Winter Car Washing....Salt Removal?

**ShapeShifter** · 02-07-12 11:33 AM

Curious as to what methods folks who operate on salty winter roads are using to try and keep corrosion to a minimum. I really don't like mechanical car washes, but some say they are good for removing salt and grime from the undercarriage. I use to have a winter hooptie, but it was stolen a few years ago and I hate the thought of driving in that salty mess. Thank goodness this winter has been mild, at least to this point.

I have rubber gloves, bucket, jugs with warm water and car wash concentrate @ hand car wash. Good for cleaning the body, door/trunk/hood jams and wheels, but only the wand for trying to get underneath.

**Kingoftypos** · 02-07-12 12:20 PM

Those mechanical car washes you speak of, are those the ones with the large rubber brushes or touch free? Because the touch free will be the ideal one to use. Just make sure you read the entire options. The car washes around my area don't have the under body on the cheaper option. Granted, you may have to go home and give your baby a sponge bathe. But at least the under body would be cleaned.

Oh, also ask the owner if the was is heated. For some of my area washes aren't. For best results, you want heated water.

KOT

**ShapeShifter** · 02-07-12 12:51 PM

I really don't know what different types are around me. Never paid much attention because when I had the hooptie just used the wand to wash it, then rinse and go. But thinking if I drive the caddy, then the underside will need a good cleaning often. Will check yellow pages for touchless types and make some calls to see if they clean underneath and if heated water is used.

**carrnuttdave** · 02-07-12 01:30 PM

Even if you don't hand wash and dry your car. Go to a coin op carwash. Use the sprayer and most have a brush you can scrub the salt and dirt off. If it's too cold to hand wash. I work part time at a carwash as a detailer and the carwash has spray wash bays also. I usually will use the sprayer, then abucket and warm water to wash my car by hand. Then use the sprayer again to rinse it. Then get warm water and I always use one of those "absorber" imatation chamois. Rinse the chamois in clean warm water often.
However if you can't do that at least use the sprayer and the brush to get the salt and dirt off. Use a carwash that has a spot free rinse. The spot free rinse is ususally softened water, ours is,

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At the beginning I would just spray the hell out of the undercarriage. If the wash you are using has a prewash setting use that first then a high power wash. Then a wax setting. Must of the time those high spray wash soap setting are slightly acidic so you want to rinse that off as best you can but it won't hurt anything to spray the undercarriage with the wax and leave it there.
The most important thing IMO. Is at least once a week get the salt off the car! Take it from the guy who lives right next to the GREAT SALT LAKE!

**ShapeShifter** · 02-07-12 01:54 PM

KOT, I’ve always been hesitant to try the automated washes after hearing so many horror stories of people getting mirrors, trim and antenna’s ripped off along with a host of other reported damages to the body of their cars. Not sure how one goes about weeding out the best from those that are just so-so.

Originally Posted by carrnuttdave

Even if you don't hand wash and dry your car. Go to a coin op carwash. Use the sprayer and most have a brush you can scrub the salt and dirt off. If it's too cold to hand wash. I work part time at a carwash as a detailer and the carwash has spray wash bays also. I usually will use the sprayer, then abucket and warm water to wash my car by hand. Then use the sprayer again to rinse it. Then get warm water and I always use one of those "absorber" imatation chamois. Rinse the chamois in clean warm water often.
However if you can't do that at least use the sprayer and the brush to get the salt and dirt off. Use a carwash that has a spot free rinse. The spot free rinse is ususally softened water, ours is,

----------

At the beginning I would just spray the hell out of the undercarriage. If the wash you are using has a prewash setting use that first then a high power wash. Then a wax setting. Must of the time those high spray wash soap setting are slightly acidic so you want to rinse that off as best you can but it won't hurt anything to spray the undercarriage with the wax and leave it there.
The most important thing IMO. Is at least once a week get the salt off the car! Take it from the guy who lives right next to the GREAT SALT LAKE!

Good tips for the undercarrage using the hand wash!

**carrnuttdave** · 02-07-12 01:58 PM

Originally Posted by ShapeShifter

KOT, I’ve always been hesitant to try the automated washes after hearing so many horror stories of people getting mirrors, trim and antenna’s ripped off along with a host of other reported damages to the body of their cars. Not sure how one goes about weeding out the best from those that are just so-so.

Good tips for the undercarrage using the hand wash!

I would never use one of those washes with spinning brushes! Especially not in freezing temps. Have your car beat to death with ice chunks

**ShapeShifter** · 02-07-12 02:22 PM

Thought they were heated inside to prevent brushes from freezing?

**GreaseMonkey** · 02-07-12 02:36 PM

I use a combination of touchless and a couple touch washes in the area that are very well maintained.

On a DD I am less OCD about then I am a performance vehicle, or summer car, etc.

**ShapeShifter** · 02-07-12 02:46 PM

Originally Posted by GreaseMonkey

I use a combination of touchless and a couple touch washes in the area that are very well maintained.

On a DD I am less OCD about then I am a performance vehicle, or summer car, etc.

So was I until some crackheads or a$$ hats stole it.

**Argent1** · 02-07-12 02:50 PM

They stole your car wash ?!

**carrnuttdave** · 02-07-12 02:52 PM

Originally Posted by GreaseMonkey

I use a combination of touchless and a couple touch washes in the area that are very well maintained.

On a DD I am less OCD about then I am a performance vehicle, or summer car, etc.

when my car is all of the above. I'm OCD over it anyway. It gets cleaned every weekend whether it needs t or not and even if it's snowing the whole weekend

**Kingoftypos** · 02-07-12 02:55 PM

The car washes with the brushes maybe heated, I don't know because I don't use them either. But even if they were, I still wouldn't use them, because of the fact they can't keep up with the cold weather and people constantly using them. Opening and closing the doors, if they even close them, cause the heat to escape.

Besides, the first time that I've used the brushed one the brushes were the first thing to touch my car. Not even a pre-soak or anything like that. Needless to say, I was pissed.

But back to the automated and what not. I've seen this old lady on People's Court who sued because of her 20 year old car received some damages. But the thing that caught my attention was the fact that the car is pulled through the car wash, therefore no one is in the car. I personally have not seen any of those around my area, never knew about them until the show. All of the car washes around me, there is either a machine that goes around your car. Or you drive through slowly. They all use sensors, which I can clearly see them.

As a matter of fact, this is the exact car wash that I use in my area.

And this one...

KOT

**carrnuttdave** · 02-07-12 03:03 PM

The automatic at the carwash i work at pulls the car though. Your supposed to put the car in neutral, not brake or steer while the car is in the wash. You'd be suprised how many people cant do this

**ShapeShifter** · 02-07-12 03:11 PM

That Broadway Car Wash Sys sound nice. Be interesting to see how well it cleans black and other dark vehicles. In my travels locally, can't say I ever recall seeing anything like that. I would certainly give that one a try. Oh, like that last one too.

**carrnuttdave** · 02-07-12 10:16 PM

Last Christmas eve I didn't want to travel to my familys in a dirty car so I quickly ran mine though one just like the second video. It did a pretty good job!