driving on salt

[steph09]

It hasn't snowed here yet or precipitated. The roads are dry for now, but they salted the parking lot where I am now. Is my car okay since I drove it tonight over the salt? Like I said it hasn't snowed yet and they just put the salt down tonight. No salt on the main roads just in my parking lot. I don't plan on driving the car for a while either.

[its a syn]

Wash it as soon as possible. Concentrate on the wheel wells and rockers. You'll be fine. The real damage comes when you drive on the roads and the freezing slush freezes on your car and it stays there for awhile.

[rberns]

Originally Posted by its a syn

Wash it as soon as possible. Concentrate on the wheel wells and rockers. You'll be fine. The real damage comes when you drive on the roads and the freezing slush freezes on your car and it stays there for awhile.

Agreed.

Salt on a car is always no bueno.

[PalmerGA]

Originally Posted by rberns

Agreed.

Salt on a car is always no bueno.

Yup. No exceptions.

[ChrisBlair]

Salt attracts and holds moisture. It's not an acid or something. Combined with sand, the mixture can abrade and rub away paint and expose metal to the things that make rust. The salty water gets trapped on hundreds of things under the car and it pools and dries there, leaving the salt ready for another round of corrosion.

Your Camaro is not made the way a 1969 Camaro was made. Cars made in the 21st century benefit from a lot of things that combat the effects of salt on automobiles. The most effective is probably weld-though primers. Think about it: when was the last time you saw a rusted out, say, 2002 Toyota Corolla? The owners don't usually worry about salt on the roads, but those cars aren't rusted out after 12 years or so. I never see any "shitbox" cars any more, of any make or model, here in new England, and we salt heavily.

Your car is not going to start "rusting away" because of salt in a parking lot. While I agree that the wheels wells and rockers do need attention, the wheel wells are plastic. No rust issues there. It's the grit and salty mix that can abrade between the wheel well and the steel fender, grinding away the paint and exposing metal to the salt and water.

if you look at your Camaro with an eye towards what made cars rust 40 years ago, you'll see we have drains and areas where water can escape.

However if you are worried about salt, you will need to find some old clothes and a do-it-yourself car wash with a spray wand, and yes, get as much of yourself under the car as you can, and spray off the undercarriage thoroughly. It will be cold and uncomfortable. I do this about once a week with my own Camaro

It's funny (not ha-ha) to read these things as I'm an old-car guy and we were always suspicious of 40 year old cars from say the Florida coast, because salt spray gets on them, too, even though there's no snow. But nobody seems to worry about that and the cars from the modern era down there aren't rusting away to dust. The old cars did though.

Some basic car care will prevent the problems you're worried about, but bear in mind that the salt in that parking lot and others will not be gone until June or so, when rain has washed it all away.

I'm more concerned about the salty crud on my paint making scratches if I happen to brush up against the car. The salt accelerating rust I can mitigate with the weekly bath

[KJS]

^^^ couldn't have said it better myself ^^

[abaucom21]

Virgina Beach: Understand your Camaro is you baby. Just run the Camaro through an auto wash that offers underbody wash.

I drive my Camaro in Canadian winters (salt on roads from late Nov.- early April). I 'Krown' treat yearly before first snow fall. My 2011 now owned for more than 3 years, 2 winters moving into 3rd winter, when Camaro was on the lift last month, totally rust free. In Virgina Beach (use to live in VA), just get an underbody wash at a good car wash, should not have any issues.

[United_727]

Well,my 01 cavalier DD is rusted out pretty good . Not sure what they salt with up in Boston,but the stuff they use here is nasty.

[Scalded Dog]

What ChrisBlair said!

'Round here, we get a lot of snow and ice, all winter long. However, lefty environmentalists have fought for years, and won't permit salt on these roads. However, once in a blue moon, the remaining alternative actually works: We get "cinder" dropped on the roads, basically crushed volcanic gravel. Very grippy... like Grape- Nuts.

SO, funny story time: Yesterday, my son encountered a vehicle that had slid partway off of an icy/ snowy road. The driver was trying to regain traction. He had (1) a fella with a truck, trying to pull/ tow the car with a thin piece of frayed clothesline, and (B) a few bags of cat food that he was sprinkling on the ground in front of the wheels. Yes, cat FOOD. Apparently, ol' boy had heard the advice to use cat litter as 'sand' for traction in the snow, but had misunderstood, or failed to grasp how it all works. So, when he got stuck, he walked down to the grocery store nearby, and bought a few bags of cat food... not cat litter. Slimy, nasty, relatively expensive mess.

Oh, how we locals enjoy the entertainment...

[jd10013]

Originally Posted by United_727

Well,my 01 cavalier DD is rusted out pretty good . Not sure what they salt with up in Boston,but the stuff they use here is nasty.

as Chris said, it's not really the salt. rust is nothing more than iron oxide, or iron combined with oxygen. in order for this process to begin, all that's needed is oxygen, and an electrolyte, (water). areas by the coast have a higher moisture content in the air, for obvious reasons, and it not uncommon to see more rusted cars. however, manufactures take steps to prevent this, and it's much less common now.

[kevinw]

chrisblair. are verts any more prone to more salt damage? is it ok to run a vert thru car wash with undercarriage washer? i have black, and yes, with crud on the sides, you dont want to brush up against it either. alot of our cars appear to be plasitc not metal these days too. i remember my 68 chevelle and 73 chevelle in college, all the washing in the world didtn keep them from becoming rust buckets.

[102SS]

Check it hourly its probably rotting away as we type

[Msmall143]

The salt mixture used today is also different that what they used 20 plus years ago

[myold88]

Op: I hope you have switched out those P/Zeros.
If not salt my be the least of your worries.