613Porsche

What is the best product/method to wash your 911 during winter driving?
I live in Canada, lots of road salt in the winter time.

My thoughts are go to a touchless car wash once a week for a quick high-pressure spray of just water to get the grime off and then use Chemical Brothers wrap detailer once I drive it home in the heated garage.

Other thought would be to use a Rinse Free Wash and Shine and then just wash the entire car in my heated garage.

Anyone have any previous experience?
Thanks in advance!

Tlaloc75

Last winter I used a rinseless wash product (meguire's and griot's) and it worked pretty well when the car was only lightly dirty. I still worry about swirl marks though.

This winter I think I'll use rinseless combined with a single bucket of water in my garage. Spray on the product, sponge off with water from the bucket. Will leave some drips in the garage but should be safer for the paint since there will be a lot more liquid involved.

LexVan

I'd also say start with a very good coating (nano) or sealant wax, before winter starts. Good luck.

Norsk

I used to go to a self-serve wash with my own bucket, soap and sponges. I'd just use the rinse setting on the power wand, not their soap or wax. Wouldn't even bother to dry it, as soon as it got outside the water beaded off or turned to ice which would sublimate in my garage. That at least keeps the salt and sand at bay until you can do a proper wash. After getting stuck in deep snow a few times went to a truck for winter duty.

john45in

I wait until a day above freezing and do a bucket wash as described by Norsk. Use the rinse setting for everything with my own Zaino car wash. Has worked well for the last two winters.

Class5Kayaker

When I lived in Montana, I used the self-serve power wash bays to wash all the salt/chemicals off the cars once the roads were clear, and if they weren't clear for a long time it was a weekly ritual no matter what the current conditions were. I no longer have those problems living in Florida now (high of 80 F this week!).

Are you asking for your 4S or your Cayenne? If it's the 4S!!

Gordon Shumway

Chemical Guys Eco-Smart Waterless works pretty darn well. Just make sure you use a good sprayer to atomize it for full coverage.

613Porsche

Thanks, I did have the entire car wrapped in Xpel when I bought it for this reason. I think that should help make it easier to keep clean?

613Porsche

It is for the 4S, should be a fun winter!

bkrantz

I always worried more about the impact of salt and other melt chemicals on the underside. At the self-serve wash I spent more time trying to squirt under the car from all angles. And although I never tried it, I read once about putting a couple of lawn sprinklers under the car for an hour or so.

Rezus

If you look around there are usually indoor detail shops that can hand wash it for you. Opel should help with the scratches but u still want to rinse off salt around and under the car

613Porsche

Hmm that does sound like a good idea!

koala

I don't drive my 911 in the winter, but, my daily driver (Golf R) is still a car that I like to try and look after (it is almost fully Xpel wrapped, paint corrected, Opti Coat Pro).

I go to the wand wash typically, and make sure I spend a lot of time rinsing out the wheel wells, and underbody where I can. I'll do a drive-thru car wash once in a while just to do the underbody spray.

I know car wash soap isn't great, but 2+ years old and it still looks great. Water still beads like crazy, and I've never waxed or polished it.

RichAA

Other than the 911, which gets stored, my winter routine boils down to this: fresh sealant and Rain-X the glass, and through the winter I don't touch the paint. I spray them off occasionally at the coin-op car wash.

Rambler_13

Same here - It's the underside and areas I cannot see or easily get to that concern me more. After I've driven on salty roads, I try to gently spray down the underside in a wash bay to minimize salt deposits lingering underneath all winter. Some detail shops with lifts may offer undercarriage cleaning services which I may look into this year.