How to keep the LS safe against the snow?

kudisbetta

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Well, the snow here is pretty severe, I am picking up my mean machine march 3.

My queston is how do i keep it as clean as possible in the snow. I might be able to rent out a garage close by, but i was thinking one of those water resistant covers. The thing is they put salt on the roads, so that might eat up the underbody.
Also when comes time to all the snow melting its gonna be a mess outside, I am seriously considering storing the car until the snow melts.

what do you guys who live in rather snowy area do?
 
well, I think the bottom of the car has these metal and cardboard? plates that protect some of the underpinnings, and may help to reduce wear and tear.
 
i take mine off the road, pull the battery, and park it in my driveway with a cover on it all winter... right now the cover is off because im startin to get the itch to drive it again and i just wanted to look at it til i can haha cant put it in the garage because dad's 68 Chevelle SS is in there :mad: lol
 
Dont drive it mine is parked in the garage with a battery tender hooked up and a cover over her. I did drive it Sunday for the first time in 5 weeks. Good luck find yourself a beater or tell your boss you want a company ride!

-Scott-
 
whenever it snows afterward i go to the local carwash and do a rinse job just to get the salt off.
 
I've had my car for 3 years and I drive it in the snow. The worst part about that is the darn gravel! I try to avoid snow plows spewing gravel, or following a truck that is spraying gravel from its tires.

You may want to consider taking your new car to a detail shop and having them apply a good coat of wax. This will provide some protection from the elements.

Other than that, I wouldn't worry too much about the salt or snow. If you can garage your car, do it. Also, be sure to clean the car, including the underbody, when you get a chance. Since I cannot do my regular hand wash during the winter, I take my car to a good local automatic carwash. They have the equipment to rinse the underbody and remove the accumulated salt. When spring comes, you can do a more thorough cleaning yourself.
 
My 2000 LS-8 with 114,000 miles gets driven in the snow and it gets washed weekly. I manage the detail department at the dealership so it is easy for me to do once a week. The car has been in Iowa since it was bought new and has no rust on the car (which i haven't heard of an LS with rust) and the undercarriage is clean. To be quite honest, the worst thing you can do for you car is to take it to an automatic car wash. The soaps/chemicals they use will strip your wax faster than anything (combined with the hot water too).

What I do if I am out of town and want to wash my car is to have a wash mit with me and a bottle of soap and I take it to those 5 dollar wash-as-long-as-you-want places and then start washing my car. As for the waxing, take it to a dealership and have the detail dept. wax it........we charge $45 for a wash/vac/windows/wax/tire shine. Not a bad investment.........
 
DLS8K said:
My 2000 LS-8 with 114,000 miles gets driven in the snow and it gets washed weekly. I manage the detail department at the dealership so it is easy for me to do once a week. The car has been in Iowa since it was bought new and has no rust on the car (which i haven't heard of an LS with rust) and the undercarriage is clean. To be quite honest, the worst thing you can do for you car is to take it to an automatic car wash. The soaps/chemicals they use will strip your wax faster than anything (combined with the hot water too).

What I do if I am out of town and want to wash my car is to have a wash mit with me and a bottle of soap and I take it to those 5 dollar wash-as-long-as-you-want places and then start washing my car. As for the waxing, take it to a dealership and have the detail dept. wax it........we charge $45 for a wash/vac/windows/wax/tire shine. Not a bad investment.........

Ok so no automatic car wash?

What type of soap?
Why type of wash cloth?
 
kudisbetta said:
Ok so no automatic car wash?

What type of soap?
Why type of wash cloth?
I use some Meguiars gold class soap and I use a regular wash mit. I spray the mit before I use it and then put the soap on it and wash the top half and then the lower half. Then I spray it off.........waterblade the excess water.......chamois the rest of the water with a leather chamois and use a towel to dry the jams.

Im not trying to say all automatic car washes are evil........but from my experiences, there is no subsitute for a good hand wash. The chemicals they use at the automatic car washes are hard on your wax........they are designed to remove all the road-spray and various other environmental forces (like salt).

I would rather wash my car by hand.........I don't see how a car wash can do a better job. Its like sticking a plate of dryed up spagetti in the dishwasher and expecting it to get all of the stuck on good off. If this analogy confuses anyone, I am sorry.
 
I have never lived in snowy areas, so i dont know the routine up north. My LS was from Jersey area and the wheels have some kind of pitting/corrosion on them which i tend to think was from the snow/salt or whatever. The engine compartment also showed some kind of corrosion, mainly the intake manifold which is cast iron or something, reminded me of a beach car.
 
DLS8K said:
Im not trying to say all automatic car washes are evil........but from my experiences, there is no subsitute for a good hand wash. The chemicals they use at the automatic car washes are hard on your wax........they are designed to remove all the road-spray and various other environmental forces (like salt).

I would rather wash my car by hand.........I don't see how a car wash can do a better job. Its like sticking a plate of dryed up spagetti in the dishwasher and expecting it to get all of the stuck on good off. If this analogy confuses anyone, I am sorry.

I agree with this. Automatic car washes simply cannot do as good a job as you can do by hand. However, in the winter, it is easier for me to use an automatic car wash for a couple of reasons. First, it's cold outside. Second, I've put away most of my car wash stuff and shut off the outside water spigots until next season. For me, it comes down to convenience under the circumstances. In the spring, however, watch out! I'll be outside detailing my LS nearly every weekend!

As for automatic car washes using harsh chemicals, that is generally true. That's why I think if you are going to use one (either by choice or convenience), a tough polymer sealant should be applied to the car instead of traditional carnauba wax. The sealant bonds much stronger to the finish and will last longer during the automatic car wash regimen. I've been using Meguiar's NXT "wax" for about a year, and it's great stuff. Terrific shine, and it lasts a long time. Just don't get it on any black plastic.
 
I run my LS year around here in New England. During the winter I'll take a bucket and wash glove with me to the self service bay at the local car wash. I add my car soap to the bucket and fill it with their soapy water while I also soap up the car. When that soap time runs out (3 minutes), I then wash the car down with my mitt and soap. Then a 3 minute rinse with clean water to finish the job.

I'll also spray the undercarriage during both the soap and rinse cycle.

I use Meg products through out.
 
TonyLS said:
I run my LS year around here in New England. During the winter I'll take a bucket and wash glove with me to the self service bay at the local car wash. I add my car soap to the bucket and fill it with their soapy water while I also soap up the car. When that soap time runs out (3 minutes), I then wash the car down with my mitt and soap. Then a 3 minute rinse with clean water to finish the job.

I'll also spray the undercarriage during both the soap and rinse cycle.

I use Meg products through out.

seems like a good plan, I hope my LS stays clean. Im worried the paint will lose luster.. from to much exposure to snow.. It snows almost everyday. It will get much better in march.. in the mid 30's
and the roads are nasty when it starts to melt..

This was last week...:eek:
 
Snow? I saw it up at the peak of a mountain once:cool:

If i ever go to the snow I'll probably fly there, so the LS will stay in the garage....
 
looks like nyc i live i brooklyn and park there on the streets or my friends driveway, ya i know lol. i go for machine washes regurlarly undercarriage washes you get the picture i also have them wax it every other week with my meguires products or something my friend comes up with, hes a "master detailer" or something has trophies too lol, once summer comes around get a good hose hire a mobile reputale detailer and detail every freakin inch. also getting your car compounded or a very good wax before and after season changes may help. lincoln also supports some sort of no rust policy on warranty vehicles i beleive so check on that, i just cant go without driving the lse in any weather.
 

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