How Road Salt Affects Your Car

At Steve’s Detailing, we know how road salt affects your car. It can really wreak havoc. The strong and corrosive chemicals plus salt applied to the road during the winter time are more extreme than we realize. Keep your vehicle protected with a trip to Steve’s Detailing to ensure that these irreversibly corrosive agents do not deteriorate the integrity of your car. Here’s an overview of how road salt affects your car, and what to do about it.

It is hard to say just what chemicals have been used on the icy and slick surfaces of snowy (and icy) winter roads. But a list of what is often used includes: sodium chloride (salt), calcium chloride, magnesium chloride, potassium acetate, and calcium magnesium acetate. If any of these have been used, car detailing is recommended as they will take several days or more to begin washing away on their own. Remember that driving on a surface shortly after being treated with any of these will definitely affect your vehicle as they are all highly corrosive. They are made in order to de-ice and they do an excellent job of it, but they also will destroy your vehicle if left to sit and do their work.

As you drive, dirt, dust, objects, and these chemicals will get flung up into the undercarriage of your vehicle. There they will sit and start eating away at the metal and other materials. Needless to say, this is very bad. If left to their devices, these chemicals will eat through your car metal. Additionally, a quickie drive-thru washing will only settle the chemical residue into the hard to reach cracks and crevices of the undercarriage and continue to eat away at it. A thorough and professional hand washing and detail are key to stopping corrosion in its tracks.

All of the chemicals mentioned above attract and retain moisture; they are also known as hygroscopic. So not only are they corrosive by themselves, but they draw moisture, which will lead to rust much faster. The wheel wells, door panels, shock absorbers and more are in danger of the effects of road salt. If not sufficiently and expertly detailed, over time, this will cost a lot of money to repair and restore the vehicle.

Now that you know how road salt affects your car, you can avoid the destructive outcome with the help of Steves Detailing in Denver, Colorado. Not only will we completely clean the salt and chemicals off of the vehicle, but we will ensure that they are not pushed deeper into all of the cracks and crevices. Being in the business for years, we know how harsh winters can be on your vehicle and will take the time to thoroughly clean it. We start by first washing off all of the salt and chemicals and later provide a thorough wax to resist the corrosive elements and keep your car protected and ready to face the winter roads. Contact us today for an appointment.