What is the best way to prepare your vehicle for winter?*Why bother? Because driving your vehicle in the rain, snow, and mud certainly takes its toll on your finish... less washing, more dirt, salted roads, etc.*
*
Here is what I do to prepare our vehicles for winter:
• Wash and Clay the vehicle, especially the glass.
• Apply a heavy coat of our Invisible Undercarriage Spray to the wheel wells.*(This helps prevent corrosion from the wet weather and salted roads.*Also, it keeps your wheel wells easy to clean.)
• Apply an extra thick coat of VRT to your plastic and rubber, especially in the door jambs.*This keeps them from freezing shut.
• Machine apply a coat of our polymer sealant, the Machine SuperWax, or, 2 coats of our Americana Premium Paste Wax.*(Important to keep a sealant or wax on vehicles that experiences winter driving, as it makes them easier to clean.*Also, a slick, protected finish will minimize scratching when the inevitable touch happens, when the vehicle is super dirty.)
• Apply Brilliant Spray Glaze to the windows, inside and out.*Let haze for 30 minutes, then remove. (Keeps the glass from fogging, and keeps the glass sealed, so water beads, and runs off the windscreen.)
• Thoroughly clean the interior, and apply a heavy coat of Leather & Interior Dressing to the door panels, dash, and any leather upholstery. (Muddy, dirty winters take a toll on the interior, and dressing before it gets nasty makes it easy to clean later!)
Plus, few other safety and appearance suggestions:
• Install the weather proof mats.*I have the ones from http://www.WeatherTech.com in my truck, and my wife has the ones form the dealer.*If you have carpet mats, they will get soaked with mud and/or snow, and that makes your car STINK! I rinse off my rubber mats after every major snow, so I don’t have to live in a mud pit!
• Replace the wiper blades. I enjoy winter driving, and spend the $40 to get the best wipers on the market. I use the new Bosch Icons -- they are GREAT!
• Drain, and replace the wiper fluid.*The alcohol (ingredient that keeps the stuff from freezing) evaporates over the summer.*Keeping fresh wiper juice in the reservoir is how I keep our washer fluid from freezing.*(I hate driving on wet roads behind trucks with a frozen, or empty washer fluid!)
• Keep a nice snow brush/scraper in the vehicle.*It is important to always be gentle when removing snow from painted body panels; never use the scraper.*I use this one, made by OXO.*
•*Finally, I always give my winter driver another Clay and Sealant/Wax shortly after the New Year.*My 2003 SUV, which has lived outdoors since day one, looking fantastic for 135K miles! *
Question
Marylander
Winter Car Care: What Adam Does.
What is the best way to prepare your vehicle for winter?*Why bother? Because driving your vehicle in the rain, snow, and mud certainly takes its toll on your finish... less washing, more dirt, salted roads, etc.*
*
Here is what I do to prepare our vehicles for winter:
• Wash and Clay the vehicle, especially the glass.
• Apply a heavy coat of our Invisible Undercarriage Spray to the wheel wells.*(This helps prevent corrosion from the wet weather and salted roads.*Also, it keeps your wheel wells easy to clean.)
• Apply an extra thick coat of VRT to your plastic and rubber, especially in the door jambs.*This keeps them from freezing shut.
• Machine apply a coat of our polymer sealant, the Machine SuperWax, or, 2 coats of our Americana Premium Paste Wax.*(Important to keep a sealant or wax on vehicles that experiences winter driving, as it makes them easier to clean.*Also, a slick, protected finish will minimize scratching when the inevitable touch happens, when the vehicle is super dirty.)
• Apply Brilliant Spray Glaze to the windows, inside and out.*Let haze for 30 minutes, then remove. (Keeps the glass from fogging, and keeps the glass sealed, so water beads, and runs off the windscreen.)
• Thoroughly clean the interior, and apply a heavy coat of Leather & Interior Dressing to the door panels, dash, and any leather upholstery. (Muddy, dirty winters take a toll on the interior, and dressing before it gets nasty makes it easy to clean later!)
Plus, few other safety and appearance suggestions:
• Install the weather proof mats.*I have the ones from http://www.WeatherTech.com in my truck, and my wife has the ones form the dealer.*If you have carpet mats, they will get soaked with mud and/or snow, and that makes your car STINK! I rinse off my rubber mats after every major snow, so I don’t have to live in a mud pit!
• Replace the wiper blades. I enjoy winter driving, and spend the $40 to get the best wipers on the market. I use the new Bosch Icons -- they are GREAT!
• Drain, and replace the wiper fluid.*The alcohol (ingredient that keeps the stuff from freezing) evaporates over the summer.*Keeping fresh wiper juice in the reservoir is how I keep our washer fluid from freezing.*(I hate driving on wet roads behind trucks with a frozen, or empty washer fluid!)
• Keep a nice snow brush/scraper in the vehicle.*It is important to always be gentle when removing snow from painted body panels; never use the scraper.*I use this one, made by OXO.*
•*Finally, I always give my winter driver another Clay and Sealant/Wax shortly after the New Year.*My 2003 SUV, which has lived outdoors since day one, looking fantastic for 135K miles! *
–– Adam
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