Prepare and protect your car for winter
Let’s face it your car is subjected to a lot of things that can prematurely age, wear and just make it look bad. And if we were going to make a “Top 10 List of things that were bad for your car” Winter would definitely be near the top.
The biggest culprits at this time of year are Salt and Dry cold air. In this article, we are going to go over the best ways to get your car ready for winter. There are certainly many boxes to check when it comes to protecting your car from the elements. However, we are going to assume - that like most people, you are already super busy, and adding yet another “to-do List for your car” is not something you want to do. That being said, let's focus on the big two.
Paint:
Getting your car’s paint ready for winter is by far the most important thing you can do to keep your car looking great and its resale value high. The key to this is to create a sacrificial barrier between the elements and your paint. The best way to achieve this protective shield is with Si02 AKA Ceramic. Unlike waxes or sealants, Ceramic is impervious to extreme temperatures and laughs at road salt. However, what we like best about it is ‘Ceramic significantly reduces the ability of ice to stick to the surface of your paint. Now don’t misinterpret that statement. Ceramic is not magic- however, it is super slick making it more difficult for those large blocks of road ice (which are loaded with salts and other pollutants) to stick very well. Meaning- sometimes if conditions are really bad, there will be ice on your car but it will have to be really nasty on the roads for this to happen.
The best thing you can do when it comes to a pre-winter DIY ceramic coating is to clean the surface of your paint as much as possible (clay bar if you can) then spray on one coat buff it off allow it to cure and then, add a second coat to the highly exposed lower body panels and around the wheel arches. The places where those pesky ice black are always located when you pull into your garage at night.
While you are at it, Ceramic is also fantastic for windshields making them extremely hydrophobic so they repel spray from oncoming and passing cars, and scraping your windshield in the morning can be a much easier task as well.
So this winter we recommend protecting your paint with a good coat of ceramic. It will help keep your car cleaner longer and also stop road salts and other nasty minerals from making direct contact with your paint and when spring comes you will notice your paint still looks great. If you want to do a great DIY ceramic coat on your car we highly recommend Ceramic Slam. It goes on quickly and easily and will protect your paint for up to 10 to 12 months, which is more than enough time to get you through winter.
Interiors:
This section is important even if you do not have leather seats. However, if you do, then it is super important. Just like your skin, cold air dries out your leather hides. So the best thing you can do for both your leather and vinyl during winter is; to keep everything in your car’s interior moisturized and hydrated. Start protecting your seats by rubbing them down with a good leather conditioner. Hide Rehab is by far the best we have used when it comes to leather protection preservation. Its all-natural ingredients are also great for Vinyl and will help prevent future cracking. Hide Rehab can be applied in just a few minutes and will not only make your interior look like it did when the car came from the showroom, but it will also protect it and make everything smell fresh and natural. No dyes or perfumes.
The best way to condition your leather seats is to apply the cream and allow it to sit on the surface for several minutes if you can do this in the sun or while it is still warmer outside all the better. Then, buff off the excess conditioners with a clean microfiber towel. A clean, healthy interior also makes your car more “cozy” on those cold winter nights when you have to be on the road. Hide Rehab also works great to condition dashboards and door panels.
So there you have it: the two most important things you can do to keep your car nice and protected during the winter. As we mentioned at the beginning of this article there are probably a dozen or so things you can do to protect your car during the winter season. However, if you start with the ceramic paint coating and conditioned leather and vinyl, even if you do not get to the others you will still be miles ahead of the other cars on the road this season.
