Re: It's great to see these cars with a little dirt/salt on them

...but it's gonna take some elbow grease once all this white stuff goes away. That could be soon because temps are going up to 50 with lots of rain to come.

Haven't been in any salty-slushy conditions this season. When it occurs, I'll take mine for a drive if a sustained* rainfall follows so as to flush slush & salt out of the underside's nooks and crannies. Rain driving is really good for clearing a lot of the brake dust that builds up inside (especially) cross-drilled rotors. With less direct rotor washing, there's less chance of their getting surface oxidation because the brakes are being applied during the drive. It's not so much about the look of the rotors, but having to otherwise do a lot more cleaning time to get rid of the rust and brake residue on the wheels' inner surfaces.

* To allow time for the rain to wash away the grosser amounts of salt and other crud.

The last line ( " * ... ) is to imply cleaning the road surface.

Geez, Bill, you're as fussy as I am, with trying to avoid ambiguity. Any chance that, like me, you're a lawyer?

(Being a lawyer has its utility, but I find it damned hard to turn it off at the end of the working day. In fact, I'm still looking for the switch. )

If conveyance of information, especially to help others, is one's purpose, ambiguity is the enemy. There's an underlying moral imperative having to do with "the whole truth," even in seemingly inconsequential matters.

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Laz
The last line ( " * ... ) is to imply cleaning the road surface.

Which highlights one of the differences between an east coast (DC, NY, NJ) winter and a Great Lakes / Eastern Canada winter. You're fortunate to have rain to wash salt off the roads after some snow and salt. Here, because it's colder and we have more snow (averaging about 18 days / month, December - March) and during that time getting a total of maybe 5 - 6 days when the temperature actually gets to or above 32 F, the snow, slush and salt are there for pretty much all of the 4 months. The rain to wash it off the roads doesn't happen until April. If there is a day of rain on one of those days when it gets above 32 F. Yes, there are puddles. Problem is, they are a saline solution from all the salt used on the roads. That is almost worse than salt spray, as the saline solution actual gets into every nook and cranny of the car and exposed components.

indicating that they are actually driven, not just garage queens.

This afternoon ought to be good for cleaning winter glop off vehicles. Aside from the previously mentioned rotors, the calipers' innards get a nice flush, too.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 02/16/2016 08:43AM by Laz. (view changes)

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Boxsterra
indicating that they are actually driven, not just garage queens.

I guess I consider myself fortunate. I do get to drive my car a lot, for daily driving and road trips, and still have it looking good. Not sure exactly what defines a garage queen. Is it looks or miles driven? Yes mine normally sits in the garage when it isn't on the road for an average of 10,000 miles a year. Sure during that time it gets dirty. It can be washed. Winter here in the Great Lakes region is a different story. If it were driven in Winter here, it would be more than just a "little" salt. (see my post above.). Besides, despite having a good heater and bun warmers, it still gets chilly in the car when the temperature is in the twenties, teens and colder, with the top down. Besides, Porsche says you shouldn't lower the top at temperatures below 32 F.

Amen to that....

Some folks seem to derive more pleasure from keeping their cars pristine, than from driving. Keeping one's car in the garage for five or six moths a year qualifies as a garage queen to me.

Different strokes, especially for Porsche lovers.

"A mile of highway will take you one mile. A mile of runway will take you anywhere."

There. Caught a nice monsoon while doing ≈ 55 mph, too.

You just have to drive it around the block around here and you'll have enough salt residue to thrill or chill your heart (depending on our point of view).

And driving, fortunately enough this time, through a real deluge, not après un déluge.
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