Dealing with the salt.

[PJ Snyder]

I live in MI and the most important thing is to keep the vehicle clean and give it a good wax job. I have a 98 Grand Cherokee and an '04 Ram and neither has significant rust. You can always powder coat or rust proof your vehicle, I havn't done either of those.

 

[bayguy]

I live in MI, and my method is simple. I don't drive it in the winter.

 

[CVX20]

Heated garage is worse? That's right up there with some of the goofiest things I've ever heard. It's certainly not a solution to rust, but it sure ain't hurting anything.

It is if you park it in the garage covered in salt and slush.Salt does it's job better when it's warm.Not to mention that when everything melts in the heated garage it seeps into everything.What do I know I've only lived in one of the worst areas for salt for 65 years.

 

[CVX20]

I have one here in STL, $150 is no big deal for what you get it seems... but should I WAIT till next fall or go now???

It can be put on when everything is wet and they usually spray it down good first so I'd say yeah go ahead and do it.I like to catch it on my new ones before they hit the salt.

 

[CVX20]

I live in MI, and my method is simple. I don't drive it in the winter.

So you buy a 4WD and then park it when you could use it the most?

 

[CVX20]

Fluid Film/Woolwax/Krown/NHOU will prevent your truck from rotting out. I do mine every October and so far my 2013 is rust free living in New England on the coast.

The key is to get inside the frame rails and inside the body panels like the rockers, doors, fenders, above the rear wheel wells, etc. As mentioned most modern vehicle rust from the inside out.

Nailed it!

 

[CVX20]

I run my vehicles through a car wash every other fill up. And I do use the soft cloth ones, always newer equipment. Have been doing it for years. Wife's 08 SRX is still like new.

That's alright but not much good for the inside of the frame,rockers and all the sheet metal.

 

[AlexC2350]

I bought a fluid film gun for like a hundred bucks. So I coat the underneath, frame, wheel wells and rockers. Doesn’t take long and is piece of mind. I hate the salt and in New Hampshire they dump that **** on almost every day. If I can I hit a car wash or hand wash. I like a clean truck even if it’s only a day or two.

 

[Rick Gabler]

What about a normal garage up here in Minnesota? My third stall is heated but that’s where I store my summer car. Never turn the heat on. Ram sits in the main stall with the wife’s car. Very well insulated but still can get very cold. In that scenario, does it matter whether your truck sits inside or outside?

 

[michaelm_ski]

I live in Central Michigan and spray baby oil in all of the openings that I can get to on my Ram and it helps with the rusting from inside the panels as far as the outside the only thing to do is rinse the truck off as often as you can weather permitting .

 

[Anthony Kalos]

Car wash does NOTHING for the underside of your truck !!!
Just makes you feel like you’re accomplished something !!!
Salty water spray goes everywhere and in nooks and crannies that you don’t see !!! Plus all those electrical components like sensors and actuators !!! I’m going to rent a truck to go to Omaha next week just so I don’t have to drive my new 2019 bighorn in the salt ! I’m from NYC original and lived another 20 years in Michigan and now I’m in Alabama. I don’t ever want to expose the truck to that crap whatsoever !!!

 

[fulltimerart]

When we were in New Hampshire for MANY long winters everyone I knew bought a "Winter Rat" to sacrifice to the salt gods and didn't use our good vehicles and just part the rat out in the spring. Sure does feel nice here in the Florida Panhandle tho and it's not too crowded or "northernized" yet. Art

 

[joelmic]

It can be put on when everything is wet and they usually spray it down good first so I'd say yeah go ahead and do it.I like to catch it on my new ones before they hit the salt.

I'll give them a call and set up an appointment... THNX lookin forward to it

 

[Doug Ram]

Lots of folks who keeps a car for 10 or more years around where I live get Ziebart for their new vehicle. It's about $500 for the first treatment, and then you get it inspected and treated annually for nothing. I've seen cars that have 15 years on them without rust. The trick is that you have an anniversary date each year, and you have to get the vehicle inspected and treated within that window. Folks around Syracuse swear by Ziebart. It does smell though, and that isn't a great thing.

 

[TomB 1269]

Like others said oil undercoating is a great step to preserve your truck. I believe in washing during the winter and try to weekly with under carriage spray. In the spring I will pull out the water hose and flush ever inch of the frame I can get it in. I use the hose and let it run, verse pressure washer which can drive grit and participles deep in to crevasses. My Ram has the rear inner fender liners which seem to help keep a lot out of the frame rails and bed supports.

 

[dhay13]

Funny story...I worked with a guy that didn't have much but had a beat up motorcycle. His girlfriend worked with us and she bought him a newer Dodge truck. It was the smaller one from back in the early 90's,not sure what they were called. Anyway, he didn't want to drive it in the winter so he left it parked and rode his motorcycle to work in the winter...lol. One day he was in front of me and went around the guard shack and dropped it on the icy parking lot....lol

 

[Doug Ram]

Funny story...I worked with a guy that didn't have much but had a beat up motorcycle. His girlfriend worked with us and she bought him a newer Dodge truck. It was the smaller one from back in the early 90's,not sure what they were called. Anyway, he didn't want to drive it in the winter so he left it parked and rode his motorcycle to work in the winter...lol. One day he was in front of me and went around the guard shack and dropped it on the icy parking lot....lol

I rode a bike in the winter in Washington DC. I should say that I rode it MOST of the winter. Never when roads were ice and/or snow covered. Two wheels simply does not work without friction. Nope

Plus, you think that cars don't like rust! Motorcycles have no corrosion protection. Everything is exposed.

 

[SitKneelBend]

How much does that set you back?

I don't know if you got an answer to this but I pay about $150 a year for my Krown coating in St Louis. They spray inside panels and other cavaties too. They even spray inside my step rails (because I ask them to) free of charge...

Sent from my HTC U11 using Tapatalk

 

[AlexC2350]

Car wash does NOTHING for the underside of your truck !!!
Just makes you feel like you’re accomplished something !!!
Salty water spray goes everywhere and in nooks and crannies that you don’t see !!! Plus all those electrical components like sensors and actuators !!! I’m going to rent a truck to go to Omaha next week just so I don’t have to drive my new 2019 bighorn in the salt ! I’m from NYC original and lived another 20 years in Michigan and now I’m in Alabama. I don’t ever want to expose the truck to that crap whatsoever !!!

many car washes today have a pretty effective undercarriage wash. Many hit the car wash for that reason, at least I do.

 

[joelmic]

My truck was HORRIBLE
Took to a car wash today for grins, NO SOAP in the POWER WASH cycle, so I did 2 passes with Presoak soap, then power washed off, did another Presoak, and power washed off again, then this place had a POWER DRYER hand held... I used that and was amazed I didn't have a salt/dirt film on at all... WOW

Still don't know any place that has an undercarriage wash tho