# Washing car in the snow?



## butcher (Sep 3, 2010)

Not sure if this has been done already, but what do you do when the car needs a wash and it looks like this??










As you can see, it already has a rather nice coating of snow-foam applied. Though I'm not sure it's going to be any use to me. The picture was taken two days ago, but I needn't bother taking a current pic as it looks exactly the same again this morning.

Now you could say, wait till it melts. But last year it held out like this for two months, without a break, and ate into my wheels. Which I obviously want to avoid this year.

I don't think the neighbors will appreciate me getting the hose out and turning the street into an ice rink, so what do I do


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## -Ashley- (Nov 19, 2010)

A light sprinkling of tepid water through a watering can should avoid the amount of water you leave on the street. Or if you have or know anyone that has a leaf blower then that would also work well.

Ashley

P.S I wish we had snow like that


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## Avanti (Jan 17, 2006)

Yoou go and see if a nearby forecourt power washer is in operation, some have a rinse only feature, so bring your own shampoo mix and rinse off and would cost a £1 :thumb:


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## butcher (Sep 3, 2010)

Avanti said:


> Yoou go and see if a nearby forecourt power washer is in operation, some have a rinse only feature, so bring your own shampoo mix and rinse off and would cost a £1 :thumb:


I was thinking that. Don't want to pay my money only to find it's frozen up though. Or worse still, the pressure builds up and blows my face off


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## bigmc (Mar 22, 2010)

Wish we had snow like that, is the a Stagea RS4?


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## Avanti (Jan 17, 2006)

butcher said:


> I was thinking that. Don't want to pay my money only to find it's frozen up though. *Or worse still, the pressure builds up and blows my face off *


 We all know that is not going to happen, the forecourt manager will already know if the machine is working, just be wary of washing the car where you have the car parked, if ice forms and somebody has an accident, you will be in serious trouble


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## -Ashley- (Nov 19, 2010)

It looks like a stagea rs4 to me


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## butcher (Sep 3, 2010)

bigmc said:


> Wish we had snow like that, is the a Stagea RS4?


It is a Stagea RS4 :thumb:

A very dirty one. Covered in salt


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## bigmc (Mar 22, 2010)

What are they like? Always intrigued me.


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## butcher (Sep 3, 2010)

bigmc said:


> What are they like? Always intrigued me.


The Stagea? I love it. Not everyone's cup of tea. But you can fit a small moon inside and it still goes like stink - even with the moon in. Great in this weather too!

Not really for town driving, Big weighty car with turbo lag can be a chore, especially with an auto box (there are manuals out there, but they're rare). On the big roads though they come to life. Well and truly!

And since all the mechanics are exactly the same as a skyline, tuning's a doddle, if you wish to go down the route.

Cheap to buy. Not cheap to run!


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## Eppursimuove (Sep 28, 2010)

Use your snow brush:









Then a bucket of tepid water over will melt any remaining ice then quickly use your 2bm before the first bucket freezes on the car. Speed it the key here. I done mine the other day in -7. Barely.


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## centenary (Sep 5, 2010)

Seriously, I wouldnt dream of washing a car in these circumstances but that's just my opinion. Besides the fact I dont think you'll get a good job done, you'll add water around the car which if it freezes could cause someone to slip and injure themselves.

But, I also think you're going to end up with water in nooks, crannies and doorlocks etc that are just waiting to freeze.

Beep, beep:driver:


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## mattsbmw (Jul 20, 2008)

Personally, i would take one look at the car from the living room window, sit back down with a brew and have look at DW 

In all seriousness i wouldnt even think of washing the car on the street in this.

Your only option is a garage jet wash, which i may do later, just a quick blast to get rid of most of the muck, spray on some wheel clener and rinse to get the wheels looking good and that would be it.


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## Grizzle (Jul 12, 2006)

Sod that thats why my vehicles are covered in 3 layers of Zaino each.


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## butcher (Sep 3, 2010)

Eppursimuove said:


> Use your snow brush...


Some good work there Eppursimuove. I picked up a brush today purely to give the wheels a quick going over, but I might give this a go tomorrow..

If I can face going out to clean the car in the snow, that is.


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## TOMMY_RS (Aug 2, 2010)

Personally I wouldn't clean it in this weather, plus the windows will be very cold so putting hot water on them could crack them etc waste of time mate


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## butcher (Sep 3, 2010)

TOMMY_RS said:


> Personally I wouldn't clean it in this weather, plus the windows will be very cold so putting hot water on them could crack them etc waste of time mate


As I said. This held out for two months last year (I live up in the hills), and the car suffered because of it. I'm not interested in getting it spotless. But it needs a quick something to stop the salt eating it away.


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## Blue (Sep 15, 2008)

Why not just clean the wheels only at the forecourt? The brush shouldn't damage them and you can just leave the paintwork alone.

The paintwork really won't suffer if it's left for a few weeks (I'm assuming it has some sort of protection on) and you're more likely to damage it during a wash by dragging ice over it I would imagine.


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## Mirror Finish Details (Aug 21, 2008)

I would just go back inside and watch telly in front of the fire.


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## Guest (Nov 27, 2010)

Mirror Finish said:


> I would just go back inside and watch telly in front of the fire.


I think this man has a good point. Besides, if it is covered in snow, what does it matter whether it looks dirty or not?

The salt isn't going to eat it away in a few days, that's ridiculous.

There's no point messing about in weather like this.


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## CJR (Nov 4, 2010)

Even i have to agree that car washing and snow don't mix! I try and wash my car every weekend without fail (As im sure many other DW members do!) but when its below freezing with ice on the ground, you an cause youself a serious injury! It will get a through wash when its above 0 degrees! There has to be a point when you say no.


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## Avanti (Jan 17, 2006)

Mirror Finish said:


> I would just go back inside and watch telly in front of the fire.





G220 said:


> I think this man has a good point. Besides, if it is covered in snow, what does it matter whether it looks dirty or not?
> 
> The salt isn't going to eat it away in a few days, that's ridiculous.
> 
> There's no point messing about in weather like this.





CJR said:


> Even i have to agree that car washing and snow don't mix! I try and wash my car every weekend without fail (As im sure many other DW members do!) but when its below freezing with ice on the ground, you an cause youself a serious injury! It will get a through wash when its above 0 degrees! There has to be a point when you say no.


Indeed, some brag of having umpteen layers of resiliant product onn their vehicle , so what is the panic all about? the temperature will rise once again and we can all give the car a clean, not forgetting it will be nearly as minging in less than 20 miles of driving :speechles


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## Guest (Nov 28, 2010)

not to mention that the 12 million layers are on the paintwork -- which is on the vehicle in the first place to protect the bodywork underneath from the elements  Meanwhile the unpainted arches and underside has probably never seen a layer of wax in itsself (apart from whats sprayed on at the factory) yet that is where the elements will attack the most.


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## Michael172 (Jun 9, 2007)

Oh christ. Dont wash it?


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## butcher (Sep 3, 2010)

G220 said:


> Meanwhile the unpainted arches and underside has probably never seen a layer of wax in itsself (apart from whats sprayed on at the factory) yet that is where the elements will attack the most.


Which is what I'm interested in keeping clean. If it's left, it ends up with huge chunks of brown ice stuck to the sills. Wheel arches chock full of the crap. Wheels caked in the same stuff. It sticks to everything.

Not interested in looking good. But again, two solid months last year. I figure this year a regular routine of prevention is the way to go. Even if it's just removing the excess.

Anyway, I done the wheels today. Got loads of filth of them, and it took me all of 5 mins. As I say, no show and shines here.


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## Jem (Aug 10, 2007)

No one suggested ONR?


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## Red_Cloverleaf (Jul 26, 2009)

You'd have to be a complete Bell End to even think about washing a car in this weather.

It was -7 this morning when I went into work, rising to -1 at 2pm.


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## Alex_225 (Feb 7, 2008)

I recall my missus old car having about 6" of snow on it last year, I set up the pressure washer and used it on the open setting to melt the snow off. Thought it was better than blasting it off. 

Normal tap water will melt the snow fairly easily. Then just washed as normal. 

On my driveway I just made sure that I swept the water away so it was minimal and didn't freeze and cause a problem. In fact, when there's snow everywhere else, a bit of ice isn't the biggest issue anyway! haha


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## bigmc (Mar 22, 2010)

I washed mine today, just used buckets of warm water to wash and rinse, wasn't that bad tbh just chilly.


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## mjd (Dec 18, 2006)

Whilst I am finding it a little frustrating not being able to wash the car this weekend, I have resisted the temptation. One of the resident wallys did his people carrier earlier today and left an ice rink around the car. Camcorder is primed for my youve been framed payout!


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## cheeks (Aug 26, 2010)

jem said:


> No one suggested ONR?


theres still water involved!


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## bigmc (Mar 22, 2010)

A gallon in one bucket and another bucket half full isn't much though.


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## Jem (Aug 10, 2007)

cheeks said:


> theres still water involved!


True, but you can use warm water and it doesn't leave gallons on the floor ready to turn to ice.


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## Red_Cloverleaf (Jul 26, 2009)

mjd said:


> Whilst I am finding it a little frustrating not being able to wash the car this weekend, I have resisted the temptation. One of the resident wallys did his people carrier earlier today and left an ice rink around the car. Camcorder is primed for my youve been framed payout!


I rest my case........................


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## Red_Cloverleaf (Jul 26, 2009)

jem said:


> True, but you can use warm water and it doesn't leave gallons on the floor ready to turn to ice.


It's not going to stay warm for long though, is it? :wall:


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## Jem (Aug 10, 2007)

Red_Cloverleaf said:


> It's not going to stay warm for long though, is it? :wall:


No, but if you really feel the need it's better than starting with ice cold water.

Why to you have to belittle everything I say?


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## bigmc (Mar 22, 2010)

Red_Cloverleaf said:


> It's not going to stay warm for long though, is it? :wall:


Why? I did 2bm on mine today and the water was still warm by the time I'd finished.


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## little john (Jun 10, 2007)

I did mine last year in cold temperatures, I won't be again I nearly broke my neck with the slipping on the ice.


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## HairyMonster (Apr 3, 2010)

think I'll wait for the thaw:thumb:

should be a Volvo XC60 under there


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## VIPER (May 30, 2007)

bigmc said:


> I washed mine today, just used buckets of warm water to wash and rinse, wasn't that bad tbh just chilly.


Me too. I did a quick wash and rinse of a car with ONR this afternoon and tbh. it looked pretty good afterwards considering it didn't take long. The water was still warm in the bucket at the end. My hands weren't cold due to my tried and tested twin glove set up. What little water that went on the ground was just absorbed into it not forming pools that would freeze.

Don't know what all the fuss is about tbh. Clearly the gazillions of gallons of water that some folks use when washing their car will create no end of problems for both car and surroundings when it's this cold, but I've never had any of these problems in 17 winters of keeping cars clean and presentable.

:thumb:


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## alan_mcc (Oct 28, 2008)

Grizzle said:


> Sod that thats why my vehicles are covered in 3 layers of Zaino each.


Noo yih cannae becht a wee bitty zaino action.. :lol:


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## -Kev- (Oct 30, 2007)

alan_mcc said:


> Noo yih cannae becht a wee bitty zaino action.. :lol:


in English man! :lol:


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## Bee (Jun 1, 2010)

I washed my gti earlier at my mother in laws house wasn't going to freeze my driveway lol but as I was rinsing the car the water was freezing onto my spoiler so quickly dried it off only washed it because she was caked in salt


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## itfben (Oct 3, 2010)

prob be ok to leave it if the car is staying put but it your actually going to drive you car i would find a wash to clean it purely down to the road salts etc.


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## AndyC (Oct 25, 2005)

Gave the 205 a very quick foam and 1 bucket wash yesterday as it was hanging after a couple of days' commuting - less than 160 miles but properly flithy. 5 degrees-ish but fecking bitterly cold - I only did it because it's unlikely that the 205 will come out again for a couple of weeks and I wasn't happy leaving it covered in salt in a less than perfectly dry and dehumidified garage.


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