Am I bat-shit crazy to want to wash my car in this weather?

[Neil4Speed]

Relatively quick question, my car hasn't been washed in ages now, properly washed, probably close to 2 months. It is not that I don't like to wash it, I love a clean car more than the next guy however get extremely frustrated when I spend about 20 minutes hand washing it only to get home and it is dirty again lol.

I am wanting to do a full wash, proper dry (door jams etc), claybar, and wax in an inside carwash - again making sure the car is very very dry - is this a bad idea in super cold weather like this? I do park my car in an unheated garage overnight if it makes a difference.

[gretz]

Waste of time IMO, especially with this "mild" weather coming up

[Redlyne_mr2]

Dont wash your car in this weather. It's hard on the weather stripping and associated moving parts in engine. Cooling fan etc.

[Tik-Tok]

Originally posted by Neil4Speed

I am wanting to do a full wash, proper dry (door jams etc), claybar, and wax in an inside carwash - again making sure the car is very very dry - is this a bad idea in super cold weather like this? I do park my car in an unheated garage overnight if it makes a difference.

Then don't do it. You'll never be able to have a very very dry car, while IN the car wash, too many other people using it.

I always wash my car when it's this shitty out, but the car wash is 4 blocks away from my house, and I have a heated garage I keep at 10*C

[J-hop]

Originally posted by Tik-Tok


Then don't do it. You'll never be able to have a very very dry car, while IN the car wash, too many other people using it.



yea and consider the humidity in there as well, shit is going to get frozen like door locks weather stripping etc.

But isn't it supposed to be like 4 degrees tomorrow??

[Graham_A_M]

I just washed mine a few days ago, but with tomorrow its a bad idea. Id wash it on a nice warm day, then drive it immediately home. That way you'll have a nice clean car for when it gets cold out.
If you dry it off in the car wash, its not so bad. In this weather is usually pretty slow, so I just pay how much I owe for the time spent washing then dry it off in the bay before leaving. :dunno:

[SJW]

I wash it all the time in this weather. It's perfectly fine. Don't go hosing off the engine n shit.

[Cos]

im gonna go and spray mine off tonight. Too much salt built up

[ddduke]

Originally posted by SJW
I wash it all the time in this weather. It's perfectly fine. Don't go hosing off the engine n shit.

All depends what kind of car you have. Mine personally can not be washed in this weather, even if I dry if off before leaving, lots of moisture gets stuck were it shouldn't. My tailgate freezes no matter what, then I have to take it off and put it in my backseat to warm up, so does my gas lid.

Washed my girlfriends car on the last chinook day and when the -25 hit I couldn't open the trunk.

It may freeze tonight, but tomorrow if you drive it then it'll just get dirty again.

[SJW]

i wipe the inside of the doors and teh weather stripping prior to leaving.

[ddduke]

So do I, moisture still seems to get in the locks and there's huge holes everywhere on the tailgate allowing water in that you can't get at unless it comes apart.

[Cooked Rice]

I washed my SUV maybe 4 times this winter. It just gets dirty 2 days later when a chinook rolls in.

[natejj]

Its a waste of time. Dont bother. But since you have the urge to wash a car, I guess I could do you a favor and drive mine over. I'll only let you wash it for 3 hours tops though. PM me your address and we will set something up.

[slinkie]

I washed mine yesterday since I had to wait for 10 minutes and was near a carwash. It was a very stupid idea.

went to get gas at around 10pm and my gas door was frozen shut, tried prying it open with a key and snapped the key, finally got it open and the cap was frozen shut. Later was going to take a passenger but the passenger door and/or lock was frozen shut so she had to sit behind me ... (coupe)

I would leave it dirty unless it's garage kept and you're worried about rust

[94boosted]

I wash mine every ~2 weeks regardless of weather (wand or touchless) I gave up on it being clean (black car) I just wash it to get all the shit off of it lol. I do park it in a heated garage though where I always give the door jams and such a good drying.

[Xtrema]

I only wash it if it's -5 and above. It was never about keeping the body clean, it's about reducing salt and dirt build up.

My car was never clean this winter.

[Kennyredline]

I'd be afraid to wash in this cold, even if I had a garage to store in. The car would have to be left in there for days, and is it guaranteed to be totally water-free after that?
I last washed my car when it went above zero, a long time ago, just to get the crap off. I use Meguiar's Tech Wax, and it works great, but I still get paranoid about road grime wearing away my wax job.

[TT-fast]

you have a vvti sc400, please wash it and stop rust from spreading, if you wipe all the door james and use a air hose it wont freeze shut.

like if you go to bubbles or clear wash they do a good job

[CapnCrunch]

I always wash in the cold. It stays clean longer than on warmer days.

[Tik-Tok]

Originally posted by Kennyredline
I use Meguiar's Tech Wax, and it works great, but I still get paranoid about road grime wearing away my wax job.

:confused: Wax is there to protect your paint/clear coat from road grime... it's supposed to wear down so your clear coat doesn't get damaged. That's the whole point of wax...


Originally posted by TT-fast
....

Dude, turn that sig off, it's way too high.

[maxwinedog]

4C tommorow? Ha dream on. Its going to be snowing til the end of the month, most likely til June 1st IMO. This citys weather is a complete disgrace.

[Kennyredline]

Originally posted by Tik-Tok


:confused: Wax is there to protect your paint/clear coat from road grime... it's supposed to wear down so your clear coat doesn't get damaged. That's the whole point of wax...



Dude, turn that sig off, it's way too high.
Well, like I said, I'm paranoid about it.
As for my sig, I might be playing around with it, I'll be sure to watch for for your approval. :thumbsup:

[sillysod]

Kenny, re-read post pretty sure Tik Tok wasn't talking to you...


I wash my cars probably every 2nd or 3rd day, do it in the heated garage and hand dry them. I hate driving a dirty car so I just turn the TV or music on in there and just wash them. I've done this for years and years and never had any problems pop up because of it.

[Kennyredline]

Originally posted by sillysod
Kenny, re-read post pretty sure Tik Tok wasn't talking to you...


I wash my cars probably every 2nd or 3rd day, do it in the heated garage and hand dry them. I hate driving a dirty car so I just turn the TV or music on in there and just wash them. I've done this for years and years and never had any problems pop up because of it.
Really? When I quoted his post, that line came too....I thought that only happened with stuff that was actually posted, not a sig or something....:dunno:
Tik Tok, is my sig too high? lol

[sillysod]

It was clearly directed at "TT-fast"

[JordanAndrew]

If you plan on washing your car, just make sure you go to a heated garage after and leave it there for hours to let it dry. Maybe you can do this when you go to the mall. That or if you have a friend or know someone who has a heated garage.

I'm lucky to have a heated garage so this is never an issue for me.