Winter weather elements such as snow and ice can harm your vehicle, but another element that causes significant damage this time of year is road salt.
Salt lowers water’s freezing point, which causes the ice on the roads to melt. Salt also provides traction on slick driving surfaces. Necessary as it is to keep roads safe and drivable, road salt can corrode both the vehicle’s exterior and its interior.
Since our good friend the groundhog has predicted six more weeks of winter, D&S has some tips to help protect your vehicle from road salt damage.
Take your vehicle to a professional for maintenance
Often times it is a vehicle’s parts you can’t see that garner the most damage. A professional auto dealer will check the vehicle’s undercarriage for rust and corrosion as the brake lines, fuel lines and wheel wells all have metal components that are susceptible to such damage. The auto dealer will also check other parts of vehicle that tend to retain moisture such as the doors, fender, hood, and tailgate.
Wash your vehicle as often as possible
Wash your vehicle every chance you get to keep salt from building up and corroding your vehicle’s functional parts and exterior, at least once a month throughout winter. Make sure to wash the undercarriage and wax the exterior as it will help to protect your vehicle’s paint. However, it is important to wash your vehicle with fresh water, as recycled water may contain salt.
Keep your vehicle’s floors clean
Your vehicle’s floors can rust from exposure to slush and salt brought in from the outside. Vacuum your vehicle’s interior regularly to soak up any water and moisture. For even more protection, you can install WeatherTech all-weather floor mats to protect your vehicle’s interior from all of the elements.
Take care of your vehicle and be cautious of snow, ice, and especially road salt. Should your vehicle be damaged by any of the aforementioned winter elements, don’t worry; it happens. We can fix it. Bring your vehicle to D&S Automotive and we will help to get you back on the road.