Shumster

iTrader: (2)

Hey again guys, the white fluffy stuff started falling today, so I tried to drive the Honda Accord which I orginally planned on being my winter car. Anyway needless to say I immediately missed my 8. It felt like the accord's accelerator was stuck haha. Anyway i've come to the conclusion that I would like to drive my 8 during the winter. It will be the first time she has touched snow.

I plan on moving to Vancouver next year so I will only be driving it through snow this winter. This brings me to the issue of winter proofing. I really would like that after driving her this winter it doesn't show. So there is a few things I was hoping you guys could give me your opinions on as well as adding things that I could do to protect my girl this winter

09 RX8 R3 VR

Here goes:

-Krown Rust Proofing: I really don't want to have any rust and am wondering if you guys would suggest this to guarantee being rust free. Is it something that I will want to continue when I move to Vancouver?

-I have 19 inch Blizzaks(came with the car when I bought it) to go on my stock R3 rims. I was thinking that I would plasti-dip my rims to protect the alloy from chips and corrosion. Will this be sufficient to protect my rims?

-Washing/rinsing: I've heard that rinsing your car after driving each day to get the salt and grime off is the best protection against rust. Would it be ok if I just rinsed on my driveway with the hose and then drove into the garage(the water might freeze)?

-Lastly should I still wash and wax the car?

Thanks everyone! Anyway feel free to give out your own opinions on winter protection. I appreciate it.

How have your guys' cars held up against winters?

paimon.soror

iTrader: (15)

A little excessive. Once a week would suffice.

Wax should go on asap (start of the season) and should last you through the winter (assuming you use a good wax and apply properly). Washing is recommended as well to clean the car and get rid of the stuff your rinsing didn't get rid of

Footman

iTrader: (2)

sometime mid winter, if you find yourself on a particular warm day.. use that opportunity to wash/wax your car quickly to give it the mid-year push to protect it till spring.

Shumster

iTrader: (2)

Can I just wash and wax as if I was detailing or do I need use special wax for winter?

Thanks btw guys

G_ man

iTrader: (2)

The best advice is not to drive your 8 and drive that Honda thing that you already have as a winter beater

Boeuf

iTrader: (2)

I agree. Even one winter can ugly up everything under the car. Your body should be fine but everything under the car could get nasty. If anything only drive the 8 when the roads are relatively dry and try to stay out of snow and salt.

Shumster

iTrader: (2)

Would Krown Rust proofing help with the underbody help at all?

Maffu313

iTrader: (2)

washing/rinsing in the winter is hard to do - you need to stay indoors for the entire process, so unless you have an underground garage or you have enough space in your own garage, and its warm enough, don't do it..You could do those automatic car washes (even the touch free ones), though i find those not the best for the car

If you do decide to just rinse your car on your driveway, you will realize that the water will freeze on your car before you can dry it (forming a thin layer of ice ALL AROUND your car).


I've also heard washing frequently might not be a good idea since when you wash the salt, you may potentially have it drip/flow into a place that's not normally accessible by the salt or something and it may cause more damage to the car than just leaving the salt on the exterior..though i'm not sure how true this is

krown would help for sure and waxing before helps for sure as well

Shumster

iTrader: (2)

Good point. about the freezing and such, it gets so damn cold here in canada geez.

As for the waxing can I just use zaino?

How have your guys' cars held up through winter?

Pernin

Washes: I was considering the weekly touchless and trackless car washes at a Shell after fuel up. I already did a detailing and spray wax maybe 2 weeks ago but does the "brilliant gloss wax" from the automatic car wash help/do anything?

timmytriangles

im gonna clay bay n wax the **** outta mine this month as soon as i hav some free time tire shine mite help protect the sidewalls too

Footman

iTrader: (2)

plastidip the rear wheel wheel lip on the inside.

Footman

iTrader: (2)

That area is prone to rusting and overtime you can see the metal start warping/bending.

paimon.soror

iTrader: (15)

Great way to wash in winter: https://www.rx8club.com/rx-8-show-sh...r-wash-228595/

climacus

Horribly. This car will develop the same type of cancer rust that you see on the Protege5 and Mazda3. You can park it in the winter, or just drive the thing and ignore the rust. By the time the fender is rusted through (~10 years mark), you'll probably be sick of the car and ready to move on.

Mind you I'm talking about Toronto winter here. Vancouver might fare a lot better without the constant salting of the road.

Shumster

iTrader: (2)

Thanks for all the help guys. So even if I Krown I'll still have rust issues with the fenders and the underbody? Are those the most common areas to rust?

I'd really like to be able to drive this winter as I love my 8 and after even a few days without driving her it gives me withdrawal haha. However, If you guys feel that it's for the best that I leave her in the garage than that's what i'll do.

climacus

Just drive it in the winter, you can't keep the car pristine forever.

You can try plastidipping the fender lip like Footman suggested. I did on mine, but the cancer started developing not at the lip but in the fender bulge area. Funny enough one side is in much better shape than the other, so it's kind of a crapshoot.

cloud7

The good thing about living in Calgary is that we don't get a lot of snow compared to the folks out east, and we don't use a lot of salt on the road for de-icing (bad thing is we use gravel...). Washing in the winter shouldn't be a big issue either. It is rare that we are in the deep freeze for very long here in Calgary. We get a few days of really cold weather and then all the snow melts when we get the Chinook wind. I always take advantage of the warm weather to wash my car. Even when it is -10 or so outside, you can wash your car and the temperature in your garage should still be above freezing... wash it before you go home. No need to wash every day IMO... getting your car wet too often will make it rust much faster.

Loki

iTrader: (1)

For the rear fender, I pack the back side of the wheel arch lip with bearing grease. This is on top of Krown. Also, places that do Krown can sell the oil in spray cans, so you can reapply yourself during the course of the winter. Pass over the wheel arches every couple of weeks.

For washing, far as I can figure there are 2 ways: if you keep the car outside, wash as little as possible, since most of the damage is done by liquid water refreezing. Liquid water also lets salt get into tight places. If you keep the car inside, wash or rinse every time you bring it in. In either case, try to avoid machine washes, since the water under pressure gets into everything. With water comes salt. If you do that, don't let it freeze, leave the car to dry inside overnight if at all possible.

Plastidip sounds like another solution, but can have the opposite effect if it traps moisture against the metal. Keep in mind the wheel well liner conducts moisture along its surface and could get under the plastidip. It also absorbs Krown, however, which makes it water resistant.

ZiG

I can't help but notice all the people saying not to drive it are all from out East where they salt the **** out of their roads.. Calgary only uses a 5% salt content with their sand, and even that is being phased out.

Don't rinse it in your driveway.. Think about what that will do to the driveway? Hockey rink?


Take it to the car wash every other week during snowy times and get the full deal wash with the underbody rinse. Think about it, how many days during the winter are you actually driving in snow? Not many.

Gyro_Bot

BCRX8 club used to use NuFinish exclusively as their pre-winter solution. Just rinse the car down with a hose when you get home and the grime should drop off.
Since those workshops, I've installed Nufinish and other products on 60+ other clients (cars). Nufinish is not for everyone, there are shinier, more brilliant waxes...
But NuFinish is not a wax, its a polymer polish compound that chemically changes the adhesion on your car over a long period of time. I would suggest overloading your car body with Nufinish, and let it dry overnight for best results.
I get my car this weekend, and that the very first thing I'm getting my detailer to do after polishing = Nufinish overnight cure. This includes coating the rims, of course.

There are other very good ideas and suggestions in this thread. Having said that, the NuFinish option should go here too. In Vancouver, there is often far more rain than snow. Year round, you might as well gear your car for rain.