Midwest Winter Paint Protection

[Northwoods]

I live in the upper Midwest where we can have 7 months of hard winter. What is the best option for protecting the paint and finish on my daily drivers assuming that I can wash the vehicle during the winter months but I will not be able to apply any product? I frequently wash during the winter months so would like the paint protection layer to be able to handle that as well.

Would a wax work or do they just not last long enough? How about a paint sealant? Or a dedicated paint coating?

Or should I lay down a layer of sealant and then wax over the top of that? Are dedicated paint coatings for more advanced detailing folks? I usually only polish daily drivers once a year, would that work with a paint coating?

Looking for the most simple option that saves on time and $$$ but still offers good protection...?

Thanks!

[BudgetPlan1]

Gyeon Cancoat

[MarkD51]

Probably the best, least expensive option would be Collinite #476 Super Doublecoat Paste Wax.

They say this is actually a hybrid product, combining both natural waxes and poly sealants combined. I've used it for many years on various vehicles, very good.

For Plastic Trim, I'd like to recommend Wolfgang Exterior Trim Sealant (WETS)

Others might suggest Sonax Polymer Net Sealant, (PNS) another good one that has exceptional durability short of a Ceramic Coating. Either paint products I mention should do the trick.

[FUNX650]

assuming that I can wash the
vehicle during the winter months

but I will not be able to apply any product?

To me:
Assuming that you can wash the vehicle
during the Winter months, means to also
assume that the ambient temperature, in
the area where the vehicle is being washed,
is well above the freeze-point of the car wash-
ing (and rinsing) solutions.

If this is the case, my question is:
‘Then why would you not be able to apply
a product to the freshly cleaned vehicle?’



Looking for the most simple option that saves
on time and $$$ but still offers good protection...

IMO:
Optimum Car Wax:
A great “Hybrid” Sealant!


Bob

[Bobby B.]

Ceramic Coatings would be the most durable followed by Paint Sealants and Waxes. You could also use a product like Blackfire HydroSeal or Wolfgang Uber SiO2 Coating Wash while doing your maintenance washes during the winter months for added protection.

Any of these products would be a great choice for winter protection -

Blackfire, Pinnacle Black Label, Wolfgang, Optimum, McKee'37, Gyeon, CarPro, GTechniq, P&S - Ceramic Coatings
Gyeon CanCoat
Sonax Polymer Net Shield
Wolfgang Deep Gloss Paint Sealant
Blackfire Paint Sealant
Pinnacle Black Label Diamond Paint Sealant
RejeX Paint Sealant
McKee's 37 High-Def Paint Sealant
Finish Kare Ultra Polymer Paint Sealant
Jescar Power Lock +
Klasse High Gloss Sealant Glaze
Finish Kare 1000P Hi-Temp Paste Wax
Collinite Super DoubleCoat Auto Wax #476
Collinite Insulator Wax #845

[acuRAS82]

Adding Collinite 915.

[2black1s]

I grew up in Cleveland, Ohio and lived there into my mid to late twenties. I feel sorry for all you "car guys and girls" that still live in similar environments. During that time I worked in the autobody/painting industry and from my experience you folks are fighting a losing battle. Waxing or other topical coatings on the paint do very little to protect your car from winter conditions in the overall scheme of things.

What I learned back then is that there is really only one way to protect your car during the winter months. And although this isn't going to be the answer you're looking for, it is the only effective answer in my opinion. Park your nice car during the months of salt and/or other chemicals on the road and drive a beater until springtime.

[acuRAS82]

I’m a northeast guy and when I keep my cars protected, I’ve never had issues with permanent marks or rust. This includes living in Syracuse using Turtle Wax for years when I was young. Clean the underbody every month or two during the winter and make sure protection is always present and there shouldn’t be issues (based on my experiences).

[BudgetPlan1]

I grew up in Cleveland, Ohio and lived there into my mid to late twenties. I feel sorry for all you "car guys and girls" that still live in similar environments. During that time I worked in the autobody/painting industry and from my experience you folks are fighting a losing battle. Waxing or other topical coatings on the paint do very little to protect your car from winter conditions in the overall scheme of things.

What I learned back then is that there is really only one way to protect your car during the winter months. And although this isn't going to be the answer you're looking for, it is the only effective answer in my opinion. Park your nice car during the months of salt and/or other chemicals on the road and drive a beater until springtime.

I put 10k hard, NE Ohio Winter miles on my coated car, comes out fine each Spring after a chemical decon. Run it through a touchless soap/rinse only car wash once or twice a month in the bad times, no worries. Ran w/ Collinite 915 one winter, did OK but was pretty much done by Spring. Freeway miles in winter are LSP-killers around here but a quality coating will get ya thru.

[acuRAS82]

May necessary to use a spray wax or reapply LSP on lower panels if not going the coating route. I spray with something after every winter RW to ensure my protection doesn’t get too low.

[2black1s]

I’m a northeast guy and when I keep my cars protected, I’ve never had issues with permanent marks or rust. This includes living in Syracuse using Turtle Wax for years when I was young. Clean the underbody every month or two during the winter and make sure protection is always present and there shouldn’t be issues (based on my experiences).


I put 10k hard, NE Ohio Winter miles on my coated car, comes out fine each Spring after a chemical decon. Run it through a touchless soap/rinse only car wash once or twice a month in the bad times, no worries. Ran w/ Collinite 915 one winter, did OK but was pretty much done by Spring. Freeway miles in winter are LSP-killers around here but a quality coating will get ya thru.

I agree with you guys to a point. When I lived back there I'd do the same kind of things... I had a garage at my parents house where I could pull my car in and hose it off, including the undercarriage, daily if I wanted to. And while that may have done some good and made me feel better at the time, in the overall scheme of things it did very little.

Fast forward to today. I've lived in Southern California since 1980. There is absolutely no comparison to a 'say' 5 or 10 year old car that is driven through Midwest winters, regardless of the amount of care, and the same California car. That is where my "park it" philosophy comes from.

I never knew that when I lived in the Midwest. I thought I was taking care of my car the best I could and I didn't know of anything different. But seeing some older California cars certainly enlightened me and indicated to me how frugal my attempts at maintaining a car through Midwest winters really were.

[MarkD51]

I agree with you guys to a point. When I lived back there I'd do the same kind of things... I had a garage at my parents house where I could pull my car in and hose it off, including the undercarriage, daily if I wanted to. And while that may have done some good and made me feel better at the time, in the overall scheme of things it did very little.

Fast forward to today. I've lived in Southern California since 1980. There is absolutely no comparison to a 'say' 5 or 10 year old car that is driven through Midwest winters, regardless of the amount of care, and the same California car. That is where my "park it" philosophy comes from.

I never knew that when I lived in the Midwest. I thought I was taking care of my car the best I could and I didn't know of anything different. But seeing some older California cars certainly enlightened me and indicated to me how frugal my attempts at maintaining a car through Midwest winters really were.

Of course, agree with you 100% Same with the dry southwest, like when I lived in New Mexico. Although drier and lower humidity, the sun and blowing dusts were killers. 3-4 year old vehicles with horrendous clear coat failures already, yellowed and hazed out headlights too.

Before vehicle bodies were galvanized dipped, it was really bad with the salts. Moth eaten wheel wells, doors, rocker panels in no time. And rust proofing and undercoating was virtually a waste of good money. Especially the way people like Ziebart used to drill a hole, and squirt in a few ounces inside a panel, nothing there.

Would've been better off buying a 12 pack case of rubberized undercoating spray cans, popping panels, and doing it myself.

[Klasse Act]

Many people have chimed in with great advice but whatever you use to protect your car, whenever possible, keeping your car clean during the winter is VERY important! Here's where a quality waterless or rinseless wash comes into play so you can wash your ride in your garage. If its too cold in there maybe a small propane heater is a good idea to take the chill out of the air, most of your WW/RW will work in temps around 40 degrees without too much of a problem. Also, something like a Worx Hydroshot is good for cleaning the tires/wheel/wells as well as under your car, yeah you have the issue of water on your floor but you could squeege it out. We have underground parking at our apartment and its great as it stays warm enough down there to wash my car anyway I want to, unless its really cold outside, like 25 or less, then I have to wait it out until it warms up a bit outside.

Good luck to you, winter sucks, we all hate it here!

[Eric7810]

What I learned back then is that there is really only one way to protect your car during the winter months. And although this isn't going to be the answer you're looking for, it is the only effective answer in my opinion. Park your nice car during the months of salt and/or other chemicals on the road and drive a beater until springtime.

This is exactly what I tell my customers who think my detail work will prevent their vehicle from rusting and falling apart.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[chet31]

Pick a nice day in October or November, and apply your favorite sealant to your car. Then ... do nothing. Don't wash the car until approximately March. Seriously, this is what I do. Washing the car is indeed a losing battle. Take it to a car wash, it's dirty by the time you get home. Winter = cold = slow chemical reactions. Use this to your advantage and leave things alone. My car is 14 years old in Wisconsin and has no rust. It is garage kept, but driven 52 weeks/yr. I usually wash it in the spring, the first stretch of nice weather, usually March or April, and the car beads water.