:trash: Why Washing Your Car in Winter is Important
Keeping your car clean in winter makes your car last longer. Wash your car in winter to prevent rust under your car and keep ice off your windshield.
Baby, it’s cold outside. And if you live in a snowy area of the country, chances are your car is looking a little ragged these days. Frigid temperatures and roads covered with salt and dirty snow can make your car unrecognizable. Washing your vehicle in the dead of winter might seem counter-productive since it’s just going to get dirty again the second you hit the road.
And your neighbors might think you’ve lost your mind if they see you outside with a bucket of water and a hose. But if they’re honest with themselves, they’ll know you’re doing the right thing.
Road salt, snow, and moisture can cause rust on a car, and once rust starts it’s hard to stop. Rust can show up anywhere - under the paint, under the car where there is bare metal, and in nooks and crannies that you didn’t even know existed.
Rust is like a rash on your skin. You add a little cream to the infected area, it does some good, but then it crops up somewhere else. They cycle never seems to end. Rust acts in much the same way. It compromises the integrity of a car, and over time, it can eat away at the car body, rot out the exhaust system, brake lines, brake calipers, and gas lines. Frame rust is especially dangerous because chunks of a car can break off while you’re driving and injure other motorists.
To avoid the deadly combination of road salt combined, sand and moisture, you might think the best thing to do is let your car sit in the driveway all winter to save it from the elements. Will that strategy prolong the life of your car?
The good news is that by keeping it off the roads you’re not exposing it to road salt and sand. That’s always a good thing. However, will the bitter cold and snow affect it?
Ray Magliozzi, of National Public Radio’s “Car Talk,” has a blase attitude about leaving your car parked all winter. “If it’s an older car, you’re going to find things that don’t work [as well]. It's because they were ready to break anyway,” Magliozzi says. “If your muffler falls off when you first drive the car, well that was going to happen anyway. It’s just that you happened to park it two days or a week before it was scheduled to fall off and you put [the problem] off for two months.”
He says that if you plan to leave your car parked for the winter, shovel out the area around the tailpipe and the driver’s door, and let the engine run for ten minutes or so every week to keep the fluids moving. When you drive the car first the first time, you might have a rough go of it in the beginning, but things will smooth out. The tires, for example, might have some thumping noises, but they’ll smooth out after 20-100 miles of driving. Long-term, the car doesn’t know whether it’s hot or cold outside. Let it run once a week and it should be fine come spring.
Protect your car
Why invest time and energy getting your car ready for winter when you can’t stop the accumulation of salt and muck? The answer is actually quite simple: economics. Taking care of your car now means that it will last longer and hold its trade-in value.
When the weather starts to turn cold, give your car a thorough scrub down and wax job. Adding a coat of wax is important because it adds an extra layer of protection between your car and road junk.
When cleaning your car, pay attention the areas behind the wheels, the quarter panels, and the front grille, which are the main places where road salt collects (and where rust is likely to start).
Winterizing your car isn’t difficult or expensive. It just takes a some time and elbow grease.
Wash your car frequently
Once it starts to snow you should wash your car as often as possible. Maybe as often as every other week.
:welcome-0005a: Welcome to our newest HTC member: russellrings is the proud owner of two hemis!! An '09 and '12 longhorn. Good to have you as part of our family, Russell!!
:birthday: Birthdays/anniversaries we are celebrating this week:
Wednesday: Jackal015 - Jose from Alberta
Thursday: Hemi_Blue_Streak - Brad from Texas
If it's your birthday/anniversary/special occasion let us know and we will celebrate with you.
:Kneel2Hemi: TOTM is back with a little twist. This year we are going to do it a little different. Post a picture and a write up of your ride between the 1st-21st then we vote the 22nd-months end. After the voting the winner will be messaged for email info. The email is for the digital TOTM award. Printing and shipping them was getting pricey and time consuming. The awards will be printable on your end and then you can frame them. Thanks to Keith (charged392) for heading this up!
:dance: It's time to look forward to the 2020 Rally!! There is a thread started for information and input. Anyone may submit a proposal. We'll need to know where and when (we usually do June/July to accommodate those with kiddos), hotel options/costs, and activities available. We'll be glad to help you with stuff if you are nervous about submitting a proposal. Mostly, it's helpful to have someone familiar with the area heading it up so we know where to or NOT to stay and things to do.
:type: Chatroom is back!! Join us every Thursday evening at 7:00 CST for chatroom. I'm not sure if I'll be in chatroom this week. I'm having a heart ablation on Wednesday and don't know what kind of drugs they'll be giving me.....I may still be sleeping it off.
rayersent: PRAYER REQUEST:
If you have a prayer request you would like to share either add it to this thread or PM me.
*HemiSuperbee - Mark - health concerns
*Rancher - Doug said to take him off the list but I think a quick prayer for his general health issues isn't a bad idea
*Doc's mother - recent fall resulting in fractured femur & surgery, she is currently in rehab
*BlackTRX - Roy - new cancer diagnosis
*Studmuffin - Morris' brother-in-law, David, with liver failure
*boedacres - Steve - health issues including diabetes
*SuperBee - John & his wife - health issues
*BlackTRX - mom is on hospice
*Mrs.Studmuffin - heart ablation procedure on January 29th
Have a gread week!!!
Keeping your car clean in winter makes your car last longer. Wash your car in winter to prevent rust under your car and keep ice off your windshield.
Baby, it’s cold outside. And if you live in a snowy area of the country, chances are your car is looking a little ragged these days. Frigid temperatures and roads covered with salt and dirty snow can make your car unrecognizable. Washing your vehicle in the dead of winter might seem counter-productive since it’s just going to get dirty again the second you hit the road.
And your neighbors might think you’ve lost your mind if they see you outside with a bucket of water and a hose. But if they’re honest with themselves, they’ll know you’re doing the right thing.
Road salt, snow, and moisture can cause rust on a car, and once rust starts it’s hard to stop. Rust can show up anywhere - under the paint, under the car where there is bare metal, and in nooks and crannies that you didn’t even know existed.
Rust is like a rash on your skin. You add a little cream to the infected area, it does some good, but then it crops up somewhere else. They cycle never seems to end. Rust acts in much the same way. It compromises the integrity of a car, and over time, it can eat away at the car body, rot out the exhaust system, brake lines, brake calipers, and gas lines. Frame rust is especially dangerous because chunks of a car can break off while you’re driving and injure other motorists.
To avoid the deadly combination of road salt combined, sand and moisture, you might think the best thing to do is let your car sit in the driveway all winter to save it from the elements. Will that strategy prolong the life of your car?
The good news is that by keeping it off the roads you’re not exposing it to road salt and sand. That’s always a good thing. However, will the bitter cold and snow affect it?
Ray Magliozzi, of National Public Radio’s “Car Talk,” has a blase attitude about leaving your car parked all winter. “If it’s an older car, you’re going to find things that don’t work [as well]. It's because they were ready to break anyway,” Magliozzi says. “If your muffler falls off when you first drive the car, well that was going to happen anyway. It’s just that you happened to park it two days or a week before it was scheduled to fall off and you put [the problem] off for two months.”
He says that if you plan to leave your car parked for the winter, shovel out the area around the tailpipe and the driver’s door, and let the engine run for ten minutes or so every week to keep the fluids moving. When you drive the car first the first time, you might have a rough go of it in the beginning, but things will smooth out. The tires, for example, might have some thumping noises, but they’ll smooth out after 20-100 miles of driving. Long-term, the car doesn’t know whether it’s hot or cold outside. Let it run once a week and it should be fine come spring.
Protect your car
Why invest time and energy getting your car ready for winter when you can’t stop the accumulation of salt and muck? The answer is actually quite simple: economics. Taking care of your car now means that it will last longer and hold its trade-in value.
When the weather starts to turn cold, give your car a thorough scrub down and wax job. Adding a coat of wax is important because it adds an extra layer of protection between your car and road junk.
When cleaning your car, pay attention the areas behind the wheels, the quarter panels, and the front grille, which are the main places where road salt collects (and where rust is likely to start).
Winterizing your car isn’t difficult or expensive. It just takes a some time and elbow grease.
Wash your car frequently
Once it starts to snow you should wash your car as often as possible. Maybe as often as every other week.
:welcome-0005a: Welcome to our newest HTC member: russellrings is the proud owner of two hemis!! An '09 and '12 longhorn. Good to have you as part of our family, Russell!!
:birthday: Birthdays/anniversaries we are celebrating this week:
Wednesday: Jackal015 - Jose from Alberta
Thursday: Hemi_Blue_Streak - Brad from Texas
If it's your birthday/anniversary/special occasion let us know and we will celebrate with you.
:Kneel2Hemi: TOTM is back with a little twist. This year we are going to do it a little different. Post a picture and a write up of your ride between the 1st-21st then we vote the 22nd-months end. After the voting the winner will be messaged for email info. The email is for the digital TOTM award. Printing and shipping them was getting pricey and time consuming. The awards will be printable on your end and then you can frame them. Thanks to Keith (charged392) for heading this up!
:dance: It's time to look forward to the 2020 Rally!! There is a thread started for information and input. Anyone may submit a proposal. We'll need to know where and when (we usually do June/July to accommodate those with kiddos), hotel options/costs, and activities available. We'll be glad to help you with stuff if you are nervous about submitting a proposal. Mostly, it's helpful to have someone familiar with the area heading it up so we know where to or NOT to stay and things to do.
:type: Chatroom is back!! Join us every Thursday evening at 7:00 CST for chatroom. I'm not sure if I'll be in chatroom this week. I'm having a heart ablation on Wednesday and don't know what kind of drugs they'll be giving me.....I may still be sleeping it off.
rayersent: PRAYER REQUEST:
If you have a prayer request you would like to share either add it to this thread or PM me.
*HemiSuperbee - Mark - health concerns
*Rancher - Doug said to take him off the list but I think a quick prayer for his general health issues isn't a bad idea
*Doc's mother - recent fall resulting in fractured femur & surgery, she is currently in rehab
*BlackTRX - Roy - new cancer diagnosis
*Studmuffin - Morris' brother-in-law, David, with liver failure
*boedacres - Steve - health issues including diabetes
*SuperBee - John & his wife - health issues
*BlackTRX - mom is on hospice
*Mrs.Studmuffin - heart ablation procedure on January 29th
Have a gread week!!!