Sometimes people in the south forget where they're living

[Sigarms]

My one son had to work a double shift yesterday. Since he's off from school, he's putting in all the hours he can to make extra money, one shift at his first job a grocery store, second shift at his second job, a car wash, normally he just splits the jobs one shift / one day while going to high school.

I had to work myself, so thought I'd stop by to see him in the afternoon as I've never seen him work there before. Due to holiday traffic I noticed on the way to a work related Christmas party, I passed on the visit because I forgot about all the people who shop right up to Christmas LOL.

I texted him that I was going to surprise him and visit him and work, but due to traffic wouldn't and then added "Normally I wouldn't be washing my car in freezing temperatures two days before Christmas, but I thought I'd ask you how to put my car in neutral" (my son jokes that a lot of people don't know how to put their car in neutral as it's required when it gets "pulled" through the car wash).

He informed me that they actually closed the car wash early because too many customers were complaining it was too cold and the water (car after getting washed) was freezing up on their cars.

I've lived in the south for too long. I don't think I was dumb enough to wash my car in the winterup north, but if I did, I would expect my car to get iced over if I put water on it.

Son is working today, but pretty sure it's the grocery store. 7F outside right now with a high of 15F.

 

[Hay Dude]

4* here.
I’ve never seen it this cold here this early in winter.
Normally it would be low of about 30-35 high of about 45-50.

It’s like we are going into an ice age or global cooling.

 

[jaxs]

I don't think people coming in for a wash are near as dumb as the manager was for opening the car wash during freezing weather. As for your boy and I expect he will go places in life.

 

[LouNY]

We have lots of car washes that are open and working in freezing weather.
Most of them have air blowers that get most of the water off your vehicle. Myself,
I always clean and lube all the door seals with a good silicon lube which keeps them from freezing shut.
Of course I have a 30-45 minute drive to get home after the car wash so that everything gets a good
chance to dry off.

 

[Sigarms]

I don't think people coming in for a wash are near as dumb as the manager was for opening the car wash during freezing weather.

Yes, I thought about that as well.

Asked my wife this morning if he's working the grocery store. She said no, the car wash. I told her well at least he''ll be able to go to church with us today because we're supposed to have a high in the 20's this afternoon.

 

[Sigarms]

We have lots of car washes that are open and working in freezing weather.

I'm cheap. I use the quarter machine "do it yourself" car wash as it's WAY cheaper than way. You just got to do it yourself

Lets just say heat pumps are not as predominant up north as they are down south for a reason.

 

[LouNY]

I actually use the car wash more often in the winter then in the summer, my vehicles are often dirty and dusty
from the conditions that they are used in field and dirt roads. So they get dirty fast and muddy when it rains.
But, in the winter so much salt and calcium chloride is used as ice melters so people can drive just like it was summer
on clean dry roads that our vehicles get covered in salty slush and the good car washs have an under carriage washs
which helps to slow down the rusting and corrosion, which will render a vehicle unusable quickly.
.

 

[jaxs]

We have lots of car washes that are open and working in freezing weather.
Most of them have air blowers that get most of the water off your vehicle. Myself,
I always clean and lube all the door seals with a good silicon lube which keeps them from freezing shut.
Of course I have a 30-45 minute drive to get home after the car wash so that everything gets a good
chance to dry off.

How do they prevent driveways icing from overspray?

 

[LouNY]

They are mostly enclosed in a tunnel type structure, the roadways still do accumulate some ice.

 

[Thomas]

Good to read there still some youngsters have get up and go like your son.

Our local car wash had some pretty good accidents over the years,water from vehicles hit cold road ice up after while someone thinks they have enough time before other vehicle approaching pulls out and starts spinning...yup CRASH.

 

[Hay Dude]

They are mostly enclosed in a tunnel type structure, the roadways still do accumulate some ice.

Lou, how far are you from Waverly, NY?

 

[stumblinhorse]

I had a similar situation stopping at the local store with a fuel station attached last week. It was -10*F and a person that was driving thru asked if the car wash was open…. The attendant and I both chuckled and he said that he was sorry but no it wasn’t open…

 

[Sigarms]

I actually use the car wash more often in the winter then in the summer, my vehicles are often dirty and dusty
from the conditions that they are used in field and dirt roads. So they get dirty fast and muddy when it rains.
But, in the winter so much salt and calcium chloride is used as ice melters so people can drive just like it was summer
on clean dry roads that our vehicles get covered in salty slush and the good car washs have an under carriage washs
which helps to slow down the rusting and corrosion, which will render a vehicle unusable quickly.

You bring up a point why used southern cars are a better buy than northern bought cars LOL

Honestly, I remember all the crud on the car in winter, but perhaps I'm wrong in that there would be some days during winter that would actually hit over freezing temps (I'm thinking that's when I hit the car wash)

I'll need to ask my son why kind of heat they have at the car wash inside the washing area.

That said, I do remember doing some snow melt jobs with radiant heating outside in the driveway up North (generally using a boiler), but in the last 20 plus years living in NC, NO ONE is looking at spending money for outside radiant heating heating is drive/walk ways. Point being, depending on where you own the car wash in the US, it may or may not be financially worthwhile to spend the money on for heat for short winter months where the norm is not "very cold" compared to up north.

Son got up and talked with him. Text this morning from the manager they are closed today. I asked my son about the heating. They have one small area that is heated and I asked him what it looked like, but he said they are not allowed in that area so he doesn't know.

Reality is if car is being washed inside, the COMPLETE area where any water is used needs to heated over freezing temps. I'm guessing it's not worth the money vs having to close for the times where it's that cold.

 

[Sigarms]

Good to read there still some youngsters have get up and go like your son.

He's a good kid, and because of it, my wife and I agreed we would allow him to make a mistake even if we told him other wise.

He saved enough in high school to buy a decent Mercedes for the price all on his own and having a good amount of cash left over.

The issue is a good Mercedes mechanic isn't cheap (and neither are parts), and he's already told me he wouldn't buy another Mercedes again (at my fathers funeral, he was checking out my cousins new M series BMW and told me after looking at the engine he would never buy one himself). He's working doubles when he has time off from school to pay his bill LOL.

He's still a kid and has to learn, but we think he's on the right track. He was so excited when he installed these lights on his own I didn't have the heart to tell him exactly what I thought LOL (his grandmother bought him these for Christmas per his request and they were only like $60 for all 4 doors)....

I figure the car he bought now will give him stories and lessons he'll remember the rest of his life (hopefully LOL). I still remember my 2 door Cutlass Salon with 8 track player that had two doors that must have weighed 2000lbs each when you were parked going up a hill LOL)

 

[LouNY]

Lou, how far are you from Waverly, NY?

A couple of hundred miles by road, considerably North and East of Waverly.
I'm between Saratoga Springs NY and Bennington Vt.

 

[/pine]

This was not a typical winter (cold front) storm...a break in the upper atmosphere allowed the arctic air to slip down...

What is going to be rarer than hens teeth (in the south) come Monday is going to be plumbing repair parts etc...!

 

[Oaktree]

We have lots of car washes that are open and working in freezing weather.
Most of them have air blowers that get most of the water off your vehicle. Myself,
I always clean and lube all the door seals with a good silicon lube which keeps them from freezing shut.
Of course I have a 30-45 minute drive to get home after the car wash so that everything gets a good
chance to dry off.

Lot of chance to get dirty again unless the roads are dry.

I didn't realize that car washes still had people working there, any I've seen in the last 10-15 years have been totally automated...pay with a CC and drive thru. There's usually a phone # to call if there are problems.

Curiously, what do you use to lube the door weatherstripping so they don't freeze? Nothing I've ever tried worked.

You bring up a point why used southern cars are a better buy than northern bought cars LOL

Southern cars have always sold for a premium here for that very reason. There are car lots that specialize in them...they'll send a carrier to an auction down south and come back with a load.
Of course, they may or may not be in any better mechanical condition, but at least they're not usually rusted out. You've just got to beware after a flood or hurricane that you don't get something that got wet.

 

[GeneV]

"Washing" the car? Like isn't that what rain is for? That's my usual response to my wife when she says the car needs a wash. That's when I get the side eye as she takes it to the touch-free place.

 

[seville009]

Also have the scenario where it’s below zero and the wind is whipping and you’re trying to get gas and answer all the questions on the gas pump screen, including what type of car wash you would like to buy today…

And then, once you made it through all of the questions and are pumping gas, you have to listen to Maria Menudos (or whatever her name is) give idiotic tips blaring out the pump speakers…..

 

[Jstpssng]

(my son jokes that a lot of people don't know how to put their car in neutral as it's required when it gets "pulled" through the car wash).

That was me. The one I usually go to, you drive in, park and shut the engine off. I didn't know that this one was on the conveyor until the attendant started screaming at me. There were no signs anywhere, I paid my money and followed the line of cars so had no idea.

Also have the scenario where it’s below zero and the wind is whipping and you’re trying to get gas and answer all the questions on the gas pump screen, including what type of car wash you would like to buy today…

And then, once you made it through all of the questions and are pumping gas, you have to listen to Maria Menudos (or whatever her name is) give idiotic tips blaring out the pump speakers…..

The place I normally go to is like that, but won't try to sell you a car wash when it is closed. It is a convenient way to get the excess dirt off my company truck but they don't really get it very clean.

Most places with the ads here have a "mute" button; usually the second button down on the right side. If they don't allow it I don't go back. One chain has done away with the commercials or whatever they were. They must have gotten the hint since so many of the mute buttons were worn out from being pushed so many times.