SALT... SALT everywhere! EVERYWHERE!

The Driver

The Driver

Detailers Workshop
This winter has been the worst to date, I've been behind multiple sanders, literally being hosed with it. My car is matte white and to top it off the harbor flooding this morning (Atlantic SALT water). I had to drive through the highly corrosive ocean water for almost a mile at times getting up to 2ft+. What do you guys use for salt protection on the under carriage and how do you clean it? I really don't want to go to a car wash, my car has never been through one since I've owned it (I don't plan on breaking that habit).

Any good tools? Any good spray on protection products?
 
I like the touchless washes that have an undercarriage spray as well.

I've also used a garden sprinkler under the car, and move it about every 5-10 min.
 
Bio-Kleen makes this product for salt-neutralization as well:
https://www.biokleen.com/salt-neutralizer

After washing your vehicle. make sure it is dry. Use a house window fan(s) in your garage around the vehicle to blow-dry and remove as much of the moisture as possible.
Even small amounts of salt brine that run/wick/drip into metal seams and nooks-and-crannies of metal parts are where corrosion will form.
I attach the hose from a shop vac to the exhaust outlet and use it as a poor man's compressor/blower to blow out water from the engine compartment, wheel wells, and door jams. Just do not use it too long if you use a funnel or reducer-type attachment on the hose end to direct the blown air, as it is hard on the shop vac motor.

The myth here in the upper Midwest is winter-driven cars that are kept in heated garages do not rust as fast as those parked outside. This simply is not true. It's the water-salt chemical reaction that causes the corrosion. At room temperatures (60°F and higher) this chemical reaction is accelerated. It would be better if vehicles would be kept at -20°F, as the corrosion factor is somewhat reduced or mitigated at these lower temperatures. However, starting and moving a vehicle in those extreme cold environments are a source of all kinds of mechanical issues and problems.
 
Both Karcher and AR have attachments for their PWs for rinsing the under side of your car. There are also a number of units available that just attach to a hose, but I can't find the websites at the moment--perhaps a Google search will find them if they are still available.

I built my own using PVC and various fittings from Home Depot.

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I'm experimenting with my pressure washer, but find it a bit unwieldy (don't have an undercar attachment for it).

Fortunately, I have (and really like) the *oh-so-pricey* version of what pwaug uses, got it from American Waterbroom back in the '80s. I use that for the initial rinsing but then I get under there and actually *clean* everything with brushes/mitts/woolies/etc. Yep, do that Every. Single. Wash. (Goes quick in the summer, not so quick in the winter.) I keep a pair of floorjacks (actually three) and jackstands in the washbay just for this. I not only dry the undercarriages, but on the nicer vehicles (i.e., everything except the Tahoe) also use some kind of spraywax, or at least some FastFinish or QD-strength IUDJ.

As I've posted before, the first and last hours of any wash are spent on things like the undercarriage. Makes all the difference IME and affords me a chance to make sure that nothing needs attention down there (latest- leaking pinion seal).

I'm currently doing fine with a sorta-strong shampoo mix, same as I use for the wheels/wells. I'd previously used APC but have, to my surprise, found that unnecessary.

If they use something *really* tenacious in your area, ValuGard makes a product specifically for this application...forget what it's called.
 
pwaug said:
Both Karcher and AR have attachments for their PWs for rinsing the under side of your car. There are also a number of units available that just attach to a hose, but I can't find the websites at the moment--perhaps a Google search will find them if they are still available.

I built my own using PVC and various fittings from Home Depot.
Click to expand...

This place has them. ;)

Undercarriage / Underbody Cleaner
 
Sure, if you have a pressure washer that such an attachment will work with, and are willing to spend the $, why not?!? I'm confident that eople who say to "just use a lawn sprinkler" haven't done comparison testing; my undercar wand is nothing like a pressure washer-driven device, yet it's a whole 'nother world compared to a sprinkler.
 
ShawnF350- The more I look into Fluid Film and think about it, the more favorably impressed I become. Might have to try some for a few applications...
 
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