Prepare car for winter as a car enthusiast

Every year winter hits us unexpectedly, but as responsible and car-loving owners, we should prepare cars for winter on time. It’s the beginning of January when I’m writing this article, so you can say it’s too late to make any preparations, and you can leave it for the next season. It’s not true. Even if you were busy or lazy to get your car ready before winter, you make it easier for your vehicle to stand cold weather following my checklist even in January.

I will not explain in this article obvious things. Like maintaining your car and checking your wiper blades before cold weather. I want to concentrate more on protecting your car paint and plastic trim from hard and cold conditions and aggressive chemicals from the roads during winter time. As well

Winter Checklist for petrolheads

Make a proper 2-step wash of your car. It includes Car Pre Wash and two bucket wash method.
You should deep clean your car to prepare it for wax application. It will not let old stains and irons get deep into your car paint. We have an easy step-by-step guide to make a deep cleaning prep of car paint for you.
Apply wax or sealant coating on your car to protect car paint from minor scratches and aggressive chemicals from the road. For the winter season, the best option will be synthetic car waxes. We created for you a quick guide on how to apply waxes.
Apply silicon on doors and trunk seals. It will repel water from the seals, and when it gets really cold, the doors will not freeze to the car body, so you will open them without tearing off your seals.
Apply trim detailer or, in the worst-case scenario, a tire gel on outer rubbers and plastics. It will help to avoid ruining rubbers and changing the color of unpainted plastic trim.
Our wheels receive the most dirt, reagents, or salt from winter roads. So it will be a good idea to make a deep clean of your wheels and tires with brushes and wheel chemicals.
Apply coatings on your tires (tire gels) and rims. For rims you can use the same wax as for car paint or apply specialized coatings for rims.
Use the best water repellent for windshield. During the winter season, you will face a lot of different weather conditions, and it’s crucial to have a clear view from your car. Additionally, it will be much easier to clean your glass or windshield with the best auto glass cleaner if it gets covered with ice.
Faded headlights will decrease your visibility on the road, which is dangerous as winter has less daylight. To fix it, use our headlight restoration guide!

Weekly routine with your car during winter

Preparing a car for winter is just the beginning of your winter season car care. There are small tips you should be aware of:

When removing snow with a brush, don’t touch the paint, it will leave minor scratches and swirls on the car paint, and if you scratch your car’s paint with the brush too often and too emotionally, in springtime, you will be surprised to see how bad your car paint in direct sunlight.
Wash your car more often than in the summertime. It mainly depends on the type of weather conditions you have in your place of living, but if you have a lot of snow and you know that road services sprinkle reagents or salt to melt snow, you should wash your car at least two times per week. These chemicals are dangerous for your car and cause rust and damage to the paintwork!
If you have low temperatures outside and keeping your car in a warm garage, it’s better to keep it outside. If you will take your car every day from a warm place to a cold street and then from cold to warm, it can cause micro-cracks on the paint varnish.