Washing Away the Salt: A Michigan Winter Car Maintenance Essential

by Marjorie, Cars for Keeps Social Media Manager

We've covered just about every aspect of effectively preparing your vehicle into reliable winter-weather transportation. But now that winter is here, what can we do to make sure our vehicles stay reliable and healthy?

For car owners, Michigan winter roads are not only infamous for black ice and snow drifts; they're also infamous for that special anti-ice additive: salt. It's the main reason that car owners living in "the car manufacturing state" have one of the poorest returns on their vehicles in the nation. The natural process of oxidation that happens over time to the steel components of your car are rapidly accelerated by salt, turning our beautiful, locally-manufactured vehicles into virtual rust buckets overnight.

You can read more about exactly why salt + the underside of your car = rust that would make Red Green proud, but understanding why this happens doesn't help us maintain healthy, rust-free cars. There's really only one solution to the problem of winter salt: go to the car wash frequently. Some of your car's most vulnerable metal parts and components are underneath your car, completely exposed to the road's salt spray, so be sure to include undercarriage washes each time you visit the car wash this winter.

Interior salt can erode from the inside as well - in addition to making car interiors dirty. Here's a brief YouTube clip with some tips on getting out those winter salt stains (I'll give you a hint: it involves vinegar, water and elbow grease!).

That's it for now. Thanks for stopping by, and safe driving!