[Cheekster96]

Hey everybody...hope you all are surviving the winter months decently.

Need some info on how to winter wash my once pristine '18SS Camaro.

I had to transport it behind a U Haul and drove approx 350 miles. Luckily the roads were clear, but still, alot of road salt and sand made it's way up to the car :(

I know about the two bucket method. I do not feel comfortable driving the car (let alone if I could make it out of my long snow-covered driveway) on the roads where they have salt and sand and melting snow to a car wash to rinse it off only to drive back home to get it re dirty.

Temperatures during the day barely make it to the teens. My garage is not heated, but is at least dry and wind free.

I did all the paint prep corrections when I first got it (polished/buff/clay bar/reload show shine spray) and it just urgs me to see the car the way it is.

Anybody have any tips on what I should do? The nearest town with a car wash is 15 miles away; I am in the boonies.

Thanks everyone.

Lee

[Silverado57]

Yikes.
I haven't taken my SS out since the roads got very salty. My biggest concern is how to clean the underside of the car.
Following...

[ZED SLED]

Adams rinseless wash. I did this yesterday to my salt filthy Terrain using clean terry cloth towels.

[Warrior102]

I use one of these, it snaps onto a standard pressure washer wand. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...?ie=UTF8&psc=1

[Silverado57]

Originally Posted by Warrior102

I use one of these, it snaps onto a standard pressure washer wand. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Winner!

[nelsont]

borrow a heater for a day for the garage, wash it and forget it till spring.

Tim

[hotlap]

Originally Posted by Warrior102

I use one of these, it snaps onto a standard pressure washer wand. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Nice. I just ordered one.

[KirkH]

Originally Posted by Cheekster96

Hey everybody...hope you all are surviving the winter months decently.

Need some info on how to winter wash my once pristine '18SS Camaro.

I had to transport it behind a U Haul and drove approx 350 miles. Luckily the roads were clear, but still, alot of road salt and sand made it's way up to the car :(

I know about the two bucket method. I do not feel comfortable driving the car (let alone if I could make it out of my long snow-covered driveway) on the roads where they have salt and sand and melting snow to a car wash to rinse it off only to drive back home to get it re dirty.

Temperatures during the day barely make it to the teens. My garage is not heated, but is at least dry and wind free.

I did all the paint prep corrections when I first got it (polished/buff/clay bar/reload show shine spray) and it just urgs me to see the car the way it is.

Anybody have any tips on what I should do? The nearest town with a car wash is 15 miles away; I am in the boonies.

Thanks everyone.

Lee

It's better to leave it dirty than to wash it with the wrong methods.

You don't want to use the rinseless wash method if the car is covered in salt and sand. You will just mar the heck out of the paint.

You need to use a foamer to really get the surface coated with soap. Rinse the foam off. Foam it up again and then use your 2 bucket wash method.

https://www.amazon.com/Chemical-Guys...al+guys+foamer

You can do rinseless wash method after you remove all the salt and sand. Rinseless washing is a great way to clean the car if it is not too dirty.

[hotlap]

I bucket wash my cars in the driveway if the temp hits 32º F. I use the two bucket method with hot water. I have a hose bib and hot water available in my garage that always stays ~40º F without heat.

[Glen e]

buy a garden sprayer and mix up a gallon of rinseless, pre soak liberally or use a wand wash on rinse only to knock the big crap off

forget 2 bucket, learn to do a “garry dean” rinseless ( see the link below in my sig)

[BlackKnight2SS18]

Don't drive your Camaro when it snows. Especially if the roads have been salted. The salty slurry mix will destroy/rust the frame over time. Not if, but when. 2 years, 3 years, it will happen and it won't do any wonders for the paint either. You really need to put it on a lift and power wash the undercarriage.

[biker2k]

rinse less is almost always a bad idea...

not saying it cant work out but, there's always the chance you put a nice scratch or a bunch of small ones...

get a heater, use as little water as possible but rinse it off in the garage and then clean again (rinse less if you will) and then a final spray detailer or coating to keep her slick until it warms up...

[CamaroChriSS]

Originally Posted by BlackKnight2SS18

Don't drive your Camaro when it snows. Especially if the roads have been salted. The salty slurry mix will destroy/rust the frame over time. Not if, but when. 2 years, 3 years, it will happen and it won't do any wonders for the paint either. You really need to put it on a lift and power wash the undercarriage.

There's certainly some truth to this, but proper care (especially with modern cars) can avoid 95% of winter issues. I daily drove my 2000 Z28, including through many salty road winters - when I traded it in at 18 years old on my current SS, there wasn't a spec of rust underneath (I was always paranoid and scanned the underside every oil change). 2-3 years is insanely quick, you'd almost have to try to neglect a car that badly.

It comes down to smart cleaning - if you don't have access to a hose, then don't go to a car wash with an underbody spray until the roads have been cleared of salt with a good rain or two, otherwise you're just kicking the salt back up into the now wet car, which accelerates the corrosion. If you do have a hose, make sure the car is dry before you take it out again if the salt is still on the roads. It's better to leave dry salt on the car then soak it and get new salt right back on, but of course the sooner you can safely remove it, better. As long as you're getting it cleaned every two weeks during the salt season, you'll be ok for a long time.

If you want a museum piece, sure, you can keep it in the garage all winter. But the level of paranoia is crazy around salt. Yes, it can be really bad, but - from first hand experience - if you're smart about it you can mitigate it effectively. These are cars, and not highly collectable ones at that. I love a well maintained car (my old Z28 won best in show for 4th gens at the 2015 Va Camaro show), but as long as you're willing to put a little work into them, you can keep them sparkling AND daily drive them in all conditions.

[Mike J]

Originally Posted by nelsont

borrow a heater for a day for the garage, wash it and forget it till spring.

Tim