Michigan winter car care guide

Why Michigan salt is so hard on vehicles

Michigan roads are treated with rock salt and liquid brine for months at a time. Brine sticks to paint, wheels and underbody parts and keeps working when the weather warms up. Inside, slush off your boots dries into white salt rings that keep coming back every time the carpet gets wet.

Before winter: protect

• Wash, clay and seal the paint so salt has less to bond to. Our Wash, Clay & Seal includes a sealant that lasts up to 12 months.
• Want longer protection? A 5-year coating makes winter washes faster.
• Add a glass coating so slush and rain sheet off the windshield.
• Put rubber floor mats in before the first snow.

During winter: rinse often

• Rinse salt off whenever temperatures are above freezing, especially wheel wells and lower panels.
• Don't let salty slush sit on carpet. Blot and vacuum it before it dries.
• Keep wiper blades and washer fluid fresh so you're not smearing brine across the glass.

Spring: de-salt everything

• Get an underbody salt flush to rinse out wheel wells and frame rails.
• Clean wheels and barrels where brake dust and salt mix.
• Extract salt stains from carpet and mats. Our Interior Detail uses hot-water extraction for this.
• Re-seal the paint for summer, or book a full detail to reset the whole vehicle.

Boats and campers

Clean and protect boats and RVs before they go into storage. Dirt, bird droppings and moisture that sit all winter make spring prep harder and speed up oxidation.