We have been offering dry ice services for upwards of 18 months now, about 4 years since we starting looking into the service and how and why we should introduce this to SW Autoworx.
Throughout the time offering this service we have cleaned various types of vehicles and components and gain knowledge and experience which has helped us understand the differences of services offered and where they maybe required.
What is dry ice and why is it used in the automotive industry?
Dry Ice is frozen Co2 which can be bought in many forms. Generally we buy it in 3mm or 1.7mm pellets. 1.7mm is very rare in the UK and there is only really one supplier, ours. 1.7mm produces more of a powder compared to 3mm.
When the dry ice hits the substrate it produces micro-explosions, sublimation, when the solid turns to a gas. These micro-explosions is what allows Dry Ice to clean so well but is non-abrasive, therefore leaving the substrate in tact but removing the dirt on its surface.
Perfect for many different applications! We use it as it allows us to clean salt, dirt, grime and old underseals and waxoyls from the underside of a vehicle without harming the metals beneath it, leaving them perfectly clean and ready for an anti-corrosive coating the be applied.
Is there a difference between Dry Ice Cleaning and Dry Ice Blasting?
You may have heard many difference names for this service, but is there a difference.... in essence yes.
Dry Ice Blasting is in our view a more industrial level of clean, demanding vast amounts of air, ice and very expensive to run, thus more expensive for the customer.
Dry Ice Cleaning, is a clean as opposed to a blast. Cleaning salt, dirt, grime from the surface of a vehicle for example, leaving a clean vehicle ready for application of an anti-corrosive clean coat.
What service do I require?
The million dollar question, which service do you need.
A couple of factors here, however below we have tried to outline a few scenarios and which service is most suitable -
Cleaning - Engine Bays - Bare Engine & Gearboxes - Vehicles without prior applied waxoils or underseals - Vehicles with very old sealants applied
Blasting - Underbody needed full removal of waxoils, sealants, Dinitrol for example - As part of a restoration.
Essentially the main reason why you might need Dry Ice Blasting is if you vehicle has had a product applied fairly recently. Due to the increase velocity of blasting, it is far more efficient to have it blasted ready for the next stage.
What do we offer?
Our day to day service we offer is Dry Ice Cleaning using state of the art technology and equipment from Dry Ice Energy. We have had great success in offering this service followed by one of our clear coat protective coatings.
However, with prior arrangement, we can offer a Dry Ice Blasting service for underseal removal.
How do I find out what service I required if I am not sure?
The best way to find out what is required, is to book in for our 'Inspection Service'. This gives us time to lightly clean the underside of the vehicle, get underneath and in some cases put the car on a ramp for photos and videos to provide you and then a report to advice you on the best step forward coupled with a quote.
We hope this provides a little more context around what we offer at SW Autoworx when it comes to Dry Ice Cleaning.
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