How Long Does It Take For Road Salt To Damage Wheels Rims?
Salt is corrosive, that much is obvious. But how much exposure is too much when it comes to your gorgeous wheels?
The problem comes when you have even the teensiest scratch or dent in the aluminum coating your wheels. If the coating is 100% intact, your wheels will be fine - nestled all warm and safe and protected under their big-daddy aluminum shield. But if there is the smallest millimeter of bare base metal exposed, salt WILL find it and will burrow and eke its way underneath to, at the very least, ruin your wheels’ finish; at worst, it will ruin your wheel.
Of course, in Salt Lake City, the Salt Lake Valley, Park City and the Wasatch Front in general, road salt is just par for the course during winter. We need it to keep our roads functional, so wheel protection and maintenance should be part of everyone’s winter routine.
If you do have a scratch or dent in your wheels, it can literally take a matter of days for salt to burrow in and start corroding the metal. This becomes an increasingly serious problem the longer you leave it.
However, there are four simple things you can do today to protect your wheels from further damage:
1 Regularly wash your vehicle.
This removes excess salt from the body as well as the wheels, which reduces the salt’s ability to do damage. It also allows you to see more clearly if your wheels do have any scratches or dings from road rocks that need repairing promptly.
2 Apply a coat of hard wax to wheels.
A full-service detail shop will be able to do this for you if you’re not sure how. The wax provides a further physical barrier between your wheels and road salt. It also can buy you a little time if you know you have a new scratch or ding on a wheel but can’t get to it right away to have it repaired.
3 Have your wheels professionally painted.
Painting your wheels provides yet another physical barrier between the road and your rims. When done correctly by a professional, using industrial-grade paint and sealant, this barrier provides a robust seal that can’t easily be damaged, even by flying road rocks and debris.
4 Get scratches repaired promptly by a professional wheel repair service.
Scratches and damage are salt’s fast-ticket into the vulnerable base metal of your wheel. A professional wheel repair service will have the tools and experience to repair the damage and make sure your wheel is fully protected once again from the ravages of road salt.
Salt City Wheels are the Salt Lake Valley’s premier mobile wheel repair and painting service. We’ve been repairing wheel damage from rocks, potholes, curbs, salt and rust for eons. Our wheel repair technicians are big-time motorheads and are passionate about keeping your vehicle whizzing about on the road as it should be. We can also refinish your wheels to the color and finish of your dreams - you have a veritable rainbow of color options to choose from (including some bespoke colors created just for us!).
Don’t let wheel damage cramp your style - call the pros at Salt City Wheels today at 801 425 3044 to schedule your mobile wheel repair.