I Feel Like a Salt Magnet!

966 Views 13 Replies 10 Participants Last post by GMINI, Jan 23, 2005

Aqualung

Discussion Starter · Jan 20, 2005

Just have to vent, my poor car looks like cr*p and I don't see a way to clean it for awhile. Last night in a very minor snowstorm, I head home about 9p and get behind a salt truck on 128. I get on the Mass Pike and get behind a "formation" of three salt trucks abreast so you can't go past and just drive w/ the road salt pounding the car -- sounds like a humungous hailstorm hitting the car. Mind you, there's absolutely no snow on the ground at this point. The plows are throwing off so many sparks I figger that one's gotta ignite.

I realize much of this is preventive measures but.....

Then this AM I pull out of my driveway on a very quiet side street, and a friggin' salt truck goes by me at 6AM.

So my car is covered w/ salt grime, it's too cold to wash by hand (-3F tonite), I don't do auto car washes, and I fly out for a week on Sat. Hope my chrome door handles don't rot while I'm gone!

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jwardell

· #2 · Jan 20, 2005

I say wash it just before you leave...keep adding water until it's encased in ice. Perfect security system for that weeklong trip!

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rfinprc

· #3 · Jan 20, 2005

Cold weather wash tip:

Some indoor parking garages have car wash businesses, done indoors, by hand. Two that I've seen are at the Feway Garage (at the movie theater/REI and Cambridgeside Galleria (Dr. Detail).

But then again, it's just going to get dirty again anyway.

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shijinmini

· #4 · Jan 20, 2005

The other day after going both ways through MA (up to ME and back to CT) my car was looking like a salt lick. So, I went out there in 10 degrees with buckets of warm water and waterproof gloves and got as much of the salt stuff off as I could. Not perfect, not detailed, but not looking like a blue pretzel either.

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ice

· #5 · Jan 20, 2005

I will wash no car before its time. Right now I am enjoying the experience of driving the only brown JCWS I've seen.

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Berthil

· #6 · Jan 20, 2005

I have a big high-pressure installation 1 km from my home, for 1 euro I just spray of all the dirt of my MCS if I have no time, or if it's too cold or the car is very dirty. It saves your paint if you spray of sand and salt with high-pressure before you wash it with a a sponge.

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ice

· #7 · Jan 21, 2005

Berthil said:
you wash it with a a sponge.

Me? with a sponge? Wash what? You silly goose.

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nest4u

· #8 · Jan 21, 2005

Head to the Southern Hemisphere

Rather than worry about all that snow and cold, and salt, and dirt! just jump on a plane, head south (way south) and come and enjoy our summer!!

nest4u

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jbaker

· #9 · Jan 21, 2005

rfinprc said:
Cold weather wash tip:

Some indoor parking garages have car wash businesses, done indoors, by hand. Two that I've seen are at the Feway Garage (at the movie theater/REI and Cambridgeside Galleria (Dr. Detail).

But then again, it's just going to get dirty again anyway.

Great Idea! I just saw a carwash/detail operation at the Atrium mall on rt 9 in Chestnut Hill today... just make sure you stay in the mall long enough for it to dry.

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jcsinnh

· #10 · Jan 21, 2005

ice said:
Me? with a sponge? Wash what? You silly goose.

Ain't that the truth! So you go to one of those wand places, throw $3. worth of quarters in the thingy, turn it on rinse. Standing back so as not to knock the bloody paint off the car with the spray, you squeeze the trigger. Wham! Since you were standing on an icy floor left over from the last guy, you are thrown back into a wall looking like Superman's polar lair.

You slipslide around the car 360, hit the soap button, after 15 costly seconds, soap is added. It doesn't do a damn thing but the bubbles look right. Around you go again, hose gets caught up in antenna, etc. Hit Rinse again. Gingerly slide around one more time. The machine beeps telling you you have 1 minute left....Startled by the sound, you misstep and land on your butt. Meanwhile, it finally dawns on you that by releasing the trigger, you are a bit more steady.

The machine shuts down with soap remaining on the lower front grill. Heck with it. You get in and drive off feeling only semi-satisfied. And wet.

Then to reward yourself, you stop in at the music store to buy a Robert Randolph CD for cool driving music. When you get back to your car, it is completely frozen shut. Car was water warm enough but, hey, it's only 14 degrees out here. As the tears begin to freeze to your beard.....................

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Aqualung

Discussion Starter · #11 · Jan 21, 2005

jcsinnh said:
Ain't that the truth! So you go to one of those wand places, throw $3. worth of quarters in the thingy, turn it on rinse. Standing back so as not to knock the bloody paint off the car with the spray, you squeeze the trigger. Wham! Since you were standing on an icy floor left over from the last guy, you are thrown back into a wall looking like Superman's polar lair.

You slipslide around the car 360, hit the soap button, after 15 costly seconds, soap is added. It doesn't do a damn thing but the bubbles look right. Around you go again, hose gets caught up in antenna, etc. Hit Rinse again. Gingerly slide around one more time. The machine beeps telling you you have 1 minute left....Startled by the sound, you misstep and land on your butt. Meanwhile, it finally dawns on you that by releasing the trigger, you are a bit more steady.

The machine shuts down with soap remaining on the lower front grill. Heck with it. You get in and drive off feeling only semi-satisfied. And wet.

Then to reward yourself, you stop in at the music store to buy a Robert Randolph CD for cool driving music. When you get back to your car, it is completely frozen shut. Car was water warm enough but, hey, it's only 14 degrees out here. As the tears begin to freeze to your beard.....................

Maybe I'll stop by a Starbuck's first

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jwardell

· #12 · Jan 21, 2005

I learned something when stopping by the coinop spray wash last weekend. They keep those things always running at low pressure so they don't freeze.

So if you ever want to just run some water over the car to rinse it off for free...
(This is the one on McGrath by Lechemere)

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ice

· #13 · Jan 22, 2005

Right this very minute my car is being washed by a snowstorm. By the time it gets light tomorrow, I am confident my car will look all clean and white.

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GMINI

· #14 · Jan 23, 2005

Mine too, Ice! We must live near one-another!

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