Snow Removal

[Brook]

I live in an area where we often get snow. My commuter car is parked outside and of course, I'm often having to get several inches of snow off of it during the winter months.

I'm pretty sure all of the snow removal tools I currently have cause scratches on the paint job.

Anyone found any type of tool or method for removing snow from a car without damaging the paint?

[speed3blackmica]

Re: Snow Removal

very interesting, id certainly like to hear what mike phillips or stoops has to say about this

[Paul S]

Re: Snow Removal

Mike Stoops nor Mike Phillips live in a snowbelt. Maybe some ideas from those that do. Seems that even with a tool that didn't swirl the paint the ice,salt and grime take their toll. Winter stinks LOL. Paul S

[SVT Lightning]

Re: Snow Removal

What I do is remove all the snow from the windows and then just try to leave about an inch worth on the paint. That way you don't have to actually touch the paint if you are careful. Can't think of any snow removal tools that I would want to touch my paint with!

[Michael Stoops]

Re: Snow Removal

Well, neither of us may live in the snow belt but I grew up in Michigan and learned to drive in that white fluffy stuff that we only get in the local mountains here in SoCal (supposed to get 3 feet of the stuff today, just a 90 minute drive from either my house or Meguiar's HQ!!).

So...... obviously almost anything you can drag over the car to effectively remove snow is likely to be less than friendly to the paint. On those days when you get that light, powdery stuff that practically blows off the car it's no big deal - you can lightly brush the majority of it off without actually getting to the paint and just let the wind take care of the rest. The wet stuff though is another story. You need to get it, or most of it anyway, off the car so you can see over the hood and/or not have huge chunks come flying off while driving - need to think of other driver's safety too!

It's a tough call - how much do you remove, how much do you let come off "naturally"? Can you find a brush that's actually soft enough for the task? The body wash brushes Meguiar's used to make would probably be a good choice, but we no longer make them so finding one could be problematic. And of course they'd most likely only be good for the more powdery snow. I know when I had to do this regularly I would never press hard against the paint with my multipurpose ice scraper/snow brush and chose to leave a layer of the stuff on the paint until it found it's own way off.

Bottom line; as Paul said, winter stinks.

[speed3blackmica]

Re: Snow Removal

what i usually do is...and by the way, it snowed 2 nights ago in jersey...i just my windows and mirros so that i can see..but i leave the snow on all the paint...my car is a daily driver..after the engine warms up enough the snow begins to melt on the hood...and after the heat inside the cabin gets real warm it melts the snow on the roof and the doors..i just never touch the snow..it melts off the snow everywhere on its own..i just dont touch it.

[Murr1525]

Re: Snow Removal

Yeah, the Body Brush works ok for powder, trying to leave behind a thin layer so you dont touch the paint is ok, letting it melt on its own if possible is good.

[tcope1]

Re: Snow Removal

Here in Utah we get very light and dry snow. I usually angle the brush a lot so that I leave a small layer of snow on the paint.

[JLMex]

Re: Snow Removal

I usually use the brush to clean windshield, windows, headlights and taillights, and gently brush off the snow from the boddy paint, usually leaving a thin layer on it, not removing it completely to avoid as much as I can direct contact from the brush with my paint. I highly recommend removing snow from your car, is very annoying (and risky) the packs of snow flying off the car infront of you while driving on the highway! Take one extra minute of your morning and remove it, especially the one on the top and on the trunk lid.

Be safe!

[jfelbab]

Re: Snow Removal

I live in the snowbelt and here is what I have found over the years.

If your car is dirty and snow builds up on the paint you are very likely to see marring. The weight of the snow sliding off the paint drags any surface dirt and grit over your paint as it slides off. This will cause marring. This is the reason that it is so important to keep your car clean in the winter and a reason that I resort to using touchless car washes when the weather is not suitable for hand washing. I wouldn't let a week go by without washing in the summer, so why would I not have the car washed at least as often in the winter months when the car gets dirtier even faster?

I typically buy a package of washes from my local touchless LaserWash facility at a discount. I begin to use them when the snow and salt are starting to build up and it is too cold to hand wash.

I have found it is better for the paint to keep it as clean as possible to reduce marring.

To all you lucky folks who don't need to deal with snow/slop/slush/sand and gravel on your roads, consider how good you have it. LOL

For the rest of us, brace yourself, here it comes.

[dreamps]

Re: Snow Removal

i thought using the soap from the touchless washes stripped the wax on your car/truck?

i'm also in NJ and we get snow and my truck is outside everyday. i try to use ONR once a week.

[Michael Stoops]

Re: Snow Removal

i thought using the soap from the touchless washes stripped the wax on your car/truck?

Yes, those touchless washes will generally strip wax. But it's sort of the lesser of two evils. Your wax isn't going to stop the salt anyway (that stuff is NASTY!!) so what you really want to do is get the salt OFF. The sooner the better. Honestly, you're better off having no wax and no salt for a period of time than you are being coated in salt and having a false sense of security that your wax is keeping the salt at bay. Because it isn't.

i'm also in NJ and we get snow and my truck is outside everyday. i try to use ONR once a week.

Now this is the way to go, no doubt about it. Any time you can make use of a gentle but effective wash process to remove the salt and inflict the minimum of marring, you're doing great!

[dreamps]

Re: Snow Removal

thanks!!!! i made sure all the cars/trucks in the family were clayed/m16(2 coats) before winter, i will be doing ONR washes on all of the cars hopefully 1x a week to keep the salt off.

i was not aware that the salt goes right through the wax!

maybe to make my life easier i will go to the carwash and only rinse off the salt with the water and come home to ONR the rest

[Underdawg736]

Re: Snow Removal

I just accept winter and snow as being a force of nature that is well beyond my control. Snow and salt is gonna reek havoc on your paint regardless of what you do. I guess as said before the best thing to do is keep the salt off as much as you can.....hmmm I guess this is where UQW would be beneficial!
Once spring rolls around and there's no more chances of snow is when I'll do a very well detail on my car and keep is as scratch and swirl free as possible.

[speed3blackmica]

Re: Snow Removal

Yes, those touchless washes will generally strip wax. But it's sort of the lesser of two evils. Your wax isn't going to stop the salt anyway (that stuff is NASTY!!) so what you really want to do is get the salt OFF. The sooner the better. Honestly, you're better off having no wax and no salt for a period of time than you are being coated in salt and having a false sense of security that your wax is keeping the salt at bay. Because it isn't.


Now this is the way to go, no doubt about it. Any time you can make use of a gentle but effective wash process to remove the salt and inflict the minimum of marring, you're doing great!

To Mike and all MOL members,

Can Optimun No Rinse be used as a regular car wash ? i live in NJ and the weather gets pretty cold here in the winter, i am forced to shut off the water lines going to my outdoor hose as they freeze if they are still on and i will run into trouble with pipes bursting..(its happened many many years ago, learned my lesson)..so in the winter, i am forced to make my car to the coin operated car wash..i have to bring my own buckets..its a dollar to fill up to 2 buckets with 3 gallons of water each..and then 6 dollars to use the hose..its 3 bucks for 5 minutes, but its never enough time for me..i need 10 minutes so i end up having to pay 6 bucks for 10 minutes, plus 1 dollar for 2 buckets filled with water...its effective and works very well..but 7 bucks is too much..yes i am complaining about 7 bucks. since i wash about once a week. money is tight right now. although in 3 months, ill have my hose working again..i need to find a more suitable way to wash my car...i have seen mark kleis's video with the rinseless wash using last touch, but it was stated that method should only be used for a mild dirty car (dusty, a little dirty)..can ONR be used as a regular wash ? if so, its my perfect substitute for having no water for the winter...or is it a method like last touch ? and i basically can only use ONR if the car isnt too dirty...? if thats the case..i will wash with ONR before the car gets too dirty..i just need to know the facts before i buy it. and i appreciate everyones input very much. Thank you.