Driving in snow/salted roads - aftercare help

Hey guys,

i just came back from a snowboarding trip up in Mammoth where i was lucky enough to get a snow storm over one of the nights. the roads up there were plowed and i would assume salted, so my question is since i drove through it (at low speeds, max ~30mph), do i have to do a deep cleaning now on my undercarriage, wheel wells, etc? it was honestly my first time driving in snow, and i don't know the measures i need to take after the fact. i live in orange county, so i now i'll just be driving through sunny and overcasted days. am i at risk of rusting? even if it was just one trip? thank you in advanced!

 

Power wash everything you can reasonably reach and put it behind you.

 

Warm water works best to wash salt off. get under the truck and spray everything and wash out all the nooks and crannies

 

Here in the chilly northeast, in the winter I like to go to the DIY carwash, shoot suds from the water gun all over the place, rinse thoroughly, park in the sun to dry.
I usually wait for a day above freezing, though.

 

Take it to a DIY car wash. $8 in quarters and you’re done.

 

a few places many forget about when rinsing salt off.

- engine bay
- core support
- behind plastic fender liners (you can put a hose up there and let it run)
- cowl (where the salt water runs off your windshield)
- inside tow hitch
- inside the cab mount arms (they are fairly closed off, but salt gets in there and doesnt rinse off with a car wash)
- inside the front crash bar mount (in the front there are end caps that are bolted on, you can hose those out pretty easy... no need to remove bumper)
- inside doors (spray the windows and let the water drain down the belt molding, it will go into the door and then drain out the bottom)
- on top of the frame (this one is tricky, but heavy washing of the underside will usually rinse these pretty well)
- inside tailgate (open the tailgate and let water rinse the plastic cover, it will drain into the tailgate. Then close the tailgate and watch all the dirty water drain out the holes in the bottom)


I have found many of these from cleaning my own truck, I am crazy about keeping salt off my truck, so I have found all the spots it can build up.




But, since you only did it once, and probably wont do it much more, just hit the fender wells, windshield and do a underside wash and you should be good.

best of luck from the salty midwest

 

Theres 2 touchless car washes in orange county that wash your undercarriage, the Chevron off of the 91 and 55 off Lincoln in tustin and another Chevron off of associated next to the Wendy's by the 57.

Also spray down with a garden hose

 

What I've done a few times:

 

Don't listen to this guy, warm water activates the salt fast. Cold water is best, but in op situation not much of an issue.

 

Ive done that too, its amazing how much grit comes out with sustained water flushing something out.

 

Don't listen to this guy he has clearly never cleaned a gun after shooting corrosive ammo.

 

Lol powder residue is not the same as Calcium Chloride.
Just for reference, water is water unless it is boiling or frozen.

 

It's not the powder that is corrosive it's the fired primer that turn into potassium chloride/sodium chloride, salt.

 

If you can, first spray the undercarriage with a soap solution of a product called Salt Away.

$26 Salt-Away® Concentrate Quart - 32 fl oz (946 ML)

https://www.amazon.com/SA32-Salt-S-...d=1576981142&sprefix=salt+away,aps,166&sr=8-3
Warm water would be better than cold if it's available. You can probably get the Salt Away at your local oceanside marina, as it's made for removing salt residue and neutralizing the metal after exposure to salt water.

 

Get it power washed, then promptly get your Taco Rustproofed. Your frame will love you for it!

 

Pretty sure they only use cinders in mammoth. No salt.

 

Remember that some of us have to drive on salted roads every day. Bodies and frames still look good after years of salty driving. Yours will be fine, just give it a bath.
I put steps on a buddy's '17 a few weeks ago and his truck still looked awesome underneath even without fluid film, etc.

 

Laughs in a Canadian accent

Carry on

 

I agree. I have been there many times and never remember them using road salt.

 

THIS!

Came here to say this.... been using it for years.