Here at Joe Bowman Auto Plaza, we know that when your buy a new car or one of our quality pre-owned vehicles, you’re making an investment. That’s why it’s so important to care for your car all year round.
With 60+ years in the auto industry, we’ve picked up some valuable car maintenance tips. A big one is caring for your car in winter.
When it’s cold outside, we’re betting your first thought isn’t to wash your car! You might even be tempted to put it off until Spring.
However, road salt, sand, and dirty snow can make your car nearly unrecognizable, but that’s not the only reason to wash your car in the winter.
The biggest reason is economical. Keeping your car clean year round is an investment. It preserves its resale and trade-in value.
The elements plus road treatments can cause your vehicle to rust, and once rust starts, it can show up anywhere such as the undercarriage, under the paint, and worse, in the nooks and crannies you don’t realize even exist!
Compromising the integrity of your car over time, rust eats away at the body, rots out the exhaust system, brake calipers, brake and gas lines.
Rust around the frame of your car, truck, or SUV is particularly dangerous because chunks of your vehicle can break off while driving. This puts other motorists as well as yourself at risk.
You might think your best option to avoid cold weather damage to your vehicle is to let it sit in your driveway. Yes, it will prevent your car from getting road salt and sand on it, but what about the cold and snow?
If you opt for this route, just make sure the vehicle has a shoveled out area around the tailpipe and the driver’s side door. Let the engine run for about 10 minutes every week. This keeps the fluids moving.
You may find, though, you have a rough go of it when you first drive it, but both the tires and the engine will smooth out. The better option? Wash your car.
Washing Your Car in Winter: 3 Options (Plus an Ounce of Prevention)
Before winter weather sets in, make sure you thoroughly wash and wax your vehicle. Waxing adds an additional layer of protection to protect the vehicle from road chemicals. This winter preparatory step will aid you tremendously when Mother Nature throws her worst at you.
As for washing your car, if you don’t want to do it by hand, go to a drive-in car wash bay with power nozzles. It will not only clean the exterior of your vehicle, but it will also wash the under carriage, knocking loose big chunks of slush and salt that accumulates.
The second option is to use a power washer. You’ll have to be more diligent about spraying water on the underbody as well as the nooks and crannies that hoard salt and other road chemicals.
Lastly, if you do decide to wash your car by hand, choose a day when temperatures are moderate. The last thing you want is for your power windows to freeze!
Use warm water and wear protective clothing because you will get wet. Also use a detergent made for washing cars; don’t use dish detergent because that will compromise the wax coverage.
Figuring out how and when you can wash your car in the winter takes a bit of planning, but it’s well worth the effort. We recommend washing it at least twice each month.
At Joe Bowman Auto Plaza, we want you to preserve the life of your car for as long as possible. Then when you are ready to sell or trade-in your vehicle, you can get the best value for it!
When you’re ready to buy a new or pre-owned vehicle, turn to our experienced sales consultants. We’ve been helping customers like you for more than 60 years. Learn more here.
