Salt on the roads
 

So this weekend I drove up to Virginia to visit family. I washed my car 2 days ago because it was 60 degrees. Well somehow yesterday it snowed. I'm from Indiana so I'm used to snow, but I've never really had to worry about the salt on the roads because I drove my sentra. Virginia dot is retarded and dumped a bunch of salt on the roads for an inch of snow. I have to leave today to drive back to north Carolina. I pretty much have no choice but to drive through the salt. Do you guys have advice? Anything I should do when I get back to nc? I dont really have any ramps or lifts to put it up on to wash underneath. Should I even be worried about it?

Don't worry that much about it.

When you get a chance later, take it through one of those brushless washes that sprays the undercarriage when you enter.

Do not forget ^^^^ what Steve said.

yah, just wash the car real well..undercarriage especially the frame aft of the front wheels and along side of car around pinch weld rail.

i hate salt.

All my cars are driven year round, through snow and salt and other nastiness. They all hold up just fine. I will drive around with a salt covered car for weeks before washing it and its never a worry. Road salt isn't a huge problem unless you leave it for years.

New cars are go through many hours of salt testing to make sure they will not rust prematurely.

Don't sweat it. Just wash it when you get home. Make sure to blast all the salt off the bottom of the car.

Would road salt deteriorate the CBE and HFC since they sit the lowest?

If they are quality metals, no. The salt won't sit on them long enough to do anything.

I'm originally from NYS and they have used salt on roads for the last 60 yrs and I am very familar with the damage it will do to cars and nissans.

On the underside of most cars, suspension parts and other assemblies are only given a quick coat of thin black paint that is really only good if you live in a dry climate. This coating really only works more as a pust preventer, is not really a good multi layer paint coating or powder coating, and it will start to develope rust very fast in a salty environment or normal winter or rainy climate.

The main problem with road salt is that it is very corosive to metal and electrical connections, almost as bad as a mild acid solution.

Heres an example of a what even a mild coating of salt from a sunny day can do to abrand new sport bike in only a 5 mile ride 50 degree weather in march .

Bike was brand new, upon inspecting it the very next day around the bottom of the engine and behind the front wheel, I noticed a coating of lite white coating on a lot of the bike and after washing the bike thoroughly down I found out that the salt actually lightly removed some of the green coating on a lot of the fasteners and hose connections and even on some of the zinc plated fasterners.

On nissans also suffer from poor coating on there metal tubing lines and there are alot of bare metal shafts that will wick up rust into the shafts and bearings.

Overall the best thing you can do for any sports car or seasonal driver is to never drive it in a winter climate or anywhere you may encounter snow or salt on the roads.

Back in New York State , if you have a seasonal driver or motorcycle, you basically don't even take it on the early spring roads until you have at least 3-4 good days of rain that will wash most of the salt away from the roads or just wait till May and take car off the before the first snow fall. Also get yourself a beater for winter like and old sentra.

To clean the car you will need to get it up on a lift or jack stands and at least thoroughly hose off the car with a garden hose and if you can scrub and wash if off with a brush and mild detergent. You could have the bottom of the car pressure washed with a mild detergent and set at low pressure , but you have to be very carefull around bearing and electrical connections as the high pressure water can penentrate though seals and connections. Don't worry to much about the amount of water you use as your car is designed to be driven in rainy or wet conditions.

Wait until we get a good rain that'll wash the salt off the roads. I think we are due for this on Thursday. If you wash your car then go back out on a salt covered road you just wasted your time.

If you don't have a clear bra, I'd be most worried about the salt blasting the areas behind your front and rear wheels. Salt never fails in putting tiny chips in those areas.

Yah, its a different perspective for guys like me that hibernate our cars. :)

Sometimes, it rains here. I drive in it.

Yah, its a different perspective for guys like me that only drive on dry days. :icon17: