Jejje
Winter is the toughest season for both paint and undercarriage. Get the groundwork right before the first cold days arrive and the whole winter season's car care becomes significantly easier and less risky for the car.
Why prepare before winter comes?
Once road salt, slush and cold have arrived, it's harder to apply protective products optimally - cold paint, moisture and limited access to a warm garage mean products bond less well and dry more slowly. By doing the hard work well in advance of the first snowfall, the protection cures under better conditions and you avoid rushing through the most important step.
Step 1: Do a thorough decontamination
Before any protection is applied, the paint should be completely free of summer's accumulated grime, tar spots and embedded particles. A combination of iron remover, tar remover and clay bar gives a completely clean surface for the next step to bond to. Protecting a paint full of contaminants gives poorer adhesion and poorer results all the way through winter.
Step 2: Apply a long-lasting paint protection
A ceramic coating or a strong wax layer gives the paint a layer that makes road salt and chemicals harder to stick, while also making cleaning significantly easier through winter. The harder the protection, the better the resistance to the chemicals that would otherwise wear down the paint through a long, salty winter.
Step 3: Don't forget the undercarriage and wheel arches
- Check and top up underbody protection if needed, particularly at early signs of rust.
- Clean wheel arches and inner wings thoroughly before winter - old grime and moisture already sitting there risks holding salt even more effectively during the season.
- Consider a ceramic wheel sealant to make it easier to keep wheels free of salt and brake dust.
Step 4: Prepare glass and rubber details
A glass coating significantly improves visibility in slush and also makes removing ice and snow easier, since ice has less grip on a treated surface. Also treat the rubber seals around the doors with a protective product to prevent them from freezing shut - a common and irritating winter problem.
Check your screen wash and wiper blades
Switch to frost-protected screen wash well in advance - not once it's already freezing in the reservoir and at risk of cracking. Check the wiper blades at the same time; worn blades that already smear in autumn only get worse when snow and ice are added. Changing wiper blades when you do your tyre changeover is a good habit, though blades often last longer.
- Do a thorough decontamination before applying any winter protection.
- Apply paint protection well in advance, while temperatures still favour curing.
- Clean wheel arches and undercarriage thoroughly before the season begins.
- Treat rubber seals to prevent doors from freezing shut.
- Switch to frost-protected screen wash before the first cold nights.
Summary
Protecting the car before winter is about laying the groundwork in good time: a thorough decontamination, long-lasting paint protection, care for undercarriage and wheel arches, and preparation of glass, rubber seals and screen wash. Do it before the first snowfall and you avoid much of winter's wear - and get an easier season of car care.
