Good Question: How Often Should We Wash Our Cars In The Winter?
MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) - It's that time of year when we might not even be able to see the real color of our car.
When that familiar shade of dirty whitish-grey appears, it seems the cars themselves are screaming for a soapy brush.
Nick Burlow, owner of Isles Auto Repair, says it's probably not a bad idea to wash your vehicle at least once a week.
"Salt can get up in the brake area and they can rust brake lines and fuel lines," Burlow said.
But he sees less of that now because a lot of the metal in cars has been replaced with plastic.
"But we will see it ten years down the line in a new car," he said.
Burlow says if you do want to wash on a frigid day, do so in a full-service spot that will dry the water out of locks and door handles.
"I see door handles breaking off. These get frozen and they'll break the door handle," Burlow said.
And just like WCCO legend Dave Moore, who loved to kick those ice and snow chunk off the bottom of cars, you'll want to take a foot to it, too. The snow can unbalance your wheels and can reappear again, like your whitish-gray coast, just after one day.
"Makes you feel better, makes your day brighter. Makes your Tercel about 20-pounds lighter," Moore said in a classic, 1995 segment from WCCO News.
Burlow says it's OK if you only get a car wash once a month. It really just comes down to personal preference.
And he says you don't need to get the works. He's not sure that extra $5 - $10 does much when there's so much salt on the roads.
Just a wash on top and under the car is necessary.
