Spraying Down After Driving In Salty Conditions
 

Recently the weather in the NE has been rough and I found myself on several occasions driving on salted/brined roads, and getting salted/brine spray from other cars and road itself.
I usually hose down my airmatic shocks, radiator, even getting in the motor to get that salt out of there.
Anyone else do anything to 'desalt' their cars in bad weather?

If you are one of those who disdain auto car washes, you're missing the opportunity to get a good under-the-car flush to get rid of salt from hard to reach places.
By the way, it doesn't happen in NE - we just had four days of snow and salt here in the mid-Ohio valley. I'm heading for the car wash Monday, as soon as the rain heads out.

As long as the temps don't get back above freezing then the salt stays inert. I wash it when I can, but don't stress if you can't.

Two of my cars never ever go to car-washing stations, and I manage to tickle my OCD to remove salt during winter months using the attachment below. I have my own garage home-style washing station, and I simply couple this attachment to my pressure washer to fully clean the undercarriage. A round of hot soap first followed by warm water.

Great tool...

The best way is to put a cover on it and drive something else in the winter. Take it from a long time NE car guy - you don't want any car you care about exposed to the salt and sand. If you want to keep your w222 long term then get a salt car for the winter months. You can flip it in the spring or keep longer if you get something nicer.

I have one of these extended reach garden wands that I generally use anyway around the house and for washing the car. Gets a nice volume of water to dissolve salt and loosen up debris, I connect it to the drain valve at the hot water heater (hot water heater in garage), weather permitting I give the car a good rinse with extra attention to the wheel wells, under carriage, side skirts and door slits.

https://amzn.to/488dO1H

I have a power washer but i'm not a fan of high pressure water on paint surfaces and getting the thing out and set up is a bit cumbersome especially in the winter. That undercarriage sprayer is pretty cool though which I am considering.

Absolutely. As @Lou B mentioned, car washes in winter are important to remove salt in the northish-eastish part of the country were salt is used heavily. I just got the Cayenne washed yesterday. Rotted wheel wells, door bottoms and rocker panels are common in heavy salt regions of the country.

I prefer to DIY hand wash, but in 5 deg F weather like we had 2 weeks ago, it's not happening. I also don't DIY at a coin-operated wash in that kind of weather. The coin-op attendants in this area are militant about no bucket washing and no cloth drying on site, which takes the enjoyment away and loses some of the effectiveness of the wash.

So I used to do that long time ago for some of my cars, but then I stopped as I realized it's just me who is losing the excitement and pleasure of owning the car for 4 months every year.. Also, I think newer cars have superior protection compared to older ones as far as corrosion, and anyway I'd never keep my car 20 years for any possible corrosion to become a real issue. Regardless, even if I do, if you wash the care carefully, I bet there won't be any issues at all anyway.

Yeah thats not for me. I want to drive my great car all the time, not drive some terrible car most of the time.

Sorry but there is no positive way to view subjecting your treasured w222 to a regular salt bath and pelting the front end with sand and small rocks. To say nothing of being our there in the slop with terrible drivers who will slip and slide right into you.

If you're not keeping the car long term then it doesn't matter whether you wash carefully or regularly. And if you are, then you'll find out soon enough what a difference all that salt is making.

Poke around this forum - newer cars are not better in this regard, they are worse. Brake lines are corroding on MLs way too soon and all cars have thinner and cheaper metal anywhere they can get away with it to save weight.

I can certainly live with driving a 12 year old LS460 and a 14 year old ML350 for a few months of the year when the roads are bad. Been doing the winter/summer car thing 40 years now as have many of my fellow car guy buddies here.

I spend a lot of time at a buddy's shop and get to see under a lot or various makes and models of cars. The salt is not kind to any of them and none will last 25 years with regular salt exposure .

Your car, your money, your choice. But if you can afford a w222 you can afford a decent salt car.

There some non sense here in my view. For instance, the last sentence says "But if you can afford a w222 you can afford a decent salt car." ........ Well, if you can afford a new W222, the last thing you should worry about is long term corrosion and driving a crappy car in winter only to keep the other car from breaking. If any of my brake lines will need to be replaced, driving an old ML will likely cost the same as W222 as far as suspension bushings getting dry or brake lines needing replacement. Just makes no difference maintenance wise to not enjoy the toy. Cars are meant to be driven. A good wash practice will fade out any long term consequences. I had a Lexus LS 430 that I kept it up to 250K miles cause I loved it but then sold it in 2020, not even a single corrosion issue. I had a Honda Accord from the the 2000's era, sold it recently and not a single issue with good washing practice. I am not convinced that driving an older car dedicated for winter would cost less (registration, insurance, maintenance) than the risk of driving any of my luxury newer vehicles, I bet it is financially the worse decision to make anyway, and even if not, I would not park my luxury car only cause am worried about salt. I want to enjoy the car I paid for 12 months a year not 8 months. Finally lets be honest, lol, W222 is not a treasured car anymore nowadays. It has been 11 years since W222 touched the road.. U can get a nice S560 facelift for 45K nowadays..or pre-facelift for 25K. It's not a Rolls-Royce that will live 30 years!

At the end of the day, it’s a car. I bought it to drive it. It’s not a treasured classic garage queen. It gets dirty, I wash it. It has PPF on the front to protect it from chips. If it gets damaged, I will have it fixed. 25 years? I’m not keeping a car for 25 years lol. I do actually still have my 2003 ES300 in the family, it’s always been driven in the winter but washed well and with 220,000 miles on it and 21 years of age it has zero rust.

I realize some people buy furniture and cover it in plastic and never sit on it, but that’s not me. It’s not about being able to afford a “beater” I just have no interest in driving a beater. I “could afford” an S Class to drive in the snow and an S Class to drive in the nice weather if I wanted to lol

I have owned and operated several cars past the 10 year and 200k mile mark. The worst two vehicles were Ford pickup trucks. It's a common Ford truck thing for the leading edge of the hood, door bottoms and wheel arches to rot out. That was starting to be the case on my F-150 and F-250 from years ago. Toyotas and a VW I owned did not show signs of corrosion approaching the 10 year and 200k mile mark.

Keep the car reasonably washed in the winter if your are in a salt region. Do it at a commercial car wash if desired. It's just an appliance and you won't take it with you.

Another reason to love Florida. The only cars that have a problem here are those condo cars that sit 9 months in a garage at the beach and never driven.
You can always come here like the snow-birds during the salt months. Weather is beautiful!

For instance, I just got the S560 washed in the rain lol. The goal is to get the salt off of it not to make it look pretty. Pretty will come when the weather improves

So, as usual most of the time, you pays your money and makes your choice(s).

Different strokes for different folks...never changes.

I guess we could all buy a second W222, just to drive in the salt... :)

Why not one for the rain, one for the salt, one for the sun...the more the merrier lol