I got my car painted in the summer and unfortunately I'm going to have to drive it in the winter so the good news is that its almost January and it still hasn't snowed here yet. I need to wash my car daily to keep the salt and dirt out.

What do you guys recommend I do?

I'm going to clay bar it and wax it to seal the paint and then just wash the undercarriage and the body without drying.

Any tips would be appreciated.

 

I can't offer any help other than what you mentioned.. but thats a fresh paint job

 

http://www.autogeek.net/optimum-no-rinse.html
That's what I use. Granted, I use it a lot anyway since I like how well it works and I detail on the side during school. There are a TON of videos showing how to use it on youtube. Or you can PM me and I'll help you out. All in all, it works great and is easy to use.

 

Thank you sir!

 

Exactly what I was looking for. Looking at demos on youtube, most of the cars are pretty clean but winter salt/dirt gets all over the doors and stays really dry so I just hope it doesnt scratch. It would need to be really wet/soapy to not drag the salt on the paint as you remove it right?

Thanks man.

 

I've used Optimum No Rinse for two years now with great success. It's something in the components of the ONR that makes it glide over the paint and not marr it. I had a black CRX that I had repainted last spring and I bought ONR specifically to keep scratches off of it. Here's a link to Autopia forum, where a guy wrote a review about using it:

http://www.autopia.org/forum/car-det...se-review.html

 

I believe you should be ok. I use it on my car in the winter with road salt with zero issues whatsoever. During the winter especially, I would have some of the ONR in a bucket mixed up, but then prior to washing it (especially with having road salt) take a spray bottle with some ONR solution mixed up and pre-soak the car a little bit. Additionally, I use a wool mitt to wash the car and then I have a separate rinse bucket with a grit guard in the bottom. I'm assuming your reason for wanting something like this is because it's really cold in the winter? If you're REALLY worried about scratching, go to a DIY car wash and spray some of the salt off, or use a garden hose. So my point is, you wouldn't be getting wet outside if you just had to spray it off if you're really worried about it scratching. Like I said before though, I have used it in the winter and haven't had any issues. I just up the dilution ratio slightly and let it presoak on the really heavily salted areas. Check out a few of these products if you're thinking about getting the ONR. Lastly, I am cleaning my car in the next day or two and I can take pictures of my process if you'd like (and it's absolutely covered in salt). Any other questions, let me know. Hope this helped.

Grit Guard: http://www.autogeek.net/gg1010.html
Mitt: http://www.autogeek.net/sheepwas.html

 

I let nature take it's course.

 

Yeah it be nice if you took a few pics, I get how to do it. Def will do a 2 bucket method too! Thanks man.

 

onr with pakshak towels and i usually use finishkare 425 with a pakshak towel as a final wipedown

 

just get a seasons pass from a touchless car wash.

 

Nice paint job, I don't know if it is a myth or not, but I have been told don't wax your new car paint for about 3 months because it is still curing. Like I said it could be a myth. As for washing you can wait for a nicer day to come around and wash it. Thats what I have been doing. It just hit 50 outside yesterday so I washed my car.

 

clean car. another vote here for onr. tips. buy some nice mfs you do not mind getting dirty. buy a nice set of waffle weave towels for drying.

 

wash it once a week when it gets over 32 and spray it down with a pressure hose paying attention to the wheel wells and under carriage

 

Salt along with the snow starting to melts and it gets slightly warmer on some days is when rust really gets going

The temp with the water and salt speeds up rusting

Ice and snow really inst the main problem its the ****en salt


Id stay away from rinse less products
http://www.autopia.org/forum/forum.php

And talk to these guys

 

Its not a myth at all

Do not apply any substance that creates a barrier coating over the surface that could "potentially" lock or seal in the solvents and prevent them from out-gassing or evaporating.

 

Yeah ONR ftw. I'm still seeing what kind of towel I want to get. Thanks for the tips!

Wouldnt that be easy? The only problem I have, is that its a 2 mile drive home from the nearest car wash and it will just get salted up on the way back anyways.

Thanks man they did a great job. Yeah you're not supposed to wax for 3 months. I waxed mine once already 3 or 4 months after my paint job. Its time to do it again too. Washing the car with water isn't really a solution because its going to freeze very quickly if its outside. Also not trying to wash my car everyday outside. Thats way too much water waste. Trying to keep my car clean and the environment safe lol.

ONR is the perfect solution. Trying to get it cheap too, anyone got any sites that they would recommend? Can I use microfibers over and over or is it a 1 time use thing? Why do you recommend waffle weave towels? Ive also heard that sheep skin is really good. Is price the limiting factor here?

Yeah I plan to hit up the local car wash and blast the undercarriage maybe once a week depending on how much it snows.

Yeah salts a pain. Why don't you like rinse less products?

 

HBK....autogeek.net has buy one get one free a lot. Plus they will match any online price you can find. Theyre customer service is great. They were out of a product I ordered once so they sent me a whole bag of samples, gave me a few microfibers and a mitt for free for the "inconvenience". Another great one is detailersdomain.com

 

Oh word? Thats great I've seen their site Ima go wit them thx!

 

X2 I even went as far as hosing the wheel wells after every trip I took when I got home.My neighbor's looked at me like I was crazy lol.

 

[QUOTE=HBKFanatic;44296276]

Wouldnt that be easy? The only problem I have, is that its a 2 mile drive home from the nearest car wash and it will just get salted up on the way back anyways.
/QUOTE]

but they have high pressure air blowing on it that drys your car. As long as the salt doesnt stay on your car for long periods of time, you should be alright. Two miles away isnt bad at all, nearest car wash from my house is 15+kms. this is assuming some where around your place offers season passes like around here.

 

[QUOTE=HBKFanatic;44296276]

Wouldnt that be easy? The only problem I have, is that its a 2 mile drive home from the nearest car wash and it will just get salted up on the way back anyways.
/QUOTE]

but they have high pressure air blowing on it that drys your car. As long as the salt doesnt stay on your car for long periods of time, you should be alright. Two miles away isnt bad at all, nearest car wash from my house is 15+kms. this is assuming some where around your place offers season passes like around here.

clean car btw, I like your build thread. A+ work.

 

Thank you sir! I wish money wouldn't cap my progress so damn much!!

 

OP...nice car!

the protection combo on the forums that is popular is a couple coats of optimum opti-seal followed by a coat of collinite 845, which is readily available (believe it or not)

both are VERY easy to use, and cheap.

your car was painted in the summer so it is MORE than cured at this point. seal away, imo.

a key component to any protection chemical application is to make sure the surface is free of everything before use. that means clay, polish and a wipe down with a isopropyl alcohol solution with a quality microfiber towel, aka IPA wipe down. you can read about it on autogeek and the like.

polishing is correction, and correction is usually reserved for pretty serious detailers, so don't worry about that if your paint job is fresh unless you want to get pretty involved.



and ONR is indeed awesome stuff. just follow the directions and use good components.

 

I clay mine before and after. Then wax, then just occasionaly power hose it over winter