How do you clean your truck in the winter?

[speedracer0626]

I'm OCD and even though it's cold and the truck already has rust issues I still have to powerwash it and use the soapy brush at the drive in car wash. Do you clean the inside and leave the outside dirty? Do you clean both? Or do you just leave it dirty all the time? How do you keep your truck?

[97HeavyHalf]

how can you be ocd and still use the brush at the car wash? The two statements fight eachother. Those things are notorious for leaving more than just a shine on paint jobs.

I tend to drive through the automated car washes... not for the body though. The ones with a good undercarriage blast all the slat and road crap off the belly pretty well.

[Macedawg]

i leave it in the garage and drive the civic :dunno:

[Sleeper_6]

I do the same thing I do in the summer as I do in the winter, but I dont sweat as much.... god I love AZ!

[speedracer0626]

It is a 92 with original paint and all I'm trying to do is knock off the sand and salt they use on the roads around here. Plus it was 23 degrees last night when I washed it, so the hands can only take so much and as soon as I sprayed it with the power washer it iced over on me.

[97HeavyHalf]

find a coin op with heated water then. But the brushes are bad..... Id use them for the bed liner, and tires only.

[speedracer0626]

It is a coin op with heated water and I figure with it being a soft brush oh well it needs painting any how.

[07Burb]

I tend to drive through the automated car washes... not for the body though. The ones with a good undercarriage blast all the slat and road crap off the belly pretty well.

X2 Getting that undercarriage clean is extremely important in the winter because of that salt and crap. I would never use the brush on the paint, though. That'll put swirls in your paint really quickly!!! :scared:

As far as the inside, I just leave it dirty until it's done being snowy and salty and then give it a real good detail. Otherwise it's a winless battle with all the salt and crap on your feet.

[97HeavyHalf]

well if you using a hot water place, and blasting the under carriage thoroughly, then your doing it right. My wifes 95 the paint is toast and we still dont abuse it with the brush. Just think some a$$hole like me used to clean the crap out of his bed.

[Kyles03]

lol you use the brush at the car wash, your paint hates you.

[6.0 Bowtie HD]

Ive got a hand car wash in town inside an old warehouse. 15 bucks gets it clean enough for me until it thaws out enough for a full asault detail. I did one last good one in october when it was still 60 degrees. But 15 bucks gets all the salt and road grime off for a few days.

[speedracer0626]

Ok guys I will refrain from using the brush on the truck. I prefer to hand wash it if at all possible, but that is out of the question at the moment.

[canuckz71]

Take it to work and wash it. I'm only really concerned with keeping the salt off of the undercarriage and inside the fenders.

[midgetclown]

I also go through the automated/touchless car washes. It has the undercarage blaster and i spend like a minute creeping across that so it cleans the heck out of it.

[ngc414]

I spray mine off at the car wash and just use the brush on the wheels and lower areas like the rockers and wheel lips. Then dry the entire thing with a shammy before I pull out of the bay (as long as nobody is waiting).

[97Bowtie1106]

I spray mine off at the car wash and just use the brush on the wheels and lower areas like the rockers and wheel lips. Then dry the entire thing with a shammy before I pull out of the bay (as long as nobody is waiting).


thats the same thing I do except I dont use the brush at all except for the bed liner

[Stealth HD]

I take mine to a touchless carwash and pay them to do it. I get to sit inside in the warmtha and the truck gets cleaned with no effort on my part, although it's been awhile. We had a 75* day a few weeks ago and I washed it myself in the washbay at work...but it literally goes months without a wash (yes I treat my truck like chit, yet it's nothing but good to me). I still has dirt clods on the dash and door panels from when I lived in the country 2 years ago.

[300King]

Touchless wash every couple weeks in the winter to keep the salt/sand off it as much as possible, leave the interior alone until spring. When it is warmer I hand wash it in the driveway or take it to a coin op self wash.

[BigBlue02HD]

I'd say I still like to wash/clean it every week or so in the winter months. During the summertime I wash it once or twice a week, depending how dusty/dirty it gets.

I'll stop by the local carwash when I have a bunch of quarters piling up and blast the undercarriage, body, and tires/wheels off just to get the worst of it off.

Then when I have time at home I'll use my pressure washer or just the hose and wash the truck throughly. Also, I wash the floormats off and vacuum/detail the inside.

[silverado_lover]

Since I live in TX I can wash it anytime in my driveway :D

[Stratosman]

I clean my POS Saturn with the windshield squeegee thing at the gas station, seriously, the whole car, done it twice now :looking: I get some looks :dunno: I;m not paying for a car wash and waiting to be reimbursed, especailly when it will be gross 2 days later anyway.

[BigBlue02HD]

^^^^ Haha.. Nice!

I've seen a couple people do that in NICE SUVs at the gas stations while eating our lunch. But, its been in the summertime and they kinda "spot detail"... haha.

[Stratosman]

^^^^ Haha.. Nice!

I've seen a couple people do that in NICE SUVs at the gas stations while eating our lunch. But, its been in the summertime and they kinda "spot detail"... haha.

It will be sold sometime in about a year due to mileage (we replace them once they hit 70k), then I can have it detailed and any and all scratches taken out for the most part. It's dark blue, less than ideal for scratches, so my next one will be a light color :lol:

[speedracer0626]

My dad has a hot water tap outside that he hooks a sprinkler to and slides it under the truck. I need to buy me a beater to drive back a forth to work and park the truck. I have to be out the door at 4 am and that is when the roads around here are the worst. I took my old cargo cover for the rear of my Explorer the plastic diamond tread design and made floor mats out of them. It work great and I'm too cheap to buy the same thing for $60. LOL

[300King]

My dad has a hot water tap outside that he hooks a sprinkler to and slides it under the truck.
Now that is a helluva good idea!

[chevyz71man]

See if any of the local gas stations with a touchless car wash offer any program. A lot of times they will have like a 3 month promo period for unlimited car washes for 20 bucks a month... Use it for the winter and cancel.

[Ghostyman25]

I clean my POS Saturn with the windshield squeegee thing at the gas station, seriously, the whole car, done it twice now :looking: I get some looks :dunno: I;m not paying for a car wash and waiting to be reimbursed, especailly when it will be gross 2 days later anyway.

Well..it is a saturn. And if its not a saturn sky then i wont judge. I live in La,so...i wash my truck about once a month during the winter. I can do that because we dont salt roads here unless it gets severe,actually i dont think La,owns any snow plow trucks. Lately its been getting down into the 20's and teens here and i pretty much dont even glance outside lol.

[11sectreefitty]

Well..it is a saturn. And if its not a saturn sky then i wont judge. I live in La,so...i wash my truck about once a month during the winter. I can do that because we dont salt roads here unless it gets severe,actually i dont think La,owns any snow plow trucks. Lately its been getting down into the 20's and teens here and i pretty much dont even glance outside lol.

Try living on the lake were its almost constantly wet, i dont even wash mi truck, theres no point, of course none of mi vehicles are worth washing lol

[RichLockyer]

I do the same thing I do in the summer as I do in the winter, but I dont sweat as much.... god I love AZ!
Same here.










I wait for rain :D

[jmack91z28]

I clean my POS Saturn with the windshield squeegee thing at the gas station, seriously, the whole car, done it twice now :looking: I get some looks :dunno: I;m not paying for a car wash and waiting to be reimbursed, especailly when it will be gross 2 days later anyway.

I love it, i've seriously considered doing that myself...

I wouldn't ever recommend using the carwash brush on a vehicle you really care about though... I've cleaned some nasty stuff off with that thing before. Like a few weeks ago when a 5 gallon bucket of used oil spilled in my bed, guess where I cleaned it out at? Yeah.

[Stratosman]

I love it, i've seriously considered doing that myself...

I wouldn't ever recommend using the carwash brush on a vehicle you really care about though... I've cleaned some nasty stuff off with that thing before. Like a few weeks ago when a 5 gallon bucket of used oil spilled in my bed, guess where I cleaned it out at? Yeah.

just "washed" it again yesterday at the Shell pump :looking:

and Ghostyman, no, it's not a Sky, hard to carry a ladder in one of those :aniteef:

[07Burb]

I clean my POS Saturn with the windshield squeegee thing at the gas station, seriously, the whole car, done it twice now :looking: I get some looks :dunno: I;m not paying for a car wash and waiting to be reimbursed, especailly when it will be gross 2 days later anyway.

:D I used to drive a POS 95 SL2 and did the exact same thing! I hated that car. It was by FAR the biggest pile of crap I've ever owned!

[Stratosman]

some pay at the pump, I pay and wash at the pump :D

[SouthernTide]

i take a trip over to dad's heated garage, has a drain hole in the floor specially for washing vehicles:cool: and when i dont have the time for a full detail i go to a car wash chain we have here autobell they clean "Rain or shine at any temperature"

[dcZ71]

Right in my driveway when temps are in the 40's. Wash/wax, sometimes clay. But in the winter I dont drive it in the snow and salt only when the roads are dry and clear.

[seth350]

I paid a guy $70 to wash/wax and clean inside of my truck. Looked good for about 2 days...:P

Yall could always just wait till it rains and pour carwash soap all over truck and then drive to work or where ever. The speed at which rain falls is between 7 and 18 MPH, plus highway speed of 70mph, equals +/- 80 MPH. Then just add soap.

Seems coherent to me :P

[Badass69]

Hot water pressure washer in pretty well any carwash/ service station I stop at. Wash the vehicle myself, including spraying out the underside and then carry on. It's pretty cold here most of the time ( -20's and -30's F lately) so it goes home to sit in my shop to dry off.

My 96 and my 94 never see winter so it's just the Caprice and the POS 09 GMC.

[speedracer0626]

Its snowing like crazy here, so I quess when I'm done with my errands for the day I will stop by a spray wash and rinse it down. They believe in putting the sand down around here. I don't know if there is salt mixed in with it. Makes for a fun trip though.

[The Fiddle]

I guess I'm the only person who uses the brush? Spend a minute or two washing it first though with the pressure washer. I can always take out the swirls.

[98BlackSierra]

/\/\/\ I use a brush too, a very soft bristled brush.

I spray all the salt I can off the truck as well as spray the frame and wheel wells of the truck. Gets all the salt and trapped dirt out. Then I soap the hell out of it and spray it off again. The glass and brushguard are dried off with a microfiber cloth. I just let the rest of the truck airdry since its going to get dirty again. No spots or anything.

Tires are scrubbed and the wheels are washed and dried with a microfiber cloth. I do all of this about twice a week and it never gets old. Hell its an OBS so its worth it.

[The Fiddle]

I still have mud stuck on my tie rods from 2 years ago...

[RednckChevy]

I dont think I have ever washed during the winter we use sand on the roads and its just a mess. I did notice since they use brine on the roads my rims started rusting so I just use some steel wool on them and go

[DURAGAS 8.1]

Hazzard county carwash

[bananabrain]

I just pull into a car wash & power wash the undercarriage & then powerwash the body with soap, use the foaming brush to scrub the body & rinse it off with a high pressure wax & drive away.

[h2omelon]

I put mine in storage from November to April and drive my Honda. lol I would never drive my truck on the salty roads up here.

[98silvyman]

Just turned on the garage heater so i can go wash it in a little bit. It's -8* outside but it'll be 70* in the garage :D

[silverado_lover]

:wtf: Its probably 60* outside

[Honey Bear]

It rained last week so that is wash enough for the WarBeast. you can still read the signs on the windows. Although there is mud on the roof and the entire underside is plastered in red clay from getting stuck last week.

[1988 GMC 355]

WE have a heated shop at work with a Hotsy washer with soap and heated water, I lay on a creeper and clean the undercarriage and tehn scrub the whole truck, dry it, then let it dry the rest of the way as I clean the inside, I do this about every snow we have in the winter

[98silvyman]

WE have a heated shop at work with a Hotsy washer with soap and heated water, I lay on a creeper and clean the undercarriage and tehn scrub the whole truck, dry it, then let it dry the rest of the way as I clean the inside, I do this about every snow we have in the winter

Wanna do mine?

[1988 GMC 355]

Wanna do mine?
bahahaha sure if you got some cash i ll do it.

well we wash 5 semis and tankers top to bottom everyweekend in there or outside if its above freezing for the trailers.

and this coming weekend my buddy and I are detailing his dads crane operators crane for some cash

[woodsbm812]

Just go to Mikes car wash tell them you want them to slow the conveyor down while on the underbody spot sometimes you may have to wait for nobody to be around.

[ntimidator_3]

Luckily, I don't have to drive mine as much as I used to. I drive my company truck all week and its nasty dirty, mine sits alot and doesn't get to dirty. I have to come up with reasons to drive it on weekends just because I enjoy it so much. I haven't had to wash it but the next warmer day I will take him to the touchless wash and get the best wash and wait til spring for a good ol hand wash and wax

[TMooreGraphics]

I use the brush too...on my old winter tires/wheels...NEVER, EVER on the paint or on my "good" wheels. Those brushes are the devil and the prime cause for most people's scratches and marring on any paint finish.

I'm a detail fanatic...my paint gets polished regularly and I won't touch my vehicles with anything except microfiber towels and even then, they can only be decent quality.

In the winter, the best I do is hose it off to knock the salt and debris off and I never dry it so I don't risk marring the paint with any sediment that doesn't get rinsed off. I just tough it out until spring when I can do my thorough spring detail and then through the spring/summer/fall I follow my strict washing regiment weekly or bi-weekly as needed.

My neighbors all think I'm a freak as I'm constantly cleaning/polishing my cars but nothing beats driving a ride that shines. And especially our black SUV...that thing will surely be the death of me cuz if it's not clean, I refuse to drive it.

I'm so ready for winter to be over so I can start getting the cars all shiny and ready for some spring/summer cruisin' again.

[Ironskull]

My truck is my winter driver. I go maybe once a month to the touchless so it gets the under carriage and the body salt off. My summer cars are a 97 Z/28 convertible that I ordered new and a 65 Chevelle 300 DeLuxe 4 door 230 with a 3 on the tree and 36,00 and change original miles.

Jack in MI

[1988 GMC 355]

My truck is my winter driver. I go maybe once a month to the touchless so it gets the under carriage and the body salt off. My summer cars are a 97 Z/28 convertible that I ordered new and a 65 Chevelle 300 DeLuxe 4 door 230 with a 3 on the tree and 36,00 and change original miles.

Jack in MI

the salt is killer up there I bet

and pics of the cars!!!!

[Ironskull]

the salt is killer up there I bet

and pics of the cars!!!!

Yeah, salt kills vehicles up here if they aren't taken care of. My truck as well as my wife's 05 Z/71 Silverado Crew Cab get the touchless specifically for the under carriage blast. My cars have never seen any salt. The Chevelle came from Texas and I ordered the Camaro. I will try to post some pics.

[Eric_7810]

Watch the roads and forecast carefully, once both are sunny and dry, heat the garage and I have the cleanest truck in town.

[dcZ71]

Eric your alive lol, you need to post an update thread with some new pics man

[Eric_7810]

How it sits.. Took the tint off last year after being stopped for the fifth time.


http://i48.photobucket.com/albums/f244/Eric_7810/IMG_0852.jpg

[Pack Leader]

I just hose mine off during winter. Been guilty of using the brush as well. Wish we had heated water at the washes here.

[speedracer0626]

Well its starting to warm up around here, to bad my truck is tore down. As soon As I pull it out of the barn it will get washed thoroughly. Crawling around underneath it for the last two weeks I have noticed a little surface rust just from one winter. I guess I'll have to find an undercoating that will protect it for next winter.

[dcZ71]

How it sits.. Took the tint off last year after being stopped for the fifth time.


http://i48.photobucket.com/albums/f244/Eric_7810/IMG_0852.jpg

nice and clean, got the mickey's off for winter?

[Camarors8992]

I typically just take my truck through a touchless car wash and get the majority of salt and grime off of it. Today it was a decent 37* outside so I just hand washed it at home.

[speedracer0626]

Man I can't wait till my truck looks as clean as yours Eric. I just can't touch anything without it breaking on me. LOL.

[Chevy Fireman]

I pull an ambulance out at work and wash my truck in a heated garage with hot water.

[speedracer0626]

So it's starting to warm up, my plan is to detail the frame and get crankin on some much needed body work. I just got it washed and removed some adhesive from the stick on chrome that runs on the rockers.

[Seeb]

it's tough around here, basically pressure wash all the salt & crap off as often as possible and wait for the warm weather!!!...and start with a nice coat of wax before they start throwing the crap on the roads !!!

http://img813.imageshack.us/img813/6014/dsc03135res.jpg

[sneek24]

if I were to wash my truck here in the winter it would be froze until spring. Lol..

[clkordsm]

Do not use a brush at the car wash. Why do you think everyone has all those swirls and **** on their paint job lol?! Hand wash it. But some nice cleaning equipment. In the winter, just go to a carwash that has a heated soap and water gun and just use that. Make it look really nice in the spring.

[GMCTruck21]

i washed it every week. I would clean out the floor mats every time I was at the gas station (use the wipes from the little window cleaner thing) to keep them clean and some of the snow/salt off of it.

[Z71williebama]

I typically run my truck through an express wash atleast once a week. Keeps it clean and stops stuff from collecting

[Veikra]

I push the friend's bmws out in the snow and wash my truck in his garage when he's not looking :D

I clean my interior at the first 10C day and at the end of october. I use wipes to keep the plastic dust free every 2 weeks