Winter Upkeep (salt->rust)

D

dan17

Member
For those of you that have gone through a winter, what do you do to keep the salt off and do you keep the Kona in the garage? I'm in Ontario so there is a ton of salt :|

I'm wondering if it should be washed monthly during the winter weather when road salt is down to reduce the amount of rust that could occur.
 
I also wonder if anyone has done the oil spray (undercoating) on their Kona and what their experience has been with that. Like dan17, I'm also in Ontario where salt is insanely overused (don't get me started on how bad it is that it all drains into our lakes!).
 
Hi,

I'm in Montreal, got my car in march with tons of salt.
So, they said that no undercoating should be applied because of the battery. I just went a car wash twice and everything still looks like new.

I want to see what other people do
 
Alejo said:
Hi,

I'm in Montreal, got my car in march with tons of salt.
So, they said that no undercoating should be applied because of the battery. I just went a car wash twice and everything still looks like new.

I want to see what other people do
Click to expand...

Thanks for that, I was actually very curious about undercoating + battery, and am glad you brought that up. Not sure if the heat of the battery would just melt it off or if it would actually be a fire risk.

I'll likely be one to wash at least once a month when winter comes... Very curious where the trouble spots will be. Regardless of the vehicle, there is usually a trouble-spot where rust starts after 5 years or so of salt getting stuck, unfortunately...hope it proves me wrong!
 
Good thread! I'm wary of spraying the underside of the car because of the battery. That seems to be common sense, but is it really an issue?

I'm also curious about areas where the Kona EV develops road rash from sand and rocks getting thrown up by the wheels. Are there any areas that are particularly prone to damage?
 
I generally wash my cars a couple of times a week during salt season. Never have done any undercoating and never really had any rust problems
 
Alejo said:
Hi,

I'm in Montreal, got my car in march with tons of salt.
So, they said that no undercoating should be applied because of the battery. I just went a car wash twice and everything still looks like new.

I want to see what other people do
Click to expand...

Agreed,
My dealer specifically told me that all warranties are voided if you use any form of rust proofing. Electric module included.

I think your best bet is to run it through a a touchless car wash with undercarriage wash at least once or twice a month.
That's what I did last winter and there's no noticeable rust on the struts or corrosion on the aluminum.
 
I think rust proofing was common/necessary 30-40 years ago. But today's cars use better corrosion resistant materials. I have not rust proofed a car for a long time, and also have had no rust problems. And have kept some of them for 10+ years. And yeah, also have heard that rust proofing today can be harmful, in that it can trap moisture in some places.
 
Brennan Raposo said:
Agreed,
My dealer specifically told me that all warranties are voided if you use any form of rust proofing. Electric module included.

I think your best bet is to run it through a a touchless car wash with undercarriage wash at least once or twice a month.
That's what I did last winter and there's no noticeable rust on the struts or corrosion on the aluminum.
Click to expand...

My dealer tried to sell me rustproofing. I was nice and didn't exactly laugh at the lady as my wife works for the company.

I generally buy a GlideWash 90 day pass from PetroCan each winter. My wife and I share the pass so each of our cars get kept pretty salt free. Both cars are parked outside so we don't necessarily use it on the -20 days, but most of the winter it gets used a few days a week.

I usually don't use touchless anymore though, they just don't seem to clean as well as the touch washes. Haven't noticed any scratches from the two area car washes I have been using.
 
Bugblndr said:
My dealer tried to sell me rustproofing. I was nice and didn't exactly laugh at the lady as my wife works for the company.

I generally buy a GlideWash 90 day pass from PetroCan each winter. My wife and I share the pass so each of our cars get kept pretty salt free. Both cars are parked outside so we don't necessarily use it on the -20 days, but most of the winter it gets used a few days a week.

I usually don't use touchless anymore though, they just don't seem to clean as well as the touch washes. Haven't noticed any scratches from the two area car washes I have been using.
Click to expand...

Yea!
I usually get the glidewash pass as well - but I exclusively use touchless and only in winter. I don't need the car to be clean - I just need to salt removed.
Automatic car washes are death to automotive paint. I'm not concerned about noticible scratches - but wash your car all winter long in one of those, then take a look at the sea of swirl-marks left in your paint come spring. The only thing to touch my paint are my own hands and a microfibre sponge! LOL
 
Brennan Raposo said:
Yea!
I'm not concerned about noticible scratches - but wash your car all winter long in one of those, then take a look at the sea of swirl-marks left in your paint come spring. The only thing to touch my paint are my own hands and a microfibre sponge! LOL
Click to expand...

I used to be like you when I was younger, I'm older now. If I can't see it from 6 feet away, it doesn't exist! :)
 
dan17 said:
For those of you that have gone through a winter, what do you do to keep the salt off and do you keep the Kona in the garage? I'm in Ontario so there is a ton of salt :|
I'm wondering if it should be washed monthly during the winter weather when road salt is down to reduce the amount of rust that could occur.
Click to expand...

I'm looking up best practices to keep a car clean in the winter and this is what I am seeing.

1. Avoid driving through puddles: It won't rinse the bottom of your car (they're full of salt!).
2. Wash the car at least every other week, though every 7-10 days is preferable.
3. Try to wash on days when it is above 5C, if possible. Give special care to the underside of the vehicle.
4. Dry the car, and let the undercarriage dry outside. If you put it in the garage, it creates a humid environment which accelerates salt's corrosive effects (especially if it's a heated garage).
5. Wipe down everything, including the door and the door surround.
 
Bugblndr said:
My dealer tried to sell me rustproofing. I was nice and didn't exactly laugh at the lady as my wife works for the company.

I generally buy a GlideWash 90 day pass from PetroCan each winter. My wife and I share the pass so each of our cars get kept pretty salt free. Both cars are parked outside so we don't necessarily use it on the -20 days, but most of the winter it gets used a few days a week.

I usually don't use touchless anymore though, they just don't seem to clean as well as the touch washes. Haven't noticed any scratches from the two area car washes I have been using.
Click to expand...

Thanks for the tip

After looking into this and the Wash & Go card, I think if people wash their car every 10 days, the wash & go is the way to go. You can get 18 washes for $144, which = $8 a wash. If you're only washing the car every 10 days with the 90 day glide card ($200), that would equal $22 a wash... though of course if you want to go every day, that's a bargain! :)

What has your (and other people's) experience been waiting in line for car washes in the winter in Ontario (Toronto specifically).. I just don't want to spend the money on one of these cards if I'm going to be waiting in line for a wash for 30 minutes... Much prefer to just do it myself if that's the case.
 
R P said:
I think rust proofing was common/necessary 30-40 years ago. But today's cars use better corrosion resistant materials. I have not rust proofed a car for a long time, and also have had no rust problems. And have kept some of them for 10+ years. And yeah, also have heard that rust proofing today can be harmful, in that it can trap moisture in some places.
Click to expand...
I don't think we have to worry with our location about salt buildup, even though they use it in the brine on the roads. The heavy rain that we get does a good job of keeping the underside of the car (and the road) relatively clean . Now the salt in the air- that's a different tune.
 
nigels said:
Good thread! I'm wary of spraying the underside of the car because of the battery. That seems to be common sense, but is it really an issue?

I'm also curious about areas where the Kona EV develops road rash from sand and rocks getting thrown up by the wheels. Are there any areas that are particularly prone to damage?
Click to expand...

NigelS, according to my dealer in Toronto, no coating is Hyundai-approved on battery-driven vehicles. My dealer tried to convince me that an electrical (galvanic) module would reduce rust, and I am aware that in principal this is true. (E.g. works on steel bridges, large steel-hulled ships.)

Cars are different however, and observations suggest it is less effective:

https://www.autotrader.ca/newsfeatures/20160524/goof-of-the-month-rust-protection-isnt-magic/

So that makes me even more interested in: 1) washing 2) early intervention at trouble spots. Let's keep the forums active if we see anything!

Cheers,
eastpole
 
Thanks @eastpole. I'm not planning to add rustproofing, but I am interested in places where rock chips damage the paint and trim where I could install paint protection film for example.
 
Any updates on proper ways to protect the vehicle from rust? I just got a 2021 Kona Electric. I live in Goderich, Ontario, Canada which has the biggest underground salt mine in the world. Salt trucks drop salt all over the roads, sometimes even in the summer.
 
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