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Winter Maintenance OCD


Brewder

Question

So I admittedly have a touch of OCD..... I Graphene Coated my car this fall, and had been using the Graphene Detail Spray to maintain it... I took my time over 2 full days to ensure it was done right.  I'm using all Adam's products for all aspects of maintaining my car inside/out.  Now that the winter months are upon us, I won't be standing outside washing/detailing my car using my normal routine and products.

 

Would periodically running my car through a touchless car wash "damage/degrade" my coating in any way?  I know those touchless car washes use some harsh products/"waxes" in their system... 

 

Am I worrying about nothing?

 

Assuming I do use the touchless system for the next several months, is there anything I should do come spring to get back into my normal routine with the Adam's products?  Like a strip wash to remote the carwash wax, so I can restart my normal washing/Graphene Detail Spray routine.

 

//Brew

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Hi Troy, great questions! 

Ceramic coatings are chemically resistant for the most part, so the touchless washes should not do much harm; however, if they have a wax or protection stage during the wash, their waxes could alter the hydrophobic properties of the coating somewhat until you would remove that wax layer. Like you guessed, a wash with Strip Wash in your bucket or foam cannon after Winter should get the surface back down to the Graphene Ceramic Coating layer, and then you could maintain again with Graphene Detail Spray.

You may find that you need to use a Fine Grade Clay Bar on the lower parts of the vehicle and the rear trunk area as well, since those areas usually take the worst beating during winter months, as they will usually pick up some amount of bonded contamination on the surface.

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Hi Troy,

Check around to see if any of the touchless wash places in your area have the rinse only option.  I remember a couple from years back that had a light wash, rinse only, but also offered the under carriage spray.  With the light wash, rinse and under carriage, you would be getting the majority of the salt and brine off the vehicle while adding minimal chemicals to it. 

 

You might also want to check to see if any of the Pay & Spray locations offer a heated bay.  If they do, you can rinse the vehicle to get the majority of the grime off and then use Waterless Ceramic Wash, Rinseless Wash or CS3 to complete the cleanup.    The one Pay & Spray near me that offers a heated bay was $2 for 15 minutes the last time I used it.

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40 minutes ago, RayS said:

Hi Troy,

Check around to see if any of the touchless wash places in your area have the rinse only option.  I remember a couple from years back that had a light wash, rinse only, but also offered the under carriage spray.  With the light wash, rinse and under carriage, you would be getting the majority of the salt and brine off the vehicle while adding minimal chemicals to it. 

 

You might also want to check to see if any of the Pay & Spray locations offer a heated bay.  If they do, you can rinse the vehicle to get the majority of the grime off and then use Waterless Ceramic Wash, Rinseless Wash or CS3 to complete the cleanup.    The one Pay & Spray near me that offers a heated bay was $2 for 15 minutes the last time I used it.


This is exactly what I do. ^^^^

I'll use the pay & spray two minutes from my house, water only on a slightly warmer day to spray and rinse the majority of winter grime off of my vehicle, then I'll pull it into my garage and do a Rinseless Wash with a bucket of warm water and Rinseless Wash solution and about 6 plush microfiber towels. This way I don't end up freezing my driveway or garden hose.

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To be real honest here,  what I do is to make sure I have my car protected with the best products I can before the winter weather hits.  This year it's the Graphene. I don't ever run any of my rides through any kind of car wash.  We get enough warmish days throughout the winter that I can endure washing the car when it's in the 40's or low 50's and keep it decent.  Fortunately, I have a garage and am also retired so I just don't drive in the crap any more unless I absolutely have to.  

But I'll admit that if I worked still,  I probably would hit our local no touch wash from time to time.  Not everyone can do what I do.  

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The problem with this strategy is that the pay'n'spray areas near me usually close their stations in the winter. I guess it's the possibility of their pipes freezing?

 

I had to do a first-ever 2 bucket wash in my driveway. It was quite warm (50F) but the water was ice cold.

 

I didn't have a garage for the last 5 years and my only option was to visit the pay'n'spray on warm days to hose down the car, then drive home to air dry on the way and do a waterless wash. It worked well for a few ski trips but with salt on the roads you just have to be okay with not having a perfect exterior.

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When it is cold in South Carolina, I use a couple of methods to keep my hands warmer than would be expected.  First is to use warm water to fill the buckets.  This has the benefit of keeping the wash mitt warm since that is what you are holding onto and it allows you to hold your hand in the water to warm them up if necessary.

 

Second and even more important is wearing disposable mechanics gloves.  These are form fitting and can be picked up online or any automotive parts store and things don't slip out of your hands, including the brushes.  The added advantage of the gloves is they keep your hands dry and if there is a breeze, the wind is not able to hit your exposed wet skin.   One of my neighbors has a pair of dish washing gloves that goes up almost to his elbow and and I'm sure they would work just was good to keep the water and wind from making you cold.

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Warm Water in my buckets. A thin pair of Glove Liners as insulation under a pair of Nitrile Gloves with a pair of Playtex Hand Saver Dishwashing Gloves over the Nitrile Gloves. As long as the temps are above freezing I wash outside on the driveway. No need for the local Pay & Spray, I've got a Pressure Washer.

 

This may blow your mind's, but if it's below 40 and I decide to wash a vehicle, I'll often use the two bucket wash method with the Truck Brush!

 

To date, no noticeable marring on any vehicle I've done this on. Those of you that know me, know I'd see the marring. It's not like I'm new to this.

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