As we have already had our first significant snow here in Seattle, it is obvious that winter is upon us. When most people think of the winter season, visions of hot chocolate, Christmas lights and hitting the snow covered slopes come to mind. What most people don’t think about though is how corrosive the salt used on the roads really is. It is not always clear as to whether the state uses it or not. This year though, The Seattle Department of Transportation has already confirmed that they “have salt and salt brine stockpiled and equipment prepared for when snow falls this winter (seattle.gov).” While this does mean a safer commute, it also means it is time to protect your car!
Because salt retains moisture, it is the last thing you want on your paint. It is this exposure to constant moisture that leads to the oxidization of paint and plastics as well as the rusting of bare metal. Water with a high salinity content mixed with the iron in brake dust also acts as an accelerant to the corrosion of things such alloy wheels that have had their protective coating stripped from either chips or curb incidents. As bad as this all sounds though, there are steps you can take to make sure your car is as protected as possible.
First and foremost it is important to always keep a coat of high carnuba content wax or synthetic sealant on the vehicle at all times or full clear bra. We have several options here at the shop to best suit your needs through winter, whether your car is a daily driver stored outside or if it gets covered in the garage, most cars need preparations for the winter before us. Washing your car regularly is also extremely important. You might be thinking, “won’t my car just get dirty again tomorrow?” While washing your vehicle in the winter may sound like exercise in futility, it is the build up of salt and road grime over time that really hurts the finish and undercarriage of your vehicle. Letting contaminants sit on your paint surface will deteriorate the wax and sealant at a good rate without washing. We recommend washing your vehicle at a minimum of once a month, but to say on top of it during the winter, we recommend washing your vehicle every other week and after trips to the mountain
Prepping the undercarriage is often neglected but it’s an extremely important part of the winterizing process. This hard to reach area is usually missed in car washes leaving the underside of your car coated with salt for long periods of time. This can sometimes do irreversible damage to the numerous suspension components. Our undercarriage cleanings start at $225 which includes an under car cleaning, topical engine bay and an exterior handwash.
Wheels also have their own waxes and sealants that can be used to protect their finish. We also have several different choices for wheel sealants/waxes one of which is Swissvax Autobahn which contains PTFE or Teflon to help protect your wheels from brake dust etching or the ill-effects of the salt on the roadways. If not properly taken care of, this can greatly reduce the shine and luster of the paints finish in as little as a couple months. Keeping your wheels clean from salt and brakedust is extremely important as some of the damage caused by these corrosive deposits can permanently etch, stain or ruin your wheels finish.
We are rolling out our new Winter Prep Package for $350!
(This includes our Full Detail for the Exterior and our regular Interior Detail with an additional $50 OFF until Jan 31st)
Drive safely everyone and call today to schedule your winter prep!