Winter can be a rough time on your vehicle. Salt, sand, and wintry mixes are not your car’s friends.
The holidays are all about treating others in high regard. As you shower people with love and affection this holiday season, remember to do the same with your car. Vehicles deserve genuine love and care throughout the year, and especially in these winter months.
It’s important to take good care of your car during winter, as the snow and cold can be especially difficult on it. Keeping your car clean helps improve the chances of avoiding damage and rust development on its exterior.
However, sometimes the car wash can be as difficult on your vehicle’s exterior as the weather itself.
If you are wondering how you can keep your car clean without doing damage, you have come to the right place.
Tips for Washing Your Car in the Winter
If you struggle to keep your car nice and clean at this time of year, these are the best hacks to remember when washing your vehicle during the winter months:
1) Preparation is the best prevention:
It’s cliche, but it is true. While getting everything ready with your car before winter hits won’t solve all your problems in the thick of winter, it can help prevent some issues, such as the development of rust.
The summer and fall months are the best time to get your car detailed. Detailing your car can prevent rust and other lasting long-term effects on your vehicle.
You really should get this done before it gets cold. Details done below 60 degrees are less effective and will not protect your car to the maximum level as it would in warmer weather. Do this before it’s too late!
2) Wash your car often:
During the winter, you should get your car washed more frequently than you do any other time of the year. Some say as often as every two weeks.
Going long periods of time without washing your car can give dirt time to settle on its exterior. With it being cooler outside, you could have issues with dirt freezing on your car once it settles, making it more difficult to wash off.
This means you will spend more money on car washes over the next few months, but it will be worth it down the road.
Additionally, salt and brine road treatments can cause rust if you have even the slightest dent, ding, or chipped paint. You need to wash that off your vehicle’s exterior as soon as possible.
3) Wash the undercarriage, too:
Whenever our area gets hit with snow and ice, the DOT will spread salt and brine to help prevent snow and ice from adhering to the road’s surface. Salt is useful for melting snow, but it is not good for your car’s undercarriage.
When you go through the car wash after the roads have been treated, make sure you go to one that will clean the underbody of your vehicle. This will get the salt off your car, so it doesn’t damage the undercarriage and cause rust to develop.
4) Remember the inside of your car:
When talking about how we should wash our vehicles to protect them from the winter conditions outdoors, we don’t want to neglect the inside of our cars either. Vacuuming your car out, reaching any excess dirt in hard-to-reach places will prevent mold from forming on or under your floor mats.
Stubborn stains during this time of year get even more stubborn because they can become frozen and harder to scrub. While you’re thinking about the interior, you may want to consider purchasing rubber floor mats made for all-weather purposes.
These are easier to clean and handle the cold temperatures more effectively than carpet.
5) Wash your car during the warm parts of the day:
It’s winter; it’s going to be cold outside. Nevertheless, it’s best to go to the car wash during the warmest times of the day. When the sun’s beaming down, providing a little heat, that is a good time to have your vehicle cleaned.
Car washes are more effective when the sun’s out rather than when it’s down or behind the clouds. You want to give your vehicle enough time to dry before the water from the wash freezes.
How First Aid Collision Is Here to Help Protect Your Vehicle
Where can you go to protect your car this winter?
Even if you follow each of these tips, you may still find you need help with repairs to dents and dings and chipped paint to avoid the development of rust. This is where the team at First Aid Collision can help.
First Aid Collision is a full-service collision shop in the south Asheville area. We can help protect your vehicle from the effects of winter weather. Our customer-friendly team specializes in auto body repairs like body rebuilding, chips and scrape repair, paint repairs, and so much more.
First Aid Collision is here for you all year long. If your car needs special care during the winter months, you can count on our team. Keep your vehicle in excellent condition with the help of the First Aid Collision team.
Contact us today for more information on how we can assist you.