Winter in Pennsylvania can be a devastating time for the exterior conditions of your car. Many people do not understand the reasons winter is so bad for your car or what their options are for mitigating these issues and keeping their car in a good condition throughout the harsh winter season. This post is all about educating Pennsylvania car owners and helping you make decisions that will keep your car in the best condition possible.
For more information on car detailing and how to keep your car clean, call My Car Butler today.
What’s So Bad About Winter?
Driving around in the winter months, you have probably noticed how the majority of cars on the road look pretty dirty and you may be asking yourself, what is it about winter that makes it so hard to keep cars clean?
There are a few factors to this answer, but the main one is quite simple. When there is snow on the road, that snow grabs onto dirt and grime on the road and then that dirty snow gets thrown onto your car as you drive around town. This is coupled with the fact that one of the best ways to get rid of snow on the road is by laying down tons of large salt granules that help the snow melt faster. This is good for snow removal, but terrible for your car. Covering your car in a thin layer of salt is one of the quickest ways to wear away at your paint job and rust the metal underneath. Researchers estimate that as a nation we pay around $3 billion fixing salt related damages.
The second largest contributor is water freezing on your car. Every night where the temperature drops below freezing, the water in the air condensates on the surface of your car and then freezes. When this happens, the water acts like a sponge that grabs onto dirt, dust, and pollution in the air that remains on the surface of your car long after the water melts or evaporates off during the day.
How Can I Defend My Car?
The only way to ensure your car stays clean and undamaged through the winter is to keep it in a climate controlled garage and never drive it. Unfortunately, this solution doesn’t make any practical sense, so we must look for other ways to minimize the damage done to our car each winter. Here are some quick tips you can follow to help your car maintain its beauty.
Park In A Garage If Possible
While you may not be able to keep your car in the garage all winter long, the more nights your car spends parked indoors, the less damage will be incurred over time.
Get Rubber Floor Mats
Wet boots track snow and dirt into your car, so by replacing carpet floor mats with rubber ones, you can reduce the damage done to your car’s interior. By placing your floor mats on top of a thick towel, you can reduce the mess on your floors even more.
Keep your Windshield Clean
Because the sun is rising and setting during peak driving times, “sun dazzle” is more common during the winter. To prevent this from causing accidents, make sure to keep your windshield clean and dry on the inside and outside.
Frequent Washing
Some car enthusiasts recommend washing your car every 7-10 days during the winter because of how harmful these winter conditions can be. This may be too frequent for some car owners, but even if you can try to wash your car every two to three weeks, your car will certainly be grateful.
Avoid Automatic Car Washes
High pressure water jets and cheap chemicals are a recipe for disaster. This is especially true during the winter because automatic car washes often use very hot water to clean your car. Depending on how cold it is when you go in, this extreme difference in temperature can crack your windshield— especially if you already have a small chip in your glass. You are much better off paying a little more for a professional car detailing service.
Avoid Snow When Possible
Anytime you drive through snow, you are kicking up salt and dirt into your undercarriage and onto the sides of your car. You especially want to avoid driving through deep snow as this can get lodged up into areas that will be harder for the snow to melt causing salt to get into those areas and possibly cause rust damage. Whenever possible, try to avoid driving through snow or puddles.
Call My Car Butler
At My Car Butler, we specialize in cleaning cars — inside and out — in a way that keeps your car in peak condition, makes you look good, and keeps you safe. Visit our website to see all the car detailing services we offer. By having your car professionally cleaned and detailed, you can ensure that despite winter’s best efforts, your car will remain looking like it’s fresh off the car lot.
Call My Car Butler today to give your car the white glove treatment it deserves.