In a month or so, I'm gonna be moving my car from the confines of my parents' garage in their Florida home to a parking lot behind a fraternity house in Michigan. I have no experience with maintaining a car that is kept outside in cold weather so if you have some advice or suggestions I would appreciate them.

And no I can't find a parking garage or anything like that so don't bother with those kind of suggestions. Car will be outside. In cold weather. Only option. Thanks.

 

if you are talking about exterior paint care, use the Meguiars Polymer Sealant wax(yellow bottle #20) to wax your car before the winter hit. It provide a longer protection.

 

1. Buy a set of steel rims and mount real snow tires on them. At the first snow of the year, take your car out to an empty parking lot and learn how it handles in the snow. All-season tires may also work well, but if you're not used to driving in it, winter tires are a good investment.

2. Wax the car with real Carnauba-based wax. I recommend a paste-based wax. Mother's and Meguair's are the best brands. Stay away from gimicky brands like Zymol, Turtle Wax, Eagle One & NuFinish. Do this at the beginning and end of the winter season. Be sure to use a clay-bar prior to waxing at the end of the winter season to get the contaminants out of your paint.

3. Most DOTs use salt as their primary weapon against ice as well as other paint-unfriendly chemicals. After a snow-storm, wait for the roads to dry and then wash your car. Remember to get the undercarriage, where rust will have a tendency to form first. Remember salt is corrosive...

4. Another factor is the dramatic changes in temperature that your car has never experienced before. I recommend flushing and filling your radiator. Also, it's especially important to use a protectant like Armor-All on all of your rubber and plastic surfaces (interior and exterior). Check your belts and hoses more often, and be sure to use a lower-weight oil in the winter months (5w-30 is recommended for the 6th-gen Accord, that should be OK year-round).

5. Dry-gas. You may have never needed to use a stabilizer like this in your car before. But, if you're dealing with sub-zero temperatures, be sure to dump a bottle of this in your tank periodically throughout the winter months. If you fill your tank at half-a-tank everytime, it will stay in your car's fuel system and keep your car starting quickly even in the coldest temps.

This may sound a little extreme to some of you, but Michigan winters are pretty tough, more so than Pennsylvania winters (what I'm used to dealing with). Following these steps has kept all of my cars running and looking great - well into the 6-figure mileage ranges.

 

One more thing, keep in mind that tall-walled tires do better in snow than anything else. Make sure your winter tires are at least in the 60-series range. Low-profile rubber on a set of 17" wheels look and handle great in the summer, but you may as well park your car all winter, even if you've got all-season tires.

 

Basically he has said it. One thing my friend found out the hard was is that rims 17 sucks in the winter so when is starts to get cold he slaps his regulat tires on with snow tires.

 

. Remember to get the undercarriage

HOW

 

:nono: mother's and meguiars are NOT the BEST brands. yes they are the best brands that are readily availible to the average jow, but they are, by far not the best wax you can buy

 

"mother's and meguiars are NOT the BEST brands. yes they are the best brands that are readily availible to the average jow, but they are, by far not the best wax you can buy"

Yeah, but they're about the best your average Joe (like myself) is gonna find at a Pep Boys. Also, most body shops I know of use Meguair products, but then, they have different lines for retailers
than for shops too.

". Remember to get the undercarriage

HOW "

Go into a self-operated car wash, get on your hands and knees and spray the undersides of the car, paying special attention to the wheel wells.

 

here's what I do. Spend a full day doing a kick ass wax job before winter really kicks in, it'll last for most of the winter.

And spend some money at the automatic car washes that are brushless. 90% of them will spray the undercarriage as well.

Every now and then winter breaks in michigan just warm enough to go out and hand wash the car again.

Not much too it really.

 

hey, so next time you post telling someone they are wrong, how bout telling them what is right???