With one storm right after another lately, you’re probably used to a thick coating of road salt covering your shoes, floors, and especially your vehicle. It seems just about impossible to keep our cars clean these days. Occasionally, you may feel relief when it rains because your car will finally be salt-free. However, the possibility of paint damage can actually be the same or even greater after the rain. Confused? We’ll explain.
As you probably already know, salt residue left on your car can cause rusting and ruin the paint finish. To avoid this damage, your best bet is to wash your salty ride as soon as possible and NOT wait for the rain to wash it away.
Without soap, much of the salt residue is left behind after rainfall. Also, rain in the winter typically means warmer temperatures which will only expedite salt’s damage. However, you might think about washing your car yourself instead of taking it to a car wash. Why? Well, after a while the rocks of salts may stick to the brushes used in the car wash which would then be rubbed back onto your car. You might even think about having it waxed after washing, to be preventative before the next storm. For more preventative measures, read this DMV article.
Don’t forget about your car’s interior, though. Be sure to vacuum or shampoo the salt out of your car. This will certainly help keep up the resale value. If you need help with this, bring your vehicle into Direct Paint & Collision. Click here for a list of our detailing services.