tempest

i'm planning to continue daily driving my baby through the winter (except in snow storms.) now, those of who have done the same, how do you keep your cars pretty and salt-free through the season?

the underbody i'm planning to go to the high-pressure self-wash every week to get the salt off, but i'm trying to figure out how to wash the rest of the body at home with a garden hose...

in the garage?....outside with a hair dryer???...

(those in the south and Hawaii, i don't think your comments will be helpful here. sorry!)

C4396roadster

its alot easier on her if you got a winter beater drove mine a few times here in NY and it was definetly not worth it I have since never did that again somehow my jet black paint ended up all scratched up this was accomplished with a sponge and soft hair brush, besides once there is snow on the ground I highly doubt you will make it out the driveway at least I couldnt any way took me 15mins to back out and about hour45mins to get it back in go figure .... :chevy

bogus

I just wash... to be honest, if the car is air temp, the water will be close to air temp... infact, the hose water could be a bit warmer. the minor temp changes are not going to a be a huge issue. I think you will be ok. Just dry it... and make sure all the little nooks and crannys are dry, too.

Before the weather closes, give it a good wax job to protect. you will have to apply it in a heated garage before long... I don't know how good Zaino is at weather protection, it seems to be more aimed at shine... but I could be wrong.

The under side is important and a pressure wash is the best way to get it.

Rob 93ZR-1

The under side is important and a pressure wash is the best way to get it.

I've done some high speed runs on the Bonneville Salt Flats and when I was done, I put my car on my open decked trailer and put an oscillating sprinkler under it. Took a while. To get the last bit I crawled around under it w/ the sprayer for another couple of hours. NOT WORTH THE EFFORT! I'd buy a front drjiver commuter beater for 1200 bucks and garage the 'vette for winter

WhiteHorse

If I were you, I wouldn't do it. I'd get a beater. You will never get all the water out and when that water freezes, it's going to cause problems. Between the salt and water and dirt you get into the crannies, you will most certainly have rust problems in the long run. Then again, it's your car. :cheers:

P.S. I may be in Texas now but I spent much of my life in Mass.

Mylzi

I live here on Finland.. And I wouldnt drive my car now when there is all that ice and snow..

I know how much it hurts if you crash any car you like.. and how sad it looks if car gets stuck on snow..

onedef92

On top of that, if you're running an UNVENTED Optispark module on your `92 you risk the possibility of drowning the unit out with an underbody pressure wash or at a commercial car wash with an underbody wash feature.

I watched a guy do JUST THAT last winter on his `93 at a local car wash despite my warnings to the contrary :rolleyes: It was pretty embarrassing for him to have to call AAA and have his Vette towed out of the car wash bay and to the garage because he killed his Opti after it got wet from the underbody wash.

Trust me, you don't wanna' disrespect your Vette like that or even look like a quimby with everybody picking and jeering at your misfortune. Get a beater like we did. You won't regret it! :cool:

R23HTC

Underbody carwash and opti-spark don't mix! :nonod:

scorp508

I drove all through winter last year and made visits to the do-it-yourself powerwash. I brought my own towels and california water blade to dry the car off there. A good spraying of the undercarriage kept it looking great and salt free. :yesnod:

Careful of that damn optispark on your car though!

Scoob

Hook up a hose to your utility sink. That way you can use warm water to wash and rinse. Then pull it into the garage to dry it. Works like a charm!

RedWhiteandBlue

Not much salt is used here, but the bigger concern is rock chips from the sand they put on the roads. I really keep my distance from the car ahead.

As far as washing, if it's really cold then I use hot water in the bucket and don't wash the car in the shade (water will freeze on the car before I can dry it). After washing I pull it back in the garage and dry it inside; garage isn't heated but it never gets below freezing. The humidity is so low here that even if I don't get all the nooks and crannies it will air dry very quickly. No way could I put the car away for 5 months, and I CAN'T let it get dirty.... :)

DSTJ99

If you have a utility tub, just hook up the hose to the faucet and you can wash your car with warm water. Thats what i do....saves the hands in the really cold weather. When i dry it off, i dip the shammy in a bucket of warm water to warm it up before i wring it out.

tempest

thanks for the reply guys....

as for a beater, i am closing on a house later this month so i will be singing the "house poor blues" soon - no beater this year.:( the new house will have a garage so hopefully it will be easier to take care of the vette.

today i only have a carport at my apartment, so everyday i spend a few extra minutes covering and uncovering the car. hopefully with a garage i can divert those extra minutes to some more active spit and shine....and salt removal.

point well taken about the opti. i have heard way too many horror stories about it. i will keep water well away from the engine bay, and instead might get a cheap air compressor to blow as much crap from the engine bay.

the best i can do other than that is borrow the wife's monte carlo when there is any hint of snow.

by the way, which underbody parts should i especially watch out for rust?

wish me luck. :cheers:

92TripleBlack

Sounds like me. Best I have is a good cover, and a train I can walk to. On the days without the snow, its drive it and then wash it on Saturdays.
92TripleBlack :cheers:

tempest

ahhh. Metro-North... brings back memories. (although the 7 was "my train".)

as much as i love my Vette, i miss the days when i had more than one option for transportation.

HiRiser

When I lived in the greaat white north I installed a frost free hose spigot on the driveway side of the house that I plumbed to the hot water heater. Hot water washing in the winter is nice because you never get cold yourself and then you can wash the wife's car too. Also works great all year for engine cleaning on non-opti cars.
Two caveats, make sure you silicone grease your door weatherstrips and locks before iit gets cold ( so they don't freeze shut) and don't have too much fun kepping your driveway clean. Every one should do this mod :)

art91

I drove my 95 year round when I first purchased it. Had no problems with the weather, but my hood got hundreds of small chips from the salt and sand thrown up from the cars in front of me. My 91 is in a storage unit, and only comes out to play in nice weather now.

scorpion

i feel with you!

had the same problem in feb this year. mine is going into storage now.
i was lucky, i could wash my car at work and then drive it into the workshop to dry it off.
but you still have to be quick when washing her, the waterfilm on the body might turn to ice!
but you should be alright, as long it is not 30 below.

happy vetting. b.