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Popular Car Wash

· Popular Car Wash team

What Changed in Our Winter Prep Routine for 2026

Each fall we walk every Popular tunnel and self-serve site, top to bottom, to make sure the wash is ready for the kind of road salt, brine, and temperature swings our regions throw at it. Going into winter 2026 we made three deliberate changes worth writing down.

Stronger undercarriage rinse on the foam-rinse cycle

Salt corrosion does the most damage on the parts of the car you cannot see — the brake lines, fuel lines, frame rails, suspension components. We pushed our undercarriage rinse pressure higher across all tunnel sites for the foam-rinse cycle, so the salt and brine that builds up on the underside actually flushes off, instead of just getting pushed around. The change is invisible from inside the car but it is the most important winter upgrade we made this year.

Self-serve bay heaters

Self-serve washing in -15°C is a different sport than self-serve washing in summer. Hamilton Barton St, Whitby Building A, Port Perry, and Uxbridge all received heater service in October. The bays themselves are open-air, but the heat helps keep the wand spray from freezing back onto your hood mid-wash, and it keeps your hands functional long enough to actually finish the rinse.

De-icer cycle on tunnel exits

The most common wash-related winter complaint is door-frame freeze: you wash, drive home, and the next morning the doors are frozen shut. We added a heated final rinse cycle at all tunnel locations that pushes a higher-temperature rinse around the door frames and trunk seals on the way out. It does not eliminate freeze (no wash can), but it materially reduces it.

If you do find a frozen seal, our staff will pour warm water into the seal area on the same day at no charge. Just ask.

Winter Prep 2026 — What Changed | Popular Car Wash