Winters in Upstate New York can be pretty brutal on cars. Road salts are a very common thing used to make driving safe from slippery, icy and snowy conditions. However they also help accelerate oxidation on areas of your car as well as generally make your car a mess inside and out.
Here are a list of ways you can protect your vehicle preparing for the winter months:
1) Get your car really clean BEFORE winter
You really want to idenify any issues you may face during the colder months early, such as exposed metal from rock chips or dirt build up on carpets that is going to get ground in with water and salts (which will set staining into the fabric).
So getting your car detailed before winter is a great way to get a lay of the land so to speak, and really get a nice clean slate. Plus you'll feel far more motivated to keep up on the 5-10 minute cleaning tasks of keeping up on the car during the colder days if its already nice and clean.
2) Get Fabric Treatments done
Water and stain repelling coatings for your fabrics, leathers and other surfaces that are bound to get wet is going to make it much easier to clean up the tracked in snow into your car.
3) Ceramic Coat the exterior surfaces and paint of your car
Ceramic coatings are going to make cleanup much easier during the winter months when time is short to get the car washed up on those infrequently warmer days. It's also going to provide a barrier of protection against the harsh elements. We recommend in the Adirondacks our Level 3 Coating Package for the highest levels of chemical resistance against the road salts, but even an affordable annual treatment is going to give you added repellency and protection.
4) Keep up on Maintenance Details thru the winter
Keeping things clean as possible either by yourself or with the help of a detailer is going to address issues from salts, dirt and anything getting tracked in or sticking to the paint before it becomes too late.
Following these steps should help you keep ahead of the mess during the winter months on your car, and prevent a high detailing bill in the spring from several months of neglect.
