Hello,

So it finally snows in Washington state...boo

The typical measures salt/sand have been put on the roads/parking lots and the car is dirty. I'm sitting at work after making it safely through the snow when I start to think...should I wash my car every day this week that it snows or wait until the last forecast of snow (in a week) shows on the weather screen. I'm trying to avoid rust on the car but wasn't sure if it was overkill going to a carwash bay and cleaning the car after every snow day.

So I ask the question...clean car after every snow day or wait until the snow has cleared in a week or so?

Your answer will help to put my mind at ease.

 

How could too many washes hurt? As far as I'm concerned, another minute that passes with salt mix on any part of your car is too long. It's up to you and how much effort you want to put in!

That said, I usually wait for the roads to dry a good bit so that the car doesn't get resalted

 

I'm sure there will be a pretty good amount of disagreement on this one. Here's how I look at it:

Until the salt on the road clears up a little, it's just going to get right back on your car the second you pull out of the car wash. So, I wait for the snow to melt a little bit and wash some of the salt away before I wash the car.

Of course, during a long winter, you may not have the chance to do that, and you're going to have to wash your car whether there's still salt all over the road or not. However, you might as well give the roads a chance of clearing up before you waste all that time and effort.

 

I just keep an eye on the predicted weather and wash when there will be a stretch of a few days of nice weather. Otherwise I've just spent 30-60 minutes hand washing that will be ruined in a matter of seconds.

These are pretty modern cars and can handle the salt. if you have exposed or damaged metal it's gonna' rust with or without the road salt. My first car went for 8 years of Canadian winters with minimal winter washing and it didn't have any rust when I sold it.

 

If anything, take it through the auto wash with the undercarriage spray

 

Spoke with a friend and they advised against it. Said washing the car that late at night might mean a frozen Popsicle-car in the morning.

We usually don't get that many days of snow here so I might just wait until the snow turns into rain in a couple days and then wash it.