Road salt is incredibly useful after a snow storm. It’s cheap and it melts snow and ice to make driving and walking safer during winter.
Winter Wonderland
While it’s great that the city salts the streets for you, road salt isn’t all good. It’s one of the best ways to make any car absolutely filthy in almost an instant. A few blocks driving after the roads have been salted and you can bet your vehicle will be at least half covered in a grayish white layer of salt dust.
Leaving the salt on your car will eventually cause corrosion. We’ve all seen the cars with chunks of their metal body totally mangled and rusted. Not only does this look hideous, but it’s also unsafe.
If you’ve got rusted holes in your car, you’re probably inhaling horrible fumes. Your heating and AC are inefficient. In extreme cases, pieces of a rusted car can simply fall off. Paint protection is a MUST if you live in a climate with harsh winters.
What About Matte?
The effects of road salt on matte paint are generally the same as those on glossy paint. The only difference is that on certain matte paints (Mercedes magno alanite grey, BMW frozen silver) dirt and salt just don’t show up as much. Instead of the salt immediately covering the vehicle in gray dust, it might take a few more trips around the block for your matte car to appear as dirty as a glossy one. Even if the matte paint is better at hiding dirt, it still requires protection from road salt and the corrosion that it brings.
The most effective protection for any paint (glossy or matte) is a paint protection film. It costs a lot of money to have PPF installed on your entire vehicle, so you can just cover the essentials. Front bumper, front faschia, rocker panels, and wheel arches are going to get the most action from road salt. Get XPEL Stealth on those areas of your matte car to keep it safer. Apply Matte Paint Coating on the entire matte car.
When the road salt hits, it won’t actually come in contact with the paint but instead with the PPF and the coating. Washing off winter grime will also be easier with these matte paint protection methods. Dirt and contaminants can’t stick because of the protective barrier provided by the coating.
Real World Example
We detailed a beautiful SL400 in magno alanite grey that had been driven from Missouri to Chicago. As you can see, it was covered in road salt and other contaminants. The car owner protected the paint with Matte Paint Coating prior to winter, so hand washing the vehicle was easy.
In General
Winter is harsh, especially in Chicago, where Dr. Beasley’s is located. You’re dealing with subzero temperatures, snow, slush, ice, sometimes rain, and almost always plenty of road salt. Hand wash your daily driver every week if possible. Keep your paint protected. Stay warm!