hey guys, now that winter is here where or how can i get my car washed?
i live on a side street in manayunk (basically philadelphia) so i really cant wash the car at my place too easily (although i managed last week
but with sub 40* temps i dont want to wash my car. anyone know a good place to take it???? i dont want a regular car wash that'll scratch the hell out of the paint.
possibly a touchless (but i keep hearing thats just as bad) or indoor place?? anyone know of anything? i'd rather do it myself but not at anything lower than 40* outside

thx guys

this can pertain to anything around philly or just in general what to do then
-is there some way i can do it?

 

2 options:

Get the winter sheepskin mitt that Griots sells (search griots garage for link) and do it yourself or find a hand wash place and bring them your own materials (sponges, soap, drying items!) Don't let them use their own stuff unless you like scratches and swirls!

 

There is a product that my friend bought from the US. It is basically designed for people who live in CA who can't always wash their car all the time. It a kind of a soap that u mix with some water then rub it on the car with mitts, wait, and then buff off. I forgot the actual name coz its in my trunk and I never tried it yet. Maybe some noes what I am talking about?

 

Not sure if you're talking about Quick and Easy Wash but that's the preferred product it seems for some in garage in cold weather cleaning. You use two buckets, one or two MF towels. One bucket is a "rinse" bucket and the other is for the solution. 1-2oz for each gallon of water or so. Add some QD in the solution also helps. Won't induce marring and should get your car nice and clean with using lots of water or freezing your *** off in the cold. Just use a heater in the garage and you'll be good to go.

As for where to purchase it from... most RV places should have it as it was originally designed for washing large RVs.

 

i have no garage or a heated one at that

 

I don't get it...what's wrong with washing your car in the winter?

 

Nothing, but he is in a cold climate and doesn't have a garage. If he had a garage QEW would be perfect. If I were you I'd go to a coin op with my own bucket, mitts, and soap. Just use their water, and more importantly, heat. I absolutely would not use automatic washers or the coin ops brushes. You are honestly better off not washing it then using those. Actually, not washing it isn't a bad option (for real). I rarely wash my car in the winter - just hose down the underside every now and again.

 

aszatk01

I feel your pain, I'm in the same situation you are. Like Diesel said, find a hand car wash.

I use a hand car wash that will do whatever I ask them to do. I bring my own washing solution, wash mit and soft brush ( marine deck brush) for the wheels etc. They know not to use any chemicals on the car inside or out. The first time when I switched over to supplying my own wash solution it was like night and day in the way my car looked when they finished.

They put my wash solution in a clean bucket. When they are finished with my car they put all that in a plastic bag in the trunk and I clean it all myself when I get home. It's not the same as washing your car yourself but it's the closest thing to it.

The key thing is finding a true hand car wash. You'll have to do some leg work and keep asking around till you find one to your liking. It took me awhile to find this place and it was quite by accident. It's down a side street where you would have to know it's there and they don't advertise or anything like that.

Good luk in your search.

 

got a question.
i live in VA and it's pretty cold during winter (around low 40s or below)
is it better to use warm water than cold water? (or does it matter?)
i thought that cold water can harm the paint somehow so i opposed to doing that but...it seems like no one really bothers w/ water temp.
i have a garage but i have to wash it outside.

 

thx guys

 

It doesn't matter. I use warm water because it gets my hands less cold.

 

This is how I washed my car years ago when I lived in Glens Falls NY (brutally cold winters)

First I bought a plastic "Tupperware" birthday cake storage container. If you flip it upside down you can mix up close to 2 gallons of hot soapy water. Then I would put on the cover and drive to the nearest do it your self car wash.

I would use copious amounts of high pressure water to knock off the road sand, salt and crud.

Then I would soap it down with my own towels and soapy water.

Followed with a rinse. I would be carefully about drying with a towel just in case you missed some sand that remained on the finish. I usually only dried the hood trunk and windows.

This system worked for me in temperatures down in to the mid 20's.

 

I have been using a 5 gal bucket that i fill up inside w/ warm water and then procede as normal. Wearing a set of boots and winter pants jacket and 1 glove you will be OK. Just make sure your pants and jacket are water resistant. I have found that the drying part is the worst, bc you need to take your gloves off and one had is wet.

 

I have a friend that details for other cars and he always hang around Autopia forums and other great detail forums. I think he said before that using warm/hot water to wash your car is not a good thing, I forgot the reason to it.

Like they say, just find a good hand car wash place and have them wash with YOUR stuff. I think I would start doing that if the weather is back to normal (In Canada, under zero celsius now).

Reminder, don't try to wash your car in sub-zero conditions EVEN if you love your car very much. I tried it once in Vancouver when i was around -2. I worried about the road salt so much I went to a outside car wash and want to wash away the road salt. It wasnt noticeable at first but when I start spraying water under the car, it starts to FREEZE. The second I spray water onto the windows, it became ICE. I stopped immediately... Not a pleasant experience...

 

ok living in nyc or long island pure handwash places are not easy to find but what i do is just use some quick detailer that also works like a cleaner and quick waxer and it keeps my car nice and clean with no water needed.