important

Ive been driving to Canada via NY state.

And my SUV has been covered in salt along the way.

Any pointers/tips on how to prevent rust or salt corrosion, not just on the paint but also the wheels and undercarriage?

Merry Christmas and happy holidays.

Patman

The best thing to do is get it washed (including the undercarriage) as soon as possible, the longer you leave the salt on there the more damage it does.

John Ulrich

A clear bra is the only defense against flying salt.

cmonkey713

The best way is to jack the car up, remove the wheels and pressure wash the undercarriage. there is really nothing that you can coat everything with that will protect it. The salt is quick to react the the aluminum suspension components so that is what you need to clean very throughly. Keep it waxed and use a front end cover and mirror covers to protect the paint. Just keep it clean and waxed.

TrackAire

Yes there is something that actually works and can be applied in your own garage. You've probably seen the ZEP line of cleaners, etc at Home Depot, Lowes, etc. They also make a product called Zep Ironclad.
http://www.zep.com/ZepSearch/default...xact&country=U

It's hard to find on store shelves, you'll probably have to buy it online or directly from Zep. We've used it for years in the construction industry to coat aerial equipment that was subjected to paint and plaster over spray. We use to buy it by the drum and spray the equipment with a quart sprayer. When the equipment would come back with over spray, we'd wash it with a hot water pressure washer and all the paint or plaster would just melt off. Once the equipment was dry, we'd spray it again with the Ironclad for the next job. If the equipment came back without over spray, we'd then just use a traditional cold water pressure washer to clean dirt off the equipment and not remove the Ironclad. It would last months unless we removed with with a hot pressure washer.

For auto use, you can buy the aerosol cans and two or three cans can do the entire underside of your car, suspension arms, etc. The product sprays on wet and then the solvents evaporate leaving behind what looks and feels like a thin layer of beeswax. It works by being a physical barrier and is self healing. So if you were to scratch the product with a knife, it self heals over itself like fish scales. It is semi clear so you can read decals, warning emblems, etc. It does not come off and get your clothes dirty when working on the car like traditional tar based undercoatings. It can be removed by using either a hot water pressure washer or solvent. This product is not for your exterior paint, but all suspension, frame, transmission housings, half shafts, rocker sills, etc are fair game.

I would not spray the brake rotors, brake pads or exhaust systems. Make sure the parts you're spraying are clean and dry before you coat them with Ironclad. You could spray the barrels of the wheels but I'd keep the Ironclad off the face of the wheel so it looks shiny and those are easily cleaned when washing the car.

This product is a great replacement for cosmoline when storing firearms, metal components, parts, etc without the cleanup mess or traditional petroleum based anti corrosion coatings.

I don't have a specific answer for the vehicles exterior paint except washing and waxing more often and touching up paint chips as soon as possible to keep corrosion from getting under the paint.

Buggy650

This is a great product for equipment Protection. First developed for storage of aircraft.

0Adam's Polish

Keeping a good coat of Sealant on your paint & wheels is key in protecting them from the Winter junk. Also keep your undercarriage hosed out at the carwash. You are not alone.......