 3 stage treatment - paint cleaner, polish, wax. It looks superb and I also got to try out my new Halfords car polisher. The whole thing took nearly two days and the pain in my lower back is only just starting to go but well worth it Also, the definative answer to the removal not the covering up of old wax/polish residue on black trim. I still had some small patches from earlier on this year and I can confirm that Meguiars Step 1 Paint Cleaner takes it straight off. I found this out by accident when I was cleaning the paintwork. Bonus! And while I'm in the mood to impart new (to me anyway) info. Ever fancied one of these http://shop.meguiars.co.uk/cgi-bin/s...l?pc=G104&tp=0 ? Why not try one of these http://www.motor-world.co.uk/kroozin...p?prod_id=4120 instead? Notice any similarity? __________________ Rich. Skoda Octavia RS

16-11-2005, 16:06	#21
WW_VRS Escorted Estate Join Date: Nov 2004 Location: Oxfordshire/Berkshire Posts: 9,878 Members Car: Ford Escort 1.6LX + Fab Estate Thanks: 46 Thanked 86 Times in 76 Posts	Got a proper softener and it sure makes a difference to the amount of cleaning to do. I am too lazy to polish it (the car, the car ) but I will probably do it sometime this year. Pressure washer sounds like a great gift as it may just allow me to get rid of the blasted salty gunk when they go crazy again. (I know, it serves a purpose, but it still sux) __________________ WW --->> Project Journal (pic links in first post there) Lummox'/Ross thread on Unit18 Automotive progress on my car: here

16-11-2005, 17:25	#23
flatfourburble "Bones" Join Date: Jan 2004 Location: Heathrow/Crewe Posts: 5,449 Members Car: Fabia vRS Thanks: 0 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts	Sorry to hop on the thread but what would you guy suggest I use on my car. I'm going to try Collinite #476 Super doublecoat auto wax last but what should I use for the pre-wash, wash, pre-waxing etc? Is it worth using clay bars if so which one? Thanks __________________ Oh to have the internet back..................oh have I missed it

19-11-2005, 22:31	#25
ScoobyChris Briskodian Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: Andover Posts: 18,198 Members Car: Fiat Panda Thanks: 15 Thanked 337 Times in 290 Posts	Re: Washing the car during the winter. I just used a Halfords claybar, some Halfords shampoo (with car wax built in apparently) and then some Meguiars polish to finish it off. Looked the dogs danglies after I'd finished it and didn't require too much elbow grease Chris __________________ Holding up the traffic in a little Italian..........

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