We were helped to understand the nuances of protective polishing in one of the Moscow services, which has been using various types of these products for many years. Many machines have already passed through the hands of the masters, and some of them return after some time to renew their protection. It should be noted that auto chemical manufacturers of two Japanese brands (Soft99 and Beautiful G’zox) are closely working with this service, studying the behavior of their products in rather harsh Russian conditions. Our climate and the rich composition of road reagents significantly reduce the service life of protection, by about one and a half to two times compared to the Land of the Rising Sun.
FussoCoat Epoxy Polish
Epoxy polish is the easiest and cheapest option. The declared duration of protection is one year. Alas, in our conditions it averages only six months. In Japan itself, this polish is not intended for professional, but for domestic use. An ordinary person can easily apply and polish the composition. In general, this is similar to working with a regular wax-based polish. The only exception is that the body must be thoroughly dried beforehand, otherwise the composition will not fit well, and let the car stand for at least an hour after its application. Restriction in the first week of operation - do not wash the car using active chemicals. This applies to absolutely all types of protective coatings!
Epoxy polish gives good gloss and hydrophobic effect (moisture and dirt repellency). But it only protects against very minor damage. Basically, it all comes down to branches and light sandblasting. Its main purpose is protection during frequent washes, so that the paintwork does not rub off so quickly.
Liquid glass H7
H7 is one of the most common and age-appropriate liquid glasses on the market. The hardness of this composition is 7H (mirror image of the name). This is the so-called Kohinoor scale (koh-i-nor). Many people remember such an inscription on drawing pencils. It determines the stiffness of the stylus. The maximum rigidity (9H) on this scale has a ceramic protective polish.
Liquid glass H7 is much tougher than epoxy polish and protects quite well even from lapping. However, it has absolutely no hydrophobic effect. The coating looks like it has a distinct sheen, but it doesn't feel like it to the touch.
The service life of H7 is up to one year. Before applying any type of liquid glass, the body must be prepared. If this is a new car, then the entire body is polished with a machine using a special very soft paste. It overwrites minor damage that inevitably appears when transporting cars on an auto transporter. This stage costs from 2000 to 4000 rubles, depending on the class of the car. Further, the entire body is passed in the same way with a special preparatory composition. It removes everything that liquid glass can reject: the remnants of the previous polish and dirt. If this is not done, then the protective coating will come off the body during the first wash.
If the car is not new, the price of preparatory work will directly depend on the condition of the paintwork and the specific car. It makes sense to apply liquid glass only on a prepared and shiny paintwork. Accordingly, in most cases it will be necessary to apply abrasive polishing. The more neglected the paintwork, the more expensive it will be to restore it. And if its layer is already too thin, then abrasive polishing can only do harm, so it’s better to forget about liquid glass altogether. Additional difficulties arise with some German models that come with a ceramic-based varnish from the factory. Refreshing it is much more difficult, and therefore the payment for this stage of body preparation can be equal to the cost of applying the liquid glass itself.
Liquid glass is applied with an applicator, then polished by hand. The drying time of the composition depends on its specific type. In the case of H7, the master applies it to one part, then to the next, and then returns to polishing the previous one.
H7 is very afraid of water during the first 12 hours after application. Even one drop can leave a white spot on the surface. In ideal cases, the client drives the car in the morning, and during the day the servicemen prepare the body and apply liquid glass. The car is left overnight in a warm room and the next morning is given to the owner.
The second type of H7, called Quartz7, is the service's own development. The manufacturer itself does not offer a similar product. This is the same liquid glass H7, but a layer of hydrophobe is applied on top of it. And all because many customers do not like that the original product does not have this effect and is completely imperceptible to the touch. The application of this type of H7, excluding body preparation, costs from 11,000 to 18,000 rubles.
A hydrophobic solution is applied over liquid glass with an aerosol and after 15–20 minutes it is slightly polished. He doesn't need time to dry.
When using Quartz7, periodic maintenance of the coating is possible. You can come back in six months and restore the hydrophobic layer. After all, as practice has shown, in our conditions, he, alas, does not live longer. The service costs from 1500 to 2500 rubles, depending on the class of the car.
In the harsh conditions of our winters, one month of car operation can be equated to a year of summer driving. The body of the car suffers from the famous sand-salt mixture of domestic public utilities in the first place - its service life is significantly reduced, this equally applies to both foreign cars and domestic cars. Even high-quality anti-corrosion treatment carried out by the manufacturer before painting the body cannot reliably protect the metal from the effects of chemically active reagents that are present in any anti-icing agent. Even if the winter turned out to be snowless, the temperature drops will still do their bad deed. It is worth considering the question of how to treat the car for the winter, since protective coatings will not only extend its life, but also ensure trouble-free operation in the frosty season.
car in winter Preparing your car for winter
Many car enthusiasts mistakenly believe that before the winter months it is enough to do a number of procedures that everyone probably knows about:
- replacement of summer tires with winter tires, possibly equipped with spikes;
- checking the state of antifreeze in the engine cooling system;
- maintenance of the battery or its replacement if necessary;
- filling the windshield washer tank with anti-freeze;
- revision of the wipers or replacing them with winter ones.
It would seem that the list is exhaustive. No, something is missing - you need to change the summer soft rugs for rubber "troughs" with high sides and put a snow scraper in the trunk! Behind all these troubles, it is forgotten that your four-wheeled friend will have to feel in his own “skin” all the delights of the effects of low temperatures, ice, snow and chemically active substances that so abundantly fall on our roads in winter. Protection from an external aggressive environment and extreme temperature conditions is needed not only for your delicate skin, in winter the external parts of the machine are also tested:
- glass– subject to freezing both inside and outside;
- paintwork– microcracks can turn into blisters and hidden centers of corrosion;
- side mirrors– even when equipped with a heating option, they do not always effectively provide sufficient visibility in case of heavy icing and snow sticking;
- car bottom- perhaps the most vulnerable spot of your vehicle;
- body- there is a place for the winter elements to roam: fenders, sills, aprons - all these details are at risk;
Door, car handle covered with snow and ice - wheel disks- road "porridge" from ice, snow, sand, salt and chemicals quickly disables both steel parts and those made from light alloys;
- plastic elements- moisture, getting into technological gaps, expands when freezing, which can lead to rupture of plastic joints;
- rubber door and trunk seals- unlike products for the chassis and engine, they have a porous structure and are able to absorb a certain amount of moisture, freezing at low temperatures, it can completely destroy such a gasket;
- optics- sticking of snow on the headlights and their icing can cause complete "blindness" of the driver, - you must admit, it is quite inconvenient to stop every five hundred meters to clean the lights and turn signals;
- locks- moisture, getting inside the mechanism, turns into ice in cold weather, preventing the door or trunk from opening;
- internal cavities- there usually treacherously accumulates snow, ice and water, which leads to increased corrosion, which is not immediately visible during external examination.
In general, the list of works we have turned out to be quite impressive. Do not despair, it is quite possible to prepare the car body for winter in a couple of days.
Protective coatings for the body
These funds can be conditionally divided into the following groups:
- paintwork protection;
- anti-corrosion preparations for the bottom and fender liner;
- corrosion protectors in internal cavities.
Naturally, before processing the car body for the winter, go through a thorough wash. It is necessary to get rid of all deposits of dirt and active chemicals that are present in large quantities on our asphalt concrete pavement. The presence of oils and fuel streaks on body parts that are to be processed is also unacceptable.
Washing a car at a car wash The bottom of the car is most exposed to external aggressive environment. To protect it, bituminous mastic is usually used. There are many options for drugs based on it. To use this tool, you must meet a number of requirements:
- after washing, the bottom of the car must be dried; mastic cannot be applied to a wet surface;
- degreasing of surfaces is mandatory - the protective layer can simply fall off from the raw metal;
- let the mastic dry - do not leave the garage during the day.
Usually such protection is applied to the bottom with a brush. Modern tools allow use as a spray. In any case, you need to use the services of a car wash before treating the bottom of the car for the winter.
Pay special attention to the fenders. Even if your car is equipped with plastic protection for these parts, this is not a 100% guarantee of complete safety. You can use the same mastic that came in handy for processing the bottom. Coat the inner surfaces of the wings twice - this will be enough. The rubber crumb included in its composition, in addition to anti-corrosion properties, will add soundproofing to your car.
For internal body cavities, it is best to use products with a more liquid consistency. They are poured into such areas using a spray gun. The most common remedy is Movil. They usually process cars older than four years. The slightly unpleasant smell will pass in a few days. If your car is two or three years old, then this procedure is not mandatory. To apply the product, you will have to thoroughly wash the car and dry the body with a stream of warm air.
Car body waxing Hard wax is highly recommended for body work. Liquid waxing is more cosmetic than protective. Hard wax protects car paintwork well, about the same as an apple in long-term storage. Despite the rather high cost of the procedure, its effectiveness in the winter period has been proven by practice. It is worth paying attention to such processing, if only due to the fact that ice does not linger on the body, drops of water flow down without stopping.
Your mobile first aid kit
Undoubtedly, for the daily use of the car in the winter, you will have to create a small reserve of funds, which will be partly in the car, partly at home. The home kit should include:
- lock defrosting agent- it is sold in the form of a spray in every car shop and costs mere pennies;
- warm boots- you will not always be able to start the car quickly, sometimes it takes some time.
If you were able to open the car, then the following accessories will come in handy inside:
- brush-scraper from snow and ice;
- broom - snow must be swept away;
- shovel - sometimes you have to dig out;
- glass defrost spray.
In order to prevent freezing of the rubber seals of the doorways and the trunk lid, they should be treated in advance with silicone. This tool is sold at any auto shop and will protect the gum from possible damage.
Spray for rubber seals Should you wash your car in winter?
With the onset of cold weather, many motorists stop visiting the car bath, citing the fact that in half an hour the car will still be dirty again. Such a decision will not lead to anything good. The fact is that the "porridge" of wet snow, sand and salt, sticking to the body, dries up and freezes tightly to it. Through microcracks in the paintwork, active reagents get on metal parts and provoke corrosion. So it is necessary to wash a four-wheeled friend not only for hygienic reasons - you need to wash off salt deposits from the body regularly to prevent its decay. When visiting a car wash in winter, take into account a few tips:
- do not use hot water - glass can crack from a sharp temperature drop;
- pay special attention to cleaning the fender liner, they are most susceptible to clogging with road mess;
- use special car shampoos - these products effectively dissolve oil films and help get rid of stubborn dirt;
- after washing, the body should be dried with a stream of warm air and wiped dry;
- door seals will need to be treated with silicone grease again.
It is especially important to visit the car wash during the thaw period and after heavy snowfalls - at this time, the body is most susceptible to attack by chemical reagents that abound on our roads.
Winter car care
Summing up, it is impossible not to mention the quality of the materials used. Attempts to save on the cost of anti-corrosion agents can lead to costly body repairs. You should purchase only time-tested mastics of well-known brands. Thus, you can eliminate the use of low-quality fakes and protect your car body from the effects of an aggressive winter environment with confidence. The same applies to coolant, oils and other consumables. “The miser pays twice, and the stupid pays three times” - this saying in this case is as relevant as possible.
1 comment 11/13/2012Typical winter problems: as soon as the frost gets stronger, the windshield washer fluid in the tank freezes, corrosion “tests” the car body for strength, the rubber bands of the seals tightly stick to the car doors. In addition to everything else, frost forms on the windows of a car, alloy wheels become covered with plaque and deteriorate from exposure to salt, locks periodically seize and freeze ...
How to revive the car with the advent of frost and ensure comfortable movement throughout the winter period? Note 10 tips for choosing the right winter car care products.
1.Fill in anti-freeze liquid in advance
The standard winter situation: with the advent of the first frosts, the liquid in the tank freezes, the hoses may even clog and the connecting fittings may break. As a result of these malfunctions, you can easily be left without a glass washer system if you do not replace the fluid in the washer reservoir with a high-quality anti-freeze in time.
Pour into the glass washer reservoir, made on the basis of nanotechnology. Its competitive advantage is its exceptional cleaning power with economical use. So, for high-quality cleaning of glasses, less washer is required and, accordingly, fewer wiper cycles. After applying anti-freeze, an invisible protective film on the glass improves further cleaning due to the fact that road dirt no longer sticks so strongly.
2. Protect the body
The body of your car in winter conditions is more prone to corrosion. The most inexpensive anti-corrosion coating is wax. It should simply be applied to the surface of the body after washing and drying. For the best effect, we suggest using. Ease of application, perfect shine of the body, hydrophobic effect and long term protection (up to 6 months) distinguish it from competitors.
3. See clearly
For a better view, purchase those that need to process the glass from the inside: with temperature changes, they practically do not fog up, which has a positive effect on driving safety. Unlike similar products of competitors, SONAX anti-fog does not adversely affect transparent plastic glasses, does not cloud them.
4. Take care of the defroster
Art.331200 and art.331241 will allow you to quickly, easily and effectively remove ice on the glass and fight its subsequent formation. It is enough to treat the glass with a composition before a long parking, and this will protect them from another frosting.
5. Save time
Before the first frosts, stock up on liquid for art.331541. It will come in handy for opening locks in bitter cold and will serve as a preventive measure against freezing. Unlike cheaper defrosters, SONAX works more effectively in locks, lubricating them, thereby preventing further freezing.
6. Save the rubber
Use special art.499100 and art.340200. Apply these compounds to the rubber bands of door seals, trunk and wipers - the composition will give them elasticity and protect them from freezing to metal. Even after washing in severe frost, the rubber bands will not freeze to the body and will provide access to the car in any weather.
7. Preserve your discs
Alloy wheels can be coated and damaged by salt and other de-icing chemicals that are sprinkled on the roads. Therefore, it is desirable to process alloy wheels before cold weather with art. 236100. The invisible film will prevent dirt and deposits on the discs. During the washing process, discs treated with this composition are better cleaned.
8. Help windshield washer fluid
Have you seen cars that are covered with a kind of "gradient" of dirt, behind which you can barely see the color? Who rides them: "economists" or ardent supporters of the "protective film" of salt and dirt? We figure out how to keep the paintwork in winter, so as not to count the "bugs" in the spring.
Snow removal
It would seem that this is difficult? There is really nothing difficult, but the main thing is not to overdo it. It is enough to knock off a loose layer of snow that closes the view and “blows away” so beautifully while riding on neighbors downstream. But to tear off the ice crust from the body by force is not worth it - it will fall off by itself. As well as do not pour hot water on it.
Another important point is the brush. The softer the bristles, the better, the less chance of leaving micro-scratches on the body. After cleaning the snow, just remember to shake off the water and snow from the brush itself so that it does not freeze in the trunk or bring excess moisture into the cabin.
In recent years, combined brush and scraper have become widespread. When choosing such a tool, it is better to pay attention to the one in which the work items are at different ends. A tool with a scraper located immediately after the brush not only loses in convenience, but can also damage the body if handled carelessly.
Washing
You need to wash your car in winter - a fact. And with no less frequency than in summer, making exceptions only for the most severe frosts. Salt, reagents, dirt literally stick to the body, filling all the damage to the paintwork. And they are on any car! We will not talk about how salt acts on the body.
Another question is how to properly wash a car in winter, when thoughts of going out without a hat do not even arise. It is problematic to do this in "yard" conditions: the body is covered with ice, it is difficult to knock off the adhering layer of dirt and salt. You can freshen up a car, but you can’t call it a full-fledged car wash. The most desperate "economists" practice washing with hot tap water, but these are extreme measures. The advice of dentists not to alternate hot and cold is fully applicable to cars, and the owners of caries do not treat themselves. Therefore, it is better to turn to professionals.
Although the problem of temperature difference is to some extent relevant in professional car washes. Getting from the street into a warm box, the paintwork of the car also becomes vulnerable. Therefore, for its maximum safety, it is necessary either to make sure that the car is not poured with frankly hot water, or to let the car stand in the box for at least some time so that the temperature of the metal is slightly equal to the environment.
Each type of car wash - manual, contactless and tunnel - has its adherents. Those who prefer manual washing are confident in its quality - this is an indisputable fact. But the quality directly depends on the washer himself.
Contactless washing is carried out using active foam, which works instead of a washcloth. After a few minutes of being on the body, the foam is washed off, taking away all the dirt with it.
Perhaps the most controversial way is tunnel washing. Fast, fairly high quality, but also somewhat risky. The risk lies precisely in the brush rollers, which require timely replacement. If the replacement interval is not respected, after such a wash on the body, you can find new micro- and even macro-scratches that do not add beauty in any way and do not extend the life of the paintwork. Except that portal car washes win in entertainment: observing the process from the inside is almost meditation. And don't forget to check if the "numbers" are in place!
After the washing itself, it is advisable to take care of applying wax to the body. With him, salt porridge will stick much worse, and that's all we need. Not that waxing is a panacea, but its regular application will help preserve the paintwork. In the case of self-washing a car, shampoos containing wax will fit for these purposes.
Another way to preserve the body is to use a polish. Not the one that is abrasive, but protective, with Teflon in the composition. The intent and purpose is essentially the same as waxing, but the polish lasts (and applies) longer. In the case of car polishing, there are no problems with this at the sink. If the choice is made in favor of doing it yourself, then you need to do this in advance or look for a warm garage or parking lot.
The final stage of any winter washing is drying and wiping. Door and window openings, seals, locks - these elements simply must be dry if you want to get into the car. And do not forget about other places where water accumulates - it is better to study them in the summer.
Here is what they say at one of the washes: “It is important to have“ your own ”wash, in which trust has been developed. Motorists have one or two favorite places where they completely trust their car. If the sink is unfamiliar, then you need to take a closer look at it on your first visit. Some washers can "hack" when blowing and wiping the remaining water - in the cold season, these "little things" can play a cruel joke.Although even regular customers sometimes ask to blow through certain places, knowing where water accumulates, workers change and cannot always remember preferences clients".
But the opinions of the painters about caring for the body were divided. So, one insists on regular washes and thorough drying, the active use of wax or polishes, as well as the obligatory washing of the car before driving into the garage for the night. The opinion of the second is just the opposite: if the car is painted normally, it’s not worth shaking over it once again, in extreme cases, stick a protective film on the most problematic places, thresholds and arches.
It is hard to imagine that reagents or just sand and salt are not used in winter. Forecasters promise a cold snap, which means that ice on the roads is inevitable, with which only anti-icing materials (PGM) can fight, a more effective means has not yet been invented. The result of the PGM work is immediately visible for pedestrians, in addition to melting snow and ice, we get damaged shoes - the skin is deformed and cracked.
The impact of reagents on the car body
It is easy to guess that the body is exposed to even more reagents. A mixture of snow, PGM, sand, and often granite chips are added to these components, will quickly “process” your car. The result of such processing will be clouding of the paintwork, stains, corrosion spots, deformation of plastic parts, moldings on windows that have lost their luster, and tarnished rims.
Preparing your car for winter
The wheel arches of the car are subject to the greatest chemical and mechanical impact.
Wheel arches are most exposed to reagents
The wheels spin at high speed, sand, granite chips fly at the same speed, and all this is flavored with chemical reagents - the destructive force is enormous. A proven method of protection is to install fender liner. Choose only a high-quality product that is ideally suited in shape; treat the attachment points of the fender liner to the body with mastic or another similar agent.
Before winter, check the body for chips, scratches. All defects must be tinted or smeared with a special wax pencil.
Treatment of scratches with a wax pencil
Pencils come in a variety of colors and can be purchased at any auto parts store. Pay special attention to the bottom of the car, it is enough to drive off-road once and the factory anticorrosive will be erased. If scuffs are found on the bottom, treat these areas with an anti-corrosion compound.
Should you wash your car in winter?
There are two approaches to washing a car in winter - some motorists say that it is better not to wash a car at all in winter conditions, since water enters into a destructive reaction with chemicals accumulated on the body, other drivers insist on the opposite point of view - it is better to wash the car more often in order to flush all chemicals from the body. Which of them is right can only be understood by conducting lengthy tests.
If you come to a car wash, ask the washer to thoroughly wash the wheel arches, the lower edges of the doors on the inside, and the thresholds. It will not be superfluous to order body waxing. Leave the car wash on a dry car, the body must be thoroughly dried. The temperature difference is fraught with the formation of microcracks on the paintwork.
Bodywork after washing
Another important point - if your car is stored in a warm garage, positive temperature accelerates all chemical reactions, including corrosion. Accordingly, the cleaner the body is, the more likely it is that you will winter without loss.
