Protect Your Car from Road Salt Damage
Winter can be messy business on Iowa roads because your vehicle has to deal with snow, ice, slush, mud, sand and road salt. Of all these elements that can damage your car, sand and road salt are the nastiest. While road salt helps melt the ice on the road in freezing temperatures and sand keeps the salt in place so you can drive your car safely, salt is naturally abrasive, so rust can quickly occur on any metal part of your car. This will cause damage to the body and engine of your vehicle.
Parts most at risk from salt damage are your vehicle’s undercarriage, transmission, exhaust system, muffler, coil springs, subframe and hydraulic brake system, doors, fenders, hood, tailgate. If these components are left unattended and collect in these parts, they will create rust and corrosion.
To prevent salt damage to your vehicle, you need to start early in the season with some of these important tips:
Wax your car
Apply a good coat of wax on your car before the start of the winter season. A strong wax coating will protect it from road salt. You can also have a car professional seal the undercarriage with an undercoating treatment.
Wash your vehicle regularly. Especially target your vehicle’s undercarriage which is a prime pot for road salt buildup. Since some car washes use “repurposed water” that may contain traces of salt, some car care specialists suggest that you wash your vehicle yourself using a high-pressure hose, so you can spray the salt off the undercarriage and other hard-to-reach areas.
Keep your car tires clean
Always make sure your tires are clean and free from salt.
Avoid driving in deep snow, puddles and snowbanks
Puddles collect road salt and dirt, so avoid driving through large puddles of water. For your own safety and protection of your car, do not drive in mounds of snow and stay away from snowbanks. Not only can your car get stuck and your undercarriage packed with road salt, but you could get stranded in the cold. And if you have to drive during bad weather, avoid doing so right before and after a snowstorm, because these are the times the snowplows will be out laying fresh salt on the roads.
It can be a tough time driving in Iowa winters, but as long as salt cannot stick to your car’s undercarriage, paint, or metal surfaces, corrosion issues will be one less worry for you. Following these preventive tips is more affordable than dealing with rust and salt corrosion issues in your vehicle.
When in the market for a used car, stop by Carousel Preowned. CarouselPreowned serving Iowa City, Cedar Rapids, Davenport, North Liberty, Marion, and Coralville, IA, is proud to be an automotive leader in our community. We do our best to ensure your complete satisfaction every time you step into our car dealership. This is why we offer the widest selection of used and pre-owned cars, trucks, and SUVs and provide true ease of purchase in Iowa.