The 3 keys to a vehicle surviving winter

What are the 3 keys to a vehicle surviving winter? With winter coming up in Europe and North America, now is the time to start preparing vehicles to survive even the roughest of winters. This is our guide filled with expert tips and tricks on how to prepare, protect, and maintain any vehicle through the rough winter weather.

Not only we will give a list of tips, but we will also list out the products that offer the best protection against winter environments and elements. 

What is the best way to do so?

This is a three-part process that is as simple as preparation, protection, and maintenance. We can’t stress enough that all three steps are equally as important. 

 

Preparation

What we see when out on the roads in winter is a heavier concentration of contaminants that cause physical damage i.e ice, salt, and road grime. All make cleaning just a little bit harder as these elements often lead to scratches, especially for sensitive surfaces such as the paintwork, wheels, and gloss plastics that haven’t been protected effectively. This doesn’t just affect the looks and general aesthetic of the vehicle, it can also have a dangerous impact on vision and safety. 

So what can we do to prepare? The first step is to keep out with maintenance specifically cleaning, once the vehicle is cleaned, it’s ready for the next step: protection. 

For cleaning, we recommend this wash process which is simple and effective. 

Firstly, wash down the exterior with a hose to remove contaminants that are currently clinging to the surface. Make sure to get into the panel gaps because whatever is built up here could be transferred back to the paintwork later. 

Then follow this blog article for an effective exterior cleanse. 

 

Paint preparation and correction 

This is an essential step in the process that ensures that none of the scratches nor damage that may be on the surface, is removed prior to applying a protective layer, or product such as a ceramic coating. 

Then follow this blog article to remove scratches and polish the exterior.

 

Protection

Here at ONYX COATING, as experts, we strongly recommend applying a wax or ceramic coating to prevent grime from becoming ingrained and causing damage. This also makes future maintenance only that much easier. 

 

Maintenance 

The very last piece of our puzzle is maintenance. Cleaning frequently is key, but it’s how well the vehicle is protected and with what products that will make maintenance easy for you and your clients. Having a frequent cleaning regime helps keep contaminants off the surface and therefore prevents the potential degrading of the layer of protection. 

Once the damaging grime is removed, if need be you can add an extra layer of protection for even more durability. If there is any season where this is needed the most, it’s without a doubt, winter!

 

An extra step! 

Add an extra layer of gloss with the ONYX COATING Gloss Enhancer, to further boost your paintwork protection, and even give a slicker, glossier finish. This product is the perfect addition to any quick detailing kit which is capable of eliminating watermarks, and fingerprints and giving the exterior the enhancement it needs. 

 

Some key questions answered by our experts!

It’s cold out! When is the best time to wash? 

When it comes to washing, you should always wash it during the hottest time of the day, but not in direct sunlight. Using warm water in your bucket can assist with this as well. 

 

What about the engine?

Again, salt is a number one enemy when it comes to permanent damage. Salt degrades rubber, causes premature metal oxidization, and leads to plastic fading. This is exactly why we suggest that it’s cleaned thoroughly and protected, especially for those who drive daily. 

This can be done with a pressure washer because most electrical systems are protected with plastic covers, however, we suggest that you can an eye out for exposed electric and air filters, and never spray directly onto components like alternators.

 

What about the wheels?

We recommend reading this blog article to give a deep clean to the wheels– salt tends to build up here as well.

 

What products do you recommend?

At ONYX COATING we believe that the best type of protection is ceramic coatings. Not only do they effectively protect the exterior, but their long durability makes sure that it’s protected for the long run. 

Waxes can work well however if you want to use your vehicle during the bad weather, ceramic coatings are the best option.

 

What is it specifically about ceramic coatings that make them the best protective product?

They chemically bond to the paintwork, forming a hard layer of protection that makes them so resilient to chemicals and really can only be removed via abrasion. This is exactly why we recommend them for everyday drivers and cars that are exposed often to damaging environments and contaminants. 

They are also made from silica, also known as silicon dioxide (Si02) which is the main ingredient in glass. This just goes to show how strong the protection is. Because of its hydrophobic properties and because of how it smooths out any surface that it is applied to, nothing clings to the surface. Most grime and water slip away or sit on the top layer making it super easier to remove.

For more information about our Ceramic Coating’s, click here.

If you need even more detail on what ceramic coatings do, and how they work check out this article.

 

What about glass surfaces?

Not only does salt impact glass surfaces, but the rain that turns into ice can also leave marks behind on the glass when removed incorrectly and when these surfaces haven’t been protected. This is why we strongly suggest getting a glass protectant such as an AF Plus Glass Coating as it not only protects against damage but also helps with vision during winter.

With winter comes lots of rain, glass protectants create a smooth, hydrophobic layer, which means rain bead and roll off extremely fast leaving no marks behind. 

We hope that this will help you or your clients get your vehicle up and running, and protected against the rough winter conditions. 

 

If you have any questions or just want to know more, feel free to reach out to us at [email protected]