Self serve carwash at -30C

[srivett]

Haha,
I'm sure you guys can imagine how things went while washing my car outside when it was -30C. I didn't think it was that good of an idea either but it had to be done because I had a fuel line spray diesel all over my rubber rad hoses and this is a BAD thing.

When I got to the car wash the first thing I noticed was an inch of ice on all of the walls. Regarless, I popped the hood and had at it. There was so much steam I couldn't see anything so I figured I'd take a minute to wash the outside of the car. Ooops, the soapy water flash froze to the entire car. It took a good 4 minutes of rinsing to get the soap off and warm up the car enough to stop the water from freezing to it!

I am going to be regretting this in the morning...I hope I can find a door that will open.

Cheers, Steve

 

[Patman]

You should do what I do in extreme cold, visit your local detail shop and get them to wash the car.

I don't know if you've got them in Sudbury, but in the Toronto area there is a franchise of detailing shops called Fine Details. They only charge $10 for a handwash, and they fully dry the car when it's done. So it's perfect for those -30C days when you want a clean car but don't want to do it yourself. I find you can't really use those coin washes once it drops below -10C otherwise the water freezes as soon as it hits your car.

They only charge $35 for an engine shampoo also, so you could've got them to do that too.

Check out their site to see if there is one near you:

www.finedetails.org

 

[Kestas]

I hand wash my cars in the winter. One trick I've learned is to leave the doors slightly ajar for at least 10 minutes so the water can run off, otherwise the water will wick onto the seals and and form a thick freeze overnight. If you can risk it, you should also leave the car unlocked after a wash.

 

[seotaji]

i also have my car detailed by a shop in the winter.

they have an enclosed bay where they wash/dry/wax the car all for under $40.

it's great and i know the workers aren't suffering.