So i went to New York over the weekend and parked the S at my mom's house before I left. While I was gone it snowed and she took the liberty of "brushing" the snow off of the car for me. The car was already dirty when she did this (about 5 days since last wash and through some rain) so I'm worried that the sliding snow could have scratched the paint. Any opinions?

P.S. Duh I could just look for myself except the car is covered in spots and the sun isn't out so I can't see scratches if they do exist. I will be able to wash tomorrow and finally know for sure.

 

ouch!!

when you see the paint let us know. i will be shocked if there arent swirls- and will be happy for you if there arent scratches-

in spite of her good heart, your mom does not qualify for a badge!!

 

I too would be quite surprised to find your car swirl free. It's not so much the snow sliding across the paint that you have to worry about. You should be more concerned about the stiff bristles of the brush and the dirt underneath the snow sliding across your paint.

If you live in the snow belt and you drive your car during the winter then swirls from snow removal is just something you have to deal with. It's why I give my car a good polishing every spring. If you're not driving your car during the winter but you're storing it outdoors then it's a good idea to invest in an outdoor car cover.

 

unfortunately I did't get a chance to wash today, but hopefully I will tomorrow. To be honest, it's not like there weren't some scratches already there, so I was going to polish in the spring anyway. I'm just afraid to see exactly how bad it is. Normally I would just let the snow melt off, since I have a beater.

I used to cover the car but it was one of those "semi-custom" covers that doesn't form to the car. Therefore, it would blow around in the wind and I became afraid that it was doing more harm than good. Also, here in the Mid-A we haven't seen much snow the past few years, so I don't park it for the winter. I actually drive the car so often it might as well be my daily.

Don't worry Wanabe. I gave her a good scolding about touching the car without permission. She's one of those moms that tries to "help" you every chance she gets, although for the most part it's just annoying (don't let me get started on her obsession with laundry!) In the end, I do appreciate her efforts though

 

Hmmm...snow isnt usually the culprit of scratches. Its usually the brush itself.

 

The brush really isn't all that bad. If you're careful you can use the brush without the bristles actually touching the paint.

The real problem is the dirt in between the paint and the snow. As you slide the snow off the car, the dirt will scrape against the paint causing swirling/scratching. This is why it's not really possible to remove snow without causing some marring. The only guaranteed marr free way of removing snow is to let it melt.

 

I HIGHLY DOUBT THE SNOW SCRATCHED IT...born in anchorage alaska and growin up in seattle washington i have fair experience here...I've brushed soo much snow off my car its never a prob.

The dirt under the snow is another concern but i mean 5 days of rain/dirt shouldn't be a huge issue, at worst its a swirl remover and a good hour to do the whole car to fix it. Snow is actually sharp cystals however under any ammount of pressure they turn liquid and glide smoothly causing no damage, much the way a snowboard glides over snow. Either way your not gonna have a serious problem, just figure out if you have any swirls at all....if you do... GUESS WHAT! they make wax and swirl removers!

 

You will have swirls for sure. It might not be hard to tell on a red car but trust me theyre there. Shouldnt be too deep though, unless the brush hit the paint. Nevertheless, nothing some Klasse AIO wont take care of.