Northerners...Wax for winter?

[Bsnman05]

I was just wondering what all you Northerners would use to help your RL make it through the winter with all of the salt, sand, cinders, and gunk that can accumulate on your car. I have used Turtle Was Synthetic Ice but am leary about how well it will hold up over a winter.

[CBRidgeJockey]

I just buy a name brand wax and lay it on in the fall....since I usually wash it regularly thru winter I don't worry to much.

[cowboy bob]

The real key is frequent washing - use a carwash that gets the underbody as well!

[brich]

I use a local Touchless bay and wash often throughout the winter. Maybe not every week but I rarely let it go more than 2 weeks. What ever the wax they spray on is what I use... Although I do try and get a good couple coats of wax on in the fall. Last year I used NXT combined with a machine buffed coat of Mother's Pure Carnuba...

[gene r]

Griot's sealer. This stuff really protects.

[Andy-Montreal]

Whatever super wax or multiple wax jobs you use on your RL, the truth of the matter is that it won't last long with the strong soaps and chemicals that the touchless car washes use.

Some of the professional 3M products used by the dealer will last a bit longer but you'll have a hard time getting your hands on them.

[razrboy]

I agree with cowboy bob - wash regularly. My target is once per week with a manual wash station (power sprayers by hand) to get the undercarriage thoroughly. A body shop-owning buddy of mine convinced me not to bother with waxes years ago. Unless you apply them right after a professional buff-out job, you're simply trapping dirt under wax. Over time - with the help of UV rays - this becomes dull and loses luster. The clear-coats that are applied these days do a great job of protecting paint.

[scottIN]

Originally Posted by razrboy

A body shop-owning buddy of mine convinced me not to bother with waxes years ago..

Find a new buddy. The clear coat on your truck is just paint w/o pigment. It needs protection. 'Nuff said.

[xridgelinex]

I use the ice and had no problem for the winter. I find the lower half is where it wares out the quickest. Every once in a while I would get the RL washed on a Friday or Saturday and put it in the garage. The next day I would ice it and would go very lightly on the buffing off part.

[arctictraveler]

I live where we get 150-200" of snow. Just got rid of a 2002 Toyota. Would wax it with Maguires each spring and fall. Didn't wash it much in the winter (maybe once a month), it's just not worth the time and effort when it snows all the time and you're in salt almost every day.....rolleyes:

When I traded it this week on a Ridgeline, the paint still looked GREAT and there was ZERO rust on it. So, IMHO, washing is fine to keep em' looking clean, but I don't think necessary for "preserving" the paint or preventing rust.