I HATE ROAD SALT

[aczlan]

Road salt response. We are having the same problem with salt in Maine and I've done auto recon-detail work for 35 years and see the effects each spring. What is scary is the brake line damage I've seen first hand. Local auto shops are replacing all brake lines and fittings end to end on vehicles three years old. Salt doesn't make driving safer it just keeps the speed up!

That is a tribute to the junky brake lines that the manufacturers used in those cars then.
In early 2007 I bought a 1989 Volvo 740 wagon with ~175k miles on it. That car lived all of its life in Rochester NY and it was starting to get soft in the frame, but the hard brake lines were still solid. Why? Volvo used a copper/brass alloy for the brake lines and it they are extremely corrosion resistant.
By contrast, we have a 1997 Dodge 1500 that has had all of the fuel and brake lines replaced (some brake lines twice).
My wife's 2002 Caravan has had the power steering lines replaced because they rusted through. It has 88k miles on it and they were replaced before we bought the van with ~78k miles on it.

Aaron Z

 

[Mace Canute]

That is a tribute to the junky brake lines that the manufacturers used in those cars then.
In early 2007 I bought a 1989 Volvo 740 wagon with ~175k miles on it. That car lived all of its life in Rochester NY and it was starting to get soft in the frame, but the hard brake lines were still solid. Why? Volvo used a copper/brass alloy for the brake lines and it they are extremely corrosion resistant.

I happened to see an old Volvo on it's roof in a wrecking yard years ago, The underbody was rusty as all get out, but those brake lines...they looked like they were new! Still had the shiney on!

A lot has been said about corrosion effects and the causes of it but one thing I have found works exceptionally well to prevent it is having my 1994 truck Rust Checked annually. Slows the rate of corrosion down to 1 or 2 % of what it would be untreated. Rust Check...only in Canada, eh!

 

[not2old]

I happened to see an old Volvo on it's roof in a wrecking yard years ago, The underbody was rusty as all get out, but those brake lines...they looked like they were new! Still had the shiney on!

A lot has been said about corrosion effects and the causes of it but one thing I have found works exceptionally well to prevent it is having my 1994 truck Rust Checked annually. Slows the rate of corrosion down to 1 or 2 % of what it would be untreated. Rust Check...only in Canada, eh!

I had my 1990 Ford rust-proofed the day after delivery and had to take it back twice because they missed areas. Never made it back for the yearly check-up as the franchise went broke. I 've had a few bubbles on one rear wheel well for a year or so and expect the first real hole soon. I think the money was well spent even if the guarantee was useless. I do plan on repairing the area soon.

 

[Mace Canute]

I had my 1990 Ford rust-proofed the day after delivery and had to take it back twice because they missed areas. Never made it back for the yearly check-up as the franchise went broke. I 've had a few bubbles on one rear wheel well for a year or so and expect the first real hole soon. I think the money was well spent even if the guarantee was useless. I do plan on repairing the area soon.

That sucks! I guess it's like anything else...it all depends on the person doing the work. Fortunately my Rust Check dealer here is very **** about his work. It's either done to perfection or not done at all. When done properly, Rust Check is a great product.

 

[JDgreen227]

I had my 1990 Ford rust-proofed the day after delivery and had to take it back twice because they missed areas. Never made it back for the yearly check-up as the franchise went broke. I 've had a few bubbles on one rear wheel well for a year or so and expect the first real hole soon. I think the money was well spent even if the guarantee was useless. I do plan on repairing the area soon.

What model car, or truck? I have a '90 F150 that went thru Michigan winters for 13 years with no rustproofing, the only place it rusted thru as of now was atop the rear fenders over the wheelwell moldings. It was stored inside as of '03 and not driven after that. I do think rustproofing was a real asset until about 2003 or so, I have a Y2K Yukon XL that was Ziebarted when new and still has a great body although it was never taken back for touch ups, but the bodies on new cars made from 2003 on seem to be almost immune to rustproofing. Just the bodies though, the brake and fuel lines etc should be sealed in plastic channels so the salt doesn't corrode them.

 

[Larry Caldwell]

Here in Oregon they don't use salt. My commuter rig is a 1984 Nissan that has no rust. I did replace a couple of brake lines because they rubber was oxidized and cracking. Studded tires are legal here from Nov. 1 to April 1, which makes it easy to deal with the mountain passes. My wife commutes to work over three hills over 2500 ft., the highest 2800 ft. With studded traction tires, she has no trouble at all. We have a second set of rims for summer tires. They sand the roads with "turkey grit", a very fine gravel/coarse sand mix. If you are one of the myriad stupid tailgaters on the freeways, it will pit your windshields and paint job. If you leave the standard 2 second space between you and the car in front, no problem. Sanding doesn't do much good, since each pass with the snow plows shoves most of the sand onto the shoulder. It does help during ice storms.

 

[SPIKER]

Here in Oregon they don't use salt. My commuter rig is a 1984 Nissan that has no rust. I did replace a couple of brake lines because they rubber was oxidized and cracking.

In Ohio a Nissan rusts away in 5~8 years to where the frame is not road worthy. (I have one parked in the yard with 68K 1990 pathfinder) that you can push your finger through the fram and much fo the suspension parts. The fuel lines were replaced 2 times and the brake lines are on their 3rd set. The fuel pump quit & had to be towed home I didnt get to try to fix it and found that the steering gear was damaged when they towed it but didnt find out till long after so I returned the fuel pump and left it set...

Mark

 

[Pilot]

7 inches of wet snow here last Wednesday (a week ago), still have 2". Roads were plowed and sanded the next morning and have been in good shape since then.

Don't need any salt.

 

[not2old]

What model car, or truck? I have a '90 F150 that went thru Michigan winters for 13 years with no rustproofing, the only place it rusted thru as of now was atop the rear fenders over the wheelwell moldings. It was stored inside as of '03 and not driven after that. I do think rustproofing was a real asset until about 2003 or so, I have a Y2K Yukon XL that was Ziebarted when new and still has a great body although it was never taken back for touch ups, but the bodies on new cars made from 2003 on seem to be almost immune to rustproofing. Just the bodies though, the brake and fuel lines etc should be sealed in plastic channels so the salt doesn't corrode them.

1990 F250 Supercab 4x4, 412,000 Kilometers and never parked inside. Until recently lived at the ocean where everything rusts. I see lots of newer similar body style trucks badly rusted with holes big enough to put your fist in. Bottom of front fenders behind the wheel, rocker panel behind the door, around the rear wheel wells. Mine has a few bubbles on one rear wheel, but not actually perforated yet. Lots the same year as mine had holes through more than 10 years ago. I have a 1991 as well with no rust at all yet, but it has only seen 3500 Kilometers in the last 13 years. I don't know if it had any rustproofing when new or not.

 

[shortlid]

If you wash the underbody of your vehicle if it gets above 32 degrees it reduced the damage the salt will do.

In Canada they also have this great product called Rustcheck that is a wax like protectant for the under body works AWSOME!!

 

[bradm64]

My wife owns 3 car washes (the full service type where equipment washes underside of vehicle as well as exterior). For selfish reasons, we like salt, or at least when everyone wants it off their cars!!!!

 

[Egon]

Do the car washes recycle the water or use fresh every time.

 

[techwrtr2]

I don't like the salt because it does a lot of damage to vehicle metal. I'd rather see them use sand. Here in NY I see they have started using a liquid brine spraying truck on state roads. I don't know if that will be any better. Salt is salt whether liquid or solid.
I have heard that the state of PA uses only sand and no salt. Salt does have its merits of melting snow and ice.
You can easily see the difference in a vehicle driven for 20 winters in NY compared to one driven 20 winters say in FL.
We have a huge parking lot at work. It is commercially plowed each snowfall, then the maintenance guys go out and salt the lot to prevent freezing (which hopefully prevents slips and falls and lawsuits). They won't use sand because it clogs the storm drains in the lot.

Judging by the sides of my car after my drive to/from work Friday, PA most certainly does use a salt like product on the roads.

 

[DK35vince]

Judging by the sides of my car after my drive to/from work Friday, PA most certainly does use a salt like product on the roads.

I live in Western, Pa.
My car and truck are currently white with salt. Penn Dot and the townships use a mixture of anti-skid and salt around here.