In 2016 Loveland had one of the longest and most pleasant falls in recent memory. It stayed warm longer than usual, the trees kept their leaves into November, and the first real snow didn’t bother us until December, if memory serves.
So even though it feels good to be past the winter solstice and have the days getting longer, that great fall weather we had means that we’re not even halfway through winter yet. After all, we often get freezing temperatures and considerable snowfall as late as May, so that means we’ve still got quite a bit of snow and ice ahead of us.
What does that mean for your car? Let’s take a look (and we’ll start with the big one):
Magnesium Chloride
You’ve probably heard of magnesium chloride, sometimes called just mag chloride. It’s a de-icing agent that is used to make the roads safer when it snows or when there’s the threat of ice. We’re certainly glad that we’re less likely to crash during a storm and on icy mornings, but it can wreak havoc on your car.
What’s so bad about it? Well, it can hurt your car both cosmetically and functionally. It corrodes chrome and decorative components, as well as the chrome on wheels. Speaking of wheels, it can make wheels and hubs rust together, meaning that if you get a flat tire you might not be able to change your own tire! Luckily mag chloride doesn’t harm the plastic parts of your car, though it can become permanently attached to your paint.
Perhaps worst of all is that magnesium chloride can get up under your car and eat away at wires and hoses. Not only can it shorten the life of your car’s components, but it can also attack your brake lines.
Magnesium chloride wouldn’t be so bad if it just did its job and stayed on the road. Unfortunately, our tires kick it up as we drive, tossing it on the undercarriage. What’s even worse is that some mag chloride has an adhesive added to it so that it will stick to the road…meaning that it stick to your vehicle all the more.
How do you fix this problem? Weekly washes are the best way to handle that, and the most affordable way to make that happy is to join our car wash club, giving you unlimited car washes!
Dust and Dirt
Of course, not every snowfall sticks to the ground, and not every storm requires mag chloride. But for those drizzly days when the snow melts onto your car, it suddenly becomes a dust magnet. It’s even worse if you really did head over the river and through the woods and down a gravel road to visit Grandma last Christmas.
Dust looks bad, but it’s really not going to do much to your paintjob. But leave mud on long enough, sitting out in the sun all day, and it becomes hard as a rock. Try to pick it off and your paint might come with it. It can even be hard for a full service car wash to get it off, so having more frequent car washes in winter can really help.
And the Inside…
So we’ve talked about the exterior of your car, and we’ve talked about what’s under the hood. But what about the interior of your vehicle?
First, of course, there’s the damage inflicted on your floor mats. You track snow and water in, and your floor mats absorb the water and all of the dirt. You might not think about it, but your boots are also bringing the mag chloride into your car, and your floor mats once again endure. Keeping them cleaned with auto detailing can make your floor mats last longer.
Also, let’s not forget how unpleasant it can be to stay in your vehicle when you’re doing anything other than driving. You might spill a box of M&M’s under your seat, but once you get home you’re pulling into a cold, dark garage. Do you really want to take the time to pick every last one of them up? Sure, you could pull your vehicle out during the daytime, but it gets cold real fast. People simply aren’t as likely to clean up their own mess during winter.
Our full-service car wash can help you tackle all of these problems and keep your car in better shape. Stop by Speed Sparkle today!
