Automotive experts discuss car damage caused by salt on roads
BRYAN, Texas (KBTX) – You may have seen salt trucks out on the road during the most recent freeze. Brining and salting the roads might make your drive safer, but it can cause damage to your car.
Most of the damage caused by road salt is cosmetic. If not properly treated, those chemicals can cause your car to rust.
Texas Tires 46, a local tire shop, said it’s important to get road salt residue off your car as quickly as possible.
“Just go immediately, alright. And go to the self-service or just go to one that you can drive through and get it washed down,” sales manager William Hass said.
At Drew’s Car Wash, the white marks of road salt residue could be seen on many cars. A lot of the residue, according to district manager Jim Phelps, is caused by tires picking up road salt and ‘throwing’ it onto the body of the car.
Phelps said lately, cars have been coming in ‘very dirty’ from the road salt.
If it’s left on for too long, there’s a chance it might not go away. Some marks can become permanent.
“All cars have a clear coat on them. So I mean that, if that does get on the clear coat, it could etch into that and leave like a water spot that won’t come off,” Phelps added.
However, if the undercarriage rusts, it could make other maintenance jobs, like installing a lift kit, more difficult to do.
“It’d be difficult to even lift it up. The vehicle, the weight of the vehicle, cannot rest on that jack because, I mean, it’s compromised,” Hass said.
According to Phelps, the best way to prevent road salt corrosion is by cleaning off the residue. You can wipe it down yourself, or go for a professional wash.
Doing this lowers the chance of long-lasting cosmetic damage, Phelps said.
”That salt comes in, I mean, it’s staining chrome if you leave it on there. There’s a lot of staining on the bottom of the vehicle. So we want to make sure you get that off of there,” he said.
Hass recommended washing your car before another freeze, and another layer of road salt, sets in.
