Winter weather isn’t particularly harsh on vehicles. It’s the salt and ice melters on the roadways that wreak havoc.

These salts cause rust/corrosion anywhere there is exposed metal. This can be a paint chip, the car’s underside, or the engine bay.

The salts can also get into all the nooks and crannies in the bodywork or where fasteners are underneath the vehicle. When these salts mix with water, they turn into a mist (road spray) that is harmful to the car.

Due to the risks that come with winter, you must be cautious during this season. Some of the things that you can do to protect your car include:

Protect the exterior of the car.

Failure to protect your vehicle’s exterior could result in serious complications. For one, the rust might cause crucial automotive parts to fail sooner than they should. Thankfully, there are several things you can do to prevent this from happening.

These things include:

Apply a film

Scrapes and scratches are a common issue on the front of vehicles, and it’s worse in winter due to the salts on the road.

To protect your car, you should apply a paint protection film to protect it from damage caused by dirt, gravel, and salt. These vehicle films are transparent and thin – scarcely visible – but long-lasting.

As a rule of thumb, ensure the film is installed by a professional who knows what they are doing.

Wax the car

During the winter, it’s easy to neglect car maintenance. This is wrong as this is the time that it needs the most attention.

Do not let a little cold weather endanger the body of your vehicle. If you have a garage, choose a warmer day to bring your car in and give it a fast wax.

By using wax, you are effectively adding a protective coating to the paint. Wax is a barrier between the car’s body and the snow, ice, salt, gravel, and filth accumulating over winter.

Wash the car regularly.

Washing your car frequently is a great way to preserve it from the corrosive effects of salt and water.

After each winter storm, visit your favorite local car wash. You should ensure that the car’s underbelly is thoroughly washed, as it is one of the most heavily damaged parts during this season. This calls for you to use an automatic washing machine rather than doing it at home.

When cleaning, use a pH-neutral vehicle shampoo that will not harm the pre-existing wax and ceramic coating layers that protect your car.

Properly clear the snow from your car.

During winter, many people have scratches on their cars from using a broom or a stiff bristle brush as they clear snow off their cars.

As you can tell, this exposes your car. The best way to operate your car is always to start and let it warm up the surface of the car first, then carefully remove the snow with a soft, clean item like a snow brush.

As a rule of thumb, never use a solid brush or object to remove snow or ice from your car’s paint. As mentioned above, use a soft object.

You must have come across people who clear the snow using hot water. This is wrong. Never use hot water to clear ice or frost from your windows or windshield.

It may appear to be a cheap fix to defrost windows quickly, and it isn’t illegal, but this error might cost you a lot of money in repairs.

Extreme cold temperatures can develop microscopic cracks in the glass, weakening it or causing it to shatter completely.

If the little cracks obstruct your view under hazardous driving conditions, it could lead to an accident.

Avoid parking outdoors

You should avoid parking on the street. This is because plows and salt trucks will be passing at all hours of the day and night to keep the roads clear during the winter, and you don’t want snow and salt dumped on your vehicle all the time, do you?

Parking on the street also exposes the vehicle to damage from other vehicles driving on the slippery road.

To protect the paint and the entire vehicle, park in a garage or, at the very least, in the driveway.

When parking in the driveway or any other uncovered area, ensure you have a good car cover. The cover will keep off excess moisture and ice.

The cover will also lessen the wear and tear on the car caused by scraping ice and brushing snow off it.

When buying the cover, ensure it’s developed exclusively for cold weather protection.

Don’t leave snow on your car for too long.

If driving around, it’s impossible to avoid snow on your car. It’s tempting to ignore the snow as you feel it’s already snowing, so there is no point in clearing it. This is wrong.

As mentioned above, you should make it a habit to clean the car as regularly as possible. This way, you get rid of the snow and salt on your car as frequently as possible, which leaves your car clean and safe at all times.

Parting shot

These are some of the things you should do to protect your car during winter. When doing the waxing or film installment, ensure that expert paint protection film installers Springfield do the work.

Besides protecting the car from the weather elements, invest in high-quality winter tires. These tires will make your driving easy and protect you from causing an accident and denting or scratching your car.

You also should wear the appropriate footwear. As a rule of thumb, avoid wearing slippers. Instead, wear closed shoes that ensure you have good control of the car.