Someday this winter will end, we hope. When the snow melts, you'll have a chance to discover the damage that uncle frost did to your car. The repercussions of putting your car through a harsh winter can be fairly extensive, so it's important to try to limit the damage. Here are some winter effects and things you can do to minimize them.
Road Salt
Salt lowers water's freezing point, which causes ice that's already formed to melt even in sub-freezing temperatures. City public works departments spread this salt all over frozen roads to make them safer for drivers.
Unfortunately, in addition to making the roads safer, this salt can cause extensive damage to your vehicle's body and undercarriage. Salt can literally eat through your car, so it's important to mitigate the potential damage.
What you can do
The best things to do is to keep the salt of the car as best as possible. Wash the car frequently and make sure you use a car wash that allows you to wash the undercarriage thoroughly. It's also recommended that before winter even starts, you thoroughly clean and wax your car, applying a wax sealant to keep the wax adhered to the car's paint. Focus on keeping the car as clean as possible. While it may be inconvenient and maybe expensive if you're constantly paying for a wash, it'll still be cheaper in the long run than getting a visit from the rust monster.
Potholes
One of life's little pleasures is navigating the minefield that is your road after the plow truck has come by and violently ripped hundreds of little holes in the pavement, otherwise known as potholes. Not only is it incredibly frustrating to drive like Dale Earnhardt Jr. when trying to dodge mini grand canyons on the way to pick up an iced coffee, but it can cause serious damage to your car. Potholes can wreck wheels and tires, throw off your alignment and even ruin your suspension and steering systems.
What you can do
Unfortunately, there isn't a lot you can do to get rid of potholes aside from electing local politicians that promise to follow the plow around patching up the potholes themselves, but there are some steps you can take to limit the chances of a pothole catastrophe.
First of all, don't trust puddles. After snowstorms and plows coming through, many puddles are just huge potholes filled with water from rain or melting snow. If possible, try to drive around them or proceed very carefully. Second, be conscious of your car if you do, in fact, hit a pothole. If possible, pull over and look to see if there's any visible damage or any changes in the way your car drives. If the car feels like it's handling differently, with any changes in the steering or the way it responds to bumps, take it to a mechanic immediately.
Ice and snow
This is something most people don't think about much when they consider vehicle damage, but ice and snow can cause significant problems. Let me give you a few examples.
There have been many documented situations of people ruining their exhaust systems and engines by backing into snowbanks which jam up mufflers and leave your car unable to breathe. Getting snow in your brakes and calipers can also cause serious vibrations when driving and has the potential to cause some damage. Using windshield wipers on a frosted windshield will rip the wipers quickly, and rolling a window down that's heavily frozen can break a power-window motor which isn't a cheap fix.
What you can do
The best way to avoid all of these problems is to be mindful of your surroundings. Clean all snow off your car thoroughly before driving anywhere and allow the windshield and windows to defrost before using them. Instead of plowing into your snow-filled driveway like a running back smashing into a linebacker, clean the driveway thoroughly before using it. And one final tip; use a snow-brush to clean the snow off your car. I've seen more than one person just use a shovel and scrape their paint in the process.
