Salty Camaro .. how do you deal with it?
 

My car is a DD, so keeping it in the garage all winter is not an option. The roads around here get salted, so my car will get salt on it. Those are the facts, so the choice is how to deal with it.

I did some reading on the subject. This is what I read...

They say that salt alone is not corrosive until you add moisture. So, if your car is salty, you should keep it outside. This way, the snow and ice remain frozen and the salt is not as active. If you pull it into the garage, the snow/ice melts, the car gets wet, the salt begins to eat the car. If you do this every night, it is very bad. A car that sits outside will experience less corrosion than a car that is garaged every night.

They also said, the best thing you can do is frequently get the car washed, and get the underside sprayed off. Try to keep the car as salt free as possible.

So... I run mine through the carwash about once a week, or more if the roads are nasty... I know this will lead to swirl city, but I cannot stand to see salt on my car. I will deal with the swirls in the spring. I dunno about the garage vs outside rust part.. it does sound like it makes sense. What do you guys think?

lol this is gonna sound crazy but I also drive mine when the roads are dry and salty (Subaru when snowy or wet) and when I get home with the camaro covered in salt I heat the garage up with a kerosene heater then pour water down the sides of the car to remove the salt... then I brush the water out of the garage. Literally every night it gets salty. takes about 15min or so, but I think its worth it.

I'm in the same boat my friend. Subscribed!!

I wash it in a self-service bay. I pay 3 bucks and I get access to a pressure washer w/ soap for 5 minutes to spray off the undercarriage, wheels, and sides of the car.

I do this a couple times a week.

There's a product called Salt Away that my friend uses on all his plowing and salt spreading equipment that really works.

It's original purpose is for washing salt water boats. You should get some and try it out if you want a little extra protection.

Corrosion of the body panels also is extended past the 3year 36k car warranty.

I have hot and cold water connections in my garage. Though I haven't driven my Camaro in the salt, I have used the hot water line to wash the salt off my truck.

"Salty Camaro." I thought you were having problems with your car's use of vulgarity.

There's a touch less car wash in our neighborhood with a chassis blaster. I run it through there about once a week.

When I lived in the areas where they salted the roads, when the temp got above freezing I would put a lawn sprinkler in my driveway turn on the water and drive over it a few times, to get rid of some of the salt.

When I lived in Lexington there was many a cold day that I would get out and wash my car and ive even had the soap and water freeze on my car before I could rinse it off, crazy?, probably but my cars always looked absolutely like new including the undercarriage because at the time I would go to a self spray car wash and only wash the undercarriage and get off any salt that could be there. I havent lived in Lexington in 15 years so now I would do the same thing except I wouldnt venture to a car wash, if I was you I would invest in a under carriage sprayer that attaches to a high pressure gas washer and use that every weekend to get it cleaned off underneath.:nod:

Damn good idea. Same principle as a under carriage washer except lawn sprinkler has less water pressure but good idea nevertheless.:thumbup:

Thanks for the info! That looks like a great product. I think a little extra protection would be nice. Body panels seem to hold up well, but the undercarriage of a lot of cars is a rusty mess. I did a brake job for a friend and I couldn't believe how rusty his SUV was underneath. On the outside, it looked perfect, but it was crumbling underneath.

I've tried the quarter car wash sprayer, but I always feel like access to the bottom of the car is limited. I end up using a real car wash, but then there are swirls. I guess there is not a good solution to this problem.

I might try looking into a sprayer, like you suggested. That is a good idea. I am probably fighting a losing battle no matter what. BTW - I miss the other avatar chick. :)

Salt is not corrosive the way people think it is. Salt traps moisture.

Go to the do-it-yourself carwash, the one with a wand. Spray the car. Yes, get on your hands and knees and do the underside. Then go through the touchless carwash. Not the one with the big spinning brushes.

RE: salt being "inactive"....What a load of bullshit. That's the "I can't see it so it must not be there" school of thought. The salt was used to melt the ice to begin with. But now that it's on the car, being frozen "turns it off"? I should think not.

And an un-heated garage...melts snow...while being outside ...allows ice and snow to remain frozen?? And this is something that is a concern at night...yet the car will also sit outside during the day in the workplace parking lot- where the sun beats on it, melting the "ice armor" and allowing the salt to "activate"?

Who is the "they" that is telling you this? This seems like grade-school logic to me.