Spring has sprung---first car wash of the year.

[Buzzman]

Ok, so for those guys that live in the sunshine, like San Diego or Florida, then this will not be very exciting.However, for those like me that live in the great Northern snowbelt, this will mean something.Today I did my first, in-the-driveway-with-a-bucket-and-a-garden-hose, car wash of the year. It felt so good.My last car wash was in November.The first car wash is like a rite of spring around here.The next huge event is getting out the lawnmower and doing the grass for the first time. I can hardly wait.I am so glad that winter is almost over. The before (from a few weeks ago)And after the wash. I almost forgot what colour it was.Forgot to mention: I painted the louvers next to the foglights last year. Same colour as the truck. I'm not 100% sure I like it, but that will have to do for a while:Thanks

[K03sport]

It is odd seeing a Pathfinder without the fender flares.

Were you able to get any wax on it, or was it just a wash?

It still looks cold. Did you use warm water out of the tap for the bucket. I could only imagine how cold the water was coming out of the hose. Brrrrr.

Have you ever thought about removing that pinstripe? It doesn't do much for the truck. Also, what does it say on the fender and at the rear?

[Buzzman]

Ok, some answers for you.No wax...too cold yet.I used lukewarm water and car wash detergent in the bucket, but the hose water was freezing, like you guessed. It was sunny today, but only about +5C.There's still some snow on the ground too. Didn't care. I had to wash my truck. The pinstripe came with the truck by the way, and is part of the Chilkoot package.There are no fender flares with this edition.(The Chilkoot edition by the way is a Canadian only model.)That's what it says on the rear fender above the tail light (Chilkoot). The front fender has the word Pathfinder in the pinstripe. I actually like it. Sorry.FYI: I added the black moulding strip along the middle of the doors to protect against parking lot dings. (I haven't seen another Pathy with this moulding.)It also says Chilkoot on the rear hatch. That's where I got my avatar from.Hope that helps.

[K03sport]

No worries. Chillkoot is some kind of animal...right? Or is that a Bandikoot?

Hopefully, you can park it inside so the doors don't freeze shut. Had friends in AK wash their cars in a heated gararge during the winter, only to have them drive the cars home and the doors freeze shut on them overnight.

Glad you were able to get all of the salt and grime off. Our Canteen green doesn't stay green here in OH when the road crews pour the brine on the roads and then it snows/rains and the road spray is bad.

Luckily, nature has helped out with a few rain storms, but the PF is till dirty.

[W O T]

Ha I just did my first canadian "wash" yesterday, was so damn nice out eh you might aswell.

I took mine to the pay n spray though and used a good $10 to get under the car, engine, wheel wells, door sills, matts and everything

Then drove home down my dirt road hahahaha

Oh canada

[Densetsu]

By "first car wash of the year", you mean first hose-and-bucket car wash, right? I'm assuming you still took it in for the odd car wash at the garage... drive through or wand wash.

Because if you didn't wash your Pathy at all during the winter, with all the salts on the ground... you're setting yourself up for a world of hurt.

Mine's an '03, I wash it every week or two, and I still have a fair bit of rust in the rear wheel wells... nothing major, just loonie-sized blotches of surface rust, and you can't see it unless you bend down and look up into the wheel well. Still, can't imagine what it'd be like if I didn't wash it as often as I did.

[Qxxx4]

i totally see where your coming from. i did my first driveway wash last saturday. I spent 4 hours. had to recconect the damn hose n stuff. Those car washes in the winter never seem to do as good of a job as by hand at home without a damn timer and huge a** foam brush!

i also cleaned my interior and put my summer mats in! YEAHHHH b*****ESSSSSS SPRING IS HERRREEEE!!!!

[Buzzman]

By "first car wash of the year", you mean first hose-and-bucket car wash, right? I'm assuming you still took it in for the odd car wash at the garage... drive through or wand wash.

Because if you didn't wash your Pathy at all during the winter, with all the salts on the ground... you're setting yourself up for a world of hurt.

Mine's an '03, I wash it every week or two, and I still have a fair bit of rust in the rear wheel wells... nothing major, just loonie-sized blotches of surface rust, and you can't see it unless you bend down and look up into the wheel well. Still, can't imagine what it'd be like if I didn't wash it as often as I did.

I think I took it to a car wash once this winter. I oil spray my truck every fall by the way, and it is 99% rust free. There is a small dot of rust starting at the roofline above the windshield, and that's it. A bit of advice re: winter washing. You may actually be doing your vehicle more harm than good by washing it too much in winter. That's probably why your wheel wells are showing rust.Salt alone will not cause rust. As long as the truck is dry, it's not a real problem.What happens when you wash it all the time in winter is that the vehicle never really dries out properly. You are forcing water into all the body and frame cavities, usually with a little salt mixed in with it, and that is what eats your truck. Salt will also not harm your truck on really cold days. It's when the temp hovers around the freezing mark that all the damage occurs.You also need to be vigilant in what car washes you use. A lot of automatic car wash places do not use fresh water all the time. They recirculate and "filter" the water instead (saves them money). The result is obvious. You are washing and rinsing your vehicle with salty water, and it gets into everything, making it worse. Make sure the car wash place you go to uses fresh water for everything.Hope that helps.Oh ya, another week or two and I can change out my winter tires/rims. Woo woo.