Winter Car Detailing and Protection
The winter months are here again and the weekends of getting out and washing and waxing your beloved automobile seem to be done until next spring when we are able to give that love and care.
Have you ever taken the time to find out what's going on with car over the winter months. Well let me give you the skinny. Winter can be just as hard on your car as summer can be. Cold, harsh weather, and even the dryness that comes along with winter even with being parked in the garage, can all damage not just the exterior paint of your car, but the underlying metal and plastic components too. In our part of the country, winter can start in early December and continue on well into what should be spring. How can you prevent your car from being damaged by a punishing winter? Here are some of the ways winter can damage your car and what you can do to prevent that damage.
The winter months is when your car get its dirtiest, and there are only a few days when its safe to wash your car. Chemicals that are used to keep your roads safe can be caustic to your car’s paint job and undercarriage, if not routinely washed away.
The chemical ice melt that is used is brine, it is usually a mixture of water, salt, and magnesium chloride. It’s widely used because it is really great at lowering the freezing point of water, making it harder for water to freeze on the roads, and eliminating ice and snow. The mixture is highly acidic, however, and has been routinely pointed to as one of the major causes of road wear.
Rock salt, like chemical ice melt, can be very damaging to your car, in a variety of different ways. Rock salt can even be more damaging to your paint, as it get in chips and dents to speed up the rusting process and eat away at your paint, it can actually cause the chips in your paint.
Salt is also used to clear roads of ice and snow, and because it can provide traction while also keeping the road clear, it is preferred in some communities. The salt is very corrosive. It can ruin asphalt just as readily as it ruins your car’s paint and metal components, for the same reasons that here by the Atlantic Ocean, our cars rust faster than those of people who live far away from the ocean like in the desert. Like chemical ice melt, the best way to deal with rock salt is to wash your car as often as possible. Getting rid of as much of the salt residue as possible is the only way to prevent the rust and damage to your paint.
Did you know that the plastic and rubber components are effected by winters cold. Windshield whippers to vital belts and hoses around the engine. Rubber can be seriously affected by cold weather (as it can by hot weather). Cold stiffens rubber, making it less pliable, and therefore, less functional and more likely to rip, tear, or break. Many people will notice that their windshield wipers are less effective during the winter. This is because the cold rubber cannot conform to the shape of the windshield.
All of these items should be kept clean and treated before the winter if not as soon as possible. The winters damaging effects can damage you car. Here are just a few things that you can do to protect your investment from the winter.
Keep your car and paint clean as much as possible. Temperature is very important when it comes to washing during the winter months. Water expanse when it freezes and could separate plastic and rubber components from you car. Making sure that your car is dry as possible.
Wax and Seal you car during the winter months. This will help in maintaining a barrier between the elements and your paint.
Keep you engine bay clean. Road salts and chemicals can also harm components in this area as well.
I know this can be difficult at times but your carpets take a beating as well during the winter months. Salts and chemical deposit can also get trapped in your carpets and if not removed can cause damage to the adhesive holding you carpets together as well as staining them. The use of a good carpet treatment will help protect your carpets
Some cars come with rubber or plastic car mats which are well suited for the winter months. If you have carpet floor mats it might be a good idea to switch them out for rubber or plastic mats in the winter.
Did you know that dirt, dust and road grim can bond to your windshield as well as your paint. This could really effect you ability to see the road during the winter months. Have your windshield and glass professionally cleaned and sealed. This will help or prevent materials from binding to glass giving you better clarity during the winter months.
A good detailer with a maintenance program can keep your car protected during the winter months.
I hope that this information was useful in helping you protect you car this winter and the winters to come. I'm a Mobile Detailer and I would like to help you maintain your car all year long. Check me out at www.l9detailing.com We also provide Inhouse Winter Detailing Services.
