YACT: Washing when below freezing: good/bad?

[Heisenberg]

I've been told that washing your car when it's freezing or below is bad because then the water gets into joints, etc. and freezes which can cause problems. Thought I'd check and see what people here think. I really want to wash my car today as I can hear the road salt eating away at the paint. I have a garage to put it in after I wash it, so it'll stay fairly warm until it gets dark and the temp drops.

 

[amdskip]

You should be alright as long as its in the garage and you dry it off halfway so your doors don't get frozen shut. Its a definate no go if it sits outside though as you will be locked out.

 

[dullard]

If it is a sunny day you should be fine washing it as long as the temperatures are in the mid to upper 20°F range. Unheated car washes stay open and work just fine until it reaches the lower 20°F mark.

 

[Balt]

Road salt is one of the most damaging substances that your car will ever come in contact with, so I will agree with the posts above. Wash that crap off.

 

[Black88GTA]

There's good and bad.

As stated, road salt will eat your paint and cause rust, and is not good to have caked on your car.

But, wash your car at your own risk. I took mine through a car wash, and drove home. Imagine my chagrin when I couldn't get out because the water got into the door latch mechanisms and froze them solid. I was stuck in my car for 20 minutes, with the engine running and the heat on full, until the doors thawed enough for me to escape.

 

[WinkOsmosis]

How the hell can you bare to wash a car when it's that cold? Your hands will freeze.

 

[prontospyder]

Originally posted by: WinkOsmosis
How the hell can you bare to wash a car when it's that cold? Your hands will freeze.

I personally wear 2 latex gloves per hand when washing a car in the cold. Provides adequate insulation for my hands.

 

[CraigRT]

bad if you don't have keyless entry (locks freeze)
and sometimes it's bad for weather stripping (having it stiff from freezing) but other than that, the car needs to be cleaned every so often in the winter to get road salt and crap off... i wash mine once a week or so.

 

[MikeMike]

i washed mine the other day for the first time, it was about 28 outside. i had the car running, heat on high, etc. just kept everything from freezing, the roof gfroze, but nothing else, then i dried off the windows, and pulled it into my garage, shut the garage door and the car never froze.

MIKE

 

[shenaniganz]

Gotta wash the salt off. I always make sure to dry off all door seals and stuff so they don't freeze shut.

 

[Heisenberg]

Originally posted by: WinkOsmosis
How the hell can you bare to wash a car when it's that cold? Your hands will freeze.

Eh. It's not that cold unless the wind picks up. Today's the first day it's been in double digits for a while so it feels like spring to me.

I went ahead and washed it. I dried it pretty good and it's in the garage so I think it'll be okay.