Car winter salt removal

Hey guys,

Winter in Canada is inescapable and, unless you never leave your house, commuting in it is probably to. What do you do to remove salt and prevent damage from the bottom of your car?

I've thought about putting my car up on a hoist and rinsing it off but I worry that this will only push the salt into further, harder to reach, and less well sealed crevices where it will form rust.

I just get mine rust proofed prior to winter (Krown) and let it be, if you do put it on a lift be sure to actually use soap and wash it, just using water to rinse it can make it even worse, assuming you didn't get rust proofing done

, with my winter beater... I just do what you said you don't want to do... throw it up on a hoist and power wash =/

I take my winter car thru the auto car wash once a week and get a full wash. Rustproofing helps a lot as well as keeping it clean by going thru the car wash like every week or two to keep the salt down. not much more you can do then that.

ruckusx2 wrote:I take my winter car thru the auto car wash once a week and get a full wash. Rustproofing helps a lot as well as keeping it clean by going thru the car wash like every week or two to keep the salt down. not much more you can do then that.

How do you mitigate water that doesn't evaporate in the drying process freezing to your car in inconvenient places?

don't wash your car when its -20C.

Haha ^ You pretty much have to pick a warm day. Slushy salty goodness will get pretty much everywhere. Perks of being Canadian

actually, i know it seems counter intuitive, but you actually shouldnt wash your car during the winter if you are worried about salt. Theoretically, the dirt collected on your forms a protective layer on the metal parts that the salt wont eat. Also if salt is on your car, adding water (washing it) can help the salt get into little crevises where it will sit until summer and start the cancer process. Also, the chemical reaction between salt and metal to form rust doesnt happen at lower temperatures, so as long as its cold outside your car shouldnt rust. Apparently one of the worst things you can do to a winter car is park it in a warm garage where the snow melts, collects salt and spreads it throughout the frame, and then the warm garage accelerates the corrosion process.

The best thing to do is rustproof every year, and spray a little extra rustproofing yourself in rust prone locations (fenders, ect). Then when the warm weather comes around give your car one really really good wash to get rid of the salt thats collected. some may remain, but your rustproofing should be able to deal with that stuff.

This isnt just me blowin smoke out my ass either . We've talked about this stuff quite a bit in my university classes. Of course its mostly theoretical, but its all science, so should be pretty reliable .

What i usually do for my car is rustproof like said, then dont wash it till march. i do park it in a garage, but it isnt heated. snow melts, but its cold enough to slow down corrosion. after 3 years my frame and bodywork are still mint rust wise.

^woohoo, i'm learning. Thanks for the tip

so I should find a nice mud pit? =D

I looked into Krown rust proofing which looks pretty cool but with one caveat. The drill holes in your doors!

Has anyone had any problems after they drill, spray, and plug your car and how easy is the compound to get off when you want to do some mods.

^ One of my friends got the plugs done and it doesnt really make moding any different, its inside the doors/panels so unless you're remodeling the car shouldnt cause any problems. Only thing is that it seeps out for quite some time after and shows black spots around the holes for most (if not all) of winter, but washes off fine.  I just got the under carriage spray, cheaper and still allows factory warranty to stay intact (most dealers won't cover if you have the drilling done). PS. Now I get to actually tell people its better for the car... instead of "I'm lazy..." LOL

ya I used to do that no washing thing in the winter time. worked good to I did it for years.but then one year I got sick of driving in a dirty car. I have drove the line around the block a few times in the winter and just wash it (all over top, bottom)b4 parking it and I don't have no protection under the 25yr old car just metal and I don't have any rust yet after 7yrs.
maybe its my luck.

without under-spraying the car I wouldn't mind finding a new way if possible that would be wicked cause salt is the only thing stopping me from driving the line in winter times.