car care in snowy weather... (Grant: buy, live in, garage)

[therewego]

We recently moved and in our effort to prepare for the snow we were wondering...Does everyone around here use car sealants to protect the paint against the salts used for snow? What do you all think of those sealant protectors?

[skidamarink]

It depends what kind of car paint you have, I guess. I've never heard anyone using that. I don't really think the snow salt will damage the paint that badly, as most car paint is designed to withstand that stuff. I wouldn't imagine there would be that much salt scraping against your car paint that it would cause that kind of damage. If it did, it would be minimal damage to the bottom part of the car that you would hardly notice. But if you have a Ferrari or a Lotus by all means, buy any protection for your peace of mind.

[JustMe_T3K]

There is the part where at least up in the northeast part of the state they use a corn base liquid deicer which doesn't damage cars.

The main thing is if you plan on any small road trips to have a winter emergency kit.

At the very least I put several large trash bags that can be made into a poncho.
When you are in a ditch and it is 10 degrees and the wind is blowing a simple wind breaker
can make the difference.

[therewego]

Thanks for the info!

[V1VrV2]

While I'm not aware of anything specifically that protects your finish against road salt, I wouldn't underestimate the protection offered by a good quality wax. I've been using a product called Collinite 845 Insultator wax and it seems to hold up great against the weather. Granted, I live in Florida now (and have to worry about a different set of nature's elements) but I selected this wax because of its durability and longevity. But, really any quality wax should provide ample protection for you. One application before the snow starts flying might be enough to get you through winter, but if you can, reapplying sometime in mid-January would be even better. Just be sure to apply it in either a heated garage or while the weather is still warm since if the temps drop too low, the wax won't bond to the paint's surface well.

One other thing that wasn't mentioned (depending on what kind of car you have and what type of tires you're running on) you might want to look into getting snow tires.

Unfortunately, this is my last Florida "winter" so I'll soon be in the same boat! Good luck!

TR