Winter Prep plans

[slicksierra]

So winter will be here before we all know it and since I have given my truck a half decent correction I wanna do the best I can to maintain it over winter. This has me at two different schools of thought, a crossroads if you will. Last winter I had prepped the truck with Adams quick sealant then a layer of americana. Neither of which survived from December all the way through February/March.

I have some Shine Supply Daddy-O and Signature Shine on the truck now and it looks awesome but I fear these products will meet the same fate as soon as the salt hits the roads. That leaves me with two different courses of action:

1st- Use a traditional, but stronger sealant/wax combo to protect the finish. Sealant is negotiable but Collinite Insulator Wax #845 will definitely be the topper with 2-3 coats. Advertised as the most durable wax against salt etc. Something like this:
Detailer’s Maximum Paint Protection Combo, best winter wax, best car wax winter protection

2nd- Use a ceramic based coating like CarPro's Cquartz UK Edition.

CarPro Cquartz UK Edition - 50 ml | Free Shipping Available - Detailed Image

I do not wanna ramble on about the stats but its basically a semi permeant coating that is temperature and chemically resistant. For those who do not know, these coatings are the hot product right now, the basically forum a second clear coat and are exponentially stronger than any wax or sealant. The downside is, when the weather recovers on the spring, it would take an abrasive polish to remove the coating if I wanted to go deeper into correction or wax my truck again. Any fellow detailers thoughts?

 

[Ginger]

i would use a sealant thats tougher then the quick sealant, SCG acrylic sealant or CG jetseal have proved themselves.

biggest thing to keep issues from happening in the winter. I hit up the do it yourself wash atleast once a week to blast off any salt/grime,

atleast once a month (this year it will be more often for me) i will blast it off then hand wash it. weather its a semi warm day or if you can get it in a garage. biggest thing to remember, dry your door jam so it doesnt freeze shut.

Im lucky enough i can come to work at night, and wash it in a heated room.

 

[ScottyBoy]

Glad I don't have to worry about that shit here in Louisiana. It rarely even gets below 32 degreez here. But when it does, it's usually for no more that a few days at the longest.
We don't get rust on our cars like up north. I've seen cars from up north that look like they have been sitting at the bottom of the ocean like the Titanic.

 

[Ginger]

every year it rains one day at syracuse when im up there. i go to the mall, and the cars rotted out up by canada amaze me

 

[DylanVK]

I think you'd be really impressed with what our Acrylic-Shield is capable of holding up to - obviously not on coating level, but about as durable a sealant product you'll find.

Surf City Garage - Surf City Garage Professional Acrylic-Shield Paint Sealant - Paint Protection & Enhancement - Surface Solutions - SCG Professional

Then the usual stuff applied - I blast my rides off at the pay n' spray after every big snow storm, pull them in and then do a Rinse-Free Wash & Wax in the comfort of my garage with some warm water, then reapply my protection as needed.

Don't forget the glass too... makes a huge different in keeping the windshield de-iced

Surf City Garage - Surf City Garage Professional Clarifying Glass Sealant - Paint Protection & Enhancement - Surface Solutions - SCG Professional

 

[yates]

Park it in the garage, put the battery tender on it, and start once a month or so.

 

[Dirtmafia]

What is this W-i-n-t-e-r you speak of?

 

[slicksierra]

i would use a sealant thats tougher then the quick sealant, SCG acrylic sealant or CG jetseal have proved themselves.

biggest thing to keep issues from happening in the winter. I hit up the do it yourself wash atleast once a week to blast off any salt/grime,

atleast once a month (this year it will be more often for me) i will blast it off then hand wash it. weather its a semi warm day or if you can get it in a garage. biggest thing to remember, dry your door jam so it doesnt freeze shut.

Im lucky enough i can come to work at night, and wash it in a heated room.

I did this after every storm and it didn't help after the first exposure to salt the protection wasn't there. Maybe I'll look into jetseal

 

[slicksierra]

I think you'd be really impressed with what our Acrylic-Shield is capable of holding up to - obviously not on coating level, but about as durable a sealant product you'll find.

Surf City Garage - Surf City Garage Professional Acrylic-Shield Paint Sealant - Paint Protection & Enhancement - Surface Solutions - SCG Professional

Then the usual stuff applied - I blast my rides off at the pay n' spray after every big snow storm, pull them in and then do a Rinse-Free Wash & Wax in the comfort of my garage with some warm water, then reapply my protection as needed.

Don't forget the glass too... makes a huge different in keeping the windshield de-iced

Surf City Garage - Surf City Garage Professional Clarifying Glass Sealant - Paint Protection & Enhancement - Surface Solutions - SCG Professional

Is it able to be layered in multiple coats and can you too it with wax? Have you tested this in Colorado? Do they use a lot of salt there? I guess that's where I went wrong I didn't reapply protection and only hand washed once or twice the whole winter

 

[DylanVK]

Is it able to be layered in multiple coats and can you too it with wax?

It can be layered up to 3x in one application, though the 3rd isn't really necessary IMO... I've been doing 2 and extremely happy with the results.

Have you tested this in Colorado?

Yep - its also been tested on the east coast for some different exposure as well as some guys in hotter climates (like Sam)

Do they use a lot of salt there?

Worse. We get magnesium chloride in most areas - doesn't kill the plants, but is much harder on the cars. Some cities still use salt b/c its cheaper so we get a mix of both - the roads in winter here SUCK!

I guess that's where I went wrong I didn't reapply protection and only hand washed once or twice the whole winter

Short of an actual coating nothing is going to make it an entire winter with no refreshes, just beyond the limits chemically of what can be done with such corrosive mixtures of things on the road, but I'd say MAYBE 1-2 refreshes a season tops would be all thats needed, and thats mostly for the lower rockers and areas that get it the worst.

 

[DeanH1290]

Hell, I may just get some of the clear plasti-dip type stuff and coat the bottom half of the truck after the sealant, then peel it off in the spring.

 

[wretched73]

Collinite #845 is what I am doing. It's tried and true.

Shines well and is tough as hell.
Don't over complicate this. A lot of people get a little too crazy. But the 845 has worked for years and has years of testing to prove it.

As far as cleaning, I'd just pre soak with a rinseless wash to try and pull some salt away from the paint first but that may even be over kill...

 

[slicksierra]

It can be layered up to 3x in one application, though the 3rd isn't really necessary IMO... I've been doing 2 and extremely happy with the results.




Yep - its also been tested on the east coast for some different exposure as well as some guys in hotter climates (like Sam)



Worse. We get magnesium chloride in most areas - doesn't kill the plants, but is much harder on the cars. Some cities still use salt b/c its cheaper so we get a mix of both - the roads in winter here SUCK!



Short of an actual coating nothing is going to make it an entire winter with no refreshes, just beyond the limits chemically of what can be done with such corrosive mixtures of things on the road, but I'd say MAYBE 1-2 refreshes a season tops would be all thats needed, and thats mostly for the lower rockers and areas that get it the worst.

Thanks for all the help Dylan you have definitely helped the case for the traditional route of sealant and wax I just need to decide if I am willing and able to do the refresh. While at school I have access to the local pay and spray but no garage. Good to know that the sealant was tested on the east coast

 

[slicksierra]

Hell, I may just get some of the clear plasti-dip type stuff and coat the bottom half of the truck after the sealant, then peel it off in the spring.

Also a route I haven't considered. Mainly cause I love gloss

 

[slicksierra]

Collinite #845 is what I am doing. It's tried and true.

Shines well and is tough as hell.
Don't over complicate this. A lot of people get a little too crazy. But the 845 has worked for years and has years of testing to prove it.

As far as cleaning, I'd just pre soak with a rinseless wash to try and pull some salt away from the paint first but that may even be over kill...

Well the 845 is part of the regimen of I go the traditional route I'm just deciding x sealant topped with 845 or a coating

 

[wretched73]

845 is TECHNICALLY a sealant. And what is the point of a sealant if the coating over the sealant is still there???

With 845 over top nothing will penetrate to the sealant so the sealant is not really necessary.

I'd just do a spray was after every wash just to add shine

 

[temoney14]

Buy collinite, its made local to me in Utica, NY. Put a few coats on, you'll get a good shine and it will still bead well after quite a few salty washes

 

[Cleanoh4]

Here's a question, over the summer I've noticed rust development on my rockers. I won't have the cash to get them replaced by winter, so what can I do to at least help keep them from getting worse until I can get them fixed? It's light surface rust but concerning enough.

 

[wretched73]

Spray with wd 40

 

[DylanVK]

Surface rust as in you have damage thru your paint and down to bare metal that is rusting?