How to Protect Your Car's Paint From Ontario Road Salt

The Short Answer

Put a layer of protection on the paint before the salt season starts, then keep salt from sitting on the car all winter. In practice that means a thorough hand wash and a coat of wax in the fall, regular washes through the winter that include the wheels, wheel wells and underside, and a proper clean-up once the roads are clear in spring. Salt does its damage over time, so the goal is to keep it off the car rather than let it build up for months.

What Road Salt Does to a Car

Salt mixed with water speeds up corrosion on bare metal. On a modern car the paint and clear coat protect the body panels, so the real risks are anywhere that protection is broken or thin: stone chips on the hood and front bumper, scratches, the edges of doors and wheel arches, and the metal parts underneath the car. Salty slush also dries on the paint as a gritty film, and wiping or brushing it off dry can leave fine scratches.

Before Winter: Wash and Wax

• Hand wash the car thoroughly to get summer grime and bug residue off, so the protection bonds to clean paint.
• Apply wax. A layer of wax gives the paint a slick barrier that salt and grime have a harder time sticking to, and makes winter washes easier.
• Look for stone chips on the hood, bumper and door edges. Touching up chips before winter keeps salt water away from bare metal.
• Clean the door jambs and the bottom edges of the doors, where salt collects and is easy to miss.

Our Wash & Wax package covers this: a full exterior hand wash and chamois dry, Carnauba wax protection, rims cleaned, tires dressed and door jambs wiped.

During Winter: Keep Salt From Sitting on the Car

• Wash regularly, especially after a stretch of heavily salted roads. Choosing a milder day lets the car dry instead of freezing.
• Rinse the wheels, wheel wells and underside. That's where salty slush collects and sits the longest.
• Don't wipe dry, salty paint with a cloth or brush the snow off with anything gritty — rinse the grit off first.
• After washing, open and close the doors and trunk, and dry the jambs and seals so they don't freeze shut.

In Spring: The Full Clean-Up

Once the salt trucks are done for the season, give the car a thorough wash inside and out. Clean the exterior, wheels and jambs, and re-apply wax to restore the protection winter wore down. The inside usually needs attention too: see How to Remove Winter Salt Stains From Car Carpets. A Deluxe or Premium detail covers both sides in one visit, and Premium adds premium wax protection.

Book Your Pre-Winter Wash & Wax in Aurora

If you'd like the car protected before the salt starts, book a detail at our Aurora shop. Every wash is done by hand with a chamois dry, not in an automated tunnel. For how often to book through the year, see How Often to Detail Your Car in Ontario.