Miata Mailing List: December 1997, Message #130
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From: 	"Reijo Silvennoinen, P.Eng." <rase@direct.ca>

Subject: Re: worse than salt (was: auto car wash)

Date: 	Mon, 1 Dec 1997 21:18:13 +0000



Scott Minbiole wrote:



> Reijo Silvennoinen, P.Eng. wrote:

> >

> > Just beware of freezing locks (gas lid, trunk, and doors), and door

> trim

> > - wipe them all off before heading into the cold.  The best trick is

> to

> > wash the car immediately before really serious cold comes along

> (e.g.

> > -30 or whatever) and those conditions are, of course, clean since

> salt

> > doesn't work anymore and the car stays clean for an extended

> > period......therefore severe cold isn't all bad!

> >

>

> On the contrary! (flame suit on!)  Here in Buffalo, when it gets

> too cold for salt (sodium chloride) to work, they use calcium

> chloride.  It melts stuff even if the temperature gets down to

> something like -50 deg F (I'm not sure about that, don't flame me

> on it).  BUT, it's something like 10 times worse for paint

> finishes and the like than regular salt.  D'oh!

>

>                 Scott :-)

>

> --

> Scott Minbiole

> minbiole@acsu.buffalo.edu

> Red '90



Yeah, they've been using some of that up here as well over the

years.....I don't recall what the reasoning was (works in colder

weather?.....likely economics....like when they started to mix the salt

with sand/gravel) but I haven't seen anything work in the really cold

weather other than whatever asphalt is exposed to sunlight during the

day (which means the temperature of the black asphalt is higher than the

ambient temperature and the salt is able to do its thing).  At night all

is hard as rock at about -30 or less. (F or C ,.....more or less the

same when it gets close to -40).  However, I also recall

hearing/noticing that it seems to eat the metal more easily.....good

thing that cars come with 5 year rust warranties, eh?



Regards,



Reijo





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