In contrast to all the awesome details that I've seen posted lately... I've been trying to get a car wash for quite some time, but couldn't sneak one in between the snows (would've been filthy by the time I made it back anyway), and now it's way too cold to get the salt off. This is what a few weeks of midwest winter driving (not even driving every day!) looks like, for those of you below the Mason-Dixon line. The car has been parked in an unheated parking garage that's open on two sides, so not much melting or thawing has gone on, fortunately (this is better for avoiding rust than letting all of it thaw). The car "used" to be dark gray, and hopefully will be again the next time I can take it through a car wash! Handwashing is not an option, but this is starting to get to me, as someone pretty particular about their car (usually I'm able to sneak in at least a few per winter, but I haven't had a chance for quite some time). For those of us who don't want to drive a rolling salt block, it seems that a touchless wash is a necessary evil.
Anti-Detail (winter salt bath) pics
- Thread starter TmanP
- Start date
Yup, our vehicles looks very similar right about now.
I'm glad i put hot water in the garage last year. Makes rinsing off the salt much easier.
I feel your pain. Usually it gets cold for a while and washing isn't practical.
I feel your pain. Usually it gets cold for a while and washing isn't practical.
My orange truck is currently salt white 
Yeah I grew in in Buffalo, all our cars were white with salt no matter what I did.
Sort of a weird feeling I've been in Texas for like ten years now, I have no real sense of seasons any more.
Will be a reality check we are expecting a dusting of snow and 20 degrees on Monday here.
Sort of a weird feeling I've been in Texas for like ten years now, I have no real sense of seasons any more.
Will be a reality check we are expecting a dusting of snow and 20 degrees on Monday here.
This gives me anxiety
My black car is a mess. But I refuse to wash it until its warm enough for me to have enough time to concentrate on it. Otherwise Ill end up dragging all the sand/salt crap across the paint, marring it to kingdom come.
I will hit it with the foam lance on my pressure washer, then lightly pressure wash off the soap and whatever goes with it. Doesnt get it perfect, but I dont come within 2 feet of the surface of the paint so there is no worry about marring.
I use the pressure washer without foam lance to blast the sand/salt out of the wheel wells.....during the winter I think thats the most important thing to do.
I will hit it with the foam lance on my pressure washer, then lightly pressure wash off the soap and whatever goes with it. Doesnt get it perfect, but I dont come within 2 feet of the surface of the paint so there is no worry about marring.
I use the pressure washer without foam lance to blast the sand/salt out of the wheel wells.....during the winter I think thats the most important thing to do.
I've just had to accept it, which is hard since I love keeping a clean car. I thought of you and rooflessVW since you're always posting awesome detail pics, haha. I always enjoy seeing them, but doubly so during the winter when I can live vicariously.
It's super annoying but potholes and rust must be the price we pay for having distinct seasons, I guess.
I have family in NY and ME and love seeing pictures during the fall winter months, it's beautiful. Your right though, it comes with a cost.
We're getting a lot of freezing rain in this area currently, and they're putting a hellacious amount of salt down.
I keep the nicer vehicles at home in inclement weather. I don't lose any sleep at all leaving salt on my 280k mile commuter car, a bonus is the car is white so the salt kinda blends in.
Next rain will wash it off, I won't be detailing it until the weather improves and it's at least 50F out. My days of washing cars where the water freezes before you can rinse it off are behind me!
I keep the nicer vehicles at home in inclement weather. I don't lose any sleep at all leaving salt on my 280k mile commuter car, a bonus is the car is white so the salt kinda blends in.
Next rain will wash it off, I won't be detailing it until the weather improves and it's at least 50F out. My days of washing cars where the water freezes before you can rinse it off are behind me!Hey - it was in the single digits above zero today - the perfect day for a car wash! Going to be a couple of days again before that's possible...
All part of the "fun" in the winter...
All part of the "fun" in the winter...
Same... desperately needs a wash but it’s been frigid cold here.
How long does the salt have to be on your vehicle before it starts eating the paint/steel?
It probably doesn't take long, at least if the paint is broken/breached, but it's far worse if it's moist and warm. Cold and dry is probably not all that bad for it, considering, but a damp, heated garage will be a perfect storm for rust. Not every car rusts in nearly the same way; it's very brand and model-dependent - e.g. GM W-body rockers, GM pickup wheel arches, Ford cab corners, etc. are problem spots. Not everything appears to be rusty, but there are some surprisingly new vehicles that do rust badly up here. I always look for patterns on the cars I see. And, surprisingly, MN cars often don't look much worse than IA/NE cars, considering that it gets colder in MN but there are fewer freeze/thaw cycles than the mid-midwest, and less slop and slush. MI cars look to be the worst I've ever seen; WI cars are basically like MN cars. Heading south, mid-MO is where they start to look better, at least by southern MO. There are definitely regional differences (salt and snowfall, primarily - cars don't seem to rust much in areas that get < 10-15 inches of snow a year), but car design is important too.
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Yep the OCD kicked in hard here. Had to make a very short trip in the Nox- and it got salted for the first time. But we still have yet to be above freezing. Managed to run it to a coin wash and get it off. Not perfect , but at least salt free. Other two got washed the last few days, cold be darn. Sadly now we have two more storms on the way...... :-O
One of the reasons I chose to have my current vehicle Krowned annually was to reduce salt anxiety. $129 per year with a perforation warranty does ease the mind a bit.
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