Long term car maintenance/cleaning, road salt, washing, etc.

I admit that I haven’t been the greatest in washing my vehicles other than when they look dirty or are really covered in salt a couple times a winter. Last week I bought a new pickup that I really hope will be mine for the next 15-20 years. I would like to try and take a little better care of it and prevent as much rust or salt damage as I can over the years. I did not purchase the several thousand $$$$ under body spray to prevent rust/salt damage that they tried selling me near the end of the sale. Figured I can better spend my money elsewhere in vehicle maintenance, maybe in weekly car washes during the winter?

What all do you guys do as far as preventative maintenance when it comes to cleaning your vehicles?
Weekly car washes in the winter no matter what? Year round? Only when needed or feel like it? Wax each time or just a high pressure wash? What about waxing it once or twice a year at home on your own? After market underbody spray of some kind? Automatic car wash with an underbody clean, or do it your own with their wand (I usually do this method so I can better clean the bed of the truck)? If doing automatic, touchless or the one with the brushes (our local carwash has both options, no clue if that’s normal or not?)?

When I bought my new $54K F-150 I did research on under body coatings. Found in Canada they use a product called Krown rust control. We can not get it here in the US but a similar product called Fluid Film, You-tube it. Lowes sells it for $9 a can. Used 5 cans the first time and touch up every year with a can and I have no rust spots 4 years later compared to my friends truck of similar years with out it.
And NO to auto car washes unless you want swirl marks and scratches……..

mnrabbit wrote:

Last week I bought a new pickup

If you have already soaked it in the upper midwest salt bath, it’s like sleeping with a prostitute that has every form of the clap known to man kind and asking if you can take the morning after pill to cure aids.

I am the most anti-salt person you’ll ever chat with. I’ld like to have all the road salt lovin people be held responsible for the $$$ and extra time on my vehicles. Freakin ridiculous that you can have a 25 year old truck in Colorado and the under carriage dam near looks like it came off the show room floor. Bring that truck here for 1 week in our salt crap fill roads and everything rots away. You’ll get a bunch of product suggestions and most will only slow the process for a couple years. Only vehicles I’ve seen that truly remained “rust and corrosion free” were restorations that were completely 100% torn down and treated every square inch – then taken out of this crap hole before exposed to our road acid

Touchless car wash with underbody jets every week summer or winter. On my way to do the Dodge now.

Randy Wieland wrote:

<div class=”d4p-bbt-quote-title”>mnrabbit wrote:</div>
Last week I bought a new pickup

If you have already soaked it in the upper midwest salt bath, it’s like sleeping with a prostitute that has every form of the clap known to man kind and asking if you can take the morning after pill to cure aids.

I am the most anti-salt person you’ll ever chat with. I’ld like to have all the road salt lovin people be held responsible for the $$$ and extra time on my vehicles. Freakin ridiculous that you can have a 25 year old truck in Colorado and the under carriage dam near looks like it came off the show room floor. Bring that truck here for 1 week in our salt crap fill roads and everything rots away. You’ll get a bunch of product suggestions and most will only slow the process for a couple years. Only vehicles I’ve seen that truly remained “rust and corrosion free” were restorations that were completely 100% torn down and treated every square inch – then taken out of this crap hole before exposed to our road acid

I love your hatred for this. I remember it from another post as well. My 07 pickup is finally starting to get this disease… sucks big time.

bigcrappie wrote:

We can not get it here in the US but a similar product called Fluid Film, You-tube it. Lowes sells it for $9 a can.

This product looks pretty interesting, I’m gonna buy an underbody kit give it a test run on the sedan cause I’ll be in the market for a new truck in two years.

I’m mostly there with Randy and am skeptical that anything will prevent rust and corrosion but am willing to give this a run to find out, have spent $100 in worse ways. Thanks for sharing.
https://www.kellsportproducts.com/

Oh yeah and any carwash that uses brushes is gonna leave some sort of micro swirls and scratches in the finish, no way you can avoid that given the materials they use. Some people don’t care, some do.

I do the complete package that the dealer has as an add on but I go straight to where they get it done. Saves me over 600 dollars. I’m a firm believer it it. Then add on brushless washes 2 to 4 times a month that have the full treatment done including an underbody wash.

My last 3 trucks have 170 to 190 thousand miles on them @ 11 years old, about 18 to 20 thousand miles a year. Never show rust when I sell them. I’m on my 9th truck and our 5th car.

I found a gas station that has a free touchless wash on certain day. I get mine washed every Wednesday for free. The “catch” is that you have to go inside to pay, but then if you use cash you can save a few more cents per gallon.

Sometimes there is a line on free wash day so I just keep the receipt and drive through another time.

It’s not bringing my 06 rust bucket back – but it helps slow the process and will help the next newer truck I get (along with having a garage again).

Randy Wieland wrote:

<div class=”d4p-bbt-quote-title”>mnrabbit wrote:</div>
Last week I bought a new pickup

If you have already soaked it in the upper midwest salt bath, it’s like sleeping with a prostitute that has every form of the clap known to man kind and asking if you can take the morning after pill to cure aids.

This might be the best response I ever heard

What about the wax option at the self serve car washes? End with that or just end with the high pressure wash to remove the excess soap?

Jake D wrote:

<div class=”d4p-bbt-quote-title”>Randy Wieland wrote:</div>

<div class=”d4p-bbt-quote-title”>mnrabbit wrote:</div>
Last week I bought a new pickup

If you have already soaked it in the upper midwest salt bath, it’s like sleeping with a prostitute that has every form of the clap known to man kind and asking if you can take the morning after pill to cure aids.

This might be the best response I ever heard

Its a family friendly site…..had to leave out how I really feel about the use of salt

Denny, I would be interested in seeing how the nuts/bolts, break lines, and wire harnesses hold up. I’ve seen treatments work ok for the general frame and body for a number of years, but never the stuff you need to access for replacing parts or work on

I remember reading that because of EPA regulations (or something similar) car washes are required to reuse the water…and since you can’t filter out the salt, you are essentially washing your vehicle with salt water…maybe someone can verify that claim.

I have access to a heated garage with water so I manually wash my truck once a month. So far the 2012 truck has no signs of body rust but had to replace the running boards so obviously a monthly wash didn’t work!

My 2005 Ford Focus has never had a car wash since I’ve owned it…a few years…It’s rotting away…came out to start it a few weeks ago and the bracket for the rear bumper absorber was laying on the ground. Yes, a 20lb hunk of steel rotted off my car. The foam absorber is trapped behind my bumper, so it still functions as intended.

My truck gets washed a little more often, maybe every 3 months. No rust to speak of on the body and it’s 8 years old with 75,000 miles.

Randy Wieland wrote:

If you have already soaked it in the upper midwest salt bath, it’s like sleeping with a prostitute that has every form of the clap known to man kind and asking if you can take the morning after pill to cure aids.

^^ This

The only sure fire method is moving to Arizona. Automated washes may cause more problems as I’ve also heard some, maybe all, recycle water.
Last month I got to hear a guy complain about his new truck getting hosed down by bridge sprinkler heads. Another reason for me to stay away from downtown..

We have an 03 sierra with almost 340k on it. It had no visible rust until 290k and that era in the gm world was pretty bad for rocker panels and wheel well rust. My dad bought the truck new and coated the frame in something similar to fluid film every year and pulled the rubber plugs in the wheel wells that can cause trapped road grime (there are differing opinions on this but its what he did).

He religiously washed it 1 sometimes 2 times a week in the winter. He rarely used touchless car washes as he believed they did not even a mediocre job. He either did it by hand with the pressure washer at home or went to a self serve car wash. You need to get as much road grime out of the rocker panels and wheel wells as possible. Spray up underneath the rockers and around the wheel wells until the water coming off the vehicle runs clear. We spend more time hosing the underside off than actually washing the body. I put rocker panels in it at 305k and the bed is just starting to show rust now.

The truck is now retired to a fishing and hunting rig as we doubt it is worth much to anyone, so we kept it to save wear and tear on the newer vehicles, and still looks pretty good. Here it is at 315k only picture I could find.

Attachments:

1. 

   ol-grey-mare.jpg
   

I purchased a 2 yr old truck in 14. It already had rusting seams under the truck! I have been spraying fluid film on and in everything since I brought it home. There has been no new rust anywhere. It works. And my truck has never seen a garage.