06-IS250

Hey guys,

So here is my story. Its been snowing and salty for the past 2 weeks here. Couple days ago, i washed my car, then that very same day, it snowed, so i had to leave my car on the side of a main street, for 2 days, and then i could drive it home (i dont have AWD). So when i brought it home, parked in the garage and when the snow finally melted off the car, i had a funny picture to look at. the right side of my car is SHINY and brand new looking, the left side is covered in snow and mud and all sorts of debris. ( the cars driving past my car on the main road just splattered my car with salt)

So now, im in the garage, and im snowed in. I cant get my car to a car wash. SOoooooooooo, the magical question: how bad is salt for my paint? Should i be worried, or a couple days of saltiness not gonna be that bad?

p.s. Did i mention i haaaaaaaaaaaaaaate snow?

thanks for the input

farquad

a couple days won't be too bad.. in general though, salt is horrible.. reason why canadian cars are so rusted compared to cars from cali and the like

VIS250P

iTrader: (1)

I dont think it will get damage on the paint but underneat the car, all the metals get rusted like bolts, LCA, shocks, springs and etc..

kickin8

iTrader: (1)

just rinse your car with water....

I8ABMR

salt is bad because with the moisture it will oxidize and rust the metal

CapitalisT

iTrader: (1)

Im pretty sure i should just move out west like now, just got over two feet of snow and my IS looks a snowmobile lol although it performs quite well.




08 IS250AWD Matador Red

Zinda

iTrader: (1)

I wish they made a fast AWD IS350!

I know I know I just said something that shouldn't be used in the same sentence. I almost died 5 times because of this damned NJ snow. It doesn't help that I have summertires on and this is my first RWD car.

SwooshICE

not when its -30C outside -_-

Ice350

iTrader: (1)

I used to wash mine in the freezing winter when I lived in Oklahoma. A couple days okay but if that gunk sits there more many weeks, there could be problems.

tex2670

you need to get snow tires pronto

irfan

its not a big deal as long as you dont have huge scratches in your paint that exposes the metal. ive never had a problem with a rusting car in ohio. its not like you are going to come home and find holes all over your car.

heck, if you have gouges in your paint it will rust with or without the salt. the moisture in the air and from rain will be enough for that.

next time its warm, wash your car. dont sweat it.

Stokdgs

Agree with just leaving it alone, unless you can perhaps get to a carwash like they have at Chevron Stations here in Washington, and that will wash off hopefully most of it.
Just remember to sometime after they are done salting and snow, etc., is gone, get to a carwash or use a hose with a nozzle on it and try to spray under the car as best you can, especially the wheelwells, between all the cracks where the doors meet the body, etc..
I rinse these things out every time I wash the car anyway just to try to keep as much road crap off the car.
Salt will in time kill the metal, get into the door panels, fenderwells, and start eating the car from the inside out. This is the most neglected cases though, so dont worry, just really try to keep it rinsed off underneath as much as possible.
Good luck! Merry Christmas ! DanF

ELL Y

iTrader: (1)

Many carwashes add swirls due to their often harsh techniques.

and to people who talk about rinsing the car, it is often unfeasible as hoses freeze over and the only option is to grab many buckets of water to slowly rinse it off.

maxnix

On properly sealed paint, no worries. On ferrous metal, very bad!

lobuxracer

iTrader: (2)

Standard corrosion tests for metal are salt/water spray while measuring time to corrode. Paint is intended to slow this process dramatically, and it does, but there's no such thing as a perfectly painted car from the manufacturer. You'll see corrosion on the welds holding your suspension together first because the manufacturers all seem to have issues with properly cleaning welds before painting them. My brand new (1 week) IS-F is already showing this and I live in Atlanta where there is no road salt.

If you can clear water rinse, that helps. If you can't, this discussion is academic because there's really nothing you can do anyway.