How to remove snow and dirt without damaging the bodywork: 3 non-obvious rules
Service technician Abramov explained how to remove snow and dirt without damaging the bodywork.
How to clean your car in winter without damaging the paint
Winter car maintenance presents unique challenges. How should you position your brush to avoid scratching the paint? What’s the safest way to clean delicate headlight covers? How can you remove chunks of ice from wheel wells without causing damage?
Even the most careful car owners inevitably create minor scratches during mechanical cleaning. However, you can minimize this damage using a few simple techniques.
Removing snow safely
When clearing snow from your vehicle, hold the brush bristles nearly parallel to the body panels. This approach reduces contact between the sharp bristle tips and your paint surface. Since these bristles are plastic, holding the brush perpendicular to the surface will inevitably cause fine scratches.
Similarly, avoid tapping frozen snow off the body with vertical strikes of the brush.
Cleaning wheel wells
The second tip concerns removing ice buildup from wheel arches when they’re heavily caked with frozen snow.
Fill a spray bottle with windshield washer fluid and apply it from the side. Try to direct the spray into the gap between the ice and the wheel well liner (the plastic panel inside the arch, also called a fender liner). Wait a moment, then attempt to knock off the ice with your brush. It will separate much more easily.
If your wheel well liners have a textured surface, work with extra care. Snow adheres much more stubbornly to textured materials than to smooth plastic.
Headlight care
For cleaning headlights, windshield washer fluid is also recommended. This solution is completely safe for plastic surfaces.
After applying the fluid, resist the urge to immediately scrub the headlight with a cloth or scraper. This approach risks scratching the plastic, which will definitely require polishing by season’s end. If the headlights are simply covered with snow, it will melt and run off on its own.
If dirt is present on the headlight, apply washer fluid generously to rinse away larger particles from the surface. Remove remaining grime with a soft microfiber cloth.
Post-cleaning maintenance
Minor damage will likely occur even with this careful cleaning approach. This shouldn’t cause concern, since the clear coat exists specifically to protect the color pigment underneath, and it polishes easily when needed.
When possible, visit a car wash to remove road chemicals from the body. Always request that they blow out the locks and treat rubber seals with silicone lubricant.
