I wash it at the local touchless automatic car wash, then I drive it the 1/4 mile home and leave it in my heated garage until it dries

 

Just wait for the temp to go up just a bit and run it through automatic carwash(brushless). I know it doesn't get as cold in MD but it's been pretty chilly lately and I don't have any problem with water freezing or anything.


Josh

 

I just wait for a warm day then run it through the car wash. I know I have it easy in VA, most days are above freezing.

 

Wash it in the morning on a day that will be sunny (I washed my car yesterday and it only got up to 15 degrees). Park it in the sun. Get some paper towels and dry your windows and door sills. Let it sit in the sun for 6 hours. Be ready for the brakes to be kind of screwy when you first restart. Pump them a few times before driving off. Let the engine warm up (you aren't supposed to normally but in this case I make an exception).

 

I use "Quick and Easy Wash" (QEW) in my unheated garage. No hose needed and virtually no water on the floor. Check autopia.org for lots of testimonials.

Even w/o heat, I don't recall the temps in my garage going below freezing. I live in Maryland outside DC, where the air temp was in the single digits this morning. Still, I know it's not like upstate NY!

 

Let the engine warm up (you aren't supposed to normally but in this case I make an exception).

Are you telling me not to let your engine warm up on a cold day???

If so, this goes against all conventional wisdom i have learned all my life.

 

I stand corrected.

After doing a search (I shoulda done this prior to my last post), I found out about proper 'warming up procedures', or lack of it.

As this is the first German car i've owned, I never knew this and I've got to change my ways.

 

How do you wash your cars when it's 10F or less outside?

you don't unless you have a heated room.
Wash water is not effective at 10*F

Do not feel alone. It has been below freezing here for weeks now, seems like it snows every three days, roads are slop, and no one has a clean car.

 

If you live in cold climate you should wax your car real good before the winter (Like two or three coats) this will allow the body to be protected against any salt, and you only rinse your car two times a winter (when the temp goes above 20) then was it realy well in the spring (e.g. strip the wax down to clear any do a full detail... buff, wax, etc). It may seem crazy to not wash your car, but with the right amount of wax the car is protected and you do not do any damage to your door seals after you wash the car when it is too cold. I have just had too many years of living in - degree temps. Just my opinion, hope it helps

 

I just wait for a warm day then run it through the car wash. I know I have it easy in VA, most days are above freezing.

correction: you have it easy at the beach in VA. It's pretty freakin cold over here lately, too cold to wash your car (wisely) if you don't have a garage. I'd say do it on a day when you can leave it in the sun and the temps are just above freezing.

 

Really to prepare for winter load up on coats of Klasse Sealant Glaz. The Klass SG will be a nearly bullet proof layer for many months.

Example: Guy at work washes his Tiburon ever Friday.. hoses it off since the cold weather. I decided I would rinse mine off , too, today. We both let them set in the heated garage.. his had waterspots and salt marks all over. The Variant, black magic too, looked as if it had just undergone a summer wash in the driveway. No watermarks, no salt stains, nothing. The Wagon has Klasse AIO and SG. His is "protected" with some Turtle Wax.

 

There's lots of road salt in Buffalo in the winter. I take the cars to the touchless carwash twice a month or so.

George's Mobil in Getzville just got a handfull of laserwashes like this:
http://www.pdqinc.com/laserwash-4000/index.shtml

I like the wash at Robo in Amherst. But the laserwash spins around your car! And dries it without having to move the car!

 

i thought it was "cold when I washed mine at 60 F today. I had freinds calling me nuts

 

i also take it to the Pay 'n Spray, we've got one here where $5 gets you as long as you want. i bring all my gear and do it right (off-hours of course). then i drive Very Slowly home

a.s.

 

You will laugh, here in MotorCity - someone had an brilliant idea! They turned a old bowling ally into a indoor car wash...12 separate wash bays (pressure wash) and you pay for the time you are inside (supplies included). Hand washing, and detailing is encouraged. It was become a weekend tradition! Temp outside has no factor on a clean car!

 

You will laugh, here in MotorCity - someone had an brilliant idea! They turned a old bowling ally into a indoor car wash...12 separate wash bays (pressure wash) and you pay for the time you are inside (supplies included). Hand washing, and detailing is encouraged. It was become a weekend tradition! Temp outside has no factor on a clean car!

Freaking AWESOME! Must move to Detroit!

 

I stand corrected.

After doing a search (I shoulda done this prior to my last post), I found out about proper 'warming up procedures', or lack of it.

As this is the first German car i've owned, I never knew this and I've got to change my ways.

Can someone send me a link or some info regarding this?

I too thought that you should let your car warm up for at least 5 minutes on a cold morning (or whenever you start it) before driving off. It always feels so stiff and, well, COLD otherwise.

 

It's in your owners manual...

 

I figured that, but I don't have one.

Thanks. Anyone else?

 

http://www.passatworld.com/forums/showthread.php?t=171547&highlight=warming

thats where i read about it.

 

i use hot water from the water heater spickit

 

Are you telling me not to let your engine warm up on a cold day???

If so, this goes against all conventional wisdom i have learned all my life.

I'll explain it this way. As per the owner's manual, you do not need to allow you engine to warm. However, if you're a wuss (like me) or have kids, it's a hell of a lot more comfortable in the morning if you let your car warm-up first. As to warming your car being harmful, the only real harm done is to the environment (if you like to follow that line of thinking).