mikeci

Hi All,
outside of not driving my vette in the winter how do I remove the road salt from the under side and suspension of the car? is there any device or gadget to clean the bottom of the car? I know car washes have a under carriage sprayers but I have no plans of running my baby through a car wash.
Thanks,
Mike

Bigstik

What's wrong with running her through a touchless car wash. During our drought last year I did it all the time. Of course mine is a hard top and I hear those things are murder on verts. Aside from that, get the car off the ground and spray it off with a hose.

Ron in MO.

Hi

I was reading another forum and someone ask this question, and one reply was to set up a lawn sprinkler and turn it on, then drive over it a few times. I dont know it a Vette will clear the sprinkler or not, but may be worth a try. Hope this helps. Have a great weekend Ron Herndon

agentf1

I would just hose or pressure wash the underside the best I could. A KwikLift or 4 post lift is also a very good tool for getting under the car and wiping it down.

GotChrist?

Salt-X is a marine product that dissolves salt, but is expensive. Should be available in your area.

When I grew up in Ohio I wished car washes had a high pressure undercarriage system. Drive into the booth and let it rip.

TOGWT

The UNDERCAR water broom - washes the underside of a vehicle easily and conveniently, reaches everything touched by salt from the road. Also removes mud and dirt that holds corrosion-causing moisture.
UC2-6 - http://www.waterbroom.com/

Prevention is always better than a cure...

Road Salt:
The salts (often mixed with grit / sand for tyre adhesion) commonly used are;
(a) Sodium chloride (NaCl) the most common salt used
(b) Calcium chloride (CaCl2) works at lower temperatures than sodium chloride.

Although salt is inert when subjected to freezing (15 - 20oF ) it’s considered the lower limit for salt to melt snow/ice but once H2O, even in the form of moist air (i.e. humidity) is added the freezing point is lowered and the saline solution(salt/water) will have an adverse effect on the vehicles paint and undercarriage.

When washing the vehicle ensure that all salt is removed to avoid a saline solution remaining on the paint finish. Using a durable protection (Collinite Insulator Wax) will provide a sacrificial and renewable protection to the vehicles paint finish.

Magnesium chloride (MgCl2) is very effective even at the lowest temperatures but also contains the most aggressive corrosives (especially on glass surfaces) and (d) a sprayed brine solution, it is used to prevent snow / ice adhesion to the road surface.

Needless to state that all these salts are acidic / corrosive so once you've removed the ice / snow it may be advisable to 'neutralize ' the residue road salt with an alkaline solution, (Canada-POR15.com) especially from the undercarriage and suspension

Anti-icing liquids- according to State authorities the liquid consists of - Magnesium chloride, calcium chloride and other liquids works like anti-freeze by lowering the freezing temperature of water and preventing ice from forming a strong bond to the road’

Methodology
1.Thoroughly spray an undiluted citrus cleaner (P2IS Total Auto Wash) allow the solution to dwell for ten to fifteen minutes and remove by thoroughly rinsing with water.
2.If you have a pressure washer available, fill tank with citrus cleaner and spray undercarriage (do not use excess pressure as water may penetrate crevices and seams where it cannot drain, causing corrosion), let it soak and then remove with plain water
3.Spray undercarriage with (POR-15 Marine Clean™) one application will leave no residues, noxious fumes or flammable solvents (Canada-POR15.com)
4.Apply two coats (allowing first coat to dry) of a rust inhibitor paint (POR-15 Rust Inhibitor, allow drying (3-6 hours) between coats.