Must Have Car Wash Products for a Busy Winter

Summer is a great time to get out and wash the car. People spend more time in their cars in summer, driving long distances for vacation or simply cruising around town to get ice cream. As the weather turns cold, though, you know the real test of a car wash is coming up. Winter car washing is a different kind of busy season. Cleaning the road salt and sand off freezing cold vehicles, so their drivers can stay safe and warm is the true test of your car washing business. As you know, now is the time to prepare for those tough washing days, and JBS Industries has the products you need.

Preparing Your Car Wash for Winter

Preparation is the key to any successful business. Although the car wash business can be unpredictable, you have to be ready for things like winter weather. Keeping your equipment running smoothly will help customers have a positive car wash experience and return often. Before the weather turns cold, test your winter systems to confirm they work properly. Turn on all the systems you use during cold weather, including your floor heat, boilers and water heaters. These systems should fire up quickly, even though the temperature is not yet below freezing. Testing means you have a chance to check your equipment and handle any potential problems before the weather gets cold. While it might not fun to work on broken equipment, it’s easier to do it when your fingers are not freezing to the pipes. Here’s a list of routine maintenance checks to do before the winter season begins:

• Review your control system, electronics and connections
• Inspect boilers and burners
• Check fluids
• Check valves for leaks
• Evaluate your gas and electric output/costs
• Make sure burners are clean and clear
• Pressure-test system
• Change glycol if needed
• Look for scale buildup in tubing and on heat exchangers
• Do a combustion analysis
• Check deicing system and set points
• Inspect all units and water heaters and test
• Confirm manifolds are functioning properly
• Check all piping and exhaust emissions
• Check efficiency of your zone pumps

If you find anything not working properly, now is the time to fix it. Also, use some of these inspections to help you anticipate where your next maintenance issue might be. Based on your findings, the age of your equipment and the manufacturers’ warranty, you can develop a schedule for ongoing maintenance and avoid frequent major repairs or the need to replacement of all your equipment. Having an inspection schedule lets you plan for large equipment purchases and upgrades. Checking your energy usage and costs will also help you with budget projections for your operation. You should focus on the most significant expenditures to find ways to save energy and money. If some of your equipment is no longer running as efficiently as it should, then upgrading those pieces will have the greatest positive impact on your longterm budget. Preparing for the winter season at your car wash also means performing building maintenance before the winter. You can't do this maintenance in the cold weather.

• Roof - Winter is not the time to be walking around on the roof. Before the weather turns cold and it begins to snow, get up on the roof to check for leaks or other poor conditions. Check the sealant around any penetrations in the roof. That is where a roof is likely to leak first. Also, any valleys in your roof are vulnerable to leaking. Now is the time to replace broken or missing shingles and clean out gutters and drainage areas.
• Painting - A car wash always looks better when the paint is fresh, and you cannot paint in the winter. Now is the time to touch up any painted areas that are dirty or marked. Paint will also help protect your building from the elements, water and ice.
• Lighting - Winter is the darkest season, so you want your lights to work well and shine brightly. Clean the lenses on your lights and be sure the bulbs are working at full capacity. Customers will be attracted to a well-lighted facility, and extra light will improve your security.
• Trough Insulation - Water and winter temperatures invite ice into places where you don't want it. If you had a hose break before, you need to replace the insulation around it as well. A new hose will freeze and break, too, if it is left partially exposed. Check the insulation on all your lines in the trough to be sure they won't freeze.

Preparing your car wash for winter may seem like a lot of work, but it will require more work if something breaks and needs repair during the cold winter months. Spending a little extra time now can help you avoid more costly repairs. A well-maintained car wash will attract more customers.

Car Wash Products for Winter

Winter can be brutal on cars, between ice and snow and the sand and salt used to keep roads safe. Keeping cars clean in the winter protects their value and performance. It also helps drivers stay safe in vehicles that operate correctly despite the conditions. Areas to focus on for winter car cleaning include:

• Wheels - Snow and ice caked on the wheels can promote decay of brakes and other parts that are critical for winter driving. Shiny rims are nice, but in the winter it is not about how they look but how they function. Clean, shiny wheels will shed the snow and ice easier than rims covered with brake dust build up. Washing the salt off wheels frequently in the winter will reveal less corrosion on rims in the spring.
• Tires - Tires are where the rubber meets the road, and the treads get filled up with snow and slush. Keeping those tires clean and protected can prevent blowouts that leave drivers standing on the side of the road in snowstorms. Tire cleaning and inspection is important in the winter. You want to have the right products on hand to help your customers maintain safe tire pressure and condition.
• Wipers - Even when it isn't snowing, the grimy, salting water from the roads can be hazardous for winter drivers. A high-quality windshield wiper rated for cold, wet weather can help your customers negotiate everyday driving conditions around town.
• Windshield - That thin piece of glass is all that protects drivers from the elements, including rocks and debris that get thrown up from the road. Winter driving conditions require extra protection because snow and ice can find their way up to the windshield very easily. When the snowplow goes by and swamps your car, you never know what frozen objects are inside that wave of dirty snow.

Bringing your customer’s attention to the details of winter car washing can help you build trust and repeat business. Pay attention to these details as the cars go through your wash, and let the drivers know how they can better protect their cars in winter conditions. Help drivers stay safe this winter, so they keep coming back for car washes.

Winter Car Care

Preparing a car for winter is the best use of your time in the fall. With the right preparation, you can avoid unpleasant winter episodes. Here are some tips to help you prepare:

• Engine Fluids - Extreme temperatures test the fluids in your engine that are needed to keep it running right. Anti-freeze is especially important during the winter months. The right balance of coolant to water can mean the difference between starting on a cold morning or needing to call for roadside assistance. It is a good idea to have all the engine fluids checked and the hoses checked for leaks before the winter weather begins.
• Battery - A weak battery may leave you stranded on a cold night. You should test the battery before the winter season begins. If it is weak, get it replaced. Winter is not the time of year to limp along with a battery that could die on you any day. Standing out on the side of the road with jumper cables is far more dangerous and unpleasant in a snowstorm than it is in July.
• Heat - The climate control system you used to cool your car all summer may not be ready for winter heating. Rather than determine this on the first cold day of the year, get it checked out in the fall. Driving around in the cold without heat can be unpleasant, but it is dangerous to drive without a working defrost system. The heating system also keeps windows from fogging up, while the defrost will eliminate ice build up on your windshield. You should have a professional service these systems before cold weather comes.
• Tire Pressure - Monitoring your tire pressure can alert you to a leak before it becomes a flat tire. Cold air shrinks, so in the winter, your tires may naturally lose pressure. Tires can lose up to one pound per square inch for every ten degree drop in temperature. If you are not diligent with checking tire pressure, you could be rolling on flat tires before you know it.
• Lighting - Winter is the darkest season of the year, and when you consider cloud-cover during snow storms you can understand why car lighting is so important. It may not be enough to know that all of your car’s lights are working. Check to see that each one is giving off maximum light. If the lenses are dirty or clouded, replace them to maintain the safest driving conditions possible.
• Washer Fluid - Keeping your washer fluid full can be a constant battle in the winter. Wet weather means you use more washer fluid, even on short drives, especially in highway traffic. The most inconvenient and potentially dangerous condition you can encounter is frozen washer fluid. The washer is no good to you unless it is fluid. For this reason, you need to use a washer fluid rated for cold weather that will not freeze. Never mix anti-freeze with washer fluid. It will not freeze, but it will leave oily streaks all over your windshield.
• Fuel Tank - There are steps you can take to prepare your gas tank for cold weather. Fuel in your car heats up when the engine is running and then cools when it sits idle overnight. The constant heating and cooling cause condensation to for inside your tank, and this water can freeze in your gas lines and promote corrosion in your fuel tank. Use a gas treatment to clean out any water that accumulated in your gas tank over the summer. During the winter months, try to keep your gas tank full, especially when the night temperatures get low. A full tank has no room for condensation and is less likely to take on water.

You can help your customers prepare their cars for winter by stocking gas treatment, windshield washer fluid and good quality wiper blades. Interior car cleaning needs might include rubber floor mats to protect carpeting from salt and sand and contain the water that melts off of snowy shoes.

Best Car Wash Chemicals for Winter

There are two main areas to focus on for winter car washing: Road salt and temperature. Getting the salt off the car is your customers’ main concern. The longer they drive around with that white, chalky film on the car, the more damage it does. If your customers are not aware of the dangers of road salt, you should educate them. In the winter, your customers are looking to you to solve their road salt problems. The salt dissolves in water and travels everywhere. Then, when the water evaporates, it leaves that messy salt stuck on every surface of the car. Road salt is not easy to remove, so you want to be prepared with the best car wash chemicals to do the job.

1) How Can Salt Assault Help You?

One of the best products for combatting road salt at your car wash is Salt Assault. This specialty car wash chemical powers through salt and debris, leaving a shiny clean finish. Salt Assault will protect car against future damage from road salt and the other corrosive substances you find on the roads. For winter car washing, Salt Assault will help your car wash stand out. Its superior cleaning power for caked on salt and road grime keep your customers coming back. Repeat customers know how to take care of their car in the winter, and they are good for your business.

2) Winter Glow Foam Polish

It isn’t easy finding good car wash products that perform in the coldest temperatures. Winter Glow tri-foam will not let you down, even when the temperature dips below zero. This gloss-enhancing polish will put an extra shine on the cars before they exit the wash bay. A shiny finish looks good during the winter months and it can keep salt and dirt from sticking to the car. Your repeat customers will notice the difference between washes and keep coming back for more. Winter Glow Foam Polish comes in three bright colors to add some fun to the car wash experience. A colorful wash can combat the doldrums of the dark, gray winter season.

3) How Can Wheel Kleen Help You?

Most drivers want their wheels to shine, but during the winter they’d settle for keeping the road salt from corroding them. You cannot avoid getting road grime on your rims in winter. They roll through piles of snow and slush and get splashed from all angles in highway traffic. The only solution is to get the car washed frequently and hope they do a thorough job on the wheels. Regardless of the special rims' material, Wheel Kleen can get them clean fast. Aluminum rims are not a problem for Wheel Kleen, and neither are magnesium wheels and almost all rims on late-model cars. Brake dust buildup is safely removed, along with carbon and oxide films. Help your customers keep their wheels in good shape all winter long with Wheel Kleen.

Prepare Your Car for Winter

To learn more about the best car wash chemicals for winter, contact JBS Industries. We supply all of your car wash needs, including products designed to clean your self-wash bays and help you keep your car wash running smoothly. Winter is the most popular season for car washes. Get stocked on the best products and be ready for your best season ever.

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