Calcium chloride and frame rust

[Blanked]

How do the frames hold up with calcium chloride on the roads for rust?


Or are you treating your frame ?

For more comparison state where you live. I am in north Idaho

 

[tron67j]

It can impact the body, and people will do different undercoating to help mitigate it. Nothing is permanent in terms of preventing corrosion, whatever you do you have to keep things clean. Regular washes are among the best thing for prevention. Remember it isn't just the body or frame, electrical contacts and other fittings are adversely impacted.

I always park my trucks in the winter and drive something else. But even those I kept up with cleanings, etc. Personally, I only rustproofed one vehicle out of maybe 30 I had over the years in far upstate NY. I washed them all the time and never had a rust through except for my first truck which was rusty already.

Others will chime in on what has worked best for them. Take it all, do your best research, and good luck to the direction you go.

 

[jws123]

I wash the underside of my truck off with the hose once a week during winter to get the salt/powder off of the frame it still has factory paint and its a 2014.

 

[Wild one]

It can impact the body, and people will do different undercoating to help mitigate it. Nothing is permanent in terms of preventing corrosion, whatever you do you have to keep things clean. Regular washes are among the best thing for prevention. Remember it isn't just the body or frame, electrical contacts and other fittings are adversely impacted.

I always park my trucks in the winter and drive something else. But even those I kept up with cleanings, etc. Personally, I only rustproofed one vehicle out of maybe 30 I had over the years in far upstate NY. I washed them all the time and never had a rust through except for my first truck which was rusty already.

Others will chime in on what has worked best for them. Take it all, do your best research, and good luck to the direction you go.

I've never rustproofed any vehicle i've ever owned either. I'm of the same belief keep it clean in the winter.
Hell i'd probably just wash off any of the heavy oil rustproofing alot of guys seem to swear by,in about a week,lol

 

[tron67j]

Now that I re-read what I typed, kind of seems like I was saying that where others who rustproofed are wrong. Didn't mean it that way, different things work for different people depending on conditions and circumstances.

One thing I do remember is seeing an awful lot of cars with rust that had one of those Ziebart stickers in them. A lot without the stickers also.

 

[Wild one]

Now that I re-read what I typed, kind of seems like I was saying that where others who rustproofed are wrong. Didn't mean it that way, different things work for different people depending on conditions and circumstances.

One thing I do remember is seeing an awful lot of cars with rust that had one of those Ziebart stickers in them. A lot without the stickers also.

My Dad Ziebarted my Mom's brand new 76 Torino back in the 70's,and he swore he'd never have them rustproof another car,as it started to show rust in about 2 years

 

[White six four]

Around me, Wisconsin where the roads are still white a week after any snow because of all the salt they use, looking at random trucks for sale it takes about 15-20 years for the frame itself to rot out. That's just browsing marketplace and seeing some early to mid 00s trucks for sale with rusted through or soft frames. Usually chevys and wranglers. This isn't scientific just what I've noticed recently.

I would rather fluid film twice a year then washes during the winter. Or at least taking it to a car wash. I will wash it myself if we get temps up in the upper 30s during the winter but that's usually only once or twice a winter.

Rust starts from the inside so if you do wash it spray the underneath heavily especially the holes in the frame, above the rear wheel well liners, and the holes for the inside rockers under the doors.

If you're like my mom and only care about the exterior appearance (getting the salt off so it looks nice again and people can oh and ah over your shiny paint) you arent doing a dang thing to stop it from rusting. I cringe when I have to do work on her car underneath (suspension etc) and its only 5 or 6 years old.

 

[Blanked]

Are you simply hosing off underneath or taking to a underbody car wash

 

[White six four]

I hose/spray the crap out of the bottom of mine when the temperature allows during the winter. If I'm not able too it more then likely won't get washed all winter. Once the salt is off the roads I hose it off really really good underneath. If I find any surface rust I wire wheel it if I can get to it. Then use a rust converter on it. Few days later apply fluid film. Every fall same process. This is with my truck and wife's suv. My work car with 277k miles does not get this treatment.

I've never done an underbody wash. I've only used an automated car wash a couple times in my 20 years of driving. I've used the self service ones a few more times but still not very much. I enjoy washing our vehicles by hand. Easier to find scratches etc and touch them up. Having a white truck I end up clay barring it a lot to get the little yellow specs off the paint. My work beater on the other hand I've maybe washed 5 times in 13 years. Driven every winter and is surprisingly not that rusty.

I dont think an automated underbody wash would be enough to completely rinse out the "cavities" in the frame and underbody but I could be wrong.

Either way doing something to help is a lot better then doing nothing. Pretty sad when you see 5 year old vehicles with rust holes in them already.

 

[Curmudgeon]

I wash the underside of my truck off with the hose once a week during winter to get the salt/powder off of the frame it still has factory paint and its a 2014.

Also a 2014, 113,000 miles, and I love to drive on the snow so my Ram
gets a frequent salt bath. Cleanings are as needed, we don't get a lot of snow.
Both Pennsylvania and Maryland

Last year I had a shop do the full undercoating, up/inside body and frame,
tail lights removed for access, etc. Fluid Film, the "clear" version.
It supposedly has better creep once applied and almost as impressive
as the NHOU treatment.

Before they even started I was pleasantly surprised at how well the paint
held up over the years, with only a few very small spots of very light rust.

I'm going to have it done again soon, we typically see more snow here in
February and March, and they charge a lot less to re-treat.

Both Pennsylvania and Maryland LOVE to get out and pre-treat with the liquid
crap and many times it will be applied at the mere chance of snow/ice.
Very often we just get rain, and sometime no precipitation at all. But the
road chemicals are there anyway.

I wish I could "Fluid Film" treat my camshafts and exhaust manifolds.

 

[Jas34]

Having lived in the Central NY area for more than 40 years, I replaced most of our vehicles due to rust much sooner than they would have gone due to mechanical issues. I even had a couple of them repaired and repainted (not economical to do these days, unless you do it yourself) to delay the inevitable.

When buying used, I never bought rusted vehicles. You didn't have to go too far south to find them either. The last used one I bought when we lived up there was a 2007 expedition I bought around 2014. We started on a trip that started in our area. First thing I did was go under the side and look at the rockers underneath. All in our area were already rotted even though the vehicles looked good. Any rust, I moved on. Southern Pa, they started looking a lot better. Found our keeper in south Jersey. The rockers looked like new.

I fluid filmed that car twice a year myself and sold it in early 2024. The rockers underneath still looked like new. The only spots of rust through that I repaired were at the back corner of the rear doors (both sides). It was a spot I missed when I did the fenders (never noticed the access holes until it was too late). Fluid Film (and Krown) works. Salt and rust sucks. We now live in SC where it's pretty easy to find a rust free vehicle.

 

[markabby]

Now that I re-read what I typed, kind of seems like I was saying that where others who rustproofed are wrong. Didn't mean it that way, different things work for different people depending on conditions and circumstances.

One thing I do remember is seeing an awful lot of cars with rust that had one of those Ziebart stickers in them. A lot without the stickers also.

i believe Ziebart requires you to go back every year to get it touched up. If you don't it voids whatever warranty they may have. I've never used them. Delta Sonic car washes have a powerful under carriage spray. Probably the best thing you can do for a vehicle.

but, that salt gets in all the nooks and crannies and hides in there and starts doing it's evil work. Frames have holes in them and it hides in there too...impossible to flush out. A lot of people swear by spraying used oil inside of frames and all under the vehicle, but, you also have to get inside behind fenders to, including doors.

When i lived up north i tried my best to beat the salt, but, it was a losing battle, so, i learned just to lease every 3 years and not worry about it. Down here in south kentucky, my 2020 still looks clean underneath and even some stickers are still on certain parts.

This is just another reason I love living in the south

 

[Jas34]

When i lived up north i tried my best to beat the salt, but, it was a losing battle,

This is just another reason I love living in the south

Yep.

 

[HEMIMANN]

To my recollection, any salt will serve as the electrolyte to oxidize iron - i.e. make it rust.

Some salts may promote faster rusting, but it's not relevant to your question. You need to keep your vehicle washed free of salt. That's all there's to it. Modern vehicles come with heavy layers of rust preventive coatings - zinc, e-coat prime, powder coat paint, clear coat UV reduction. Adding one more layer doesn't help much anymore with all these layers.

Up here in Minnesota, the vehicle coatings are so good today the vehicles last beyond 5 years without any rust. And a lot of road salt is used here because it gets cold often.

 

[BenchTest]

I live in the midwest "rust belt". It's routine to see 5-7 year old trucks with rust bubbles (or worse) around the fenders. Washing the underside is crucial to longevity. Wash and treat. Wash and treat. Then, wash and treat. Anything else, you must be OK with rust. Washing in the winter takes dedication. You'll have to find a place where you can wash the underside successfully when it's below freezing. I go to my local manual carwash that has heated/closed bays and spray the underside (Carhartt bib overalls, hands and knees, yes). In the spring, I hook up my oscillating lawn sprinkler that sweeps back and forth (not the click, click, click, left to right kind, lol) and put it under the truck and let it run for about 20 minutes. It does a great job of washing the underside. Then I treat with LPS3. Park over old cardboard or cheap plastic drop sheets. Knock off any loose/accessible rust with a wire brush and spray. It sucks, but the alternative sucks more. At $50k + for a new truck, I'm doing what I can to keep this one from becoming a rolling rust bucket.

 

[HEMIMANN]

I guess i remember vehicles rusting within a year before the 1990's, so I consider anything longer than 5 years excellent.
People around here don't expect rust free vehicles older than that. No problem selling with typical degrees of rust.

To each their own, plenty of advice here for OP to ponder.

 

[tron67j]

I live in the midwest "rust belt". It's routine to see 5-7 year old trucks with rust bubbles (or worse) around the fenders. Washing the underside is crucial to longevity. Wash and treat. Wash and treat. Then, wash and treat. Anything else, you must be OK with rust. Washing in the winter takes dedication. You'll have to find a place where you can wash the underside successfully when it's below freezing. I go to my local manual carwash that has heated/closed bays and spray the underside (Carhartt bib overalls, hands and knees, yes). In the spring, I hook up my oscillating lawn sprinkler that sweeps back and forth (not the click, click, click, left to right kind, lol) and put it under the truck and let it run for about 20 minutes. It does a great job of washing the underside. Then I treat with LPS3. Park over old cardboard or cheap plastic drop sheets. Knock off any loose/accessible rust with a wire brush and spray. It sucks, but the alternative sucks more. At $50k + for a new truck, I'm doing what I can to keep this one from becoming a rolling rust bucket.

That use of the sprinkler is genius!

 

[2003F350]

i believe Ziebart requires you to go back every year to get it touched up. If you don't it voids whatever warranty they may have. I've never used them. Delta Sonic car washes have a powerful under carriage spray. Probably the best thing you can do for a vehicle.

but, that salt gets in all the nooks and crannies and hides in there and starts doing it's evil work. Frames have holes in them and it hides in there too...impossible to flush out. A lot of people swear by spraying used oil inside of frames and all under the vehicle, but, you also have to get inside behind fenders to, including doors.

When i lived up north i tried my best to beat the salt, but, it was a losing battle, so, i learned just to lease every 3 years and not worry about it. Down here in south kentucky, my 2020 still looks clean underneath and even some stickers are still on certain parts.

This is just another reason I love living in the south

They do (did) require yearly 'touch ups' but the problem is if it's a crappy shop you're going to get crappy work. My dad used them for YEARS on all their vehicles. Then they got a 1990 GMC Suburban and the rear doors started to rust out after about 5 years. The latches also started getting difficult to work, so he pulled the inner panels off. Then he took a few polaroids because there were just little squirts of their coating inside the back doors, and after investigating the other doors he found the same thing. Took those pictures and the Suburban to the shop that had been doing the work, showed them, and got a full refund from the first time he took it to them. So at least he got his money back on it but still it was BS. He never used them after that.

Long story short, salt is a vehicle killer. If you want it to last forever, don't drive it in the winter. If you aren't too worried about it, wash it all over several times during the winter, getting it the best you can. If you can get one of those membership car washes near you where it's like $20/month for unlimited washes, go at lease once a week. There aren't any up by me, and there are no car washes that my truck fits in, so it's the manual bays for me. BUT I will say my '17 only got washed a few times during the winter (daily driven) and everything still looked pretty good after 5 years of it with the only rust being on the bumpers where they got scratched, and surface rust on the frame. None of it was bad though.

 

[bcbouy]

mine is undercoated but I still use my undercarriage attachment for my pressure washer.they don't use salt here,at least on the secondary roads,but I prefer the grime washed off at least once a week.

 

[carverwagon]

I live near Ottawa, Canada. They use massive amounts of salt, sand and other chemicals on the roads here in winter. I get my Power Wagon oil sprayed every year at "Krown". they do a good job. They remove the tail lights any spray all the inside panels. rockers doors etc. My truck will drip oil in the driveway for days after. They really soak it and the stuff creeps everywhere. I do it in September when they have a sale. They will hold the yearly price if you go back each year and it's only $160. Only downside is the oil will drip all over your driveway but that's ok with me.