Protect your vehicle from salt damage

Bowling Green, KY. – In anticipation of last week’s winter storms, Bowling Green Public Works laid a total of 470 tons of salt on city roads in just 5 days. That is nearly the total amount used to treat the roads in all of 2023.

Director of Bowling Green Public Works, Andy Souza, says, “Sodium Chloride, or the salt we’re putting out, causes a chemical reaction with pretty much all metals, so very significant parts of your vehicle, like your fuel lines and your brake lines, are very susceptible to corrosion from that salt.”

While salt is a good tactic to melt ice from the roads, it can be detrimental to the cars on the road if not cleaned properly.

Souza also says, “We’re cognizant when we are putting salt down, it does cost money to put it down, and it does cost you money to clean it off your car, but now is the time, don’t rely just on the rain. The rain will do great getting the top of your car, but maybe not underneath where some of those critical components are. So, it’s best to have an undercarriage wash.”

Salt-covered streets can damage the undercarriage and body of the vehicle, eating away at paint, causing rust, and opening the door to more serious issues.

An automotive technician at Plum Springs Garage, George Beezel, says “Brakes, brake lines, brake bleeders, fuel lines, power steering lines, transmission cooler lines, that is usually the first kinds of things that start having problems. With prolonged exposure, you’ll even get structural parts of the body to rot out.”

The longer you wait to wash your car, the more likely the underneath of your car will become damaged, causing you more potential repairs in the future.

“If you’re going through a car wash, like the automatic one, you definitely want to get the undercarriage wash, so it is spraying underneath. It’s more than just about stuff getting on the paint, you know, the corrosion always happens underneath,” says Beezel.

While the roads may be clear of salt and dirt, and the outside of your vehicle may be clean, this hidden danger still lingers.