Can't keep my car clean!!!

[cjbear]

So I JUST moved to Minneapolis 4 months ago from Seattle and I'm having a heck of a time trying to keep Navin clean. The salt on the roads scares me to death (this is my first NICE car!!!) and taking Navin to the automatic car wash doesn't get the dirt all off. With cold weather here I can't hand wash him...is there a solution???????

[graybugger]

If you keep a bottle of delutied car wash and a micro cloth you can touch up between washes and a very good wax job will help the dirt wash of better

[hyakugojyuuichi]

Ditto on the wax. Wilson gets waxed four times a year and it makes the paint so much easier to maintain.

[SMG]

I hope the automatic carwash is touchless. If not, the salt and dirt are the least of your problems.

Seriously though, you either need to:

1) Buy a winter beater.
2) Drive yourself crazy trying to keep it clean.
3) Basically give up and wait till spring.

This is what mine looked like last winter. This winter it's in storage.

[GINA]

Yup, I vote for #3 there. I'll hose mine down once every few weeks at Flagship with the soapy water to get the major stuff off, but for the most part it's dirty until spring. That's why we all do winter prep and get a real good wash/wax in before winter bears it's ugly face.

[PunkinBug]

Another reccomendation for wax, and in St. Louis I used to wash Lola in the bays all the time. It was maybe 5 minutes out in the cold washing and maybe another two running a towel over her to dry her and it made a big difference. If it was really gross, we took Lulu.

LOL

[cjbear]

Thanks for the pic SMG - that actually made me feel A LOT better I think I'll go with option #3 too...even though it breaks my heart to see Navin dirty (I don't want people to think I'm a neglagent Bug owner). When I move next August I'll hopefully get a place with a heated underground garage (oh, that sounds so hilarious and yet very necessary).
And yes, the car wash is touchless...I don't know how to do too many things right, but I got that one down!

[Dragonspirit12]

I decided to just run snapdragon through the wash real quick befor I go to gtg but thats about it all the sanding on the roads makes it impossible to keep clean I cant wait till it warms up so I can give her a good proper wash hopefully a caly barring and waxing too

[Chubs763]

Hi CJ!

Cold 'nuff for ya? LOL. I always hate when people say that.

C U around the beltway.

[gilligan]

Originally Posted by SMG

I hope the automatic carwash is touchless. If not, the salt and dirt are the least of your problems.

Seriously though, you either need to:

1) Buy a winter beater.
2) Drive yourself crazy trying to keep it clean.
3) Basically give up and wait till spring.

This is what mine looked like last winter. This winter it's in storage.

[Dorado]

One trick for the touchless, is to try to visit it during the day and when the sun has heated up the exterior of the car. It's much easier to clean than when it's very cold at night.

Also, wash the car before a major snow storm, that way the "new dirt" will not stick to the "old dirt."

But the most important thing, is to give the NB, after a good cleaning, 2 coats of wax to the whole painted exterior. Reapply the wax at least once a year, ideally twice a year. Waxing makes the most difference.

[Pushing Fifty]

I've found that most automatic car washes do a lousy job; they miss the crud that builds up under wheelwells, and the dryers are worthless. Obviously, it's too cold to do a driveway hand wash this time of year, but here's what I do.

I go to an enclosed 24 hour self-serve wash late at night, after 11:00. Even if it's 20 below zero outside, it will be about 40 degrees inside the bay. I take my time and towel-dry everything. It takes nearly an hour, but at that time of night, nobody will be waiting behind you.....

[dunno513]

Pressure washers are a very nice tool. Takes me 5 minutes to do what a 6-10 dollar touchless wash does. Granted the carwash is less hastle, but it's also nice to know that it isn't costing a fortune to keep your car clean every week.

In the wintertime, I will use the carwashes once a month or so for salt, sand, roadgrime removal. I was recently able to wash at home since the temp had just dipped into the high 20's from a balmy high of 33 deg F. I don't think I will be able to do that again until March.

Seriously, go get yourself a cheap electric pressure washer. Almost every store sells one for under 100 bucks. It saves water too, and mine has a soap dispenser so I can just spray the car with soapy water, brush, then rinse. I only need to swap nozzels once or twice during the whole wash.. a 10 second operation.

Its really nice to have when you want that extra power to remove something, or to get into little nooks. For me it's the ability to remove mildew from my boat with the slightest effort. Some will warn about pressure washers being a danger to paint, but thats the benefit of the cheaper ones.. the PSI ratings are much lower, and will not be as likely to damage any paint if handled properly.

[Friday]

Go to a touchless with an under carriage wash and do that as often as the weather permits, and you and Navin will be fine. The under carriage washer will keep enough of the salt and crud off and keep it from doing great harm. I just live with the fact that Arkamedes will be gross on the outside until we get a 'warm' day (above freezing). Wax him as soon as spring warms up enough to do it, or take him to a deatiler for a full spring 'tune up'.