How to drive my 2007 Yaris forever

[Hamster]

I have a silly question. I live in one of those mild winter climates. We can have freezing rain or five inches of snow one day, and then a few days later it warms up to 40 degrees. Oftentimes, on those mild days following a deep freeze, it rains. I avoid driving when the roads are salted as much as possible. I take the city bus to work and I live within walking distance of a grocery store, so I have the luxury of choosing not to drive if I don't want to. However, there have been a couple of times this year when I did have to drive on a freshly-salted highway. When that happened, I would take a long highway drive during the next big rainstorm, with the idea that the heavy rain would wash all the salt off the undercarriage. Would this actually work? Is driving in the rain a good way to clean off the undercarriage and prevent rust, or does it not actually do anything?

[tmontague]

Originally Posted by B.B._07

Yes that is Fluid Film. You don't have to use Fluid Film it's just the best known brand. Other companies make similar oily anti rust sprays. Some people even use bar and chain oil, boiled linseed oil, or used motor oil (but those can get really messy). Back in the day farmers would coat their machinery in diesel fuel as a cheap alternative.

Parking in a heated garage during the winter is harmful because the road salt that coats your car (especially the underside) will cause corrosion quicker at a warm temperature. At very cold temperatures the effects of road salt are minimized which is why cars from more extreme winter climates survive with less rust than those from mild winter climates.

I very much agree with this. It's one of the main reasons I get my car Krown'd every spring and leave my car unwashed all winter while it sits in a driveway.

Heated garages are great but should be left for the summer cars or ones that ar not driven in salt.

Originally Posted by Hamster

I have a silly question. I live in one of those mild winter climates. We can have freezing rain or five inches of snow one day, and then a few days later it warms up to 40 degrees. Oftentimes, on those mild days following a deep freeze, it rains. I avoid driving when the roads are salted as much as possible. I take the city bus to work and I live within walking distance of a grocery store, so I have the luxury of choosing not to drive if I don't want to. However, there have been a couple of times this year when I did have to drive on a freshly-salted highway. When that happened, I would take a long highway drive during the next big rainstorm, with the idea that the heavy rain would wash all the salt off the undercarriage. Would this actually work? Is driving in the rain a good way to clean off the undercarriage and prevent rust, or does it not actually do anything?

Depends on if the salt is completely washed off the road by the time you get on it. Typucally takes a really good pouring or a few days of rain for that to happen.

I don't think what you're doing is bad, but your best bet is to have the car oil sprayed every spring once the salt is off the road and the temps rise. At least if you want the car to last as long as possible. Nothing else will do nearly as much to protect it except not driving it at all during the winter.