Paint quality/withstanding winter (salt/snow etc)

[UnhandledException]

Now that I am properly daily driving the shelby, including winter, one thing that is bothering me is how the paint will handle the harsh salt/snow melters they use. I remember from my M5 that once snow hit, the entire car would be coated with this fairly thick layer of what I can best describe it as sandpaper. If you were to glide your finger gently on the car, it felt like you are touching a sandpaper.

Half of my car has xpel ultimate already. Hood, doors, front fenders, front bumper. But the rear fenders, roof, trunk, and bumper dont.

Initially I was going to just going to add my own wolfgang sealant but seeing how thin Ford’s paint is and how easily it scratches, I said maybe opticoat is better but now that costs $1000 then I told myself may as well pay another $1000-$1500 and xpel the rest of the car.

I m thinking of keeping this car until it burns one day which hopefully it never will. So I think this is good investment. What does the forum think? I would like to hear those of you who have experience with the winter environment I will be dealing with using a mustang or just generally any other Ford.

I am not doing the xpel for rock chips for the rest of the car but to keep the debris from the paint. Plus cleaning the car with vs without xpel is day and night experience. Its so much easier getting stuff out of the xpel covered areas and car literally looks brand new in those panels that have xpel.

Only downside is I will have spent $5000 for a car that is $60,000. Its not that I cant afford it, I just dont know if I m exaggarating this or if there is a cheaper way.

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[MustangCollector]

I drove my 15 GT for 3 harsh NY winters and left it outside and when I sold the car (black) the guys who came to look at it thought it was repainted as it looked so damn good. The key is to just take care of the paint, wash it by hand and use a good wax or coating. You dont need films or fancy coatings just weekly upkeep. OEM paint is very durable

 

[UnhandledException]

I drove my 15 GT for 3 harsh NY winters and left it outside and when I sold the car (black) the guys who came to look at it thought it was repainted as it looked so damn good. The key is to just take care of the paint, wash it by hand and use a good wax or coating. You dont need films or fancy coatings just weekly upkeep. OEM paint is very durable

Thank you. The issue with your suggestion is there is a portion of the year here where I cannot wash my car due to sub freezing temperatures/snow on the ground. For instance I winterized all my garden faucets and had to remove all my hoses. Last year I didnt do this and I had to throw away $100 worth of hose and change my faucet due to freeze.

I tried washing my car in self washes the ones you go yourself and bring your own bucket, but had issues with water freezing on the car.

So in practice, that salt and grime sits on the car for several weeks. There is just no way to do this every week. Also I have observed the wolfgang sealant which is advertised as 6 months only survive 2 months (waxes wont last more than a month so they are not very durable). Adding sealant is a 6-7 hour long proposition as you have to do multiple washes, clay, dry, sealant, etc and its highly error prone. I clay my cars for a decade now and I still make mistakes.

What you are saying would make sense if I can literally hand wash every week and add sealant every other month. But I just cant do that unless you know a way.

The other thing is the rear fenders of this car is extremely wide and aggressive and they always catch rock chips from anything. So doing those areas in xpel isnt totally waste its the roof trunk and rear bumper.

Cost is $2500 (I got a discount from $3000 which is what most charge for these areas).

 

[MustangCollector]

can you get a heater for your garage? do you have a local detail wash center near you? most of them should have shop heaters and would eliminate the water freezing. At my house I use hot and cold water at the garage supply and keep the water lukewarm. I have partial radiant heat under my driveway which helps with freezing water. If you get micro scratches don't stress you can fix after the winter easily if you know how to polish. Before setting my house up I would go to local hand washes and they would destroy my cars with dirty mitts and bad technique so it was worth the investment to change this and do it myself. PM if you want some more tips on this stuff.

 

[Wriggly]

Park the Shelby and get a Subaru for winter. Put Blizzaks on the Subbie and you'll be king of the winter roads. Don't reply that you can't afford it or you don't have the room. Store the Shelby. $5000 for some crap that ain't gonna do squat for the bottom of your car? Really? Ever see what salt does to the bottom of a car after one winter?
You can get a one year old low mileage Impreza for under 20 grand and actually enjoy winter driving.

 

[SVTinAR]

I think Wriggly has the best idea. You need a winter beater. Put the GT350 up for the winter.

 

[UnhandledException]

Park the Shelby and get a Subaru for winter. Put Blizzaks on the Subbie and you'll be king of the winter roads. Don't reply that you can't afford it or you don't have the room. Store the Shelby. $5000 for some crap that ain't gonna do squat for the bottom of your car? Really? Ever see what salt does to the bottom of a car after one winter?
You can get a one year old low mileage Impreza for under 20 grand and actually enjoy winter driving.

Fair point but here are some counter arguments and my point of view:

1) Even for 20 grand, operating a second car is added cost. Insurance, gas, tires, maintenance. Its cost.
2) I like to enjoy the car I love 365 days a year
3) I want a sports car that can do everything
4) And i want to MAXIMIZE my savings
5) Also its $2500 not $5000. I already did half of rhe car last year.
Then in a year or two when 991.2 GT3 can be had with no markup, I will get a GT3 as my toy/weekend car.

Underside of the car isnt something I care. I can fix that. The paint however I cant and the swirls and dirt drives me crazy on a car that is race red color.

You have to understand I currently have an m5 as well and what I have been telling myself is how I will save over $1500/month by just driving the shelby. And I promised myself that no shortcuts, no added cost by buying a winter car.

Not to mention, the snow here is only on the ground 3-4 days of an entire year. I dont live in Chicago or St Louis where there is snow 30-40 days. The undercarriage of my M5 after being driven 41,000 miles in 3 years doesnt look too bad. But the paint is absolutely destroyed.

No disrespect to anyone here and I dont want to come across as arrogant, but coming from a $120,000 car I daily drove, this is half the cost of that. You cannot buy an x5 or a decent SUV for the cost. I m not going to buy a beater for this car. I want to enjoy it every single day of the year

 

[MrCincinnati]

Thank you. The issue with your suggestion is there is a portion of the year here where I cannot wash my car due to sub freezing temperatures/snow on the ground. For instance I winterized all my garden faucets and had to remove all my hoses. Last year I didnt do this and I had to throw away $100 worth of hose and change my faucet due to freeze.

I tried washing my car in self washes the ones you go yourself and bring your own bucket, but had issues with water freezing on the car.

So in practice, that salt and grime sits on the car for several weeks. There is just no way to do this every week. Also I have observed the wolfgang sealant which is advertised as 6 months only survive 2 months (waxes wont last more than a month so they are not very durable). Adding sealant is a 6-7 hour long proposition as you have to do multiple washes, clay, dry, sealant, etc and its highly error prone. I clay my cars for a decade now and I still make mistakes.

What you are saying would make sense if I can literally hand wash every week and add sealant every other month. But I just cant do that unless you know a way.

The other thing is the rear fenders of this car is extremely wide and aggressive and they always catch rock chips from anything. So doing those areas in xpel isnt totally waste its the roof trunk and rear bumper.

Cost is $2500 (I got a discount from $3000 which is what most charge for these areas).

The self wash places you go to... just pressure wash it when it's too cold to do otherwise. A lot of those places use lukewarm water in the winter to keep their stuff from freezing. You can blast it with their detergent wash, rinse it with the high pressure, then use the spot free rinse --- you'll get water spots that freeze on the way home, sure - but once in your garage they'll melt and you can dry - or ignore (assuming you're not washing it for a show/vanity purposes, but more for maintenance).

If you park it outside - won't hurt to have a clean frozen drops of water on the car.

 

[Tank]

So I think this is good investment. What does the forum think?

I think winter driving a GT350 and “good investment” are incompatible.

 

[UnhandledException]

I think winter driving a GT350 and “good investment” are incompatible.

Why?

I m religious about this car as well but life is way too short to keep something like this in a garage half the year.

 

[Tank]

Why?

I m religious about this car as well but life is way too short to keep something like this in a garage half the year.

Salt and chemicals don’t only affect paint and finish... Fasteners seize, metal corrodes, carpets & interior get trashed, trim peices dull,,,

Many drivers are clueless about safe winter driving.

With this particular car, the real fun starts when it gets up to temp and that is most likely not possible on most winter days.

Your winter might vary...

 

[MrCincinnati]

With this particular car, the real fun starts when it gets up to temp and that is most likely not possible on most winter days.

Your winter might vary...

I haven't made up my own mind as to if I'm going to drive the thing during the dead of winter. I'm leaning toward no -- or at least only above freezing temps on clean dry roads...

but temp wise - you can just block off part of the cooler inlet and stay out of 6th gear.

 

[HotLap]

OP, I lived in downtown Chicago for several years and being from SoCal thought I could easily use a spray wash to rinse off the salt coating from the roads...I had icicles hanging off the trunk . But in Chicago it snowed a lot in the Winter and if you are only getting 3 days/yr. of snow on the ground it sounds like you really don't have much to worry about? Apologies if I'm missing anything but I'm surprised that an area that only has snow on the ground 3 days per year even uses salt on the roads?

And, (FWIW), I just traded a 2013 991 Carrera S in on the GT 350 and (IMO) the GT 350 handles just as well if not better...just saying you might not need a GT3 down the road The GT350 is certainly not as refined as my Carrera S was but the FPC engine and DIRECT handling more than compensate...JMO - no offense intended!!

 

[ahl395]

I don't have a GT350, but I do plan on driving my mustang though the winter so I can share my plans.

Do you have a nearby detail or hand wash place? If so, you can take it there once a week for them to clean the salt and debris off. I have a place near me that is open year round and washes/dries the car pretty well.

In addition to this I'm looking into a ceramic coating to help protect the paint from the salt and make washing it off easier.

 

[UnhandledException]

There is a place nearby that does that but it costs $50 just the basic hand wash. Doing that once every two weeks between December and March is $400/year minimum. Its too much money down the drain no? In 5-6 years it will cost the same as xpel.

When I say there is snow on the ground for 3 days a year I mean there are no more than 3-4 days of a year where you are driving over uncleaned 1-2” of snow. It doesnt snow here like it snows in chicago and when it does everyone stays home. Schools close in my town even with 1/4” of snow on the ground. They salt very frequently and clean the roads right away. I didnt mean to say car doesnt see salt 3 days of a year.

Gt350 is very close to Gt3. Yes I agree. I drove a 991.1 GT3. I also drove several 997.2 and 997.1 versions. What GT350 lacks is the size. Porsche is like a glove you wear. It also has the giant wing in the back and it feels like the motor is strapped on your body. You feel and hear everything. Its a race car. So from a pure performance perspective GT350 is very close yes but from a driving race car experience perspective, they are very different cars. And as such its my dream to own one someday. THAT is the car I will baby and garage queen it. I havent owned a non performance oriented car in my life - ever. I m not one of those people who will have an SUV or a regular sedan like accord as their daily driver. Without a question if it werent gt350, it would be an M3, or an M5 that is my daily driver. When you see the world from my eyes, you will understand that gt350 is the perfect daily driver for a small family father like me.

Even if I had no money and no disposable income, I would never own one of those “normal” cars. I would rather own a GTI or a E36 M3 or a WRX that is 10 years old. You guys probably think I am crazy and I am but I live life on the extremes. This is just who I am.

To show you what I mean, I put a 4 post lift in my garage with 90” ceiling. There is 2mm or less clearance between the posts and ceiling. I can only use 4 of the 14 locks and on the 4th lock car comes 1 9/16” close to my ceiling

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