It has been just so cold here in the East coast that I cannot hand wash my A4.. I have thought of bringing it to the car wash, but hate having the thought of everyone else's dirt rubbing onto my car.. So there I have been going around without washing my car for four weeks already.. What should I do? Any suggestions?<p>Dmak 1.8TQMS<br>

That's when the weather here in the Westcoast of Canada (Vancouver, BC) starts to get cold and lots of rain. You can't even wash your car because the rain will eventually clean it for you as you go outside. Left for Eastcoast (New York City) for a week till late December. Came back and still lots of rain and salts on the roads. I may have to wait until the rain cleans all the salts before I start my first car wash of 1999,.<br>Tom<br>97 A4 1.8TQM (didn't wash her since late 98)<br>99 JETTA GLS 2.0 (didn't wash her since picked her up in mid-December)

Maybe I'm being a little naive but couldn't you wash it inside your garage? I've know plenty of people who do that. Guess we've got it pretty easy here in So-Cal.

Ask a stupid question...

I drove home through the sleet, freezing rain and road salt last month. It was too cold to wash by hand, but I did run the avant through one of those coin-operated pressure-wand drive-through jobs. It did a pretty quick job of getting MOST of the grit and salt off the schportwagen without me having to freeze my griznoids off! Once I got home to N.C. it was warm enough to do the usual wash, though.<p>I guess the biggest problem cold weather presents is having your doors and locks freeze up after washing, assuming you don't have the all-weather package.

If you have a good coat of wax it will come pretty clean.

It has been below my 15 degree out door car wash temp so I thought why can't I convert my garage into a car wash?? I bought some 10' x 14' plastic tarps. I had a big 24" x 36" grit trap floor drain under my A4 and I do have heat ducts in the ceiling. My garage is under my two story house. WOW what a treat to wash my A4 in total comfort last night. A blizzard outside but my salt covered A4 was getting a through shampoo (even washed the wheel wells.) Finished with a good drying and a coat or "Show Off" detailing spray. Looks like the day I picked it up. Took down the tarps and now it's just a garage again. My wife is quite please because the garage floor got a through scrub down also. When I was done I had to go out and shovel the 6" of snow and temp about 10 degrees.<br>Roy M (Mother nature won't keep my A4 dirty now!)

... I hate to admit it but I don't even remember the last time the car was washed. It's been so cold in Boston, that it's been tough to do anything about it. Besides, the minute you drive out of the driveway it won't matter. It seems that they keep salting the roads just for fun around here. I feel like I'm driving around in a rolling margarita. My 18-month service was last week and even the dealer didn't wash it (10-15 degrees that day). It's going to happen soon though. I can't take it much longer.<p>-RobC<br>97 1.8TqMS with salt.

about 10 days ago... :)