Prep your cars for winter while you can!

[system60]

Anyone else use duragloss? 105tpp specifically, just started using it last year after multiple recommendations on another site. It's pretty cheap and is almost as durable as klasse sg.

[OCDetails]

OCD, what is your opinion on no-rinse products for the winter?

 

I used some DP quick detail spray for the first time this week and it worked pretty well, but I don't know how confident I feel about just wiping off dirt from my car... Especially in the winter time.

 

If your car is just dusty or has waterspots on it, then that kind of thing is fine. However, for salt crust and spray off the tires.... Yeah, that waterless wash stuff doesn't really do much. You will end up doing more damage trying to use that than if you just took it to a car wash.

 

I've come to terms with the fact that my car is going to get scratched up in the winter. It's just a fact. No matter how hard I try to protect it, scratches happen. So I just do what I can to protect it as best as I can, and then in the spring I polish out everything else. As long as you wash your car every now and then when the weather is above freezing, then you should be ok. Trying to keep it in show room condition all winter will just make you nutso. Trust me... I know all about going nutso trying to keep my car looking perfect. It took three kids to break me of that little obsession.

[pre-dent]

Oh I'm not looking forward to messy children.... When I drive my nephews around they always leave dirty shoe marks all over the doors and seat backs. Simple things like that annoy me already. lol

 

Fortunately my wife doesn't want kids yet.

[Magic Marker]

I just threw on a coat of NXT. That should hold up for a while. If we get a warm snap in Dec, I'll do one more coat.

[JohnnyT]

In the Spring, I use Meguire's Mirror Glaze #6 CLeaner Wax and top that with Meguire's Gold Class. In between I use Megire's Ultimate Quick Wax. Works great. I just put a coat of Gold class on yesterday. The paint still beaded up pretty good after 3 months. Not bad. What do you think of that combo?

 

My experience with Meguire's NXT is it goes on and comes off easy, but doesn't last very long, 2 months the most.

 

Great info OCD and thanks for your time in sharing your expertise with us.

[OCDetails]

Oh I'm not looking forward to messy children.... When I drive my nephews around they always leave dirty shoe marks all over the doors and seat backs. Simple things like that annoy me already. lol

 

Fortunately my wife doesn't want kids yet.

 

Let me tell you how bad it gets... When I had my Legacy I just had the one kid. He was easy. In fact, he is still the easy one. I think because he spent so much time with me detailing, it has sort of rubbed off. The other two, however, do not share his feelings on that. My oldest knows that paint is not for touching and I seriously don't think his bare hands have ever touched the paint of any car unless he was waxing it.

 

I have an Odyssey right now and that thing is getting beat to hell. My car still stays relatively nice, but because the van is in the garage and there are bikes flying past it, balls bouncing off it, apparently it looks like a drum and long ass nails I've got in the garage look like drum sticks, and it seems to attract the most interesting patterns of fingerprints all over the doors... It really is crazy trying to keep it clean.

 

I'm thinking after I finish up the update on a couple articles I am working on, I need to write a "detailing with kids" one. The way you clean and the type of cleaning you do is entirely different when you have kids running around. It is nothing but good times, but I'll be honest... I bought my Odyssey because I think just about every panel on it was painted at some point in the past. It isn't a show vehicle and I really don't care much about it. It just needs to survive for another maybe 3 years while my youngest grows up and gets the training wheels off, and then I can invest in some nice vehicles again. You pretty much have to get adjusted to the fact that you don't get to have too many nice things when you have kids running around. lol

 

Kids have definitely changed me. I've gone from trying to obtain perfection to being content with excellence. Perfection is just unreasonable and impractical. I've dialed down the obsessive compulsive part quite a bit in the last three or four years, that's for sure.

[JohnnyT]

That's why I kept my '78 Subaru DL wagon until my kids grew up. Vynl interior wiped right up from their ice cream cones and what not. Had it for 12 years. Great car.

[OCDetails]

I just wish some people would follow the rules. My wife sent me this picture a couple years ago when she was in California with the kids. Apparently the "NO FOOD EATING ALLOWED" rule only applies when daddy is in the van. They went to some sort of chocolate factory and someone decided to really really enjoy it...

[Wonder_Boy]

Can somebody tell me what the best thing to do to protect my wheels is? I got new ones back in august so i dont want to screw them up this winter. Is there a certin product to use? Or would it be better to just throw the stocks back on?

 

Thanks

[JohnnyT]

great picture. It had to make you laugh, right? I think she staged it just to get you reved up. Great sense of humor. That's something my wife would do.

[OCDetails]

Can somebody tell me what the best thing to do to protect my wheels is? I got new ones back in august so i dont want to screw them up this winter. Is there a certin product to use? Or would it be better to just throw the stocks back on?

 

Thanks

 

I put Blizzaks on my stock wheels and use those in the winter. Then in the Summer I put my nice rims with performance tires. The tires on my summer wheels would be shit in the winter anyway, so this is really the best solution. If you want to protect your nice aftermarket wheels, then don't use them in the winter. rotate rotate rotate.

[jasejase]

while we're on the detailing topic... especially with winter coming back. Whats the best to use on the stainless exhaust? Have an spt 1.5 catback, and its just so pretty and clean. would like to keep it that way.

 

i have heard the mag cleaner works pretty well.

[PhilT]

 

Fortunately my wife doesn't want kids yet.

 

Not surprising really.

[OCDetails]

while we're on the detailing topic... especially with winter coming back. Whats the best to use on the stainless exhaust? Have an spt 1.5 catback, and its just so pretty and clean. would like to keep it that way.

 

i have heard the mag cleaner works pretty well.

 

There are a couple products that work well. As long as you are using a cleaner that says it is safe for stainless steel, then you should be fine. Mag cleaner does work well. Any stainless steel polish works well too, but it is going to be a pain to keep up on during the winter. I would just take the opportunity to clean it up when you get the chance during the winter, but in reality just be prepared to do a little heavy cleaning in the spring after all the slush is gone. Then just maintain it on a regular basis with glass cleaner or chrome polish and you'll be fine.

[jasejase]

Thanks... appreciate the advice!

[JoeFromPA]

OCD - Let me hit you up

 

In the past, when I've read about "layering", I've ALWAYS assumed that meant, for example:

 

1. Apply Sealant Glaze and let it dry

2. Remove SG with microfiber and then apply another layer and let it dry, then remove

3. etc.

 

But I just read an article by Richard Griot that was specifically speaking of wax and using a buffer (I still use by hand, but will be switching to a full system soon).

 

Anyway, he stated that you apply the first coat, let it dry, and then apply another coat on top, let it dry, and keep going for 3-5 coats. Only once all coats are applied due to buff off.

 

I've never heard of it being done that way before, but holy crap am I much more willing to do it that way to get 3 coats of sealant glaze on the car

 

Joe

[Toneranger]

Anyway, sorry for the little rant. I just wanted to be sure you knew that while Colinite may last you a few months, Gold Class most definitely will not. It isn't meant to.

 

Thanks for all the info/advice OC, much appreciated. How long do you think the Collinite will protect my paint then? The car has only ever been hand washed in warmer weather, and I use a local touchless wash in the winter to get the grime off....hoping to continue with that. We didn't have a particularly harsh winter last year, any salt/sand that stuck to the car washed off no problem from the water pressure in the touchless wash. Not sure I'll be so lucky this year, but I'm hoping LOL

[apexi]

Collinite is very durable, I just put some 476s on a few days ago as part of my typical pre-winter prep. I can't put a number on how many months it will last, as there are many variables involved. Rest assured, it will outlast 9/10 (if not 10/10) products you see at your local auto parts store.