A full under car wash......It's about time...

No kidding. Airplanes fly faster with less fuel, after being washed, especially the greasy side.

 

I bought one of those undercarriage power washer head like this: http://www.amazon.com/MINGLE-Pressure-Washer-Undercarriage-Cleaner/dp/B07RZYSL1Q/

The problem is I can use it only during warm weather on my own driveway. During winter when I need to wash off the salt from the undercarriage, I can't use it because the temp outside is too cold.

 

Use hot water.

 

Haha, that's only if I want to turn my drive way into a skate rink. Any run off hot water would immediately freeze in winter temp around here.

 

I'd prefer to not use a cleaner, just straight water, or a VERY small amount of some surfactant: our storm drains feed into nearby streams.

My pref is to raise either the front or the rear one day, go over everything I can reach with brushes, rags, air-blast, then reapply a bit more rust proofing on the trouble spots. Then another day raise the other end, repeat. Just every 3~4 years. And with our extremely low usage now, I might pack it in, lol.

 

Sharpen your skates, eh?

 

Honda used to take a “it depends” stance, in owners manuals, saying something along the lines that a daily driver is better off in an unheated garage, while an infrequently used car will fair better in a heated garage.

we have an unheated, but attached garage.

Addendum: Tracked one down, no mention of heated vs non-heated, still a bit of a "it depends" statement:

 

An unheated garage is fine, as long as it is dry. An enclosed space tends to keep humidity transients at a minimum.

 

There seems to be two schools to how to care for the car in winter. I have read numerous so called "car experts" blogs like this suggesting frequent wash to get rid of salt from the car. https://avalonking.com/blogs/tips-advice/road-salt-sucks-how-to-protect-your-cars-exterior-from-winters-wrath

In a nutshell, this side suggest very frequent car wash soon after encountering salt on the road. Maybe those who wrote this type of article live in region with milder winter where it may snow a bit but the temperature never really dip below freezing.

To reduce the risk of road salt corrosion, experts suggest that you wash your car about once a week. If not, your vehicle runs the risk of developing rust and corrosion, and not just on its body panels and bumpers.
​

Then there are people like you who suggest not to wash a car in freezing temp, but with some options such as touchless car washes. Here is an example of such suggestion. How Cold is Too Cold to Wash Your Car | Car Cleaning Tips

a common question among car users is “How cold is too cold to wash your car?” or “When is it too cold to wash your car?”.

It is especially important when winter and the cold season arrive.

The short answer is: It is too cold for a car wash if the temperature is near freezing or freezing. Specifically, that is anywhere from and below 34 degrees Fahrenheit.

Then, does that mean you should not wash your car in the winter? Absolutely not! This is a common but deadly mistake among car users. It is actually critical that you clean your car during winter because, during this time of the year, your vehicle can pick up a lot of salt mixtures and deposits.​

I for one, decided that washing car in winter even in heated commercial car wash place is likely to cause more damage to the car than without washing entire winter. Now think of it, it was you who suggested not to wash a car in winter on another thread. While washing car on my driveway during winter is totally out of question, one convincing reason even not to use a commercial car wash during winter is the fact that the water they use is filtered but not desalinated. Thus in effect I would be washing my car with salted water.

This decision resulted my car looking like the photo below most of the winter... Yep, there is shiny magnetic gray metallic hiding under the crust of salt! LOL But then, I really don't spend too much time or money for car appearance. For me, detailing car means spray the car with power washer and that's about it. I bought clay bar and wax suggested by someone on this forum a few years ago with the intention of detailing my car at least several times a year, but I still have them in unopened boxes. I am just too lazy. Good thing is that I replaced the magnetic gray PP now with titanium glow PP. It is lighter in color and does not show the salt crust as much. Besides, I do much less driving in snow now a days working from home. That also helps.

 

There are steam car washes in Anchorage, Alaska, or there were when I arrived in February near local midnight, amidst a heavy ice fog..

 

Yeah, steam would be free of dissolved salt. How clever! But how expensive was it? We certainly do not have that type of car wash around here. I never bothered to ask the guys in the car wash near me, but I am almost certain that the water they are using is not clean desalinated water.

 

Steam might crack paint??

 

If I remember, next winter after the first snow and salt on the road, I will go to our nearby car wash and take sample water they are using. I wonder what is the dissolved salt concentration would be. I then will repeat it again at the end of the season and see if the concentration changes. If they continues to re-filter used water, it should get more concentrated as the winter salt season passes.

 

I guess it might especially on plastic parts. I used steam cleaner in my PP engine bay to clean mice infestation. It worked great, but didn't used on painted body parts.

 

A common but deadly mistake!
Wash your car or you DIE!

Mike

 

Hey, if it is really deadly, then it is not very fast acting one. I haven't washed my cars now for 4 winters in a rows, but I am still alive! LOL But everyone die eventually... so yes, it will happen, soon or later. Or, does it mean deadly to cars? That too have not happened yet to any of my cars, but will happen to all cars eventually.