I'm being transferred to Webster, NY from Knoxville, TN for work in a few months and had some concerns with Rust from road salt. My IROC has NO rust at all and is a southern car. I'd like to take it with me to drive during the summer and enjoy but I'm concerned about getting salt underneath it causing cancer at some point. Do you guys have any recommendations on how to avoid it? It will be stored over the winter and only driven during the spring through fall. But there's still salt leftover sometimes from the winter I'm assuming correct?

We don't have these issues in the south is why I'm asking. If it's a risk then I'll leave the car in my garage back in Knoxville. Just wanted some pointers from you guys that live up that way.

Thanks!

Mike

 

I drive mine in the winter and I live in Indiana, and they use alot of salt. And iv had no issues, just wash your car off in a carwash thst has underbody wash if your concerned. After we get a rain or two it knocks the salt and sand off the roads so after it rains you have no problem.

 

if you're just driving it in the summer it will be fine. the spring rain will wash away the salt. you wont notice any rust from just driving it during the summer. I lived in maine up until i left for the army and my camaro has very little rust. i drove it from april til october and so did the previous owner.

just wash the underbody a lot if you're really concerned.

 

They salt the roads heavily up here. My advice is store the car during winter for a few months and get a beater. Car wash won't get rid off it. Salt melts the snow and results in a fine misting spray when you or other cars drive on roads. It will get into every nook and cranny under your car. Not worth trashing your Iroc. Salt washes away after a few rain events.

You'll probably hear of this culinary dish the first day in Webster, but definitely try out a garbage plate.

 

If its just a summer car then theres really nothing to worry about. If youre really planning on driving it in the winter just get it washed regularly. I know here in michigan the salt will eat cars up along with some of the bad roads. lol

 

Ooooohhhhhhh Rochester !
I live just down the road. Lots of good chow and several weekly cruise ins at some of the local places and a bunch of Third gen nuts to hang with! Check out the Rochester threads here for the info!
https://www.thirdgen.org/forums/nort...hester-ny.html

As far a winter..............YEA you DO want a nice winter rat (what do you think rice burners are good for?) as the salt will eat your car alive no matter how little you may drive your Iroc!
The salt eats them sunburned southern rides up quick!
My Z-28 was fresh from Winston/Salem NC when I got it and its sleeps safely in the garage during the winter.

Hope to see ya'all soon as we be fixin' to go ta' cruise nite soon!
Not much bbq, okra, grits or soul food around these parts so bring plenty with ya!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Don't forget a case of Dixie beer and your long underwear too!

 

In the springtime you will see street sweepers out sweeping up all the sand, and then as mentioned a few hard rains will wash away all of the salt and the roads will be great.

Also as far as rust in the winter, my Camaro is stored in the winter but I have never had a winter driven DD rust at all; the trick is not to go to a car wash expecting it to get clean, but to wash it yourself at a coin carwash. Trick to it is that you have to go late at night when nobody is there to bother you and you can sneak in buckets and sponges, and spend as much time in there as you would like. Most people try to wash their whole car with one $2.50 cycle or whatever, that's not possible. I usually spend 3-4 cycles just washing the underneath of the car alone, that's a solid 12 or so minutes of pressure washing the undercarriage, which is a long time but what's necessary to indeed get in every single nook and cranny thoroughly. It allows you to get up in the driveshaft tunnel, up in the wheel wells/shock towers, above the gas tank, etc. etc and go slow and flood everything under the car. Then I usually spend another 3 or so cycles washing the body of the car which gives me plenty of time to also trace all body gaps and flood those out. The other trick is to do it religiously, every 1.5-2 weeks even if you stop there just to do the undercarriage; I've been known to go in there while it's snowing out since I know nobody is in there and although it will get salty on the way out of the wash, I can at least reset the salt clock. The time salt is left on the car is what determines the amount of corrosion and damage it can do, so even just washing it off and subjecting it to salt again right after resets the clock for the most part. Keeping a car rust free takes a little effort but really not that much, it's just that most people don't care enough/don't even realize the underneath is the most vulnerable and thus the part of the body that has to be washed religiously. Yeah it takes close to 20 bucks to wash it myself at the coin wash, but I am able to get the car very clean. I can also dry the car in there since I go when nobody is there.

That said, I do occasionally take it to a touchless wash when it is pretty clean to just get a bit of crappy wax on it (I do it when the car is clean since touchless washes never get a salty car clean).

 

I had a good laugh when I read that. ha ha.... thanks! I drive a 2002 4x4 Silverado as my DD so the IROC stays in storage all winter, even in Tennessee. I'll have to check out some of those cruise ins up there, would be cool to hang with some other third gen owners! Guess that gives me motivation to bring the car up there. Yeah... I don't what I'll do without my sweet tea and southern fixins. lmao...

 

Sweet, so it would be safe to bring the car out around mid Spring then. How are the roads up there? I hope better than New Jersey, I took my 01 SS to Ft. Dix back in 07 and the roads beat the hell out of my car. Of course I was running pro kits with 315's out back. My IROC is lowered on Sportlines with Koni yellows. It isn't harsh but it does have a firm ride.

What is a garbage plate? lol

 

That makes sense. I'm one of those types that details underneath the car so like you, I'm **** about such things. Might be a good idea to bring my pressure washer with me to get underneath the car real good just in case. Though normally it gets winterized and stored when the weather turns cold. Appreciate the advice!

 

A Garbage plate at Nick Tahous Hots around Rochester is SO famous its listed on Wilki !!!!!!
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nick_Tahou_Hots

BTW.....PLENTY of sweet tea up here in Yankee land !

 

Wow... ha ha... thats kinda cool! When I was in New Jersey everytime I asked for sweet tea they looked at me like I was nuts. lmao... Good to know they have such a thing where I'm heading to.

 

You southern boys should know to leave yer "stars n bars" flags, pointed hoods and funny way of talkin' with the fixin ta go/ya'all and words like maam and sir below the mason-dixon line as the yankees up here ESPECIALLY in Jersey can't understand "youse guys" when ya'all talk !
It sorta leaves them lost tightening up their do-rags and reachin' for their 357s to shoot first and ask questions later !
All McDonalds up here have Sweet Tea BTW !!!!!!!!!!


Just teasin' on Jersey folks as I have family there and they also talk funny too so no hate mail!

 

lmao! I'm not one of those stars and bars types... ha ha. My flag is the Stars and Stripes. Yeah that is funny though, people up there always give me a hard time about my accent. I always tell them I'm from Boston or something. Makes them think WTF... And my girlfriend is from Michigan, so the good thing about being southern is the ladies love our accent. Ha ha...

 

LOL..........Soooo true about the ladies !
I grew up in Fla and NC and yer "memaw" taught you southern manners (something sadly lacking today!).
All adults were addressed by maam and sir and respect for any adult was enforced, Sunday church was manditory!
When I moved to NY I quickly lost the "southern speak" cause the yankees would bust my chops hard about being a dumb rebel ! OK "youse guys"!

My old Z-28 came out of the garage for the summer last week cause of the unusual 65+ degree temps and got sent to the shop for a oil change and a required annual NYS Inspection. NO smog test on old cars here yet! It passed as expected and I got it out crusin!
Its rust free sunburned body sure could use a paint job tho!

See ya soon around R-town!

 

Do not drive your car on the salty roads!! It will destroy it. Believe me...I live way up there (St. John's, Newfoundland, Canada.) One winter is enough to destroy a rust free car. There are so many cracks and little crevaces that the sand/salt will get into, and a simple wash just won't cut it. I see cars/trucks less than 5 yrs old rusted out here. Don't do it.

 

I didn't read all of the posts but I agree not to drive until the salt is off the roads and after a good heavy rain.

The underside of our cars are made up of sheet metal that is sandwiched together and the salt water gets pulled up through capillary action into areas that you won't have access to. Then it rots the car out from the inside from then on, summer through winter, year after year. Even when it's not wet, salt also infiltrates as dust and gets everywhere.

Another thing is southern cars aren't typically undercoated like northern cars are, and even if you were to do it at this point, if it's not done correctly can actually make things worse by retaining water instead of allowing it to drain.