Just another winter complaint

[wifpd4]

We are all sick of the snow and the cold, at least all of us not in California. This however was the topper, or rather low point, for me. I struggle to keep my own car clean in the winter and will admit to running it through a few touchless car washes when I'm to lazy to hand wash it at the shop.

Well I took the time to hand wash it a couple of weeks ago and had it looking pretty good and then drove it on a 150 mile trip in the usual trail of liquid brine they leave on interstate anymore. Parked in a familiar location, in a parking lot with other like minded winter weary, basketball enthusiasts, to enjoy a college game.

Game over, hop in car and drive home on now, snow and slush covered roads to complete a 300 mile trip in the dead of winter. The driving I don't mind, but all the **** on the roads the DOT uses to keep me safe turns my Obsidian Black car into a whitish-grey unrecognizable car from the throat of a snow monster.

Anyway, a couple of days later, I hand wash again to discover this "bruise" on the right rear fender of my 2012 mint condition, Lexus RX450h. I'm sure it will buff out.....not ! I have no clue when I acquired these too-deep-too-buff grooves. Heck these look like something I did backing into a wall, which rest assured I did not do. The grooves are cut into the plastic and fail the fingernail test as your whole finger gets drawn into these valleys cut into the plastic. At least you can see I usually keep it in good condition, you can see a five-gallon container of Super Soap in upper right corner of the reflection.

Daymn.....guess it's too late now, but I should have parked further from other cars.

[Scott's 62]

Re: Just another winter complaint

Its the car guys worst nightmare.

[davey g-force]

Re: Just another winter complaint

Feel for ya David, that's terrible.

Also, I don't know how anyone can be a car guy with a winter climate like yours. I would probably just store my car all winter and buy a beater as a winter car.

This forum has opened my eyes to the concept of having "winter wheels" too. We wouldn't know what those are down here!

[Eldorado2k]

Man oh man... Why do these things have to happen to the people who care the most? I feel for you brother.

[billddrummer]

Re: Just another winter complaint

Sorry to see that!

Man, it's a real shame to have something like that happen to your ride!

The idea of a 'winter beater' sounds good--except that here in the northern part of the Sierras, there hasn't been any winter this year.

When you work in the mountains and only chain up once the entire winter, that tells you that something is horribly amiss.

[BillE]

Re: Just another winter complaint

Sorry to see that David...the wife's car 'got it' last summer, but nothing that bad.

On a much brighter side...the weather DOES look promising up here.

Bill

[exploreco]

Re: Just another winter complaint

Bummer dude, that does look like someone clipped you somehow. Looks like it is confined to the bumper cover though, which is good.

[Don]

Re: Just another winter complaint

That's not just a winter complaint, that's year 'round. No matter how much you try, there will always be people who don't give a hoot about someone else's property. I've seen guys jump up and roll over the hood of a nice Trans Am, for no reason at all, people playing 'bumper cars' in parking lots because the don't know how to maneuver their own cars in a parking space, not to mention a couple of intentional "accidents."

[Michael Stoops]

Re: Just another winter complaint

Sorry to see this, David, but it could be a great learning experience and a way for you to expand your skill set. My niece asked me to look at her car late last year after she put it in contact with her garage wall. My first reaction was that this was going to be a body shop fix, but I would happily detail the rest of the car for her (it needed it badly!). To my shock, when I got in my garage and started working on it, things started looking way more promising than I ever imagined. When the DAMF system started making a noticeable improvement, I decided to add some 3000 grit sanding to the mix. That took care of most of the issue, but a few places required me to go a bit more aggressive and use 1500 grit. The 1500 was done by hand, the 3000 with a DA, and I followed the 1500 with 3000 in those areas that required it. Buff out was simple using a DA buffer with microfiber discs and M100. My niece was blown away, and I was pretty shocked myself!

Yes, your situation is a bit different since it's all on the urethane bumper cover, but really you've got nothing to lose. You can't really make this any worse, but you can make it better. Can you make it look the way you want it to? Honestly, that's doubtful, but so what? It gives you a chance to push the limits a bit. Hey, it needs to be sanded down and resprayed anyway, so why not take a couple hours and learn something with it?

My niece's car immediately following it's introduction to the garage wall.


After a lot of buffing, and a little wet sanding. I just wish I'd taken pictures along the way.


The only really visible damage that still exists is at that little point at the bottom of the quarter panel where it meets the door cut. But given the extant of the damage to start with, she'll gladly live with this.

[davey g-force]

Re: Just another winter complaint

What an amazing difference Mike!!

[Top Gear]

Re: Just another winter complaint

Oh, I do feel your pain, wifpd4. I've lived through several winters up North, but at those times I didn't keep a fully detailed car. I'd be horrified to try to keep my current ride at all clean through a slushy, salty, potholed winter, especially in a downtown setting with such small gaps in parallel parking.

So, I don't know what to suggest that you haven't tried. I do have weather issues where I am, mostly rain, tropical humidity, pollen, road grime, etc, and I generally try to avoid outright rain, such as getting somewhere before, or waiting for the rain to end and the roads to dry a bit before driving if I can. Sometimes it's just unavoidable, of course, and so I'll go to a spray wash soon after, mainly for the undercarriage. On trips, I'll do it during the trip, more than once, if necessary. Over time it's paid off, as my underside looks almost new, with no squeaky bushings or mounts (occasionally I'll coat the entire bottom of the car with tire foam, too).

As for parking, I just do not park near other people, especially big redneck trucks, suvs, or minivans where kids could pour out and lean against my car. I will take two, even four spots in rare cases, always diagonally, and I park well away from the bulk of the other cars so that I'm not affecting the lazy. If in a garage, I will not park straight in a regular space, but I keep going up, level after level, looking for corner spots or areas where I can park diagonally. If parallel parking in the burbs, where the spots are often very roomy, I still look for end spots so that I'm only vulnerable from one corner, and I'll pull up to give the other drivers more space. The only times I park "normally" are at car shows and racing events with the other owners/drivers

Still, this only minimizes the scuffs that can happen to a DD.

[wifpd4]

Re: Just another winter complaint

Been away from home and routine reading of MOL for awhile, so belated thanks to everyone for your positive comments.

Mr. Stoops, you've always suggested some challenges over the years, but this one....not sure I'm up for it. Can't really make it worse !!