Car Wash Undercarriage Spray and Fully Boxed Frame (Truck): Aggravate Corrosives

[LoneRanger]

What does BITOG think about running a pickup truck through an automatic car wash that has the undercarriage high pressure spray option to clean off the chassis, when the truck has fully boxed frame rails? Does this just put water into the frame members to mix with any winter road treatment chems (mainly salt) already possibly laying up in there?

 

[ls1mike]

I don't know I clean mine. I would think you are better off.

 

[Ed_Flecko]

How about just buying a RYOBI Pressure Washer Water Broom - https://thd.co/2OUOFS0 ?

Ed

 

[eljefino]

I splash through deep puddles in April. Figure that does it.

When I'm under for oil changes or whatever I make sure the drain holes are open and any "sand dams" where stuff builds up are minimized.

I would posit the car wash options do more good than harm, as long as things dry out quickly. Wet salt is what eats metal like crazy.

 

[wdn]

If you use a treatment like NH Oil Undercoating you are better off to not use an undercarriage wash. The oil treatment is a barrier. That is what the maker says.

If you are not using a rust treatment it is better to wash in states that use salt brine (as opposed to rock salt) because the brine has clinging agents in it. They sell a foaming soap product formulated to remove brine.

This page has good info
https://nhoilundercoating.com/road-salt-brine-auto-corrosion/

 

[Traction]

One thing I've unfortunately have figured out, there are only 2 options. Move south, or lease/trade every 3 years, and drive it like you stole it. Not that much more money in the long run, if you think it about it. I just need to do it myself. That's what my kids do, and they drive a lot cooler vehicles that I can drive trying to fight salt, and rust with the demise of too many low mileage great vehicles less than 10 years old turning to endless trips to the body shop, that should have lasted another 50 years otherwise. Salt ruins more stuff than it saves period!!!!!

 

[Dinoburner]

Another problem with road salt is the damage to roadside vegetation especially sugar maples. We have lost 6 next to the road and are losing many more due to a culvert that drains onto my property. When we complained to the road agent who said something to the effect that water runs down hill.

 

[oilpsi2high]

This is an old habits die hard case.

That NH oil guy is spot on. First, most car washes recycle water per government mandate. So all they're doing is spraying high pressure salt water into places it doesn't belong. Yes they have filters but depending on how often they're changed and the volume of cars going through you're still taking a gamble.

I do what that guy says. Oil spray in fall, and don't wash anything except the paint all winter long. In spring, flush the undercarriage thoroughly once the salt is gone. I DIY my oil coatings so I do them twice a year, and have seen first hand results.

Now I do have a low pressure undercarriage wand at home, and have been going back and forth on whether or not to use it regularly in winter. What I usually do is flush everything out if it's warm and I won't be driving the car for a few days. It hasn't affected the oil spray from what I've seen.

 

[MNgopher]

Whats better - concentrated salt deposits or salt at lower concentrations continually diluted by makeup water? I'll take the makeup water at lower dilutions any day of the week and twice on Sundays. From fleet use it is blatantly obvious which vehicles get no washing of the undercarriage and which ones have (the difference from an in-house manual pressure wash bay versus the use at the local car wash...)

 

[KrisZ]

Oil spray is your friend. Washing the undercarriage may help some, but it won't do anything for door cavities and rocker panels.
Besides, salt will do not harm on a protective layer like this.

 

[Cdn17Sport6MT]

Originally Posted by oilpsi2high

...
I DIY my oil coatings so I do them twice a year, and have seen first hand results.
...


And your results are: ???

 

[caprice_2nv]

Originally Posted by Traction
One thing I've unfortunately have figured out, there are only 2 options. Move south, or lease/trade every 3 years, and drive it like you stole it. Not that much more money in the long run, if you think it about it. I just need to do it myself. That's what my kids do, and they drive a lot cooler vehicles that I can drive trying to fight salt, and rust with the demise of too many low mileage great vehicles less than 10 years old turning to endless trips to the body shop, that should have lasted another 50 years otherwise. Salt ruins more stuff than it saves period!!!!!


I 100% disagree. That's like $300 Canadian a month I don't spend that others spend on a car payment/insurance on a newer vehicle. My winter car is a 1983 Chevy Caprice. The frame looks like brand new still, had to do one patch on the driver's floor because of snow and salt getting into the carpet, the body is just starting to get rust in spots now after 36 years. I paid $1500 for this car 10 years ago. Undercoat is the most important thing. It's needs to be done every single year.

 

[JTK]

There's just not enough water being thrown at the bottom of the vehicle or directed into the proper places to have much effect IMO. Living in the Buffalo NY area, I gave up on winter time washing for the most part. The only time I'll do it is if it's going to be "nice" for days and the roads are dry. Otherwise, your vehicle is dirty by the time you get home.

Not saying they don't exist, but I've never seen a car wash that used recycled water.. Ever. They'd have to charge $25 per quick wash to pay for that system in my area.

Like caprice and Kris said above, the only way to preserve your vehicle in the rust belt is annual rust proofing spray.

 

[caprice_2nv]

Originally Posted by JTK
There's just not enough water being thrown at the bottom of the vehicle or directed into the proper places to have much effect IMO. Living in the Buffalo NY area, I gave up on winter time washing for the most part. The only time I'll do it is if it's going to be "nice" for days and the roads are dry. Otherwise, your vehicle is dirty by the time you get home.

Not saying they don't exist, but I've never seen a car wash that used recycled water.. Ever. They'd have to charge $25 per quick wash to pay for that system in my area.

Like caprice and Kris said above, the only way to preserve your vehicle in the rust belt is annual rust proofing spray.


I spent this weekend washing, then waxing, re applying undercoat where it had washed off, and putting vinyl protector on the vinyl roof that's starting to crack.

I'm now realizing I spent more than enough time protecting the undercarriage and not enough waxing the paint.

The entire frame and floor (except driver's floor) is like brand new, even at every weld and seam...but the body has blisters coming through all over the place. My friend and I sanded and repaired most of them in the summer and several just came right back through again. The frame looks like it will last forever but the body is what I'm having trouble with now.

Only the rear quarters and trunk lid which were in a collision years before I bought it are still good. The paint has clear coat on it still.