Washing Cars In Icy Conditions For Auto Dealers

Pressure Washing Hazards in Winter Conditions

The cold winter conditions in Colorado can wreak havoc on our car wash scheduling.  We might miss a couple days to below-freezing temperatures and snow and then be pressed by our clients to get their cars washed as soon as the sun comes back out.  And since we’re in business to take care of our clients, we try to fill every possible warm hour with work. But there are some conditions we can’t work with.

The drive lanes of this car dealer’s lot had been plowed after a snowstorm, but they didn’t clear the snow from between the vehicles.  But as the snow melted, it ran across the parking lot in thin sheets of water and turned into a slick sheet of ice overnight.

When our crew showed up to wash the cars in the morning, they pulled in to their normal starting spot before realizing how slick it was.  They were able to stop on a dry spot, but when they decided it was too dangerous to work between the vehicles, it took some very careful maneuvering to keep the wash truck from sliding into the dealer’s trucks.

The reason they decided to leave without washing was because of all the treacherous snow and ice between the vehicles.  It’s hard enough just walking on this, but put a 3000psi gun in someone’s hand or make them bend down to dry the bottom of the vehicles and the situation becomes a painful mistake for an employee and an expensive Worker’s Comp claim for us.  Not to mention the possibility of someone slipping and trying to stop their fall by grabbing the mirror of a new vehicle.

So when conditions are this bad, we can only wash cars for the dealerships that totally clear their lot of snow before it starts the freeze-thaw-freeze cycle.