I moved to Michigan in 2022, and maybe people who are close to me know this... I've haven't washed my pickup ONCE since I moved here. For the most part, it looks pretty good. There's a few places that maybe could use a little extra scrubbing, but who am I trying to impress, right?

So it got me to thinking... is there even a reason to wash my truck in Michigan? When it's not snowing, it's raining, when it's not raining, it's sunny for maybe a day, and then it goes RIGHT back to raining, and I have a dirty truck again. So what's the point?

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Well, turns out, there IS a point to washing your vehicles in Michigan, and I'm sure seasoned Michiganders have their faces firmly planted in their palms after reading the first two paragraphs.

Apparently, if I want my truck to stay together in one piece, I need to wash it fairly regularly, ESPECIALLY in the winter.

Washing your vehicle isn't just about making your vehicle look good. Trust me, if you saw the inside of my pickup right now, you'd know that cosmetics aren't really that important right now.

No, washing your vehicle in Michigan... really in northern states in general... is necessary to stave off erosion of critical structures in your vehicle.

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In the winter, we obviously get a fair amount of frozen precipitation. With that comes the application of chemicals to road surfaces. Couple that with regular wear and tear, mud, grime, bird droppings, and just plain-ole water from rain and wet road surfaces... if you don't regularly wash your vehicle, it could literally erode in front of your eyes.

"Climate has a major impact on how often you should wash your car. When not treated, salt, snow, and rain can eat through the paint and undercarriage of the car, causing long-term damage." - Jonathan Ganter, co-founder of Brakes to Go

Yeah, that salt, and the chemicals on the road will cripple your car faster than you can ever imagine.

So, even though it'll just get dirty again in like 12 hours... why should you wash your car regularly in Michigan? The short answer... so you still have a car to drive.

MCACN Car Show at The Gilmore Car Museum

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