Why you can wash your car in severe frost
Most car owners prefer to wash their cars when it is not very cold outside, fearing that frost and moisture will negatively affect its technical condition. And completely in vain.
The main advantage of “bath procedures” for a car in severe frost is the complete absence of even a hint of queues at car washes, since the demand for their services in such weather drops catastrophically. And damage to the paintwork due to exposure to cold should not be feared. After the foam is washed off, washers (at least in normal establishments) without fail wipe the car body. No less standard procedure is wiping door seals and thresholds. In this way, the bulk of the water is removed, which could subsequently turn into ice and seal the doors.
In order not to freeze the door handles, their locks and the gas tank hatch, with its locking mechanism, the following should be done. When the washers finish the procedure for wiping the body, you need to go to the car and pull the door handles repeatedly in turn. At the same time, a noticeable amount of water (potential ice) will necessarily come out of the cracks and gaps in them. Paying attention to the revealed shortcomings of the car wash employees, ask them to blow with compressed air not only the door handles, but also the cover of the gas tank hatch - including the hinges on which it rests and also its locking mechanism. Also, ask to blow out the rearview mirrors as well, especially the gap between the moving part of the mirror and its fixed podium - this way we will avoid potential problems with the folding of the mirrors due to the formation of ice. After that, you can leave the sink.
Having left its gate, it is worth stopping immediately and taking the simplest actions that will prevent possible future problems with freezing everything and everything. Firstly, immediately after stopping, we open all the doors of the car, including the luggage compartment lid. The fact is that some moisture remains on the seals even after wiping. By exposing these parts for five minutes in the cold, we will finally dry them. Moreover, the stronger the frost, the more effective this dehumidification procedure will be. While the door seals are losing moisture, let's take care of the gas tank hatch ..
In advance, before washing, you should stock up on any automotive silicone lubricant, preferably in an aerosol package. It is enough to lightly puff it on the hinges of the gas tank hatch and the tongue of its locking device. And then press the lock tongue several times with your finger and move the hatch cover from side to side so that the lubricant is better distributed in the gaps. If there is no lubrication, you can get by with simply wiggling these moving parts - to prevent water from jamming them during the freezing process.
From the same considerations, you should unscrew the cap of the gas tank neck. If there is moisture on it, it will freeze without “grabbing” the cork thread. In the same way, while the remaining water is not completely frozen, you need to move the "mugs" of the side rear-view mirrors. This way we will avoid their "immobilization" due to ice in the moving parts.
