In the winter, you don’t want to be sliding all over the icy roads, but the road salt that we use to melt the ice doesn’t come without consequences. Salt works on the roads because it lowers the freezing temperature of water, exposing the road underneath. And while this might improve driving conditions on the roads, it can lead to maintenance problems for your car, including exhaust repair. Any systems or parts that are in the undercarriage of your car can experience problems because of road salt.
Let’s look at how road salt can lead to the need for exhaust repair—and how to prevent it.
Salt and Corrosion
Chemical reactions are the source of the problem here. Salt from the roads sticks to your car as you drive, and then it corrodes the metal parts of your car. There’s no way to completely avoid oxidation and rust, but salt speeds up the process. And the more your car is exposed to salt, the worse the corrosion is. If you don’t do anything about it and let the corrosion set in, you could eventually have to deal with a major exhaust repair, like holes in your muffler.
How to Prevent Damage
While you can’t avoid driving on salty roads, especially not in New England, there are still things you can do to minimize the damage to your car.
- Wash your car. Most of us don’t bother washing our cars in the winter because they are just going to get dirty again. But washing the salt, sand, and grime away regularly can help a lot. If you go to a car wash, make sure it’s one that can spray the underside of the car, as that is the area that salt and corrosion affect the most.
- Wax and seal your car. The best way to prevent salty water from sticking to your car is to wax it and seal the undercarriage. A rust protectant or oil solution on the underside of your car will allow the water to roll off rather than sticking and causing corrosion.
- Drive carefully. Although you can’t completely avoid salt, you can minimize how much of it you drive through. Stay further back from vehicles that spread salt if you happen to be driving behind one. You should also avoid driving through puddles and deep snow as they can be full of salt that you can’t see.
Exhaust Repair at Lou’s Custom Exhaust
The best place to get an exhaust repair done is an auto shop that specializes in exhaust systems. At Lou’s. Exhaust is all that we do, so you can rest assured that we know our stuff.
