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Figured this would be a good post of how to detail a vehicle for protection against winter conditions with road salt and grime. The link below would basically be how I would do it so I won't go into that level of detail here as it covers basically all aspects of winter auto detailing. There are a million ways to detail a car but below is going to cover the main equipment I purchased to do that.
To do the vehicle washing I purchased the portable Ryobi 18V 600 psi 0.7 gpm pressure washer ($199 from Home Depot) and I'm using a 5 gallon water container I had laying around but these also can be ordered from McMaster or Home Depot. They also have another online version only for the same $199 and it comes with an additional $100 worth of attachments but it's online order only so it might be worth the wait to order it. Bang for buck I couldn't find a better deal but I was in a hurry so I purchased the version they had in the store. There are other portable washers but the flow rates are up near 1.0-1.3 gpm and that doesn't allow a lot of time/control with a limited water supply as this version can be run at 0.2, 0.5, or 0.7 gpm it gives a lot of options. The reason for this portable unit is so that I can bring this with me to work to get the salt off quickly as I'm in an enclosed parking garage. The water tank stays in the heated cabin with the long ~15ft hose though I've also seen a portable immersion heater I could also hang in the tank to keep the water at temp when the air is slightly below 32*F. The gun has (3) pressure/flow settings (0.2, 0.5, 0.7 gpm) and typically the #2 pressure setting & 0.5 gpm flow is good for about 10min of washing on a 5 gallon tank and the battery pack is probably good for about 20min @ 100% duty cycle. I found the 0.5 gpm flow setting ideal for taking your time but the 0.7 gpm and 600 psi really speeds up the cleaning process if needed and I wasn't wanting/needing more than that for washing a vehicle. Picked up an additional (2) pack of 18V/4 amp hour batteries for $79.99 in addition to the (1) that comes with the unit though I can finish a wash on (1) battery pack no issues. The additional foam cannon attachment ($32) works halfway decently if you put enough detergent in and the venturi is user adjustable for ratio control. For a portable unit this works plenty good enough and the water usage is minimal while foaming. To wash the entire vehicle including the under-carriage it takes about 5 gallons water usage though I'd recommend another (3) additional gallons and I have another couple of gallon containers handy as well for this purpose. Works just like it's hooked up to a water spigot once it's all setup correctly as I discuss below.
This pressure washer also has hose attachments for a spigot/faucet, 2 liter bottle attachment, & the water tank hose & suction filter/pickup. The water container I have the opening isn't big enough for the supplied Ryobi sump filter/weight (~2.3in dia) so I had to remove the big suction filter and attach a piece of copper tube as the suction pickup tube and this works great to keep suction strong until the last drop of water in the container. I had a lot of problems sucking air from the tank and that copper pipe keeps the hose weighted down and near the bottom of the tank. The bucket could have been used with the supplied suction filter/pickup but it's really for carrying the pressure gun and attachments around like a storage caddy though a bucket is an option keeping an enclosed tank slows the water from freezing. I've seen some guys use portable 5 gallon Igloo containers as well and probably even better as it's insulated and might work better in the winter. Made the huge mistake of using another container that had algae growth in the bottom and this clogged the mini filter in the gun handle hose connection port. Neither of the stainless mesh suction filters will prevent this algea growth from entering the pressure gun anyway. At that point it got past the internal mini mesh filter on the gun suction port and inside the pump head so I had to rebuild the pump head and internal check valves as they were clogged up with an oily biomass and insanely difficult to clean. Next time I might try running some diluted Simple Green (purple/industrial) thru the tank and this would probably do a good job internally cleaning the gun as it's safe on metal & plastics. Rebuilding that Ryobi gun was tricky and really easy to messup putting it back together.
So if you buy one of these inspect the mini-filter inside the aluminum threaded hose fitting and check it on every wash. Often times people will just return the pressure gun back to the store because of this when it stops drawing water and it's easily corrected. I've seen people using these by dropping the suction hose in a lake, pool, or whatever and yeah that isn't going to work so well. Typically I'm using chlorinated tap water and then I drain the tank afterwards to keep them clean but if you want to use DI water go for it if you have an RO rig setup that would be the ultimate way to go. The pump head will also overheat and get damaged if air is drawn for too long so if it doesn't pull water in 10-15s or less then there is a blockage or air/vac leak in the hose or suction line is drawing air in the tank pickup and needs to be corrected. Usually running the pressure washer at ground level for the initial water draw will prime it quicker and then it can be elevated for use. Finally, before putting the gun away I will run it a few seconds dry but I think a pressurized air blast is better and less wear on the gun.
Anyway, the 600 psi is more than plenty with the turbo adapter tip selected which also has a Rinse head option & 15* fan spray option that can be rotated on the same spray head. I also bought a 42" wand and (3) additional spary adapters 0*, 25*, & 40*. Then I cut the end off the wand and used a 10mm copper 90* fitting and Loctite 620 bearing retainer compound & Loctite SF 7649 primer to bond the parts together. The Loctite primer allows full part strength in 3-6 hours vs. the standard 72 hour full cure time and also greatly boosts the joint strength for non-reactive material surfaces (i.e. aluminum) by about 200%. Both cost me about $50 but where strength and reliability are needed it's the best option when welding/brazing can't be tolerated. I bought these compounds for the transmission rebuild so I'm testing them here. Good for 450*F and about 3500 psi joint strength. I had to run the pressure washer for 30 seconds to purge the excess joint compound out the tip of the gun as the anaerobic joint compound stays liquid outside of the joint interface but this does the trick nicely. I taped it up to protect the joint from abrasion but a nice self sealing silicon tape would work great as well.
This setup allows me to stick the wand under the car and wash the rear suspension and entire underside. Probably the wand with a 40* spray attachment and simply manually rotated/clocked correctly would also work but this custom modification really hits all those hard to reach areas. Also useful for getting in behind the wheels and suspension from the backside while under the car. The video link shows the wheels getting removed and I'm not personally going to be doing this every time salt is laid down on the road as I don't have the time for that. I'll typically run the car thru a carwash with undercarriage spray option anyway and then follow up with my setup as needed if the salt isn't too bad. Were I to do this again I'd use a 45* copper fitting instead of the 90* as it's easier to clear under the vehicle and work the tip around using a 40* spray tip attachment. The main advantage is having that 42" of wand length to hit every spot under the car if used with the correct tip, that seems to be the biggest help so they are available for $29 at Home Depot and worth it. I then follow up with the standard straight pressure washer wand but this makes quick work of the under-carriage which is the main goal.
Regarding washing a vehicle below 32*F, this is tricky. I initially bought -20*F Winshield washer fluid as it contains Methyl Alcohol in about 30-40% ratio to water and costs about $2.97 per gallon. Diluting the tank water with a 50/50 mix I could get protection down to about 5-7*F without the tank water freezing. Not really recommended running alcohol in the Ryobi pressure gun and also not totally sure how paint would like a 15% alcohol/water mix. Since I have the tank in the vehicle the water stays warm long enough during a 10-15 min wash and is moving at a high enough flow rate that it won't typically freeze if the temps are reasonable this is almost a non-issue but worth considering. I mention the immersion heater option and it's specifically designed for keeping water tanks liquid in Arctic conditions special precaution would be needed with a plastic tank. Generally I wouldn't be washing below 15-20*F but these options are potentially a solution to that problem it comes with some risks of freezing doors/locks.
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To do the vehicle washing I purchased the portable Ryobi 18V 600 psi 0.7 gpm pressure washer ($199 from Home Depot) and I'm using a 5 gallon water container I had laying around but these also can be ordered from McMaster or Home Depot. They also have another online version only for the same $199 and it comes with an additional $100 worth of attachments but it's online order only so it might be worth the wait to order it. Bang for buck I couldn't find a better deal but I was in a hurry so I purchased the version they had in the store. There are other portable washers but the flow rates are up near 1.0-1.3 gpm and that doesn't allow a lot of time/control with a limited water supply as this version can be run at 0.2, 0.5, or 0.7 gpm it gives a lot of options. The reason for this portable unit is so that I can bring this with me to work to get the salt off quickly as I'm in an enclosed parking garage. The water tank stays in the heated cabin with the long ~15ft hose though I've also seen a portable immersion heater I could also hang in the tank to keep the water at temp when the air is slightly below 32*F. The gun has (3) pressure/flow settings (0.2, 0.5, 0.7 gpm) and typically the #2 pressure setting & 0.5 gpm flow is good for about 10min of washing on a 5 gallon tank and the battery pack is probably good for about 20min @ 100% duty cycle. I found the 0.5 gpm flow setting ideal for taking your time but the 0.7 gpm and 600 psi really speeds up the cleaning process if needed and I wasn't wanting/needing more than that for washing a vehicle. Picked up an additional (2) pack of 18V/4 amp hour batteries for $79.99 in addition to the (1) that comes with the unit though I can finish a wash on (1) battery pack no issues. The additional foam cannon attachment ($32) works halfway decently if you put enough detergent in and the venturi is user adjustable for ratio control. For a portable unit this works plenty good enough and the water usage is minimal while foaming. To wash the entire vehicle including the under-carriage it takes about 5 gallons water usage though I'd recommend another (3) additional gallons and I have another couple of gallon containers handy as well for this purpose. Works just like it's hooked up to a water spigot once it's all setup correctly as I discuss below.
This pressure washer also has hose attachments for a spigot/faucet, 2 liter bottle attachment, & the water tank hose & suction filter/pickup. The water container I have the opening isn't big enough for the supplied Ryobi sump filter/weight (~2.3in dia) so I had to remove the big suction filter and attach a piece of copper tube as the suction pickup tube and this works great to keep suction strong until the last drop of water in the container. I had a lot of problems sucking air from the tank and that copper pipe keeps the hose weighted down and near the bottom of the tank. The bucket could have been used with the supplied suction filter/pickup but it's really for carrying the pressure gun and attachments around like a storage caddy though a bucket is an option keeping an enclosed tank slows the water from freezing. I've seen some guys use portable 5 gallon Igloo containers as well and probably even better as it's insulated and might work better in the winter. Made the huge mistake of using another container that had algae growth in the bottom and this clogged the mini filter in the gun handle hose connection port. Neither of the stainless mesh suction filters will prevent this algea growth from entering the pressure gun anyway. At that point it got past the internal mini mesh filter on the gun suction port and inside the pump head so I had to rebuild the pump head and internal check valves as they were clogged up with an oily biomass and insanely difficult to clean. Next time I might try running some diluted Simple Green (purple/industrial) thru the tank and this would probably do a good job internally cleaning the gun as it's safe on metal & plastics. Rebuilding that Ryobi gun was tricky and really easy to messup putting it back together.
So if you buy one of these inspect the mini-filter inside the aluminum threaded hose fitting and check it on every wash. Often times people will just return the pressure gun back to the store because of this when it stops drawing water and it's easily corrected. I've seen people using these by dropping the suction hose in a lake, pool, or whatever and yeah that isn't going to work so well. Typically I'm using chlorinated tap water and then I drain the tank afterwards to keep them clean but if you want to use DI water go for it if you have an RO rig setup that would be the ultimate way to go. The pump head will also overheat and get damaged if air is drawn for too long so if it doesn't pull water in 10-15s or less then there is a blockage or air/vac leak in the hose or suction line is drawing air in the tank pickup and needs to be corrected. Usually running the pressure washer at ground level for the initial water draw will prime it quicker and then it can be elevated for use. Finally, before putting the gun away I will run it a few seconds dry but I think a pressurized air blast is better and less wear on the gun.
Anyway, the 600 psi is more than plenty with the turbo adapter tip selected which also has a Rinse head option & 15* fan spray option that can be rotated on the same spray head. I also bought a 42" wand and (3) additional spary adapters 0*, 25*, & 40*. Then I cut the end off the wand and used a 10mm copper 90* fitting and Loctite 620 bearing retainer compound & Loctite SF 7649 primer to bond the parts together. The Loctite primer allows full part strength in 3-6 hours vs. the standard 72 hour full cure time and also greatly boosts the joint strength for non-reactive material surfaces (i.e. aluminum) by about 200%. Both cost me about $50 but where strength and reliability are needed it's the best option when welding/brazing can't be tolerated. I bought these compounds for the transmission rebuild so I'm testing them here. Good for 450*F and about 3500 psi joint strength. I had to run the pressure washer for 30 seconds to purge the excess joint compound out the tip of the gun as the anaerobic joint compound stays liquid outside of the joint interface but this does the trick nicely. I taped it up to protect the joint from abrasion but a nice self sealing silicon tape would work great as well.
This setup allows me to stick the wand under the car and wash the rear suspension and entire underside. Probably the wand with a 40* spray attachment and simply manually rotated/clocked correctly would also work but this custom modification really hits all those hard to reach areas. Also useful for getting in behind the wheels and suspension from the backside while under the car. The video link shows the wheels getting removed and I'm not personally going to be doing this every time salt is laid down on the road as I don't have the time for that. I'll typically run the car thru a carwash with undercarriage spray option anyway and then follow up with my setup as needed if the salt isn't too bad. Were I to do this again I'd use a 45* copper fitting instead of the 90* as it's easier to clear under the vehicle and work the tip around using a 40* spray tip attachment. The main advantage is having that 42" of wand length to hit every spot under the car if used with the correct tip, that seems to be the biggest help so they are available for $29 at Home Depot and worth it. I then follow up with the standard straight pressure washer wand but this makes quick work of the under-carriage which is the main goal.
Regarding washing a vehicle below 32*F, this is tricky. I initially bought -20*F Winshield washer fluid as it contains Methyl Alcohol in about 30-40% ratio to water and costs about $2.97 per gallon. Diluting the tank water with a 50/50 mix I could get protection down to about 5-7*F without the tank water freezing. Not really recommended running alcohol in the Ryobi pressure gun and also not totally sure how paint would like a 15% alcohol/water mix. Since I have the tank in the vehicle the water stays warm long enough during a 10-15 min wash and is moving at a high enough flow rate that it won't typically freeze if the temps are reasonable this is almost a non-issue but worth considering. I mention the immersion heater option and it's specifically designed for keeping water tanks liquid in Arctic conditions special precaution would be needed with a plastic tank. Generally I wouldn't be washing below 15-20*F but these options are potentially a solution to that problem it comes with some risks of freezing doors/locks.
