Just got done plowing 4 out of 5 days 12" plus of snow, and temps were in mid 40`s yesterday so I decided to get the garden hose out and give the truck a good rinse underneath. That sucked,wet and cold. When I was done and hanging hose back up in garage, I noticed lawn sprinkler hanging there, anybody ever try this? Today I may throw the sprinkler under the truck for a while. It can`t hurt. I hate salt...

 

I hit the self carwash and spray underneath. Best $5 you can spend

 

Made a 370 mile round trip from home to PA the other day. My dark blue truck is white as the snow.
One of the local car washes has a monthly plan. For a set price (varies depending on which package you choose) you can go once a day. Every day of the month if you like. I find that I'm hitting the car wash in winter more than I ever did.
I won an $800 package for undercoating/paint protection/fabric protection at a charity auction last fall. Got it for $100. Had it done a couple of weeks ago. Will have to crawl around underneath in spring and see how things look.
I have a floor drain but my garage isn't heated. So every time I wash the truck at home I have to fire up the compressor and blow out the hose and water line.

 

I spray fluid film under all the truck before it get too cold and before the first salt trucks.


Then I hit the car wash. It also sucks as I cannot go thru the automatic car washes. I have to do the do it yourself car wash.


I use them because I am not going to drag out my powerwasher in 20 deg weather.

 

That snow is heading my way.....not looking forward to 3 days of plowing. Then another storm Thursday, then Monday. No chance of getting out the hose with temps falling. If only we could see 40.
I hate salt too.

 

I fluid filmed in the fall, I`m addicted to the car wash thats about 3 miles down the road. But with well below freezing temps, not much help. Temps are in the 40`s this weekend, roads are crappy. So doing the sprinkler in the drive today.

 

Salt is good for popcorn but not much else..
Be careful in what you're doing, because you may actually make matters worse in some areas..
Dry salt does no damage.. Wet salt on the other hand...

 

Salt is the bane of my existence, it stains all the aluminum on my semi and rusts my small vehicles. I spray the underside of the truck with fluid film and during the winter I will only hit the underside with low pressure to just rinse the bulk of the crud off but not remove the FF. I try not to soak the underside down heavily because like said above, dry salt is far less corrosive than wet salt.


I live in a rural area with a lot of county paved roads that only get sanded at intersections so I run those as much as possible in the winter. It takes longer to get where I'm going because I have to zig zag around, but it keeps me off the salty highways.

 

Beef gravy needs a little salt too!

 

That's what my used Escape is for, being the salt sponge. Truck has been sitting in the garage since Nov.

For those who are forced to use your trucks in the winter.....that stinks. Fluid film those things like mad and like others have said I think washing can sometimes create issues. I used to wash my previous truck all the time in the winter and I feel the water would freeze and result in peeling paint....

 

I agree. That's what my 07 Crown Vic police interceptor is for. But I had to pull a 7x18 enclosed trailer to pick up a new machine for my business.
I'm still well under 1,000 miles for the winter so far. Unfortunately, the box truck I drive at my part time job is parked at a local International dealer who is never in a hurry to plow the lot. So some days I need 4x4 just to get in.

 

I hate to see what my truck will look like come spring time after another upstate NY winter....

add me to the salt hater list..

 

I had the needing a 4x4 issue with other beater cars and then I said forget it and bought the Escape. No need for the truck for 4x4.

 

That will be the plan for the next beater. I do like driving the old cop car though. New snow tires & 180 pounds of tube sand in the trunk and it's really not bad in snow. But sometimes I have to be careful not to get it high & dry.

 

I use a wand with wheels that has 5 water jets facing upward....an inline soap dispenser with "salt away" works very well.

The sprinkler idea is good. Homedeopt sells a small device that you put between the hose and the fuacet which adds the correct amount of liquid soap, which also works for "salt away".

"salt away" is used by fleet owners to both rinse salt off as well as leaving a protctive coating. comes in different sizes and cost about 40 bucks a gallon. two shot glass per gallon is enough as a sustainment mix. about 4 ozs per gallon if your using it for the first time to rinse off old salt.