Tundra Car Washing

[HemiDreamin']

I have a conundrum:

My Charger has what is becoming a significant accumulation of crud on her, and I would really like to clean it off. There are several touch free car washes around, but...

The temperature around here is cold, and it looks like it will be staying so for a long time--lows in the 0's, and nothing above 20 after today. A long time ago I ran our 1988 Grand Prix through a car wash under similar conditions, and the windshield cracked.

Any stories/recommendations pro or con as to whether I should take her in for a bath after work today? She will be spending the night in our non-heated but attached garage. Thanks for your suggestions.

Dave

[F1fan]

Hemi,
I've been giving car baths here in MN all my life.
No worries about doing it when its cold out. This should have no ill affects on your car. Just get it home and put it to bed after you wash it.
Only thing I ever worried about was if the locks would freeze.
But I've noticed on newer cars that this doesn't happen as much as it used to.
I think your winshield cracking was an anonmly and may have had other contributing factors

I too have an attached unheated garage. It stays plenty warm in there.
The cold dry air of the garage will actually help dry out the nooks and crannies. You'll be good to go when you fire it up in the AM.

[Husker]

I too have to exact same issue! What I do is go to the local "spray" only car wash to have the salt washed off at least once a week. Both top and bottom! There is simply no way I can even consider bucket washing in this weather. heck it is 0.4 this morning :(

[pigpen]

Hmm go to car wash when it freezing cold! Make sure its one of those you spray yourself because they are heated up like 50 - 60 and if you go there when its really cold nobody is in the line, and there is nothing on the roads to get it dirty again. Sounds in sane but that is what I do.

[BToohey44]

I clean mine weekly. Depending on the outside temp I will either hand wash it or take it through the automatic "Laser" wash as they call it.

I hand washed it a few weeks ago when the outside temp was about 25 and well, that was stupid. Couldn't feel my fingers for a little over a day.

What I have been doing since is sending my car through the cheapest touchless wash first, then sending it through the more expensive on next. Other wise just doing one leaves a lot of dirt on the car.

[GoofyTimL]

Just gave mine a coin-op powerwash at 21 F. $1 to rinse the car down and whack off the crud with high power spray. Micro-fiber quick wipe down, starting from the top. In some places (plastic facias and top of trunk) water began to freeze a little as I wiped.

Another $1 to rinse it down again... and a quick drive home on dry roads. Now I have some frozen beads on the car, but they will evaporate and it will look decent... at least for tomorrow!

[Quick6]

I wash mine weekly as well, go thought the touchless down the street then pull it into the garage (which is heated) and dry it off. heating the garage was the best Mod money I have ever spent!!!

[vinny68]

I'm in Central Illinois and the touchless car washes here all shut down when it gets really cold like near 0 degrees F. Don't you have that problem even further north?

[F1fan]

Yeah, the ones around where I live start shutting down around 0 too.

Sucks too....fricken car is filthy.

[Fondy]

i had to go to the only place that was open last friday, one of those places where they towl off your car after its gone thru the was and dry. so no problems there,

with the weather cold like it has been the automatic washes have been shut down.

[ekaz]

If I drove the Charger during the winter, I'd take it to the indoo hand wash place 4 blocks from my house. $10 and I stay warm and dry while they wash my car.

[Scarbs]

Hemi Dreamin.
Like Vinny said most places are closed when its this cold. There is only one Rule that you need to know about auto washed. NEVER go to a touch one. I don't care what they say they scratch the car. These cars paint seem very soft.
Another tip. If you don't have the stockers for the Charger get some for the winter or don't take the car out. With all this salt they keep dropping it will pit those rims.

[Gwhiz2k]

It's been going below -30 celsius around here for a while... I try to keep the car clean, but like some of you have said, the car washes close down when it gets too cold.

One problem I have is that my driver's door mechanism freezes after I wash in the winter. When I go to close the door after getting in, it just goes "clunk" and won't shut, until I lock it manually first. The last 2 times it's done this, I cranked the heat and aimed the vents at the door handle. After a while, I hear this "pop" and all is good again.

It takes a bit of timing around here, because the temp can go up and down. If you time it just right, you get wash it just before an extended cold snap, and there's no wet crap on the roads to get it dirty again.

[nick_danger]

I rarely wash my car in the winter. Pressure washing can force all those harsh chemicals into the deep recesses of the car's exposed bodywork. I would rather it build up on and slowly eat away at the areas protected by wax.

[boggart]

I'm still washing mine 2-3 times per week. No issues.