Washing your car in winter

In winter, ice, slush and road salt take a heavy toll on paintwork, brakes and seals – and at the same time, visibility is impaired by dirty headlights. However, you should not wash your car any less frequently than in summer – except in extreme cold below –10 °C, to avoid a ‘thermal shock’.

TÜV NORD shows you how to clean your vehicle correctly, safely and without damaging the paintwork using a car wash – for maximum protection, including an underbody wash.

Many drivers are reluctant to wash their cars in winter, as they quickly get dirty again anyway due to slush, ice and road salt. Yet it is particularly important to wash your car regularly in winter. This prevents salt, grit and sand from damaging the paintwork.

And what’s even more important: you’re ensuring your own safety, because dirty windows and headlights mean you have poorer visibility and are also less visible to others. So make sure you clean your windows, headlights and indicators regularly.

Experts recommend treating the car with polish and wax before temperatures drop below ten degrees. This is because such care products become too thick and viscous at lower temperatures, making them difficult to use effectively. The car should always be run through a car wash before waxing.

Minor paintwork damage, often caused by stone chips or road grit, can usually be removed with polish, as it is often only the top layer of the paintwork that is scratched. The polish ensures that these superficial scratches disappear. Treat more severe paintwork damage with suitable touch-up pens to prevent rust from forming. It is best to apply the polish gently using soft sponges or microfibre cloths in small circular movements. The final step to a well-maintained paintwork is applying hard wax. This works in exactly the same way as the polish. As a general rule for paintwork care: it is better to use gentle circular movements than to rub hard. The wax seals the open paint pores and protects your car’s bodywork from road salt and harmful environmental factors. With this preparation, winter can come!

1. In sub-zero temperatures, it is best to use a car wash that uses active foam cleaner and a steam jet.
2. Before washing the car, seal the door locks with adhesive tape to prevent them from freezing due to freezing wash water.
3. Treat the door seals with silicone before washing to prevent the doors from jamming.
4. Use a high-pressure washer to remove coarse dirt and sand beforehand, as these can otherwise scratch the paintwork.
5. Choose a wash with active foam if you want to remove stubborn dirt, as this special foam is particularly effective at loosening grime from the vehicle.
6. Washing the underbody is particularly important in winter to remove stubborn dirt and road salt.
7. Wax programmes such as nano-sealing or gloss protection sealing protect the bodywork from corrosion – unfortunately, however, liquid wax only adheres for a short time and is therefore of little use.
8. If you have chosen a wax treatment, remove the wax film from the windows after cleaning to avoid streaks.
9. After washing, park your vehicle in a garage if possible so that it can dry thoroughly in a frost-free environment.
10. If you want to treat your paintwork to something special, apply hard wax by hand after washing and polish it thoroughly.