Steer clear of salt corrosion this winter

The blizzard of 2016 is behind us and the roads, for the most part, have been cleared.

But that doesn’t necessarily guarantee a smooth ride.

Because of all the salt laid down before, during, and after a storm your car and wallet could suffer.

“Everything gets up under your wheels and your breaks,” said John Jones of Delaware Tire in Salisbury, “That’s a big expense to you, putting breaks on a car,”

Jones tells 47 ABC that when driving either before or after a storm it’s very easy for salt to make its way onto and into your car. Corroding brakes, calipers, paint and the muffler system.

It can all lead to thousands in repairs down the line. But Jones says that can all be prevented with a more immediate fix…wash your car once a week during the winter.

“The first thing you should do with all of the salt on your car is you should get it washed and make sure you wash under your car where the break drums and everything is so the salt wont corrode it.” added Jones, “You want to get that salt off as soon as possible,”

Jones says one of the best things you can do, use a pressure washer to clean salt from the inside of your wheel wells. Doing that will help prevent internal rust. Having a fully clean car will save you money but remember to be smart about the conditions in which you try to drive.

With a pressure washer you are controlling water. But with high tides and roadway flooding, you and your car are at the mercy of nature.

“You don’t want to run into too much water. If you run in too much water and get it up by your spark plugs, you’ll drown your car out.” Jones says.

Another tip from Jones grab yourself a pair of winter wiper blades. These apparently wont freeze on your windshield if you forget to prop them up during a storm.