How to Avoid Salt Damage This Winter
Upcoming winter weather means the roads are soon to be covered in salt to counter snow, ice, and slush. Although salt plays an important role for public safety in the winter, it has degrading properties that can also damage your vehicle if you’re not careful. For example, salt can destroy your vehicle’s finish, increase rust, and potentially interfere with your car’s driving performance. Check out some of our tips for how to avoid the negative effects of salt on roads and schedule your appointment at Apple Chevrolet’s Chevy Service Center!
Don’t Drive Right Before and After Snowfall
This one’s pretty simple, but the high exposure to salt at these times can make a huge difference. Your town or city is most likely to send out high salt distribution immediately before and after snowstorms. Avoiding driving during these times can reduce the salt damage to vehicle over the long run.
Get a Vehicle Wax
Your vehicle’s doors, fenders, hood, and tailgate are the most vulnerable to rust damage from salt because they retain a lot of moisture and are bombarded with salt during the winter. To prevent this sort of damage, getting your vehicle’s exterior waxed goes a long way. It will work to protect the paint surface of a vehicle, almost like an invisible shield. Be sure to schedule professional waxing to make sure a good coat is properly applied, and the undercarriage of your vehicle is completely sealed. Schedule your wax now at Apple Chevrolet Tinley Park!
Regularly Wash Your Vehicle’s Tires
Tires are closest to the road and have pockets that might pick up salt during the course of your drive, so they receive the most exposure to salt throughout the winter. This means you should pay extra attention to your vehicle’s tires. Keep them clean and salt-free by checking and rinsing them every few days or so.
Get a Professional Car Wash
Washing your vehicle regularly is important to remove salt buildup on your vehicle’s exterior. Unlike those you can do at home, professional car washes use high-pressure hoses to spray the salt off of hard-to-reach areas like beneath wheel wells and behind fenders to ensure all salt is thoroughly washed off. You can get a car wash at Chevy for a great price now!
Make sure to get your car wash during the day. This allows more time to dry since the frigid temperatures at night will just freeze any remaining moisture. The optimal temperature for washing your vehicle is 40°F or higher. If you can, try to get in a wash every ten days or so because doing so will prevent salt from accumulating and causing greater harm to your vehicle.
Schedule Service at Apple Chevrolet!
Looking for a Chevy dealership near me? At Apple Chevrolet, you can find new and used Chevys for sale, as well as receive excellent service for all of your automotive needs. Visit us to prevent salt damage to your vehicle with our winter maintenance today!
