# What do you do over winter?



## stealthwolf (Sep 24, 2008)

Car has been filthy in this weather. I used citrus prewash, snowfoam and 2BM wash. Car looked clean when wet but as I dried it, there was dirt still on the typical areas of a hatchback. I went over the car with FK425. Cleaned the glass. Looks okay but not as good as when in summer. 

How much do you do in winter? Do you guys stop at just a simple clean? Or do you wait until the weather improves? Just wondering if I’m expecting too much from a one-off maintenance clean.


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## Juke_Fan (Jul 12, 2014)

Weekly maintenance wash if weather permits but do TFR and snow foam in winter rather than TFR or snow Foam in summer.

You are right that the car never looks as good after a wash in the winter.


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## rob267 (Nov 27, 2015)

Wash every week. De tar if necessary. Then use what ever spray sealant i have to hand. Been using polar seal but used detailed online nano sealant this week for a change 

Car need a good polish but won't do that until the weather improves. 

Sent from my SM-A405FN using Tapatalk


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## Naddy37 (Oct 27, 2005)

Cleaned pretty much everyday. Interior is cleaned everyday, outside, sprayed with Power Maxed Jet Wash n Wax, stick £1.20 odd in the local Tesco or similar jet wash = job done.


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## Walesy. (Oct 1, 2009)

Maintenance wash, detar etc. when needed. Usually that's my lot for winter, but its been mild here for a week or so. Like 10-13 Dec C

I am actually hoping to get a single stage this coming week, car has been washed. 

Plan is to get car decon'd and clayed tomorrow, then start the polishing Tuesday whilst the car is in the garage


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## Gas head (May 28, 2010)

Waiting for this man flu to subside before I venture out, will citrus and snow foam, followed by Ryobi broom lance for the underside which will remove most of the dirt with the hot pressure washer, might bother with the wheels, but need to sort the inside with vac extractor, I've seen cleaner tractors.


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## RT1994 (Jun 25, 2019)

Always before the winter months set in I’ll do a full decon on the car so normal pre-wash stages, wash with 2bm, tar remover, iron out and clay just to get the paint as clean as possible. Then a good coat of lsp so it’s protected for a good 3-4 months.

Then it’s just about maintaining every 1-2 weeks using tfr and snowfoam to remove as much dirt and salt as possible before 2bm washing and lastly topping up the protection with a spray sealant/drying aid to keep it protected until Spring.


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## Andyblue (Jun 20, 2017)

Pretty much carry on as normal, tend to not polish or wax when it’s winter due to the cold or wet, but with spray wax / drying aids / spray sealant now, so easy to keep on top of things ...


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## Del-GTi (Mar 31, 2007)

What typical bits on a hatchback do you mean? 

Unless I’ve picked you up wrong, if you’ve done a prewash, snow foam and 2bm and you’ve still got dirt when you’re drying then it sounds like you’ve missed bits. 

If you do all that correctly, a clean car should be the result. Otherwise, what’s the point. If you’re drying and there is dirt, you’ll cause more issues and mess up your drying towel.

Did a maintenance wash today on the wife’s car which was similar to your method - tfr, snowfoam, 2bm. Then dried, quick quote of BSD. Job done and a clean car. 

I actually think the car always looks great in the winter as there’s such a difference in the way it looks after it’s cleaned. Plus there is that contrast with the grey sky, no leaves on trees etc. 

All just my opinion. Not meaning to rock the boat etc.


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## HEADPHONES (Jan 1, 2008)

Just simple washing then a drying aid or spray type product.
I remember years back struggling to get the car bone dry for an LSP in winter with condensation on cold panels.
We are so lucky now with products that don't need a completely dry surface, with some that actually need to be applied when surfaces are wet.
Most of my spray products can be used on damp wet surfaces
Turtlewax Seal n Shine
Turtlewax Dry and Shine
Optimum Optiseal
Gtechniq C2V3
Sonax BSD CGV07 50:50 mix

Or if I'm in a rush, just a simple wash and no drying but using mineral free water to rinse preventing water spots.

Occasionally if the car gets a dirty drive in the rain a couple days after a wash with drying aid protection, I'll just jetrinse the rear and sides with water.
If done before the dirt dries onto the car it'll rinse straight off


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## pt1 (Feb 8, 2014)

I still do 1 sometimes 2 washes a week in winter, citrus pre wash/snow foam.. Agitate awkward areas, rise, bucket wash, dry.car comes up great, maybe because of lsp going strong..even tried some wax planet solarized on a few panels today, lovely wax 

Sent from my CLT-L09 using Tapatalk


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## c87reed (Dec 9, 2015)

I haven't tended to have much time in winter. I just tend to use the Bilt Hamber Auto-foam followed by a rinse with the pressure washer and that takes care of a lot of the grime. Roll on spring.


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## Soul boy 68 (Sep 8, 2013)

One thing we have to accept is that our cars will never stay clean for long in the winter months due to our dirty roads. So all I do is a regular maintenance wash and dry then I spray on some Si02 gloss detailed. My car always comes up in showroom condition due to the fact it’s already had a really good Winter prep including two coats of Fusso 99. :detailer:


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## stealthwolf (Sep 24, 2008)

Thanks all. My issue is that the car is not as clean as it would be in the summer and I don't know if it's due to expectations or technique.


Juke_Fan said:


> Weekly maintenance wash if weather permits but do TFR and snow foam in winter rather than TFR or snow Foam in summer.
> 
> You are right that the car never looks as good after a wash in the winter.


Do you find the car is definitely clean afterwards, or is it "acceptably clean"?



RT1994 said:


> Always before the winter months set in I'll do a full decon


Yup did that in September.



Del-GTi said:


> What typical bits on a hatchback do you mean?


The bits that typically get dirty on a hatchback - around rear arches and rear bumper and hatch.



Del-GTi said:


> Unless I've picked you up wrong, if you've done a prewash, snow foam and 2bm and you've still got dirt when you're drying then it sounds like you've missed bits.


Definitely not missed any bits. I've had the same car for 10 years and washed it the same way. In summer, the car is clean with minimal dirt around the lower rear bumper and sills on wiping. But this time around, there seemed to be a lot of dirt still left. Again mainly around rear arches and rear bumper. I don't know why.



Del-GTi said:


> If you do all that correctly, a clean car should be the result.


Which is the reason for my thread - are my expectations too high, is it just the winter crud, or is it me?



Del-GTi said:


> I actually think the car always looks great in the winter


Me too. For two reasons: other cars look grimy in comparison, and a clean black car looks amazing against the dull weather, especially in snow or icy conditions.



c87reed said:


> I haven't tended to have much time in winter. I just tend to use the Bilt Hamber Auto-foam followed by a rinse with the pressure washer and that takes care of a lot of the grime. Roll on spring.


Do you find the car is really clean, or just still a bit dirty and not perfectly clean?


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## Darlofan (Nov 24, 2010)

I tend to give ours a quick wash 3bm in the rain. Don't have to worry about drying it then. 
Started this year wearing shorts too when washing cars, saves wet trousers, I much prefer it.


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## RS3 (Mar 5, 2018)

As little as possible for me.
Certainly very few contact washes.
A quick blast with TFR and Snow Foam and a wheel clean then use a Drying Aid and wax such as Turtle Wax Dry and Shine about fortnightly for me. Its pointless getting it really detailed shiny just to take it out once and cover it in winter grime. I never hand dry a car in winter - I need to get a blower.


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## RT1994 (Jun 25, 2019)

stealthwolf said:


> Thanks all. My issue is that the car is not as clean as it would be in the summer and I don't know if it's due to expectations or technique.


When you say it is "not as clean", what exactly do you mean? Which bits stand out as not being as clean as in the summer months (gloss levels, dirt on panels, wheels, etc)?

When I've done my decontamination around November and even part way through winter after a few maintenance washes, the car still looks very clean and glossy and the paint feels like glass to the touch. But of course it does get dirtier much quicker due to the weather, roads and salt compared to the summer.


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## stealthwolf (Sep 24, 2008)

RT1994 said:


> When you say it is "not as clean", what exactly do you mean? Which bits stand out as not being as clean as in the summer months (gloss levels, dirt on panels, wheels, etc)?


Roof, bonnet, wings, top half of doors looks lovely and glossy. Lower half of car still looked a bit dirty (it's a black car). And there was dirt when wiping down with a microfibre towel and FK425.


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## Cyclonetog (Jul 22, 2018)

If you're getting dirt off at the drying stage, then surely you just didn't get it off at the contact stage.

You're doing pre wash, snow foam, 2BM, which should be plenty I'd have thought. If you were just doing snow foam and rinse then it would make sense but you should be getting the car clean at any time of the year with your stated method.

After you rinse, have you considered going over the lower half again with the shampoo?

The other thing I thought of, are you clearing out the arches? I wonder if you're somehow dragging under arch dirt on to your towel?


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## c87reed (Dec 9, 2015)

stealthwolf said:


> Do you find the car is really clean, or just still a bit dirty and not perfectly clean?


Mine is nowhere near perfect over winter and I can cope with that aesthetically. For the most part I just do the touchless pre-wash then rinse and leave it at that. I drive on wet, muddy back roads and it wouldn't even stay clean for half a day. I just keep all of the crud rinsed off the underbody to prevent rust.


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## graeme (Jan 7, 2006)

I normally use a TFR and foam then sometimes a 2bm. Sometimes I use a ONR wash but sometimes I don't do much. I do mon to fri 3-400 miles on mixed minging roads sometimes more at weekends and there are times I shamefully leave it. Generally my winter aims are just to get the worst of the crud off the car because realistically Its not going to look perfect this time of year.


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## Chris Donaldson (Jun 26, 2016)

I stepped away from the normal yesterday. I normally do a weekly maintenance wash and dry with a QD to help keep the wax I put on in October in preparation for winter however yesterday I was getting frustrated at the state of my wife’s car and I had a day off with no wife or child and 10 degree temperatures forecast. I decided to do a full decon followed by a machine polish with Rupes white pad and white compound. I followed this up with an old skool wax - ”Simoniz wax for cars”. when my wife returned she was so impressed with what I’d done she did the inside to help me finish. There’s not many winter days where the temperature is high enough to do all that without using the garage but it worked and I’m delighted with the finish. I know I won’t be doing that again until March at the earliest but it was worth it.


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## bluechimp (Dec 21, 2017)

stealthwolf said:


> Roof, bonnet, wings, top half of doors looks lovely and glossy. Lower half of car still looked a bit dirty (it's a black car). And there was dirt when wiping down with a microfibre towel and FK425.


So yes, as the others have mentioned you are not cleaning it properly.

After any type of wash (Maintenance or full) I can put a microfibre on any part of the paint, including the sills and it won't pick up any dirt.

Are you not cleaning your sills or something?

Edit: Just read your other thread on BH Autowash, looks like you may have found your problem.


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## MSwiss (Sep 25, 2017)

I have been really bad this winter, I haven't properly washed either of the cars since summer!:tumbleweed:

Its rained so much here, the roads are dirty and I haven't been able to muster up the enthusiasm to do it. Its been BH auto foam jet wash off and rinse with filtered water, job done.

Its forecast to be nice here for the next few days so I have plans to give one of them a full prep.

Not very detailing world of me I know, must try harder!:wall::lol:


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## stealthwolf (Sep 24, 2008)

Cyclonetog said:


> If you're getting dirt off at the drying stage, then surely you just didn't get it off at the contact stage.


Except I should have and this is my concern. Is it simply a case of too much dirt and grime so the car won't be perfectly clean as it might in summer? Or am I doing something wrong.



Cyclonetog said:


> After you rinse, have you considered going over the lower half again with the shampoo?


I go over the whole car, PW rinse, then sheet water rinse and the car looks clean. It's only as the car dries and I go over some areas that you can start to see some dirt there. So I've already reached the drying phase before I've realised there's still dirt on the car. I'll try and do a separate lower half wash after I've gone round the whole car once and see what happens.



Cyclonetog said:


> The other thing I thought of, are you clearing out the arches? I wonder if you're somehow dragging under arch dirt on to your towel?


I PW under the arches after using citrus pre-wash or snowfoam. If I leave the car to naturally air dry, there's visible dirt on the bodywork around the sills and arches.



bluechimp said:


> Edit: Just read your other thread on BH Autowash, looks like you may have found your problem.


I hope so too. I've got a 20ml syringe now so I'll try increasing the amount of shampoo and see if that makes the difference.


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## Walesy. (Oct 1, 2009)

Walesy. said:


> Maintenance wash, detar etc. when needed. Usually that's my lot for winter, but its been mild here for a week or so. Like 10-13 Dec C
> 
> I am actually hoping to get a single stage this coming week, car has been washed.
> 
> Plan is to get car decon'd and clayed tomorrow, then start the polishing Tuesday whilst the car is in the garage


Getting none of this done...today is mega cold, so plans are being put back.

Building new garage doors instead.


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## ridders66 (May 24, 2019)

My car has Gtechniq Crystal Serum light and EXO V4, C5 and C4. Car comes up awesome even in winter.


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## sevenfourate (Mar 23, 2013)

Don't know about you chaps - but not only do i love a clean car inside and out; i also enjoy being outside in the fresh air - enjoying the sun if there is any - having time to myself, tinkering and generally beautifyng with the radio on, garage door open etc.

So Winter just means i get on with the cleaning part alot quicker as its less enjoyable to do it (**If it's freezing cold / windy blah blah). But generally if it's a nice'ish day i clean no differently to summer; and skip no stages of detailing after...


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## Soul boy 68 (Sep 8, 2013)

sevenfourate said:


> Don't know about you chaps - but not only do i love a clean car inside and out; i also enjoy being outside in the fresh air - enjoying the sun if there is any - having time to myself, tinkering and generally beautifyng with the radio on, garage door open etc.
> 
> So Winter just means i get on with the cleaning part alot quicker as its less enjoyable to do it (**If it's freezing cold / windy blah blah). But generally if it's a nice'ish day i clean no differently to summer; and skip no stages of detailing after...


That is generally my approach too, if the weather is bad and the car is covered in crud then I'd rather leave it or at best just give it a power wash and snow foam.


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## Mikesphotaes (Jul 24, 2016)

Sleep!


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## mechrepairs (Aug 11, 2008)

sevenfourate said:


> Don't know about you chaps - but not only do i love a clean car inside and out; i also enjoy being outside in the fresh air - enjoying the sun if there is any - having time to myself, tinkering and generally beautifyng with the radio on, garage door open etc.
> 
> So Winter just means i get on with the cleaning part alot quicker as its less enjoyable to do it (**If it's freezing cold / windy blah blah). But generally if it's a nice'ish day i clean no differently to summer; and skip no stages of detailing after...


Exactly this, the kids can also be out and burn off some energy.

Carl


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## washingitagain (Sep 11, 2018)

mechrepairs said:


> Exactly this, the kids can also be out and burn off some energy.
> 
> Carl


Me too. If it's not freezing or raining then I do my normal routine, maybe just a bit less of the finishing touches. This Christmas holiday turned out reasonably dry on the South East where I am (and mild) so I was out quite a bit.

As per other thread, neighbours probably think I'm always out there but I'd rather be active and outside than sat indoors doing nothing productive!


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## stealthwolf (Sep 24, 2008)

Well after the last maintenance wash, I gave the car another go today. Weather was warmer and dry, and the missus was at work. 

I’d honestly forgotten how much easier it is to wash a car that’s already clean. BH autofoam practically slid off the car. Even a stronger shampoo mix didn’t sit on the car long but the wash mitt glid along beautifully. 

Not a single dirty mark on the drying towel or the MF when wiping down with FK425. It was an absolute pleasure! 

The saddest thing is it made me realise what I’d been missing. Up until almost five years ago, I used wash my car weekly. The longest I’d ever left it was two weeks. I used to top up the wax monthly, and do a full decontamination twice a year. Since I married, the car gets washed when I get a chance (usually when it’s so dirty I can’t see things in the side mirrors properly!). Honestly, it got washed 4 times a year at most. 

It’s made me relive the joy I used to get. I’m hoping 2020 is the year I go back into detailing like the old times.


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## Mark R5 (May 21, 2013)

Nowhere as near as much as I'd like to. Unfortunately both cars get neglected a little. The odd maintenance wash here and there and that's about it. The RS doesn't move much over winter so not much of the road grime and salt will cover it thankfully.


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## cole_scirocco (Mar 5, 2012)

As previously mentioned really, give it a thorough clean and polish before Winter harsh weather is due.

During winter the only thing I don't do is polish the car unless it needs attention in certain areas. 

I wash and dry as normal, then use Sonax BSD or C2V3 to top up the sealant for protection. I do the wheels as normal and then two layers of tyre shine/gel whichever I use. I always also top up the glass guard every time to help with frost and the obvious protection.


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## VenomUK (Oct 13, 2011)

GET FAT!!!


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## Alex_225 (Feb 7, 2008)

My 'daily' car gets 500 motorway miles done every other weekend and in turn I wash it twice a month.

Generally unless it's a very nice day, I won't be doing more than a thorough wash and top up the protection on the car.

I will always ensure that the car is as clean as it would be during any other time of the year but I just wouldn't be aiming to polish and protect if I could help it. It's cold and there's not as much daylight.



VenomUK said:


> GET FAT!!!


Me too. Think of it as more insulation when you're detailing :lol::lol:


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