Snow removal - without scratches?

[JimS_999]

95 degrees right now, what a time to be thinking about snow!!! Just got done doing my car & truck - came out fantastik - not a swirl or scratch. Here's the question:

I live in the NE USA in snow country and all my trucks/cars are daily drivers, I also don't have the luxury of having a garage to keep them in - I live in the country. Snow, or rather snow removal, is the cause of about 99% of the scratches that gets into the finish. I keep a good layer of #21 on all my vehicles so the snow comes of pretty easy but I still get scratches from the broom that I use to push the snow off, the more and deeper the snow the harder and more pressure required to remove it. Just the snow itself being pushed off causes scratches.

Question: I use a really soft push broom to get the snow off. Anyone know a better way to remove snow?

Not removing the snow and letting it come off as I go down the road is not an option, and waiting for it to melt off is also not an option.

[JG_Detailing]

You can alway's use this to remove snow from the car.

[JimS_999]

Hmmm.... Looks interesting.

Did you or anyone else here ever try it? Who sells them? These types of products will start showing-up soon.

[SiriusRIMZ]

Its difficult not to scratch your car if you remove snow. That being said let me explain Texas Detailing.

We have two seasons, Hot and Cool. There about 4 months out of the year where its good to detail, otherwise dont even think about it. I normally spend all of these months preparing for the hot or cold season. Normally around Mid-November, I'll do my last "Full Detail" on my Jeep, leaving it it several coats of a very durable wax (Two coats of #21, topped with #16). I'll basically shut it down for a couple months, when its too cold (by Texas Standards) to detail. I'll use a QD and maybe sneak in a quick wax sometime, but for the most part I dont bother removing swirls during the winter, its a losing battle.

On the other hand, during the Summer I cant wash my car because of water bans, so I'm forced to use QD out the wazoo. Again I can get a good clean finish so I have to live with the scratches. I'd reccomend have a good prep detail before winter. I'd say try to time it right before a cold snap, and if you ever get a break, QD and Spray Wax it.

[BeachDude]

Try water... but watch out for freezing.

Here in Canada... I find a soft snow brush (buy a new one often incase yours gets salt/sand embedded) works good.

But sometimes I just fill a bucket with warm water and pour it on the windows/doors. Only once did I have my door freeze shut... but a can of silicon spray fixed that. Someone also told me not to worry about the glass... aparently it can handle the temperature change and wont break.... so far... so good.

Water can't scratch your car...and it temporarly washes off salt/grime.

Unfortunatly - most times... your still either pushing snow or sweeping if off the old fashioned way.

[JimS_999]

Sounds like some good suggestions!!

I tried the water thing once and that was a mistake!! Water got onto the door seals, was able to open the door, then after work couldn't get back in - ***** looking like an idiot in front of all the people at work (especially since I am a boss, and should know better). I still hear about that one! LOL

My normal yearly procedure procedure is to wax really good in the fall then just hope for a mild winter. For snow removal I use the softest bristle push broom I can find (I have a special one on the side just for this). The soft bristles kinda leave a small layer of snow, minimizes scratches - plus the wood handle is strong & long and allows me to get at the roof of my truck easier. Never fails that I have scratches in the spring. Seems like the snow just sliding off when it melts scratches the paint. Maybe this can be minimized by trying to keep the body a little more free of dirt & salt????? Hard to keep any vehicle clean in the winter.

[SiriusRIMZ]

I would think Ice would be hard enough to scratch paint. I've come across some paints that I can scratch with my finger nail, or even with a cloth!

Just pray that it snows Quik Detailer

[DaGonz]

Originally posted by chevyman2001
You can alway's use this to remove snow from the car.

I live in Southern New England...where it can be 50 one day and below zero the next!

I have one and wouldn't use anything else!

I leave just a small amount of snow on the vehicle as to not risk scratching.. then I let Mother Nature do the rest!

do a Google search... it will give you a lot of snobrum dealers!

[chroma]

I agree with Gonzo. Just get the top layer of snow off and leave the rest on the car; less risk of scratching. It will eventually blow off by itself. Maybe you could get your leafblower out and blow it off that way! Haha!

[jmakado]

If the brush has to come in contact with the car, you could always try a Meguair's Body Brush.

[acsuppa]

I brush any painted parts of my truck with the hands (gloves) and leave behing a think layer. I use a snow brush only on the windows.

[Snowman]

I normally just use a brush on my windows so I can see out and then the rest of the snow I will just leave as is on the truck. Now if we get a lot of snow which does happen from time to time I will do as others have noted and just wipe away a decent amount with the brush, making sure that I am not going all the way down to the paint. That layer of snow which is left will either melt off from the heat of the engine or just blow off once I get up to speed. But I always leave about and inch of snow between my brush and the paint surface. I rarely ever wipe down the sides of my truck or the tailgate since it doesn't obstruct my vision or anything.

[pcfxer]

My friend worked at a car dealership and pouring warm water on a cold window is NOT a good idea. Half of it is luck, but the other have not so good. Generally though, I'd keep a bucket of "warm" water at 10C and this is typically fine. Anything above that is generally risky and as my friend can attest, not a good idea.