This Shell station around here started giving out car washes for $1 when you get 8 gallons of gas. That's not too shabby, but is it ok to wash it in crappy below freezing New England weather? My concern is with water getting into some joints or hose connections and expanding when it freezes.

 

If its a cloth car wash or brush, no way. Those pieces rarely get changed and all the dirt from all the cars previous to you is collected on the pieces that touch your car.

You have the 5th gen with paper thin paint, as I do. I take it to the touchless automatics when its to cold to do it by hand. Might not make it sparkling clean...but will wash the salt off until you can get to it by hand.

As for water freezing in parts its not supposed to...I personally have not had problems with that. When I first owned the car in the first winter, it sat outside year round and washed it fairly frequently because the goons in this city salt roads at the drop of a hat.

 

Hog hair bristle brush on extension pole.

 

what does a touchless automatic do?

 

Uses sprayers, not brushes.

 

Basically its a machine that sprays on stuff to loosen dirt (dont know chemical makeup), rinses, then sprays on soap, rinses and then waxes if you buy it.

The one around me also has has an underbody spray.

It removes "most" of the dirt, but sometimes can leave the filmy dirt still there. Nothing beat a good old fashioned soft mitt hand wash...but the touchless gets me by in the inclement weather.

 

so you're telling me the $1 car washes are out of the question? seemed like a such a good deal...

I dont even know where to find a touchless wash around here... Is it really bad for the paint if I leave the caked on salt throughout the winter. My car is COVERED in the stuff.

 

That $1 wash will do you fine. If that the salt is "caked " on get that **** off!
Even a do -it-yourself spray off job is OK, but I suggest you open the doors and dry off the weather stripping though. I'm sure you got power locks so frozen door locks shouldn't be an issue.

 

DO NOT USE BRUSH OR CLOTH CARWASHERS... I'm a fanatic about my car being clean but I will not even take a sponge or rag to it unless I first spray it off real good at a do-it-yourself station. Then, if the forecast is for a string of precipitation free days I'll wash it by hand and wipe it down if temps permit. Ive found that even at about 25 degrees (not much lower) if the sun is out the water won't freeze before you wipe down. the side of the car that does not get sun will freeze though. Just turn the car around, wait a minute, and wipe down.

Remember, salt caked on the car is not just salt even if it looks snow white. There's lots of dirt and sand grains in it as well that will swirl the hell out of your finish if you take even a brand new cloth and soapy water to it.

"Think warmer weather" to keep these baby's clean!

 

something else to consider....when its real cold out, the water will freeze the brushes. so figure you'll have hundreds of rock hard brushes scraping against your cars exterior....


ouch....


touchless only!!!


das

 

i just leave my car at home and get out a bucket of hot water and pour it over the car and let it freeze, makes a nice wax coating

just make sure to open your doors before the wax sets in haha

 

sounds good, think i'll try that