Car washing in the winter
 

So I'm the retard that wants to wash my car in the winter to get rid of all the salt BUT apparently this is "retarded" per the SNOW!!! thread!

I asked WHY this was retarded in the SNOW!!! thread but never got a reply - so I'm asking here. Isn't it good to wash your car (auto car wash / local hand car wash) so the salt is removed thus preventing rust?

edumacate me :)

washing it is fine. but itll freeze so dry the car good!

It's not a good idea to wash it now because there is still salt (in solid or mixed in liquied form) on the roads, even if the snow melts and it rains. Some say it's because it's not warm enough for rust/oxidation. How I see it is that if you wash it today, even if it rains, you'll still get salt on your car. It's not really the salt that causes the rust - it's the moisture trapped next to the metal. The rust forms mainly because of the dirt that is built up in the fenderwells, wheelwells etc - they trap moisture and if salt gets mixed into it, it accelerates the rusting. Imo, the optimum time to wash is a couple days after the temperatures rise and the city stops salting the roads, and after the rain has washed away some of the salt. The most important thing is to wash away the dirt in the non-visible areas - that's where we're most worried about rust occuring.

The roads in my area and my complex have been way over-salted IMO. My truck is absolutely covered in it and I want to power wash it all off once the temperatures are back above freezing. Any recommendations on where I can take my vehicle to do that in Vancouver or Burnaby?

I drive a car want to get it power washed in Surrey/Burnaby/Vancouver - any recommendations?

Washworld on 132nd street and 72nd avenue. (surrey)
Royak Oak Car Wash on Royal Oak Avenue and Imperial Street (burnaby)
Mr Shine Auto on Marine Drive after cambie (vancouver)

The "no wash in winter" really only applies to places that stay consistently below zero, which is not Vancouver.

The freeze/thaw cycle accelerates rust as the snow melts and the salt gets into various the crevices. If the salt can stay stuck where it is, then it is less likely to get into those cervices. Remember though, even a good wash doesn't clean all these cervices, especially inside of doors.

This is why in the rust belts of Canada (aka the rest of Canada) its common to rust proof your car by spraying it with oil. The oil gets into all the crevices, preventing salt from building up there even with the freeze/thaw cycle. Then you really don't want to wash your car and risk losing that layer of oil protection.

Long story short: wash your car if you want to.

i go to a detail shop to get it clean/sprayed down every winter, no problem so far

Drove by a liquid salt truck yesterday, first time I ever saw one.. Didnt know he was spraying the liquid down and drove past the truck, he was in the middle lane and spraying all three lanes at once.. Ended up getting a nice dry salt streak along the whole right side of my car and on the front..Guess I shouldnt be worried till the weather starts drying up?

Where do you go?

The way I see it, the more I can get rid of or at least dilute the salt that's on the car the better.

I use one of those telescoping nozzles for cleaning gutters to rinse down the undercarriage.

Oasis Car Wash Ltd in North Shore, marine drive
M&J Car Wash in Vancouver fir st and 4th

just wait until it rains continuously before washing. That way most of the salt will be washed off the roads.

No point in paying for a wash now, since it'll get dirty before you even get home, LOL

most of you touched base on the main ones. other reasons:

if you wash it by hand, youll just spread the salt and dirt around. for you to actually wash the car well, youll have to replace your water and wash mitten constantly. one way to do is a two bucket system with grit guards.
the best things to do in the winter time is just power spray the car often so theres not huge build up. if you do end up washing it by hand, as soon as you get on the main street, your fenders will be covered in salt deposits again.

let the rain do the rest. now that its getting warmer, hose down the car, the rain and driving in the rain, will clean out your fenders for you. i recommend cleaning out your door jams by hand. if you take a look now, youll find sand and salt in your door jams. leaving the build up in there is what will cause you problems.

or a quick search can help:

should be no problem as long as you don't park the car outside after. That's why I liked it when I lived in a condo. Would wash & dry the car and park it.

I am like you and hate seeing the car with all the build up.

Touchless car wash at Esso? They have an option for just rinse or full wash + underbody as well.

I've been through it a couple times. It's alright for getting dirt and bird poop off. lol