SALT:

[Stewart G Griffin]

Is roadsalt in and of itself harmful to cars?

The roadcrews around here put down salt BEFORE it snowed.   Is this harmful to the truck if it hasn't been mixed with any moisture----snow, rain etc.?

[gunrac]

Googled this quick:     But short answer is YES.

ROAD SALT CAN DAMAGE YOUR VEHICLE

Thanks to the cumulative effects of chemical reactions and time, the more road salt that comes in contact with your vehicle, the rustier it’s likely to get. Here’s how it happens:

Water from precipitation puts oxygen and carbon dioxide in contact with metal car parts.
Free-floating ions in road salt come in contact with the water. These ions speed up the formation of iron oxide.
Rust starts forming, since rust is simply a layer of iron oxide that appears after extensive exposure to oxygen. The addition of salt and water just makes the rusting process occur faster than normal conditions allow.
There’s no running from science, but how can you keep rust to a minimum when you have no choice but to drive on salted roads?

The best thing you can do is to wash and wax your car frequently – especially before and during winter. The more often you wash and wax, the more salt you will remove. Sealing your undercarriage helps, too. It’s often the parts of your car you don’t see that snow salt can damage the most. In the fall, before roads start getting icy, talk to a car professional about sealants and other preemptive precautions for road salt.

[VileZambonie]

The key with any vehicle you subject to this stuff is to first protect it with a good coating. I use truck bedliner or undercoating (not the aerosol crap)and second, wash it off frequently. 

[Stewart G Griffin]

So as long as i don't contract moisture---from driving it AFTER it snows/rains and then wash the underside off, i'm ok?

In other words, the salt itself is generally ok without any moisture?   But the salt should be washed off ASAP?

[roundhouse]

Why do you think you can see thru the side of a 10 year old truck in Ohio ?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[kielyjw]

Hello all. Brand new to the forum. Living in Michigan in the Detroit area we are sitting on one of the worlds biggest salt mines. If we get 4" of snow, they don't plow, they just dump more salt on the road. Salt means Cancer to your truck. That dust you get on your truck when driving on the road will creep in everywhere. Washing frequently will help but not stop it completely. So, before applying your undercoating I would recommend steam cleaning your undercarriage. It's a pain but gets the salt dust out of crevices. Then maybe POR15 to seal it. I had to get my new 74 from Arizona because they are all piles of rust here.

[VileZambonie]

So as long as i don't contract moisture--

Unless its in a vacuum there will be moisture

[Irish_Alley]

chance of snow = chance of moisture

[philo_beddoe]

First of all, I hate salt on my food and even more so, on the roads more than anyone. Certainly a dry white dusty salty road is not good, but one drop of moisture and your dead. The absolute best way to flush a vehicle of all salt is to drive in a good rain, it gets in there even better than pressure washing. But, when the temp is cold for a good stretch even a dusting of snow, they will salt heavy of course. Now what? I use a 3 gallon heavy duty garden sprayer and hit it real good, daily if I have too. It will NOT clean, but it does flush some salt away. If its really cold like singe digits for a good stretch, your dead. I buy PB Blaster Lubricant by the gallon, put it in a HD spray bottle and hit the undercarriage heavy. Some guys use hydraulic oil because its cheap, but you'll need some pressure to apply.

The only way to truly beat the salt is to get a winter beater, like a ford escort. That's it.

[Engineer]

I wash my truck(s) every day if that is what it takes when the salt is on the road. I have insulated rubber gloves, a special water hose, and a spot in my driveway where I can do it without making an ice skating rink.

The looks on my neighbor's faces is worth it alone when they see me washing my truck on a 20° day right at sunset.

So far rust hasn't been a problem.

[philo_beddoe]

Now yer talkin. Whats this "special hose?"

[Engineer]

It's one I keep the water drained out of so it doesn't freeze.