Auto Detailing in Valdosta, GA

Detailing in Valdosta

Georgia heat and Floridan well water.

The City of Valdosta notes that it was incorporated in 1860 as the Lowndes County seat, after the town of Troupville moved to the new railroad line. Today, a few local facts shape how vehicles here are cared for.

Wash on grass or gravel

The City of Valdosta's Stormwater Division asks residents to wash cars on grass or gravel, not pavement, so wash water soaks into the ground instead of carrying soap and grime into storm drains. If you wash at home between details, park on the lawn and use a car soap rather than dish soap, which strips wax. The city's tips also ask that nothing, not even plain water, be dumped into storm drains.

The hottest summers in our area

NOAA's 1991 to 2020 normals for Valdosta Regional Airport show about 101 days a year at 90°F or above, the most of the five towns we serve, with July highs averaging about 92°F. Heat dries water and residue quickly, so spots and baked-on bugs form faster than in cooler weather. Washing early in the morning, before panels heat up, avoids most of the problem.

Well water and water spots

Valdosta draws its drinking water from seven wells in the Upper Floridan aquifer, according to the city's water treatment plant page. The U.S. Geological Survey notes that this aquifer's water commonly carries calcium and magnesium, which can leave spots when water dries on glass and paint. Drying a vehicle right after washing prevents most of them. A filtered final rinse is another way some owners avoid spots.

A little drier than North Florida

Valdosta Regional Airport averages about 48 inches of rain a year, less than the 52 to 55 inches recorded at the Florida stations near our other towns. June is still the wettest month, at about 7.1 inches, and the airport station averages about 22 nights a year below freezing. Drier stretches in spring and fall are the easiest times to plan paint work that needs time to cure.

Trees, pollen and sap

The City of Valdosta's Arbor Division plants, maintains and protects trees along city streets, and its page notes 31 consecutive years as a Tree City USA. Parking under street trees brings pollen, sap and bird droppings onto the paint, and in Valdosta's heat they set fast, so rinsing them off within a day or two matters more than in a cooler place.

• About 48 inches of rain a year
• About 101 days a year at 90°F or above
• Wettest month: June
• About 22 nights a year below freezing