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Washing your car in winter: salt and slush off without scratches
It is worth washing your car in winter, even though it soon gets dirty again. Road salt speeds up rust for as long as it stays on the surface. The most important thing when washing is the order: grit and salt are rinsed off before anything touches the paint, so the grit cannot scratch it.
Where salt does damage
Salty slush splashes onto the sills, the wheel arches, the lower edge of the rear bumper and the tailgate. The worst spots are stone chips and other places where the paint has flaked off, because bare metal is the first to rust.
Slush also covers the headlights, mirrors, parking sensors and cameras. A dirty headlight lights the road less well, and the camera picture turns blurry.
Rinse first, then touch
Winter slush contains gritting sand, which works like sandpaper. If the slush is wiped off dry with a cloth, brush or mitt, the grit rubs scratches into the paint. That is why the coarse dirt is first rinsed off with plenty of water, and only then is the surface washed with a mitt.
Our washes follow exactly this order. First the car is washed with shampoo and rinsed with a pressure washer, then the whole car is washed with a sponge and shampoo, and finally it is rinsed again and dried with a microfibre cloth. The tyres are washed every time.
If you wash the car yourself, use a clean wash mitt and rinse it often. Start at the roof and work downwards, because the dirtiest parts are low down. That way grit from the sills does not travel on the mitt to the bonnet and the sides.
Dry the seals when it is freezing
A wet seal can freeze shut, and then the door will not open in the morning. After washing, wipe the door seals and door frames dry, especially if the car is left outside overnight. Open and wipe the fuel flap and the tailgate as well.
Door frames are worth washing in winter anyway, because salty water runs into them and dries into a grey film on the hinges and sills.
What about the underside?
Salt also builds up under the car in winter, so rinsing the underbody at the end of winter is worthwhile. An underbody wash is not a separate service in our price list, but you can ask for it as an extra with a wash. It costs €11 extra, and you can add the request in the Message to the shop field when you book, or tell us when you arrive. Our article on washing the underbody in summer and after winter explains when it helps.
Which wash in winter
Winter grime is a mix of salt, grit and road grease. Seasonal wash (€49–62) includes a solvent wash that loosens the greasy film and a quick wax, after which slush sticks to the surface less. The quick wax lasts about 3–4 washes, usually 1–3 months. The door frames and mats are washed at the same time.
If you wash often and just want the salt off, Basic wash (€34–47) is enough. It also includes the door frames and the rubber mats, which collect grit and salty water in winter.
Longer-lasting protection is best applied before the salt season, on a clean surface. We cover that in our article on getting your car ready for winter.
Get the salt and slush off
Seasonal wash €49–62: solvent wash, quick wax, door frames and mats. Book online or call us.