I live in an area where winter usually consists of two light snows and maybe a couple days of ice. The roads are usually passable and completely clear within 24-48 hours so most around here just wait a day after a snow to drive. The state usually uses a brine spray on the roads the day before we are supposed to get snow. Well this year I have had to drive at least 5 times through a bunch of ice and the state has put down a ton of salt. My question is that we have always had a rainy day just a few days after i had to drive through all of the crud, so i am thinking that all or most of the salt on the underbody of my car is getting washed away. Do i need to really get up under the car with the hose and clean it to prevent any rust?
Cleaning road salt from vehicles
- Thread starter Barkleymut
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So driving 50 miles on roads that had no salt left on them during a moderate rain would not clean as well as a carwash? I am just asking...not trying to be a smart donkey
Since you're in Richmond, best thing you can do is wait until it's above freezing again and just wash it, using your garden hose to liberally rinse the underside. You're better off than the folks in Northern States, where it's too cold to wash for months at a time. You can prevent most of the damage...they just suffer the consequences....
Originally Posted By: Barkleymut
So driving 50 miles on roads that had no salt left on them during a moderate rain would not clean as well as a carwash? I am just asking...not trying to be a smart donkey
I would think it would get the salt off more effectively. You'll still have road film/dirt, but the salt will be gone....
So driving 50 miles on roads that had no salt left on them during a moderate rain would not clean as well as a carwash? I am just asking...not trying to be a smart donkey
I would think it would get the salt off more effectively. You'll still have road film/dirt, but the salt will be gone....
Originally Posted By: RamFan
A touchless carwash with an underbody spray is your friend.
YES!
Tons of salt and other chemicals on the roads up here all winter long. I go through the TFCW at least once a week, sometimes more, to keep that stuff off. The undercarriage wash is great.
A touchless carwash with an underbody spray is your friend.
YES!
Tons of salt and other chemicals on the roads up here all winter long. I go through the TFCW at least once a week, sometimes more, to keep that stuff off. The undercarriage wash is great.
Originally Posted By: Barkleymut
I live in an area where winter usually consists of two light snows and maybe a couple days of ice. The roads are usually passable and completely clear within 24-48 hours so most around here just wait a day after a snow to drive. The state usually uses a brine spray on the roads the day before we are supposed to get snow. Well this year I have had to drive at least 5 times through a bunch of ice and the state has put down a ton of salt. My question is that we have always had a rainy day just a few days after i had to drive through all of the crud, so i am thinking that all or most of the salt on the underbody of my car is getting washed away. Do i need to really get up under the car with the hose and clean it to prevent any rust?
For now a car wash with underbody spray is best. The one near me even has an additive to even further neutralize the salt. At some point the rain will start to wash it away.
FluidFilm or Carwell sprayed on it the proper way to handle the situation.
I live in an area where winter usually consists of two light snows and maybe a couple days of ice. The roads are usually passable and completely clear within 24-48 hours so most around here just wait a day after a snow to drive. The state usually uses a brine spray on the roads the day before we are supposed to get snow. Well this year I have had to drive at least 5 times through a bunch of ice and the state has put down a ton of salt. My question is that we have always had a rainy day just a few days after i had to drive through all of the crud, so i am thinking that all or most of the salt on the underbody of my car is getting washed away. Do i need to really get up under the car with the hose and clean it to prevent any rust?
For now a car wash with underbody spray is best. The one near me even has an additive to even further neutralize the salt. At some point the rain will start to wash it away.
FluidFilm or Carwell sprayed on it the proper way to handle the situation.
I recently got an underbody wash and it sprayed sludge of salt and mud into my engine bay. Wasn't pretty.
I just rinsed the underside of my car today, but a good rain works too.
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Originally Posted By: Astro14
Since you're in Richmond, best thing you can do is wait until it's above freezing again and just wash it, using your garden hose to liberally rinse the underside. You're better off than the folks in Northern States, where it's too cold to wash for months at a time. You can prevent most of the damage...they just suffer the consequences....
The reaction occurs much more rapidly at higher temperatures, so the unusually low temperatures us New Englanders have been experiencing is actually helping mitigate the salt-induced corrosion. It's much, MUCH worse during transitions above and below freezing, following snow and salt usage (i.e, salt use during snow storms followed by 40F+ days without any cleansing rain is much worse than freeze, FREEZE, FREEEEEEEZING temps throughout.)
Since you're in Richmond, best thing you can do is wait until it's above freezing again and just wash it, using your garden hose to liberally rinse the underside. You're better off than the folks in Northern States, where it's too cold to wash for months at a time. You can prevent most of the damage...they just suffer the consequences....
The reaction occurs much more rapidly at higher temperatures, so the unusually low temperatures us New Englanders have been experiencing is actually helping mitigate the salt-induced corrosion. It's much, MUCH worse during transitions above and below freezing, following snow and salt usage (i.e, salt use during snow storms followed by 40F+ days without any cleansing rain is much worse than freeze, FREEZE, FREEEEEEEZING temps throughout.)
When you drive over a wet, saltless road, the spray is the same pattern as when you drove over a salt covered road so I would think it would do a pretty good job of flushing the undercarriage. Also, salt dries and crystallizes under the car so length of time of the flush is important also.
Yeah I'd wait until a good rain event, allow some time for residual salt to wash off of the road surface and go for a good drive including at highway speed where you'll generate lots of spray and air movement to get the water where it needs to go. To some degree this has got to be better than a TFCW because the water will go in all of the little spaces the salt did.
In Toronto our vehicles get slathered in salty slush/snow for at least 4 months every year. Every spring I always blast the bottoms and wheel wells with a spray gun rinse followed up with a car wash that has a bottom blaster. Some car washes state they use freshwater.
I do wash underneath a couple times a winter, but in the spring I'll go for a drive in the rain and hit the puddles as well. Some roads have a nice pair of tire grooves so you can get lots of spray of clean water.
Just went to the self wash bay this morning. I didn't see much precip in the forecast and wanted all that gunk off. $1.50 for 4 mins. I just did the high pressure rinse. I think next time I will do two cycles. One low pressure foam soap that says to let soak for a few minutes. Then rinse off.
Originally Posted By: supton
Can you angle it up real good with the wand at the coin-op? Been a while since I went to one.
Not really, but you can do a pretty good job. Needless to say dress down for it. It splashes back.
Can you angle it up real good with the wand at the coin-op? Been a while since I went to one.
Not really, but you can do a pretty good job. Needless to say dress down for it. It splashes back.
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