Tip #8: Rinse the salt off the underside, or it will reach your brakes
The salt and brine that keep New Jersey roads open in winter also corrode brake lines, rotors, exhaust parts and the frame. Wash the underside regularly through the season and have the brakes inspected in spring.
Tip #8 in one line
The salt and brine that keep New Jersey roads open in winter also corrode brake lines, rotors, exhaust parts and the frame. Wash the underside regularly through the season and have the brakes inspected in spring.
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Call nowWhat salt does to a car
Salt and liquid brine stick to everything under the car and hold moisture against the metal. Over a few winters that speeds up rust on steel brake lines, brake rotors, the parking brake cable, exhaust pipes, suspension parts and the frame itself.
Brake lines are the one that matters most. A corroded line can weaken and leak brake fluid, and the first sign may be a pedal that sinks toward the floor.
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Call nowRinse it off
Run the car through a wash with an underbody spray every couple of weeks during salt season, and after any big storm once temperatures rise above freezing. Pay attention to the wheel wells, where salty slush packs in.
If you wash at home, a hose aimed under the car and into the wheel wells helps. Do it on a day warm enough that the water will not freeze in the door seals and locks.
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Call nowWarning signs
A grinding or scraping noise after the car has sat for a few days is often surface rust on the rotors and usually clears after a few stops. A noise that does not go away is a different matter.
A soft or sinking brake pedal, a brake warning light, a puddle of fluid near a wheel, or the car pulling hard to one side when braking all mean stop driving and have the brakes checked.
Look at the parking brake too. A cable that has rusted can seize, and a parking brake that does not release fully drags the brakes, overheats them and leaves a burning smell. If the car feels like it is pulling against something after you release the parking brake, stop and have it checked rather than driving on it.
A sudden loud exhaust or a rattle from under the car can be a rusted-through pipe or heat shield.
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Call nowWhen it should not be driven
We do not do repairs, but we do get cars to the people who do. If the brakes feel wrong, do not drive the car to the shop. A local tow takes it to the mechanic you choose, at a flat hook fee plus a per-mile rate quoted on the call to (908) 444-0129. A flatbed is used when the car should not roll on its own wheels.
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Call nowMore on maintenance
Keep reading, or go back to every post on the blog.
- Tip #9: Use winter washer fluid and replace streaking wipers before the first storm
- Tip #10: Check coolant only when the engine is cold, and never open a hot radiator
- Tip #88: A brake squeal is a warning, and a grind means stop driving soon
- Tip #89: Check the cooling system before summer traffic, not on the shoulder
- Tip #91: Cloudy headlight lenses cut your light, so restore or replace them
- What to do when your car breaks down in New Jersey
- Flatbed vs wheel-lift towing: which does your car need?
- What happens to your car after a police-ordered tow in New Jersey
- All posts
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