When salt is on the road, washing your car is a major factor in battling corrosion and maintaining the value of your car. Salt that remains on a vehicle surface and undercarriage for any length of time can:
- damage your car’s clear finish
- promote rust
- affect the mechanics of your vehicle
Follow these winter wash tips in order to keep your car at its best:
- Wash your vehicle every 10 days or less.
- Wash your vehicle before the temperature reaches 35 degrees F. or higher. At freezing temperatures, road salt can’t do much to hurt your car; it has to warm up to start contributing to rust.
- Avoid driving through deep snow. Deep snow can become packed into the undercarriage and contribute to corrosion and even cause drivability problems (reduced braking action, vibrations, inhibit airflow, etc).
- Avoid driving through large puddles of standing water where road salt collects.
- Repair paint chips that are larger than the tip of a pen to avoid corrosion.
- Wax your vehicle at least every three months to give your vehicle a strong protective coating.
- Wax your vehicle before winter to protect your paint from corrosive salt.