Winter Nears, A Reminder That Proper Car Care Essential During Season

Detroit Resident Wins Car Care Sweepstakes; Can Use $5,000 Prize to Battle Salt, Snow

CHICAGO, Oct. 20 -- As winter approaches, the International Carwash Association offers car owners helpful advice on taking proper care of their automobiles during the harshest season for many vehicles.

Appropriate car care, of course, can protect an owner's investment. But many car owners don't focus on their cars in the winter as much as they do during the spring and summer, the most popular seasons to wash and wax cars. Yet from December to March, especially in cold climates, dirt, corrosive road salts and melting snow can do extensive harm to a car.

One car owner who can pay attention to his auto this winter is Eugene Turner of Detroit. The 77-year-old steelworker won the grand prize of $5,000 in car care in the International Carwash Association's Car Love Sweepstakes. His winnings can go toward auto maintenance at locations designated by the International Carwash Association as well as auto loan and car insurance payments and gas purchases.

"This money will come in handy to pay for my truck and some other bills," said Turner, who notes that he gets his car washed professionally almost every week.

Those frequent car washes are especially essential during the winter in many parts of the country to wash away the corrosive effects of salt, dirt and snow that can build up on and underneath vehicles.

"By far, salt is the biggest car culprit -- it can attack even the toughest paints and finishes if not washed off consistently," explains Mark Thorsby, executive director of the International Carwash Association. "Nearly $24 billion a year is spent battling automobile-corrosion damage. This winter, getting your car washed at least once or twice a month -- or more if you see or feel build-up -- is essential to protect your investment."

In the winter, salt mixtures are one of the biggest culprits for dirty cars because most icy roads are treated with a corrosive mixture of sand and salt, often in the form of sodium chloride. In recent years, another corrosive salt mixture -- sodium magnesium has been used on roads, and some experts consider it even more corrosive. Some state transportation departments have stopped using it because of its harsh impact on cars. Whichever mixture is used, salt caked on the undercarriage can promote rust, especially in older vehicles.

To avoid damage, International Carwash Association suggests car owners and drivers take the following actions this winter:

  -- Be a step ahead of winter.  Visit a professional car wash at least once
     or twice a month -- or more frequently, depending on local weather
     conditions.  Localized car wash forecasts can be found at
     http://www.carlove.org/ .
  -- Details, details.  Professional detail services can restore a car to
     showroom quality, or very close to it.  The International Carwash
     Association recommends detailing services at least once a year -- or
     twice, if an ultra-clean look is desired year-round.  A good time of
     year to get a detail is in the spring, to remove the winter road grime
     from a car's interior and exterior -- but anytime is better than not at
     all.
  -- Know the facts about car washing:

     -- Car washes protect an owner's investment.  Maintenance goes beyond
        oil changes and tune-ups. Keeping a car clean is essential -- and
        not just for cosmetic reasons. If a vehicle isn't kept clean on a
        regular basis, it will be de-valued at the time of trade-in or
        resale.  According to auto trade-in experts such as Kelley Blue
        Book, cars in excellent mechanical condition and appearance can be
        valued as much as $1,500 higher than those in good or fair
        condition.
     -- Professional car washing is the wiser environmental choice.   Pro
        washes use about 50 percent less water than at-home washes, thanks
        to conservation methods. Furthermore, professional car washes are
        mandated to pipe dirty water to treatment facilities or into state-
        approved drainage facilities.  Quite the opposite, at-home car
        washes pollute the environment as soap and road grime (oil, tar,
        dirt) end up in storm sewers that flow into lakes, streams and
        rivers.
     -- Professional car washing saves time.  A pro wash requires five-to-
        eight minutes, on average, compared to 45 to 60 minutes when done at
        home.
     -- Professional washes are cost-effective.  Costs for car washes at a
        gas station every other week costs less than $150 a year.  Bi-weekly
        full-service car washes cost just a few hundred dollars per year.

  About www.carlove.org

Carlove.org is an online resource educating consumers about the benefits professional car washes and detailing services offer from a financial, emotional and environmental perspective. The site features a Car Wash Wizard, that provides a 'prescription' for professional washes according to geographic region, and also presents figures from a study of consumers' feelings about their cars.