Living in New England, winters can be rough on you, so just think about how the winter could impact your car! Some of the most important washes your car gets are the winter season car washes, as they help prevent corrosion from the cold weather, snow, and road salt.
Impacts of Cold Winters on Your Car
If you are accustomed to the cold weather, you know that you need to take precautions as the cold begins to creep in. Fluctuating New England weather can bring freezing cold temperatures, rain, and snow storms. In the winter, you will fill your tires with more air to keep them from going flat. You may ensure all of the fluids in your car, including gas, aren’t getting low enough to freeze. While you may take some precautions, there’s a chance that you are not taking all of the necessary precautions to protect your car this winter.
How Road Salt Can Negatively Impact Your Car
Did you know that while road salt can be an effective tool for keeping driving conditions safe, it may not be the best in terms of the longevity of your car’s exposed metal? Without frequent winter season car washes, your vehicle may experience negative effects from road salt. When road salt sticks to the exposed metal in the undercarriage of your car, it will stick to the metal. That metal will then come into contact with rain and snow, which will accelerate the oxidation process, causing your undercarriage to experience rusting. Not only is your car’s undercarriage impacted by road salt corrosion, but so is your car’s paint. The car’s paint is corroded by road salt, which also causes rust to start growing underneath and bubbling up, making the metal brittle and flaky. If left unattended, the damaged portion eventually breaks away, and a hole may result. While you may be able to drive with some paint damage from rust, you can’t safely drive with a rusted undercarriage. Road salt may cause dangerous, unseen damage to your frame, hydraulic brake system, and more vital car parts.
How Can I Prevent Damage to My Car From Road Salt?
While some of these suggestions will add a bit of work for your car maintenance, they are best practices to help maintain the integrity of your vehicle. Tow companies see many cars from New England experience corrosion so horribly that they cannot attach to a vehicle’s tow hook. The last thing you want is for your car to experience preventable damage. Here are our tips on how to prevent damage to your car from road salt:
Wash Your Car Following Snow and Ice Storms
When snow and ice storms are expected, town and state workers will coat the roads with salt to ensure safe driving conditions. The salt will inevitably stick to parts of your undercarriage and paint. To protect your vehicle from corrosion, you wash your car as soon as possible after a snow or ice storm. If you notice white patches on your local roads from salt, then it is likely you should take that as a sign to get a winter season car wash. If the salt is creating stains on roads, there is likely still residual salt left on the roads that is getting stuck to the undercarriage of your car even though you may not be expecting a storm!
Choose the Right Washes for Your Needs
Seacoast Wash offers many different types of car washes. In the winter, the best choice wash would be “The Works” Wash, the VIP Hot Wax Package, or the Ceramic Shield wash. “The Works” wash includes an underbody spray, which is vital to properly maintaining your car during a snowy or icy winter. It ensures your underbody is just as clean as the visible areas of your car and removes any salt or leftover snow stuck in the underbody. The VIP Hot Wax Package is “The Works” package plus a carnauba wax coating. Not only does this wash thoroughly clean your car, but it also adds protection from the wax coating to help avoid any water causing rust or other issues. The ultimate wash package would be the Ceramic Shield wash. This was is the VIP Hot Wax Package plus ceramic shield. The ability of ceramic to resist dirt, water, and grime is astounding. It leaves your car with a level of shine that is deeper and richer than anything you’ve ever seen, adds a layer of UV ray protection, and dries astonishingly well.
Avoid Driving in Deep Snow
This may sound like an obvious statement, but you’d be shocked to see how many drivers attempt to drive through deep snow or rain flooding. When driving in snow, you may notice it gets stuck in your car’s wheel well. Not only can that cause a hazard while driving as it minimizes the space your tire can freely turn without experiencing friction, but it also causes risk for corrosion if you don’t clean the packed snow out. Deep snow can also get lodged against and within the bottom of your car. You wouldn’t intentionally park your car on a pile of snow where the undercarriage is resting in the snow, so don’t drive in similar conditions either!
Properly Protect Your Car
Just washing your car will help push off some negative impacts that the winter weather may pose to your vehicle, but there are extra steps you can take to prevent salt from sticking to your vehicle. Many car washes offer wax finishes. Wax deters water from adhering to your car, protecting against any moisture damage in the warmer months and protecting against road salt corrosion in the winter months.
Wash Your Car with Seacoast Wash
Seaocast Wash in Hampton, NH offers excellent and effective winter season car washes. A great way to keep your car safe from road salt corrosion is to purchase a monthly wash card and get winter season car washes as often as you need. Call (603)601-2984 to learn more!