Author Topic: Clean the snow off your car....at the car wash.  (Read 9012 times)

The Fake Cheap

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Clean the snow off your car....at the car wash.
« on: January 24, 2016, 09:01:59 PM »
As if using a car wash in the normal matter isn't bad enough, this person was going to pay for a car wash to clean the snow off her car.

I mean....there is just too much stupidity for me to deal with here. Link:

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/globe-drive/news/trans-canada-highway/nova-scotia-woman-fined-for-driving-snowbank-with-four-wheels-to-car-wash/article28308876/

sw1tch

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Re: Clean the snow off your car....at the car wash.
« Reply #1 on: January 25, 2016, 08:53:02 AM »
Wow.

Reminds me of one of my neighbors using a leaf blower to blow a dusting of snow off of their car.  Is it really too much work to just brush off the snow?

Jack

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Re: Clean the snow off your car....at the car wash.
« Reply #2 on: January 25, 2016, 08:59:54 AM »
Wow.

Reminds me of one of my neighbors using a leaf blower to blow a dusting of snow off of their car.  Is it really too much work to just brush off the snow?

I agree that it's silly, but at least it's less likely to scratch the paint.

KodeBlue

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Re: Clean the snow off your car....at the car wash.
« Reply #3 on: January 25, 2016, 09:24:14 AM »
Are car wash places even open this time of year?

AH013

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Re: Clean the snow off your car....at the car wash.
« Reply #4 on: January 25, 2016, 10:04:25 AM »
Are car wash places even open this time of year?

Year round around here (New England).  Much needed to clean salt out from the undercarriage, especially after a 2 ft storm hits :)

onlykelsey

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Re: Clean the snow off your car....at the car wash.
« Reply #5 on: January 25, 2016, 10:06:49 AM »
Wow.

Reminds me of one of my neighbors using a leaf blower to blow a dusting of snow off of their car.  Is it really too much work to just brush off the snow?

I don't know, but that's pretty brilliant. 

The Guru

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Re: Clean the snow off your car....at the car wash.
« Reply #6 on: January 25, 2016, 11:45:05 AM »
Crazy. Why didn't she just run the engine until the snow melted off like everyone else?

Chris22

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Re: Clean the snow off your car....at the car wash.
« Reply #7 on: January 25, 2016, 11:49:37 AM »
Wow.

Reminds me of one of my neighbors using a leaf blower to blow a dusting of snow off of their car.  Is it really too much work to just brush off the snow?

What's wrong with that? 

sw1tch

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Re: Clean the snow off your car....at the car wash.
« Reply #8 on: January 25, 2016, 12:18:28 PM »
Wow.

Reminds me of one of my neighbors using a leaf blower to blow a dusting of snow off of their car.  Is it really too much work to just brush off the snow?

What's wrong with that?

Not necessarily anything wrong with it.  It just seemed like a bit much for the light amount of snow that we had gotten that day (1-2 inches).  Granted I also have another neighbor that idles his truck for what seems like hours on end on cold days, so this is an improvement in terms of clearing off your windshield.

onlykelsey

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Re: Clean the snow off your car....at the car wash.
« Reply #9 on: January 25, 2016, 12:20:52 PM »
Quote
Not necessarily anything wrong with it.  It just seemed like a bit much for the light amount of snow that we had gotten that day (1-2 inches).  Granted I also have another neighbor that idles his truck for what seems like hours on end on cold days, so this is an improvement in terms of clearing off your windshield.

I hate clearing snow from cars so much I would probably start storing my leafblower in my backseat to avoid taking it back to the garage everyday.  I don't own a car or a leafblower, but if I had them both. Snow clearance makes me seriously lazy. 

Chris22

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Re: Clean the snow off your car....at the car wash.
« Reply #10 on: January 25, 2016, 12:29:12 PM »
Wow.

Reminds me of one of my neighbors using a leaf blower to blow a dusting of snow off of their car.  Is it really too much work to just brush off the snow?

What's wrong with that?

Not necessarily anything wrong with it.  It just seemed like a bit much for the light amount of snow that we had gotten that day (1-2 inches).  Granted I also have another neighbor that idles his truck for what seems like hours on end on cold days, so this is an improvement in terms of clearing off your windshield.

If my backpack blower wasn't winterized in my basically frozen-shut shed, I'd happily use it.  I don't think my little electric blower is strong enough to make a difference.  I guess I'll continue to use my little broom.

I'm a red panda

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Re: Clean the snow off your car....at the car wash.
« Reply #11 on: January 25, 2016, 12:40:58 PM »
Are car wash places even open this time of year?

Here they only open on days above freezing.

JZinCO

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Re: Clean the snow off your car....at the car wash.
« Reply #12 on: January 25, 2016, 01:09:30 PM »
Crazy. Why didn't she just run the engine until the snow melted off like everyone else?
Not sure about you, but my car doesn't put off enough radiant heat to melt off all the snow on the hood and surely won't do squat about snow on the cab.
Also, where I live snow is dry and fluffy. Once you hit 35, snow is flying off your tailend and obscuring the viz of drivers behind the car. Unsafe driving is a huge pet peeve of mine.

gimp

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Re: Clean the snow off your car....at the car wash.
« Reply #13 on: January 25, 2016, 01:16:32 PM »
That is absolutely fucking hilarious, but I do want to remind the folks who don't live in snow country that car washes are essential in snowy winters. You need to get as much salt as possible off from under your car. That shit 1) rusts everything stuck, and then 2) rusts everything rotted. A $10 car wash even once a week is a hell of a lot cheaper than the labor + parts cost of replacing suspension components... and rotted through floorboards... and rotted through strut towers... falling off fenders... you get the point. (Also, it's cheaper when you go often, I was paying like $4 per when I lived in the northeast.)

Quote
Not sure about you, but my car doesn't put off enough radiant heat to melt off all the snow on the hood and surely won't do squat about snow on the cab.

Are you sure? How cold is it outside? I've never been anywhere cold enough that running the engine and heat didn't get the snow melted off. (With that said, more like the remnants of cleaned snow, than inches of snow.)

JZinCO

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Re: Clean the snow off your car....at the car wash.
« Reply #14 on: January 25, 2016, 01:27:07 PM »
Quote
Not sure about you, but my car doesn't put off enough radiant heat to melt off all the snow on the hood and surely won't do squat about snow on the cab.

Are you sure? How cold is it outside? I've never been anywhere cold enough that running the engine and heat didn't get the snow melted off. (With that said, more like the remnants of cleaned snow, than inches of snow.)
Yeah, I'm referring to my experiences if I don't brush off the hood first. Driving 15-20 min (I don't commute to another city or live in a sprawled out metro area), won't melt 1-2' of snow off the hood.
That said, I normally brush off first because I don't want to loose viz when I had the snow on my hood flying into the windshield. So for me, whether or not snow gets melted off is moot because unless the gf is driving that snow gets brushed off :)
Referring back to my pet peeve, it's the jerks that don't brush off their cab, headlights or tail lights and the engine heat won't address that.

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Re: Clean the snow off your car....at the car wash.
« Reply #15 on: January 25, 2016, 01:32:06 PM »
Are you sure? How cold is it outside? I've never been anywhere cold enough that running the engine and heat didn't get the snow melted off. (With that said, more like the remnants of cleaned snow, than inches of snow.)

You must live somewhere warmer than me (well, maybe not this winter- this winter we've been near 30 most of the time- it's been amazing. Haven't worn a coat yet.). If this does work it clearly takes a pretty long time. The snow doesn't melt of my car in the 3-5 minutes it takes to wipe down the windshields and the hood/roof and then the 15-20 it takes to drive to work. Anything I didn't get off with a brush will still be thre.

Chris22

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Re: Clean the snow off your car....at the car wash.
« Reply #16 on: January 25, 2016, 01:36:29 PM »
Pretty sure people who let their cars run to melt snow are not doing it to melt snow off the hood, roof, etc, they're doing it to let the windshield and rear window defrosters run and heat up the windows.  When I brush my car off, I always brush off the driver's door, then start the car, activate the defrosters (and seat heater!) and then clean the rest of the car.  Especially helpful if there is ice on the windows, more fun than chipping it off.

TheGrimSqueaker

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Re: Clean the snow off your car....at the car wash.
« Reply #17 on: January 25, 2016, 01:46:27 PM »
Quote
Not necessarily anything wrong with it.  It just seemed like a bit much for the light amount of snow that we had gotten that day (1-2 inches).  Granted I also have another neighbor that idles his truck for what seems like hours on end on cold days, so this is an improvement in terms of clearing off your windshield.

I hate clearing snow from cars so much I would probably start storing my leafblower in my backseat to avoid taking it back to the garage everyday.  I don't own a car or a leafblower, but if I had them both. Snow clearance makes me seriously lazy.

I own a leaf blower because it was free. The company I work for gives away presents on landmark service anniversaries. As in, if you've been there for ten years, you can pick a goodie off the list and it gets shipped to you. Over the years the goodies have been gradually getting less impressive, but when I saw the leaf blower had a suck, mulch, and bag attachment I thought of my sizable garden and picked that for my treat instead of, say, an office trinket. Another year I got a camping flashlight/lantern that I've used a lot.

The Guru

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Re: Clean the snow off your car....at the car wash.
« Reply #18 on: January 25, 2016, 03:50:24 PM »
Crazy. Why didn't she just run the engine until the snow melted off like everyone else?

Guess I should have mentioned I was being sarcastic :-(

I'm a red panda

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Re: Clean the snow off your car....at the car wash.
« Reply #19 on: January 26, 2016, 07:11:41 AM »
That drive to the car wash with snow or ice on the car is illegal where I live.  I'm a Debbie Downer on this one, but my friend's daughter was killed when a football sized chunk of ice hit the windshield of her minivan.   Clear your car off completely before putting it in gear.

Is there anywhere it isn't illegal?  That's why the article in the first post mentioned the driver being fined by law enforcement.

Very sorry to hear about your friend's daughter.

Chris22

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Re: Clean the snow off your car....at the car wash.
« Reply #20 on: January 26, 2016, 08:24:00 AM »
Got a car wash last night.  In the rain. 

Local station has a wash, cheapest with underbody spray is $7.  But, you save $.10/gal when you buy it.  So I got 15 gal of gas (13.X for the car, the rest in a can for the snowblower) and my effective cost to get the salt of the car was $5.50.  What a deal.

iamlittlehedgehog

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Re: Clean the snow off your car....at the car wash.
« Reply #21 on: January 26, 2016, 10:20:49 AM »
So I hope you all enjoy this little story.
My friend and I were 17, fresh out of high school and during winter break decided to go visit her boyfriend in Minnesota. We are both born and bred Florida girls. The morning after we arrive we plan on heading out to do some sight seeing and I ask her to clean the frost and snow off the car. Poor thing thought snow chains for tires were "car de-icers". Thankfully we were too young to rent a car at that time so we drove her beater up there. Needless to say by the end of that week we had to buy plane tickets home. In hindsight a car wash or hose would have been a better idea.

dycker1978

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Re: Clean the snow off your car....at the car wash.
« Reply #22 on: January 26, 2016, 10:32:15 AM »
You southerners are so cute.... 30 deg F is a beautiful warm day here.  We regularly hit -40 in January.

ShoulderThingThatGoesUp

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Re: Clean the snow off your car....at the car wash.
« Reply #23 on: January 28, 2016, 09:32:04 AM »
So I hope you all enjoy this little story.
My friend and I were 17, fresh out of high school and during winter break decided to go visit her boyfriend in Minnesota. We are both born and bred Florida girls. The morning after we arrive we plan on heading out to do some sight seeing and I ask her to clean the frost and snow off the car. Poor thing thought snow chains for tires were "car de-icers". Thankfully we were too young to rent a car at that time so we drove her beater up there. Needless to say by the end of that week we had to buy plane tickets home. In hindsight a car wash or hose would have been a better idea.

I...She beat the car with chains? To get ice off?

MgoSam

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Re: Clean the snow off your car....at the car wash.
« Reply #24 on: January 28, 2016, 09:43:34 AM »
You southerners are so cute.... 30 deg F is a beautiful warm day here.  We regularly hit -40 in January.

A friend is in SD and posted that it was 65 and people there are bundling up.

TheGrimSqueaker

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Re: Clean the snow off your car....at the car wash.
« Reply #25 on: January 28, 2016, 10:34:47 AM »
So I hope you all enjoy this little story.
My friend and I were 17, fresh out of high school and during winter break decided to go visit her boyfriend in Minnesota. We are both born and bred Florida girls. The morning after we arrive we plan on heading out to do some sight seeing and I ask her to clean the frost and snow off the car. Poor thing thought snow chains for tires were "car de-icers". Thankfully we were too young to rent a car at that time so we drove her beater up there. Needless to say by the end of that week we had to buy plane tickets home. In hindsight a car wash or hose would have been a better idea.

I...She beat the car with chains? To get ice off?

This would be a good scene in a movie.

Trudie

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Re: Clean the snow off your car....at the car wash.
« Reply #26 on: January 28, 2016, 02:17:20 PM »
Wow.

Reminds me of one of my neighbors using a leaf blower to blow a dusting of snow off of their car.  Is it really too much work to just brush off the snow?

My gawd... ever hear of a broom, people?

Chris22

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Re: Clean the snow off your car....at the car wash.
« Reply #27 on: January 28, 2016, 02:32:03 PM »
Wow.

Reminds me of one of my neighbors using a leaf blower to blow a dusting of snow off of their car.  Is it really too much work to just brush off the snow?

My gawd... ever hear of a broom, people?

I'll ask again...what's the big deal?  Why can't someone blow off a car with a leaf blower rather than use a broom?  What does one gain using a broom, and how does it contribute to their financial independence or "badassity"?

The Guru

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lukebuz

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Re: Clean the snow off your car....at the car wash.
« Reply #29 on: January 28, 2016, 06:03:37 PM »
Hey, it's a beautiful, calm quiet snow covered morning.  All is still.

WHEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE

You start running a fucking leaf blower.  F YOU man.

Might as well spend 45 minutes blowing the snow off the drive way than 5 minutes shoveling it...   

Chris22

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Re: Clean the snow off your car....at the car wash.
« Reply #30 on: January 29, 2016, 08:01:47 AM »
http://www.mrmoneymustache.com/2011/12/05/muscle-over-motor/

Cleaning snow off a car (at least the amount a snow a leaf blower could clear) takes about zero muscle.  We're not talking about "oh this takes the place of going to the gym so I can spend all day doing it and call it a workout" this is literally "let's turn a 5-10 minute job into a 1-2 minute job at a time when it's pretty unpleasant to be outside and I probably need to be somewhere."

Chris22

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Re: Clean the snow off your car....at the car wash.
« Reply #31 on: January 29, 2016, 08:03:57 AM »
Hey, it's a beautiful, calm quiet snow covered morning.  All is still.
...

You start running a fucking leaf blower.  F YOU man.

Wah.  You want to live around people you might have to hear them occasionally.  Don't like it, move to the woods somewhere.

Quote
Might as well spend 45 minutes blowing the snow off the drive way than 5 minutes shoveling it...   

Think you might have your proportions backwards there, ace.  Or the shittiest blower in the world. 

HairyUpperLip

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Re: Clean the snow off your car....at the car wash.
« Reply #32 on: January 29, 2016, 08:36:44 AM »
I always cringe when I see people using the ice scraper on the paint of their car.

MilesTeg

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Re: Clean the snow off your car....at the car wash.
« Reply #33 on: January 29, 2016, 01:19:45 PM »
Using a leaf blower is a brilliant idea (wish I'd thought of it). Not because its hard, but because you can protect the paint finish from scratches due to using crappy brushes. Especially with newer cars that have a ceramic clear coat. To bad it will only work with lsmall amounts of dry snow.

And yes, washing your car, frequently, in the winter is a necessity if you live in a place that gets a lot of snow and you don't want the damn thing to corrode (including the mechanical parts) away.

Papa Mustache

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Re: Clean the snow off your car....at the car wash.
« Reply #34 on: February 02, 2016, 09:04:02 PM »
Car wash (pressurized water) then some freezing weather and then the locks and latches freeze. That's always fun. We've had that problem.

MilesTeg

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Re: Clean the snow off your car....at the car wash.
« Reply #35 on: February 03, 2016, 12:15:18 PM »
Car wash (pressurized water) then some freezing weather and then the locks and latches freeze. That's always fun. We've had that problem.

1.) Silicon lubricant on all door seals
2.) Graphite lubricant inside all locks
3.) Don't spray directly at the lock ;)

Though in general it is best to wait until a day that's above freezing, but sometimes those don't happen in a timely manner.