I've needed a car wash for weeks now. Every time I plan on it the weather doesn't cooperate. And now it's 5°F with a wind chill of negative 11°F. Is it okay to go through a carwash in these temperatures? Are there any risks?



Don't want to end up like this :eek:




http://o.aolcdn.com/photo-hub/news_gallery/7/0/703073/1295957754933.JPEG

Class!!! I think you've answered you're own question there. Great picture.

personally I would want it the warm side of zero, otherwise, go inside, put the kettle on, have a nice cup of tea and wait for the summer :D.
http://www.tensionnot.com/pics/albums/Automobile/Accidents/Jeep_On_Frozen_lake/Pics_Jeep_On_Frozen_lake.jpg

I would wait until it gets up to at least 35 or 40. Besides, most car washes don't work too well when it is below 32 degrees ;)

and that Audi was parked overnight next to a water main that burst

I wash mine about once a week in winter. They use a lot of salt around here, and I hate to see my vehicle like that. And some times I have to get the ice out of the wheels too, and I like to get the gunk off before I throw chains on, and at least once I had ice built up so there was no room between the tire and ice in wheel well.

If it's high 20's F and sun is out, I wash it. Sometimes even colder. But I never go through a car wash. There are zero scratches from car washes on my Jeep.

I use one of those self serve wand washes.

I've had the water freezing on it as I dry it off already. I leave the car running with the heater on and fan on high as I wash it. I also dry out the doors, and where they fit in the car, etc, really well so they don't freeze up on me. My window freezes sometimes, so have to wait for it to warm up a long time the next morning before I can open the window. I usually start drying the windows and mirrors first, then inside doors, then if I still, the rest of it. If not, ice is better than salt. I always make sure the wheel wells and under the vehicle get washed well to remove the salt.

I wash mine about once a week in winter....

If it's high 20's F and sun is out, I wash it. Sometimes even colder.


I didn't even know that was possible. Good to know!

I take mine to a heated touchless drive-through, that has a great undercarriage wash. It blows the car pretty much dry, and then I wipe vegetable oil on the door rubbers so they don't stick.

If it's high 20's F and sun is out, I wash it. Sometimes even colder.

I once did that when it was like 20 outside. I kept my garden hose inside the night before so that it would thaw out. The next day I was my old truck, I would wet it down and a thin layer of ice would form on the surface but when I went over it with the brush the ice would just peel off. Man, that was a cold day. I washed it to get the crap off then pulled inside the garage to dry it off.

Over here in Monroe, It is sunny enough that if you park in the sun, it should dry off via sublimation.

I would wait until it gets up to at least 35 or 40. Besides, most car washes don't work too well when it is below 32 degrees ;)


LOL but I can't wait until April to get it washed.

But it was a beautiful sunny morning here... and then i started the jeep and the temperature read -12°F :eek: who knows what the wind chill was.
At that point does it really even matter:confused:

Oh well, born and raised, i'm used to it now.

Though I do often wonder what other parts of the country who don't deal with these temps think when i say -12°F

Check out this video.

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I can't believe I'm actually used to this cold now. I didn't even wear a hat today. The high was 3F.

Seriously though, anything above 20 works for me. Of course when it goes up to 40 this weekend it will all be pointless with the flood of melting snow.

How big is a washer fluid tank? I haven't filled it all winter. It has to be getting down there.

You all are nuts. Where i grew up, we had to worry about whether or not it was to HOT to wash the car. Too hot, and all the evaporating water would leave little rings of mineral deposits on the paint as the water evaporated.

And the breif humidity caused by the evaporating water (and evaporating sweat) was sometimes a relief, sometimes worse than the hot dry air alone. We learned to maxmize our early mornings and late evenings, working in the coolest parts of the day.

But washing a car in sub-freezing weather? I THINK I'LL PASS. Kudos to you all.

I dont wash mine unless it's going to stay above freezing all night. Starting in October or so I start gooping the body up with TurtleWax Ice every week. Sorta like a bear putting on fat for the winter. That tip about putting veggie oil on the seals is a good one. Shoot the door lock with sone de-icer too. When I DO wash the old boy, I wax the H**L out of the rims to keep the snow from sticking to them.

Washed mine yesterday, temp display said 20F. Turned it from white back to inferno red. I had to dry the side in the sun, then turn around to get sun on the other side to dry it off. I just couldn't wait any longer, and was going into town to the Penguins game, so I had to do it. The side not in the sun got a thin layer of ice on it pretty quick. But I still prefer think ice to salt. Mirrors stayed iced, but eventually melted in the sun. My fingers were just about frost bitten by the time I was done.

I've seen a thrown bucket of hot water turn to ice crystals and float away, at -40F when I was in Alaska in the Army.

Went to hockey game after washing, and should be cleaner for putting on chains later today.

-7C/19F here at the moment and I just came back from the car wash. No problems at all.

I have done it in colder weather but the steam that came out of the front grill was so much that motorists alongside me were frantically trying to get my attention :)

I have sprayed mine off multiple times in the winter when it gets covered in salt, never had any problems

[QUOTE]LOL but I can't wait until April to get it washed.

But it was a beautiful sunny morning here... and then i started the jeep and the temperature read -12°F :eek: who knows what the wind chill was.
At that point does it really even matter:confused:

Oh well, born and raised, i'm used to it now.

Though I do often wonder what other parts of the country who don't deal with these temps think when i say -12°F[QUOTE]







How hot is too hot for a carwash :) just kidding but it's been very warm here this past week which made me remember this post from our past winter. It was 100°F on Wednesday... if you see in the post above, that's 112°F difference, not to mention wind chills and heat indexes, which are very real things, so the feeling of the temperatures difference is probably more around 130°F. Just thought that was amazing and wanted to share :D

How does this compare to where you all are?

Been running low to mid 90s last few days here in Salt Lake City but heat index is typically a non-factor with our negligible humidity. A rather unique feature of SLC is the Wasatch Mountains which go straight up from the very edge of the city, so just a 15 to 20 minute drive (and 3500' vertical climb) usually brings a 15-20 degree drop in temps during summer. It's a pleasant 81 degrees at Snowbird Resort right now!