how to protect your rig from salt damage??

[Jocko PDX]

I live in Oregon, and they just started using salt on the roads last year.. For those who live in states where they salt the roads in the winter, what steps do you take to prevent salt damage? Undercarriage wash at the car was? Anything else?

 

[that331racer]

I live in Oregon, and they just started using salt on the roads last year.. For those who live in states where they salt the roads in the winter, what steps do you take to prevent salt damage? Undercarriage wash at the car was? Anything else?

Undercarriage rubber coating is the best way. It can be expensive, but it is worth it. If you are more on a budget, undercarriage washing is the best.

 

[Baja_Bob]

A good paint sealer or ceramic coating, if you're old school, a coat of wax.

Or a dependable winter beater, that's what I do.

 

[OR VietVet]

I live in Oregon too and have not heard of the "salt on roads" claim. I have known of a solution they use on some of the passes but are you saying Oregon is using rock salt on roads and where? There is a tool that you can buy at Amazon that you attach your water hose to and it rolls under the vehicle and has multiple spray jets that will spray up under the vehicle as you roll it under the vehicle.

ODOT's winter highway maintenance practices reduce costs and limit impacts on natural resources while maintaining high standards for public safety -- our No. 1 priority. ODOT's standard practices during snow removal include:

• Reducing plowing speeds in sensitive areas
• Minimizing snow blowing into sensitive areas

Sanding material is sometimes applied on roads and bridges to provide better traction for safer driving. ODOT's practices minimize effects on natural resources by:

• Reducing application rates and frequency of sanding when weather and traffic conditions allow.
• Minimizing sanding in areas with air quality problems or near waterways and other sensitive areas.
• Placing barriers to capture sanding material along sensitive waterways.

The use of deicer is an effective way to improve road surface safety during winter conditions. ODOT uses magnesium chloride (MgCl2) with corrosion inhibitor and solid salt (NaCl), both as an anti-icer before a storm to help prevent ice and snow from bonding to the road, and as a deicer after a storm to help break the bond between ice and road. Use of these chemicals has been proven to improve road conditions, reduce crashes and mobility restrictions and reduce the use of sand - which limits impacts on air quality, water quality and aquatic habitat. We continually strive to optimize application timing & rates of these products. ODOT uses:

• The lowest application rate necessary to achieve desired road conditions.
• The strict specifications of the strict specifications of Clear Roads, a consortium of snow states and provinces dedicated to safety and performance.

We believe protecting the environment while providing a safe transportation system is a smart move. Plowing, sanding and deicing do not, however, make the road completely safe. Travelers have a shared responsibility to travel safely. Drive at speeds appropriate for road and weather conditions; consider delaying travel if necessary.

Know before you go: Visit www.TripCheck.com, Oregon’s travel information website, for up-to-the-minute road conditions and more information on Oregon’s chain law and chain requirements. You can also get the latest in road conditions by calling 511.

 

[Jocko PDX]

Undercarriage rubber coating is the best way. It can be expensive, but it is worth it. If you are more on a budget, undercarriage washing is the best.

we don't get a lot of snow here in the valley, so I am only dealing with it prob 1-2 times per year, prob don't need to go to the extent of getting a rubber coating.

 

[WalleyeMikeIII]

You don't....you can minimize/reduce the impact...but you will get rust when driving in areas where roads are treated w/ Salt or MgCl2.
Best thing you can do:
Wash Frequently
Do underbody rince whenver possible.
In the Spring be sure to rinse all the undrbody.

Most people here use an oil based liquid undercarriage treatment vs the rubberized/hard one.
The hard one tends to chip, and once the surface is broken...salt water seeps in...and you are back where you started...or worse, cuase now theat undercoating is holding the stuff against the metal.

 

[OR VietVet]

Here in Oregon, I believe the liquid and salt is only used in the passes and higher elevations where there is enough traffic. I hardly ever go thru the passes, so I don't worry about it. I do warn the people that I work on cars/trucks for, if there is rust caused by the salt or whatever it is, I do not guarantee that I might have to deal with it and charge accordingly. If you live at the coast around here, there is salt in the air and that leaves surface rust on all kinds of surfaces.

 

[89Suburban]

The hard one tends to chip, and once the surface is broken...salt water seeps in...and you are back where you started...or worse, cuase now theat undercoating is holding the stuff against the metal.

 

[15burban]

They salt the crap out of the roads here in Wisconsin. Every spring and fall I'll wash the undersides really well and then touch up any rust I find with rust preventer. Then a week later go back under the vehicle and spray fluid film every where I can including removing tail lights and spraying behind them. Not much behind them on the suburban but can cover quite a bit of the inside bed side on my pickup.

The fluid film isn't the greatest (waxy/greasy) if you have to do any work, suspension or what have you under the vehicle, but it sure beats the hell out of having to fight rusted nuts and bolts.

 

[89Suburban]

I am a huge underbody wash guy. Last time I tried sealcoating/painting a chassis it chipped and and rusted from the inside out and you could not see it until it was too late. Some of the northern rednecks use spray oil stuff I forget the name of it.


Here was my last victim of frame rust. I miss her REAL BAD. You can see where ith cancer was growing under the paint.