Wondering if it’s worth visiting a professional car wash? Many vehicle owners think they can wash away road salt, dirt, and debris on their own. However, visiting a car wash can provide a more thorough, deeper level of cleanliness.
Professional car washes use more than just soap and water. They create a full clean through:
- High-pressure hoses
- Upward-firing jets
- Rust inhibitor treatments
At Planet Oil Change & Car Wash, our car washes are designed to protect your vehicle from road salt and rust. Find a location near you and stop by today.
How Does Road Salt Lead to Undercarriage Rust?
Road salt, made from sodium chloride, creates an electrolytic solution when mixed with water from rain or melted snow. This solution accelerates the chemical reaction between iron and oxygen, leading to the formation of rust.
It’s important to understand that salt doesn’t just sit on the surface of your car. Instead, it attracts and holds moisture against the metal even after the roads have dried. This keeps the rusting process active for weeks, which is particularly bad for:
- Brake & Fuel Lines: Modern cars have metal brake and fuel lines running the entire length of the undercarriage. If salt isn’t removed, it can lead to a loss of braking power or dangerous fuel leaks.
- Exhaust Systems: The heat that comes out of the exhaust can accelerate the chemical reaction of salt, causing mufflers and pipes to require premature replacement.
- Suspension Components: Control arms, coil springs, and struts get constantly blasted by salt, dirt, and debris. The resulting corrosion can lead to compromised driving and handling.
Why a Professional Car Wash is Vital for Preventing Undercarriage Rust
You wouldn’t let salt sit on your car’s hood for months on end without washing it away. However, that’s exactly what’s happening to your undercarriage every winter, particularly if you live in the Midwest or a location that constantly spreads road salt.
Road salt may be necessary for your safety while driving, but it’s a chemical nightmare for your vehicle’s metal components. It can lead to corrosion that eats your car from the bottom up.
Simply spraying with a hose isn’t enough to remove salt. You need to target every nook of your car’s undercarriage.
A car wash can combat undercarriage rust with several professional-grade tools:
1. High-Pressure Hoses
Road salt is crystalline, and when it mixes with slush or water, it can make its way into tight crevices. This includes frame rails, brake lines, and the upper lip of wheel wells. At-home hoses lack the amount of pressure needed to blast salt out of every crevice in the car.
Professional car wash systems, on the other hand, use high-pressure pumps with 1,000 to 1,500 pounds per square inch (PSI). This level of force effectively dislodges salt crystals from the blind spots of your car’s underbelly.
In addition, car washes are required by law to reclaim and treat their water, which prevents salt and oil runoff from entering local watersheds. This makes visiting your local car wash a more environmentally-friendly option for keeping your car clean.
2. Upward-Firing Jets
Traditional hoses mostly spray the sides of the car and can’t reach into the entire undercarriage. Professional car washes have high-volume jets that can spray upward. These are designed to flush the entire length of the vehicle’s chassis.
The result is a scouring effect that flushes the entire length of the vehicle, including hard-to-reach areas.
3. Rust Inhibitor Treatments
A rust inhibitor treatment is a specialized chemical coating applied during the wash. It creates a microscopic barrier on metal surfaces, which repels water and slows the chemical reaction that comes from salt.
Unlike a wax that simply sits on top of the paint, a rust inhibitor is a liquid compound that bonds with metal surfaces.
Visit Planet Oil Change Today for Your Expert Car Wash
Once rusting starts, it’s expensive to stop. Don’t let rust destroy your car. Protect your investment by visiting a professional car wash.
At Planet Oil Change & Car Wash, we have multiple locations throughout the Midwest and nationwide.
All of our shops offer convenient hours to accommodate your busy schedule. Our customers trust us because of our exceptional service and commitment to quality.
Are you ready to get an oil change near you and choose the best time for you to do it? Contact us online or find a car wash location near you.
