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Brushing Snow Off?

airhog

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airhog

airhog

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Today I went to the store and when I got back to my vehicle there was a bunch of snow on the vehicle. So I got my snow brush out and started brushing the snow off.While I was brushing it off I was just wondering is this doing any damage to my glass or paint?

Just wanting to know if there is a safer way to remove the snow off the vehicle? If there is ice is scraping safe?

Thanks.

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Rich

Rich

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Good question. I have yet to find a way to get the snow off the roof without using a snowbrush and putting those minor scratches in the paint. In Pennsylvania it's the law that you can't drive with snow on the roof, trunk, or hood, so the snow has to come off.

Anybody have any ideas?

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Gambrinus

Gambrinus

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http://us.st12.yimg.com/us.st.yimg.com/I/herrington-catalog_2029_45042348

 

I just bought a couple of these. The vette or dually will not see snow. Got these for the jeep and work truck. hope the link works

 

Not working Just go to the Herrington catalog and search snow broom

Edited by Gambrinus
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GerryC

GerryC

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When I know that a big snowstorm is coming (like the one we're in right now) I put a car cover on my DD since it isn't garaged, this way I can use a regular brush or a broom to remove the snow and not touch the paint with the bristles

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Adam

Adam

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We also use a brush to get the snow off the windshield, and only when absolutely piled over 8" will I use a brush on the paint. At 50 mph, sustained for a mile or so, the snow is typically gonzo.

 

So, that leaves the biggest snowfall days to remove, and since the vehicles being driven in the snow typically get hammered each winter, putting down a solid coat of Machine SuperWax is key, pre-snow.

 

Another way to minimize scratching: Keep the vehicle clean! I go to the blast-off car wash and give our vehicles a blast once a week. Brushing ice and/or snow off is much less likely to scratch if there is little dirt on the surface. Dragging the brush, ice, and snow across dirt is much more likely to scratch.

 

I think it's safe to assume, winter driving, and even winter parking will be bad for your finish, and polishing the vehicle with a PC once the last snow has come and gone is part of the program.

 

Keeping the perfect cars perfect pretty much requires parking it in the fall, and driving it again in the spring!

 

My $.02:burnout:

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Junkman2008

Junkman2008

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One thing that we must all understand here is what one man considers scratch free paint might be hideous to another. I would goes a far to say that I am more toward the extreme end of anal when it comes to scratches. With that said, any opportunity that you take to touch the paint with ANYTHING is a opportunity to scratch the paint. It took me forever to find just the right type of cloths that I could use to wipe the wax and compounds off the car.

 

Using a brush of any kind would just about gouge my finish. I have it such a condition that gently wiping your finger across it while light dust is on the car will scratch it. If a slight touch will cause scratches, then a snow brush or anything similar will demolish the finish. Look at this picture below.

 

before_zaino.jpg

 

That finish looks hideous. I took this picture years ago before I even knew that companies like Adam's existed. I thought wax was something that had a turtle on it and you bought it at Pep Boys or Auto Zone. Pay particular attention to the passenger side door where the sunlight is hitting it. My paint was such horrible shape that today I cringe when I see that picture. I have since deleted every picture I have from way back then because it hurts to look at them.

 

Here's the kicker. I though my car's paint looked good. I wouldn't have taken so many pictures, including this one if I didn't think it was sharp. Now that I have trained eyes, I'm ashamed that I drove it around looking like this. At the same time, I find myself looking at other car's paint as I'm stopped at a stop light or walking through a parking lot. I'm not talking about beaters, I'm talking about brand new cars that are not a year old. Because their paint is not being cared for properly, their paint is starting to look like the paint on my car in that picture. An untrained eye will not even notice it until you bring it to their attention. So when I come across a thread like this, I wonder if the opinions being expressed about what to touch your paint with are being given by eyes that were like mine when I took that picture.

 

I say all that to preface this. ANYTHING that you rub across your paint can cause scratches, but if your paint is in the shape mine was in when I took that picture, you wouldn't even notice it. Those brushes at the do it yourself car wash? You may as well be keying your own car if you use them. A brush for knocking snow off the car? Even worse. Those bristles are as hard as nails to your paint.

 

If my car sat outside and was snowed on, the only way that I would get the snow off the paint is to let it melt. Yea, you can knock off the top layer to speed up the process, but you don't even want to get close to the paint with anything. The other night, I got caught in a light rain. I pulled into the garage and went to wipe it down. The first wipe across the fender left spider web thin scratches. How? Because there was this ever so thin layer of road grime on the car. Now I have to wash it again and break out my Adam's Swirl and Haze Remover in order to get those scratches out. On a dark car, it is a constant battle and a labor of love to keep those scratches out. But at the same time, you really appreciate it when your finish looks like this:

 

c5hood.jpg

 

Sorry for my "War and Peace" post. Hopefully someone will benefit from my ramblings!

 

:cheers:

Edited by Junkman2008
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Mark05KR

Mark05KR

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Some of us just don't have the luxury of leaving snow on the vehicle and letting it melt off. Especially on a daily driver.

 

We get a lot of snow up here in New Hampshire and I do not have a garage. When it snows, my Wife's Mustang is useless so she drives the F-150 to work. I am fortunate enough to work from home, so one 4 wheel drive vehicle gets us through.

 

My point is, sometimes you have to use something to remove the snow from the vehicle. It would be unsafe to drive with 6" or more of snow on the hood and roof, etc., and wait for the wind to blow it off, for you, and for anyone that has to follow you. When I weigh safety concerns against scratches in the finish, well, safety always wins out.

 

That being said, you can try to minimize the damage. As Adam stated, getting a good coat or 7 of wax on the vehicle before the winter weather starts will help, a lot. At least some or most of the scratches will be in the top coat(s) of wax and not the actual clear coat or paint. I use a snobroom, similar to the one in the link posted earlier in this thread to remove the snow from my vehicles. The trick is to get almost all of the snow off, without allowing the broom to touch the vehicle. You can leave a very thin layer of snow on the surface and that will blow off pretty quickly once you are driving. The small amount of snow left behind should not be enough to cause any problems for anyone following behind you.

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Adam

Adam

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Some of us just don't have the luxury of leaving snow on the vehicle and letting it melt off. Especially on a daily driver.

 

We get a lot of snow up here in New Hampshire and I do not have a garage. When it snows, my Wife's Mustang is useless so she drives the F-150 to work. I am fortunate enough to work from home, so one 4 wheel drive vehicle gets us through.

 

My point is, sometimes you have to use something to remove the snow from the vehicle. It would be unsafe to drive with 6" or more of snow on the hood and roof, etc., and wait for the wind to blow it off, for you, and for anyone that has to follow you. When I weigh safety concerns against scratches in the finish, well, safety always wins out.

 

That being said, you can try to minimize the damage. As Adam stated, getting a good coat or 7 of wax on the vehicle before the winter weather starts will help, a lot. At least some or most of the scratches will be in the top coat(s) of wax and not the actual clear coat or paint. I use a snobroom, similar to the one in the link posted earlier in this thread to remove the snow from my vehicles. The trick is to get almost all of the snow off, without allowing the broom to touch the vehicle. You can leave a very thin layer of snow on the surface and that will blow off pretty quickly once you are driving. The small amount of snow left behind should not be enough to cause any problems for anyone following behind you.

 

Great point! I sometimes re-read my posts and think that I'm a serious moron. We live in the mountains, and drive miles before seeing another car, so blow-off is never a worry. We also have two winter vehicles, an Excursion, and a Land Cruiser. Both have huge windshields, and we sit high enough to see over 6, even 8 inches of snow sitting on the hood.

 

Thanks for taking time to write this well thought-out post Mark!:2thumbs:

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Junkman2008

Junkman2008

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I concur with your concerns and thought pattern Mark. This is why my daily driver driver looks like the Sanford and Son pickup truck. The paint is all scratched to hell and back and I'm trying to see if I can hit the 1 billion mark on it for swirls and scratches.

 

This is why I have 2 vehicles. One for show and one for go. My daily driver may get snowed on if I spend the night away from home but that's okay. I'll break out a broom and scratch all the snow and some paint off of it and keep going. I gave up on trying to keep it nice years ago. My suggestions for letting the snow melt would be for your show car. If your show car is your daily driver, I suggest you get the lightest color they make or just settle with pulling you hair out! :willy:

 

One solace I have is that my daily driver is a nasty sleeper. On the outside with rust taking over and the fact that I haven't washed it in over a year, people see it parked and go, "Gesh, what a piece of crap!" However, under the bonnet lives the heart of a beast:

 

meano_engine.jpg

 

...and it's fun to drive too! :2thumbs:

 

<object height="344" width="425">

 

 

<embed src="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GoYC8zoXIwI&hl=en&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" height="344" width="425"></object>

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rjdetail

rjdetail

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I hve used a water blade for many years on snow with great results, and no paint damage:2thumbs:. It does not work all that well on ice though. Pick one up, its great year round for wiping down your windows ( no spots! ) after you wash your baby.

 

Rob

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airhog

airhog

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My vehicle is garaged but I just need a way to clean the snow off when I park in the lot at the store. So just get a brush that has soft bendable bristles right? If there is ice on the paint or glass should I just leave it there? Is it better just to brush the snow off the glass and not off the paint if it can be avoided?

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