How to salt off car

[Pica-Pica]

A simple question! I have never seen so much salt around as this year. I always hand wash, bucket and sponge my cars. That has never been a problem for the decades that I have owned cars, some kept for 19 years. This year, my car is covered with salt, I can wet my hand, rub the side windows and taste it.

However, my issue is with what is going on underneath. I never use jet washes, but should I for the underneath, and what care should I take? The car is a year old, so I want to keep rust at bay. Advice please, folks.

[Gad-Westy]

I use a jet wash under the car. Have a right angle head for my nilfisk that makes this quite straight forward. Great for getting in behind the arches too.

[Bayerischer]

I just bought a Karcher Under Body Chassis Cleaner

[Pica-Pica]

Bayerischer said:

I just bought a Karcher Under Body Chassis Cleaner

Are these car specific? Can I use the same for cleaning decking, and cleaning up white-painted stone walls on a 19 century house? I wil check Kärcher website. Time to buy another toy maybe?
(I assume from your user name you have a BMW)

[Bayerischer]

anonymous said:

[redacted]

Its just an attachment which fits onto a K series pressure washer - very similar to their patio cleaning attachment, but facing upwards instead of down. Is height adjustable so can do both the M3 and the XC90

[Willy Nilly]

Modern cars are really quite well rust proofed.

You need copious amounts of hot water to rinse off the salt. I operate a fertiliser spreader and the stuff that goes through will just eat it like salt does, if not a bit worse. It gets washed every time it is used and no matter how careful I am with the pressure washer it never seems to be enough to wash all of the residue off leaving rusty streaks all over it. It gets blown from one plce to another and back again. So short of doning a water proof suit, lifting the car onto a ramp and spending most of a day washing it, it's probably futile and a little unnecassary.

[Alex_225]

You can get a 90 degree lance for a Karcher, I have one at home which I use for exactly this purpose, get the salt and winter crap off the underside of the car. To be fair, I'd imagine that any long drive in some heavy rain would likely remove most of the salt but an underbody lance would be good!

[Pica-Pica]

Alex_225 said:

You can get a 90 degree lance for a Karcher, I have one at home which I use for exactly this purpose, get the salt and winter crap off the underside of the car. To be fair, I'd imagine that any long drive in some heavy rain would likely remove most of the salt but an underbody lance would be good!

Well, in North Wales, by the coast, we get plenty of rain. Maybe I’ll wash the upper, do the glass, and wait for a down pour!

[Paynewright]

In the spring I normally clean under the car arches. I use a spray head on the hose and run my fingers around the wheel arch lip whilst spraying the hose. The lip is usually full of mud and IMHO it is salt trapped in the mud that causes the most damage which most people never wash off! As mantioned already, use the angled jet on the nilfisk - check on line for best price, think I paid a tenner not the £29 rrp!

Regards

Ian

[Pica-Pica]

Thanks for tips on underside. I must admit for the normal bodywork, I wait for an intermittently rainy day, let a shower soak the car, wash it in between showers, and then let the rain rinse it off. You can’t fight nature, so work with it.

I must admit, before wheel arch liners, in the past my cars used to get loads of road dirt and mud get stuck in there and I had to scrape it out with fingers.

[stargazer30]

Pica-Pica said:

Thanks for tips on underside. I must admit for the normal bodywork, I wait for an intermittently rainy day, let a shower soak the car, wash it in between showers, and then let the rain rinse it off. You can’t fight nature, so work with it.

I must admit, before wheel arch liners, in the past my cars used to get loads of road dirt and mud get stuck in there and I had to scrape it out with fingers.

Lol I do this. My neighbours think I am crazy washing the car before or sometimes when its raining! For me though its because we are in a hard water region and the cars watermark like crazy. A rain rinse seems to cure this nicely.

[strath44]

I'm also a fan of just using mains water pressure (rather than a pressure washer, which I do have) and getting in and around the rear arches again as someone else mentioned running your hand around the lip where the dirt is trapped. This area is the number one cause of rusting arches and also where the rear bumper meets the wing.
I personally think that a pressure washer (with an angle head) is too brutal on what is a notoriously poorly joined / sealed area.
I think a lot of this has to do with the area you are in and the climate / conditions.
I viewed a 2008 Honda CRV about 2 years ago in rural Aberdeenshire and the chassis was terribly badly rusted already underneath!

[Pica-Pica]

stargazer30 said:

Pica-Pica said:

Thanks for tips on underside. I must admit for the normal bodywork, I wait for an intermittently rainy day, let a shower soak the car, wash it in between showers, and then let the rain rinse it off. You can’t fight nature, so work with it.

I must admit, before wheel arch liners, in the past my cars used to get loads of road dirt and mud get stuck in there and I had to scrape it out with fingers.

Lol I do this. My neighbours think I am crazy washing the car before or sometimes when its raining! For me though its because we are in a hard water region and the cars watermark like crazy. A rain rinse seems to cure this nicely.

Ha! VERY soft water here. Cars seem to get dirtier quicker now. I had a dark grey metallic, Volvo 740GL estate way back, I don’t remember that getting dirty. I must admit for the last 30 years I have had metallic silver cars, because they show dirt the least IMHO. Also the bi-colour dark grey and bright alloys are very good at hiding brake dust but still looking shiny. I am also quite impressed how the reversing camera lens stays clean, it occasionally gets blurry, but a wet finger helps there. I always keep a spray of ‘fast glass’ and ‘tar and insect cleaner’ in the car.

[Davie]

The undersides should be treated in the same manner as under the bonnet, yes it can be washed but it's best not to direct high pressure water at any seals or electrical components. I generally pressure wash under the arches every time it's washed and like others, flush out with the hose to rinse out dirt from the arch lips etc. I don't think you'll ever get all the salt off the chassis, there's just too many places salt spray can find it's way in to so even a thorough wash won't clean it 100%

[xjay1337]

Pica-Pica said:

Thanks for tips on underside. I must admit for the normal bodywork, I wait for an intermittently rainy day, let a shower soak the car, wash it in between showers, and then let the rain rinse it off. You can’t fight nature, so work with it.

I must admit, before wheel arch liners, in the past my cars used to get loads of road dirt and mud get stuck in there and I had to scrape it out with fingers.

You make something very easy sound like very hard, anal, uncomfortable work.

[smudgerebt]

I have a kranzle with a 90degree lance.

Twice a year (spring and autumn) car goes up in air and plastic arches off.

Inbetween its the usual wash pattern.

[996TT02]

Bodywork may be painted better than in the old days, but suspension parts, brake lines, a/c lines, engine components, and a whole host of absolutely everything else is not and rusts as soon you look the other way.

Salt is nasty stuff. Ideally dealt with when car is new not when it has started to rust. Clean very well, and liberally apply transparent cavity wax everywhere possible. Yes the underside bits will eventually attract dust and dirt and look generally horrible, but won't rust, or at least far from as readily.

[Zetec-S]

Similar issue for me, looking to give the car a good clean underneath. I don't have a pressure washer myself, so was planning on going to the local Tesco and use the jetwash there. Any tips on how to do a good job with the standard nozzle?