How much time do i have? :( (1 Viewer)

[FxFormat]

Drove the cruiser to work yesterday instead of the Tundra, it started snowing and the salt trucks were out and about. Commute home was 28 miles and all that salt and chemical must be all over the under carriage. I just winterized my house so all the hoses are put away, water turned off and i can't get to it until this weekend. Can't go through a carwash because my roof rack would get torn off probably. How much time do i have before my clean under carriage starts to rot away.

 

[Hokie LX]

~1-2 days before you start seeing holes in the frame and 5-6 days before total frame deterioration. Move quickly!





You'll be fine. There are companies like Eastwood that sell a road salt neutralizer chemical which you can buy and put in a weed sprayer and spray on the underside of your truck to dissolve any existing salt. Other option is to find a friend with a hose and wash it off well with some sort of APC or cleaner. Or given your relatively short exposure, you may be fine to just leave alone.

 

[brownfox]

I’ve been through quick quack with my Prinsu many many time. Occasionally they leave the top brushes turned on. Still fine.

If it has night view though it’s probably already ruined.

 

[Pyrenees]

I wouldn't sweat it, just hose off the undercarriage the next chance you get.

 

[95Fantasma80]

no way a car wash takes that roof rack off, i'd say go for it and just place it in low haha

 

[Dilspec]

You'll be fine. It'll take more than a few days for it to make an impact. If that... haha

 

[cmck]

2-3 minutes, your screwed!

Or what @Pyrenees said just get it off on the next chance

 

[2020 Rocks]

Go to a DIY carwash with the soapy brush and powerwasher wand. Hose 'er down.

 

[saucebox]

Might as well give up now

 

[Kabanstva]

Already too late. The salt is already in there man. All the nooks and crannies. It will never be the same again. Not a true “southern truck” anymore once you start winter driving it. Sorry.

 

[FxFormat]

*sigh* i'll stop by the local carwash now and ask them if it's okay with the roof rack, it's not the height that's an issue, it's the brushes that glides along the top, if somehow they wrap around the crossbars, that's gonna be an issue.

 

[Mbchance]

Depending on the amount of salt water and chemicals that saturated your undercarriage, you may have a corrosion problem within several hours...……….. Oh! You're talking about your vehicle...….

In all seriousness, you will more than likely develop surface rust out of this if no protective treatment was used before hand. It doesn't take long for bare metal to oxidize and form Iron Oxide, especially with the presence of salt acting as a catalyst in the reaction.

The important thing is to get it off or neutralize it before it continues the chemical reaction.

 

[ERMB]

I've been through the car wash about a dozen times with my roof rack, used a few different ones too. Only issue I ran into was the last one the width of the track system was pretty narrow and my tires barely fit. I must have had my wheel turned ever so slightly because about 3/4 of the way through it all came to a stop. They had to stop it and re start it, and I think I got porked out of my hot wax sealer!

 

[87warrior]

I've never taken my 100 through an automatic car wash. When I go to the car wash (manual/old school), I spend more of my time squatted down blasting the underside and frame than I do on the rest of the vehicle. Even in winter to hose off the lovely salt slurry we drive through here. The car wash squats help keep me in shape for the camping squats

 

[FxFormat]

I went to the local WashFair and the manager and a couple kids came out to look at the truck,, they said they wash a bunch of jeeps with these types of rack all the time and none of them got ripped off. They mentioned that their brushes up top, it glides one way, and doesn't oscillate and get a friction wrap on the crossbars. Good enough for me, got the super elite wash with the under carriage wash too for $18, tipped the towel boy $5 and my worries are now less, tomorrow i'll put the car on the lift at work and wipe down and spray fluid film anywhere i see remnants of salt. I care for this truck more than my gf, she might leave me soon.

 

[D21FJ60]

Even after the wash it's too late, you're already infected..
It's only a matter of time. . . .

 

[MongooseGA]

I went to the local WashFair and the manager and a couple kids came out to look at the truck,, they said they wash a bunch of jeeps with these types of rack all the time and none of them got ripped off. They mentioned that their brushes up top, it glides one way, and doesn't oscillate and get a friction wrap on the crossbars. Good enough for me, got the super elite wash with the under carriage wash too for $18, tipped the towel boy $5 and my worries are now less, tomorrow i'll put the car on the lift at work and wipe down and spray fluid film anywhere i see remnants of salt. I care for this truck more than my gf, she might leave me soon.

Now you've posted this, nobody is ever going to buy this truck when you're ready to sell.

If your GF ever needs some perspective, I don't advise telling her what I told my high school GF... "I spend more time in this one than in you, so I'm going to wash it whenever I damn well please".

I wonder how married life is for her now...

 

[Mbchance]

I went to the local WashFair and the manager and a couple kids came out to look at the truck,, they said they wash a bunch of jeeps with these types of rack all the time and none of them got ripped off. They mentioned that their brushes up top, it glides one way, and doesn't oscillate and get a friction wrap on the crossbars. Good enough for me, got the super elite wash with the under carriage wash too for $18, tipped the towel boy $5 and my worries are now less, tomorrow i'll put the car on the lift at work and wipe down and spray fluid film anywhere i see remnants of salt. I care for this truck more than my gf, she might leave me soon.

Cleaned up nice!!!

 

[cmck]

You did ask for a little abuse there. always ready to serve, she looks good now!

 

[SmoothLC]

You don't take it to a brush-less car wash? Primitive!