Should You Wax or Apply a Paint Sealant Your Vehicle in The Winter?

The winter months are challenging for those of us who wish to keep our vehicle clean, and the paint properly protected during a time that may present the harshest road conditions that can ruin a painted surface.

The winter season brings us the unfortunate cases of snowplows, salt trucks, snowstorms, sleet, and that dirty melting snow when the temps start to climb. Fortunately, there is hope for those of us who still wish to keep our vehicle’s paint shining and help prevent damage to the surface of our vehicle’s paint. One primary method of helping to prevent unwanted damage to the paint during harsh winter conditions is to wax or apply a paint sealant to your vehicle. 

Is it okay to apply Wax or Paint Sealant to your vehicle in the winter?

Yes, it is okay to apply a wax or paint sealant to your vehicle during the winter IF the product permits application in the cold. In fact, professional detailers recommend that you use a paint sealant to help protect your paint during the cold winter months instead of some wax products that simply cannot be applied in certain temperatures.

The best application for protecting your paint during the winter is a paint sealer, such as TopCoat® F11® or TopCoat® F11PRO®. Using TopCoat® F11® or TopCoat® F11PRO® will help protect your paint against nature’s harshest elements during the winter. Because TopCoat® F11® is hydrophobic, it will help repel water, snow, sleet, and other elements that may be a nuisance during the winter months. Best of all, TopCoat® F11® is easy to apply during cold days where some waxes may be extremely difficult or impossible for application in the cold as they may require a certain ambient temperature to apply. 

Attempting to apply a wax to a painted surface during cold winter days that is not designed to work in cold temperatures could result in damaging your paint surface and it may take too much time to dry. Using a spray sealer like TopCoat® F11® for a simple 2-step application will save you time and effort while eliminating the risk of damaging your paint as some waxes may during cold weather application. 

In addition to applying TopCoat® F11® during the winter, it is highly advisable to wash your vehicle beforehand to properly prep the surface for the application of TopCoat® F11®. However, in some cases, when a vehicle has already had the proper TopCoat® F11® treatment, applying TopCoat® F11® again with a clean microfiber towel will suffice to clean your surface during cold winter months. We understand there will be days that it’s just too cold to wash your vehicle by hand and the better solution is using TopCoat® F11® for a quick detail. Applying TopCoat® F11® during the winter will give your vehicle’s painted surface a long-lasting protective layer that repels dirt, snow, rain, and other debris just as it has proven to do during the hot summer months of the year.