Winter road salt on my Pathy's privates

[DanJetta]

Hey guys,

As I'm sure yours are, my Pathfinder is coated in road salt… inside and out. I run through the carwash every other weekend or so but I'm most concerned about the underside and engine compartment. Does anyone do anything special to clean the underside of their car? Most car washes have an underside spray but it's so fast that I wouldn't consider that an effective means of corrosion prevention.

And what about the engine compartment? Worth cleaning in the Spring?

My Pathfinder has shown to be a tad more sensitive to corrosives than the average bear, so I want to stay on top of that.

[thealexv6]

Just stick a oscillating water sprinkler underneath the pathfinder that's what I do with mine and as far as the engine I haven't cleaned it yet...

[disallow]

I haven't taken any really special precautions with mine, and I'd consider the amount of corrosion on the underbelly as below average compared to other vehicles I've seen.

I do take care to spray under there when (very seldomly) I take it for a wash in winter. Its too damn cold, and the truck turns into a freaking block of ice when I wash it. My rear hatch hasn't closed properly in a few days, doors all require a second try to close, and my hood release is now busted.

I'm done with winter!

t

[BigEz]

I clean mine every few months at the self wash with a wand. More for the mud and fine red Texas dust that gets everywhere. I use "Gunk" multi-surface. It cuts grime and oils without hurting the plastics, and gives a nice oil free shine to plastics & paint. I don't use the car wash's engine cleaner setting... Just soap & rinse after Gunk.

I spray the wand in there pretty good and unlike some other vehicles I have owned, the pathfinder seems pretty waterproof. Of course I don't spray the direct pressure into fuse and electrical boxes..

[skinny2]

The salt really won't cause much harm until the temps warm up. I don't usually do much until I get a warm day and then will run it through the car wash. I'll usually hit the bottom real good with the pressure washer and leave it. My pathfinders underside looks pretty average for 5-6 years old.

[DanJetta]

Thanks guys, excellent info.

I was just thinking about the peeling paint, the broken screws, the seized control arms and the suspension squeaks – and I got nervous when considering that this is the Pathfinder's first "real" winter. Reminds me of an old '85 Golf I had in High School.

My goal is to get one more year out of the Pathfinder and then push it off of a cliff.