need guides for EXTREME cold and EXTREME salt ?

[number50]

So here is the Situation. I live in Sudbury Ontario. We have a 6 month winter with snow for 4 months. Salt is very extreme here as well as a ton of precipitation.

I need to know what products to buy for next winter. I do not want to use automated car washes because I know of the scratches they give on your clear coat.

I need to know how I can wash my vehicle by hand even with our temperatures being below freezing the whole winter. I do have the option of paying for the "spray your own car" car washes and then detailing afterwards ? . I don't have anywhere indoors where i can clean the car.

Basically I am asking for

1. If there is a car wash product that I can use at the "spray your own car" even when temperatures are well below freezing

2. If I can clay the car or use the speedy prep towel or nanoskin wash mitt at least once during the winter and if there is a lubricant that won't freeze while doing so. Hopefully the prep towel or nanoskin since it will be very cold and the time outdoors is a big factor

3. If there is a sealant made for extreme temperatures that can be applied below freezing. Again a fast application spray sealant would be best because of the time in the cold. I have Blackfire Crystal Seal but don't know if there is another sealant that applies normally in extreme cold.


The decontamination and Sealant steps are a PLUS . I technically could wait until april to decontaminate and seal once again. The washing is a MUST. With how much snow and salt we have i should wash my car once a week here but If I'm washing so often i would obviously love to add some quick protection a few times throughout the winter after washing. I don't want to be washing very frequently and just leaving my bare paint open to further corrosion with no protection.

[Mike Phillips]

Since this is your first post...


Welcome to AutogeekOnline!


You're asking for products that either don't exist, (won't freeze in freezing temperatures), because any wash type product is going to contain some level of water. Also, working in extreme cold with liquids is hard no matter how good or great the product is.

What most people that live in extreme cold geographical areas do is to do all the prep and protect work well before when the cold weather sets in, during the time leading up to winter weather when temps are warmer. Then more or less crossing their fingers till they get through the winter.

The salt or sodium chloride used for de-icing is horribly corrosive to the underneath of your car. You can take preventative measure like coatings and such but I don't think there's a perfect solution to the problem except don't drive anything you want to keep forever in areas like this during winter months.

I'm sure others that actually live in extreme cold weather areas will have their suggestions...


In about an hour I'll be leaving work in my convertible with the top down...

(Sorry)


:D

[Blackthorn One]

number50 needs a heated garage and ONR. A steam cleaner for car washing can help get things clean in really cold weather, but below freezing I'm really not sure will work.

Any product you use in a freezing environment will need to be heated enough so it won't freeze and won't dry out too soon, and that means a heated garage. If you don't have a heated garage, you need to borrow or rent one.

If it's just very cold but not freezing, a steam cleaner and ONR or waterless wash would likely be best.
Somewhere on the forum there is a thread with a link to a vid in which someone uses steam to clean a car's exterior.

[Mike Phillips]

number50 needs a heated garage and ONR.




I know where to get the ONR... the heated garage will have to be found locally...

I lived in Oregon most of my life and so I'm used to rain and cold temperatures but not what I would call "extreme cold" temperatures.

When it rains as often as it rains in Oregon, you learn to wash your car in the rain because if you wait for a sunny day you might be waiting for a long time.


:)

[Chris's FX4]

Hate to say it, but I don't know if anything will work well below freezing.

What most do is what Mike already has said, do your winter-prep before winter. Then when given opportunities to wash and maintain through out the winter, do it.

Two products that I've used around the freezing mark that work for me are ONR and Meguiar's D156 Synthetic X-press Spray Wax. Best bet with the ONR would be to do a rinse at the DIY car wash place and then use the ONR, or even do a pre-soak with ONR using a pressure sprayer.

I'm kind of straight west of you in the UP, so I know what you go through in the winter.

Here's just a little test I did for my winter-prep LSP, Wolfgang Deep Gloss Paint Sealant.

http://www.autogeekonline.net/forum/product-reviews/56247-wolfgang-dgps-3-0-winter-test.html

If you apply a quality sealant before the onslaught of winter, you should be able to make it to spring.

[octane]

Optimum no rinse with wax worked well for me this winter, when it's close to freezing it leave a nice surface with no streaks, just dry the panel the moment you finish washing it, and it won't freeze. Heck I was even able to wash my cars 2 degrees below freezing using very hot water in my buckets.

claying or aplying any type of sealant in the winter is pretty much useless without a heated garage, since the temps will be too low for the sealant to cure properly, and it won't last!

the ONR with wax will maintain the sealant that you put on before the freezing temps until spring.

[number50]

Thanks Mike for the prompt reply and everyone else also. I figured these would be the responses but just wanted to make sure there wasn't any products Made In Canada - For Canada or any other magical products unique to freezing weather.

I Coach basketball at a big highschool in town so Maybe i'll see if they can let me in their auto shop once a month in the winter to do a full work up . I have a friend with a 2005 Mazda 3 in town and he adds protection to the paint every 2 weeks in the other 3 season. Yesterday we noticed that it's not enough to stop the corrosion. He has rust in about 10 places already.
Whatever salt mixture they use on the roads here in Sudbury is horrible. Can't blame them though. My entire yard was about 8ft high of snow this year. I guess it's better to be safe and salted every day

http://www.abload.de/img/20130215_142207193jgd.jpg (http://www.abload.de/image.php?img=20130215_142207193jgd.jpg)

Mike. Enjoy the Weather. I'll be moving down into those lower states eventually !

[BillE]

Seeing you may have access to an indoor work area, try this idea.

After doing (or is that going thru?) a spray wash down to get the salt and other nasties of the vehicle, try using Meguiar's "Ultimate Wash and Wax Anywhere."

I've been using this technique all this past winter with good results.

Bill

[octane]

an 8 year old Mazda with no rust is very rare in Canada, if you are scared about rust, a good rustproofing oil spray would be more important than washing/sealing the paint, since most rust starts from inside.

[number50]

Yeah I get the premium rustproofing where they do in the doors as well..

My friend has always washed and waxed the car often. I'll be doing the extra steps of decontamination twice a year and I'll be using sealants instead of waxes so mine should hold up better in winter. We will see !
Hopefully i do get an indoor space at least a few times each winter so I can do a full workover of wash, decontaminate, and seal