How do you keep your car clean in winter?
Oct 31st 2012 | 2:02 am
#46
Slob
Joined: Sep 2009
Posts: 6,345
From: Ottineau
Re: How do you keep your car clean in winter?
The problem I have is that when one drives a convertible along unmade roads the dust cloud that kicks up behind the car tends to float into the vehicle coating all surfaces. This leads to people writing rude words on the dashboard and, worse, wet dogs picking up dust from the seats and tracking it into the house. I wonder if a short haired dog would be better.
Oct 31st 2012 | 2:14 am
#47
Slightly Canadian
Joined: Jul 2005
Posts: 10,146
From: St. John's, Newfoundland
Oct 31st 2012 | 2:27 am
#48
Lowering the tone
Joined: Mar 2007
Posts: 8,154
From: Here and there
Re: How do you keep your car clean in winter?
The problem I have is that when one drives a convertible along unmade roads the dust cloud that kicks up behind the car tends to float into the vehicle coating all surfaces. This leads to people writing rude words on the dashboard and, worse, wet dogs picking up dust from the seats and tracking it into the house. I wonder if a short haired dog would be better.
Alternatively, you could just drive faster.
Oct 31st 2012 | 2:31 am
#49
Slob
Joined: Sep 2009
Posts: 6,345
From: Ottineau
Re: How do you keep your car clean in winter?
I feel a remake of Chitty-Chitty Bang-Bang is in the offing.
Oct 31st 2012 | 3:17 am
#50
Joined: Feb 2006
Posts: 10,630
From: Red Deer, Alberta
Re: How do you keep your car clean in winter?
First winter here and OH turned the drive into a skating rink by washing the car (he's a hand wash guy). Now he just puts a really good layer of polish on to protect the car and waits until spring. Not so much salt around here though, it might be different if there was.
Oct 31st 2012 | 5:21 am
#53
limey party pooper
Joined: Jul 2012
Posts: 10,000
Re: How do you keep your car clean in winter?
I head/read about a very imaginative revenge act by a jlited woman. She saw her ex's convertible in town, a seaside town I gather. It had the roof down so she scattered the seats with bits of fish then let the seagulls do their work.
Oct 31st 2012 | 5:33 am
#54
Forum Regular
Joined: Jun 2008
Posts: 136
From: Toronto
Re: How do you keep your car clean in winter?
Not so much keeping it clean, as protecting it long term, but you could get the car under oiled. Apparently helps prevent rust on the under side.
Oct 31st 2012 | 5:45 am
#55
Grumpy Know-it-all
Joined: Jul 2010
Posts: 8,928
From: Calgary, Alberta
Re: How do you keep your car clean in winter?
I don't agree with people saying leave it until spring, no way could I do that. The car would have seized up by then and in addition my garage would be full of all kinds of crap from the car.
That really is one of my pet peeves, the amount of dirt and gravel that gets stuck to my car and then dropped on to the floor of the garage when the ice melts off the car. I have a good selection now of different brooms to tackle different degrees of dirt.
Also the dirt can cause problems with the GDO, getting all over the detectors, I had this conversation once with the manufacturer (based in Tucson) and it was obvious to me they had never tested it in a dirty environment.
Oct 31st 2012 | 5:49 am
#56
limey party pooper
Joined: Jul 2012
Posts: 10,000
Re: How do you keep your car clean in winter?
Ditto. Really there are no open car washes around Montréal? I find that surprising.
I don't agree with people saying leave it until spring, no way could I do that. The car would have seized up by then and in addition my garage would be full of all kinds of crap from the car.
That really is one of my pet peeves, the amount of dirt and gravel that gets stuck to my car and then dropped on to the floor of the garage when the ice melts off the car. I have a good selection now of different brooms to tackle different degrees of dirt.
Also the dirt can cause problems with the GDO, getting all over the detectors, I had this conversation once with the manufacturer (based in Tucson) and it was obvious to me they had never tested it in a dirty environment.
I don't agree with people saying leave it until spring, no way could I do that. The car would have seized up by then and in addition my garage would be full of all kinds of crap from the car.
That really is one of my pet peeves, the amount of dirt and gravel that gets stuck to my car and then dropped on to the floor of the garage when the ice melts off the car. I have a good selection now of different brooms to tackle different degrees of dirt.
Also the dirt can cause problems with the GDO, getting all over the detectors, I had this conversation once with the manufacturer (based in Tucson) and it was obvious to me they had never tested it in a dirty environment.
If you get a good coating of snow the muck often slides off with the snow when it melts. Seize up?? How so?
If you like clean then do it, it will please you and satisfy some OCD. If you don't fret about clean then there's no need to clean a car.
Oct 31st 2012 | 5:50 am
#57
Grumpy Know-it-all
Joined: Jul 2010
Posts: 8,928
From: Calgary, Alberta
Re: How do you keep your car clean in winter?
Since then I've always used a touchless car wash.
Oct 31st 2012 | 5:54 am
#58
Grumpy Know-it-all
Joined: Jul 2010
Posts: 8,928
From: Calgary, Alberta
Re: How do you keep your car clean in winter?
Garage Door Opener.
Around the wheels, I came close to it the first year that I lived here. Admittedly there was a lot more construction going on back then but I still wouldn't risk it, some of the rural roads are very boggy, you can get a lot of mud build up.
Clearly you've never had to change a wheel on a car covered in muck in the middle of winter.
If you get a good coating of snow the muck often slides off with the snow when it melts. Seize up?? How so?
If you like clean then do it, it will please you and satisfy some OCD. If you don't fret about clean then there's no need to clean a car.
Oct 31st 2012 | 5:56 am
#59
Pea Brain
Joined: Jun 2005
Posts: 6,005
From: TBD
Re: How do you keep your car clean in winter?
I always assume someone's car is a reflection of their home in terms of cleanliness. I don't want a winter coat to trail across a gritty, dirty door sill when I get in and out, nor do I want grit and grime to erode the effectiveness of my door/window seals. On the occasions I check fluid levels or do any maintenance it's far more pleasant to have a clean vehicle to work on too.
Oct 31st 2012 | 6:08 am
#60
limey party pooper
Joined: Jul 2012
Posts: 10,000
Re: How do you keep your car clean in winter?
Garage Door Opener.
Ah, we don't use the garage
Around the wheels, I came close to it the first year that I lived here. Admittedly there was a lot more construction going on back then but I still wouldn't risk it, some of the rural roads are very boggy, you can get a lot of mud build up.
I kick off the stuff that builds up around the wheels.
Clearly you've never had to change a wheel on a car covered in muck in the middle of winter.
Ah, we don't use the garage
Around the wheels, I came close to it the first year that I lived here. Admittedly there was a lot more construction going on back then but I still wouldn't risk it, some of the rural roads are very boggy, you can get a lot of mud build up.
I kick off the stuff that builds up around the wheels.
Clearly you've never had to change a wheel on a car covered in muck in the middle of winter.
I always assume someone's car is a reflection of their home in terms of cleanliness. I don't want a winter coat to trail across a gritty, dirty door sill when I get in and out, nor do I want grit and grime to erode the effectiveness of my door/window seals. On the occasions I check fluid levels or do any maintenance it's far more pleasant to have a clean vehicle to work on too.
