Undercarriage Magnesium Chloride Corrosion Prevention in Colorado

[JaredH790]

No ... none at all and I do not use a touch free ... I use the full on beat it to death whip around flailing plastic/neoprene type of car wash ... just have to bend the license plate back and reattach the spare tire cover when done ... No leak and no damage otherwise. Enjoy!

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[FlashFlood24]

Optimum No Rinse Wash & Shine Rinseless Car Wash (ONR) – Opti-Coat
Good stuff. I use it with their sponge and the "2-bucket system" (clean water/soap bucket, dirty water rinse bucket).

One of the first things I had done was woolwax the underside of the Bronco. You can DIY, but I found a shop to do it. They put it on a lift, clean and dry, and apply the wax. Annual job.

A quick follow up question. The ONR product page states:

"The substantive polymers in the product bond directly to the paint surface, delivering enhanced protection and lubricity without the residue of traditional washes."

I've got a dealer-applied ceramic coating on my Bronco, so bonding 'directly to the paint' makes me wonder. I couldn't find any reference on the product page (or site) to using ONR on a ceramic coating, although I can't imagine it would be a problem. Any thoughts on that?

 

[FlashFlood24]

Straight forward answer from a 2023 MIC top owner with graphene ceramic coating on everything: I have not noticed any damage or fading from a 2000psi washer using a 25 degree tip and a Stihl blower to remove the water. Yeah, Im aware the Stihl probably doesnt blow like the car wash but do you honestly feel the car wash blower is moving that sort of pressure to begin with? I mean, its a volume blower not a pressure blower. I personally would 100% have not problem driving through a touchless wash and worrying about the blower and MIC top.

To add to this, I too am in CO and this biggest issue noticed so far has been to the PPF on the front and hood. That Mag Cl stains it and leaves crap that looks like water spots. 91 or 99 percent Isopropyl Alcohol removes these spots from PPF but it also did a number to my ceramic coat. Ive had to use ceramic booster on the PPF since getting those stains of in the spring.

That's the experience I was looking for, very helpful, thanks. Regarding PPF, I don't have that on mine, but I'm not surprised by the impact of the mag chloride on the film. My biggest problem with the winter road treatment in Colorado is that they often throw down sand along with the mag chloride, so you also have to deal with the (Colorado State Bird) rock chipping as well...

 

[MotoFish]

Youll see what I mean here. Between license plate and directly under the R in "Bronco" on the black grille you can see a before/after of Iso Alcohol on the Mag Cl spots.

 

[BeachTiger]

A quick follow up question. The ONR product page states:

"The substantive polymers in the product bond directly to the paint surface, delivering enhanced protection and lubricity without the residue of traditional washes."

I've got a dealer-applied ceramic coating on my Bronco, so bonding 'directly to the paint' makes me wonder. I couldn't find any reference on the product page (or site) to using ONR on a ceramic coating, although I can't imagine it would be a problem. Any thoughts on that?

ONR is perfectly safe on a ceramic coated car. The word "bond" is probably just marketing mumbo jumbo. I use ONR as a clay lubricant and a little bit as intended on my wife's not perfect car, but I'm not a huge fan of the rinseless wash method and don't do it on my vehicle. I do also have, use, and endorse the undercarriage pressure washer attachment. The Ryobi from Home Depot has a flip capability so you can also use it as a water broom.

 

[FlashFlood24]

ONR is perfectly safe on a ceramic coated car. The word "bond" is probably just marketing mumbo jumbo. I use ONR as a clay lubricant and a little bit as intended on my wife's not perfect car, but I'm not a huge fan of the rinseless wash method and don't do it on my vehicle. I do also have, use, and endorse the undercarriage pressure washer attachment. The Ryobi from Home Depot has a flip capability so you can also use it as a water broom.

Funny, I was just looking at the Ryobi pressure washer attachment (and their pressure washers) on Home Depot's website as I contemplate adding them to my ever expanding tool collection. Looks like one of the best solutions to my winter mag chloride undercarriage wash conundrum.

 

[daniel.edwards2019]

ONR is great but is a little outdated...there are other options on the market that are slicker. I do a rinseless wash every weekend on my bronco using Hero. As I drying aid I suggest using P&S Bead Maker as it also adds a coat of protection. If you go the rinseless route welcome to a dark hole of fun.

Rinseless washes are PH neutral.

https://theragcompany.com/products/...dyTVnoXW2PF5UsygCakKnqBeFEJrXsCgaAihkEALw_wcB

https://theragcompany.com/products/ps-detail-products-bead-maker?_pos=1&_psq=bead&_ss=e&_v=1.0

To apply the rinseless wash I recommend using this: https://theragcompany.com/collections/pump-sprayers/products/ik-foam-pro-2-plus-sprayer

Drying Towel Suggestion: https://theragcompany.com/collections/drying-towels/products/the-1500

 

[Area51BS]

I'm a big fan of Griots (and Chemical Guys) products, and use them on my (still in the stable) 2018 JK. My main concern here is potential damage, though...

I was referring to the faded pillar plastic comment. Griots trim restore won’t help your situation.

 

[JT58Bronc]

When I lived in New England and Minnesota- where they used lots of road salt in the winter, I had nice vehicles- Jeep Wranglers and other pick ups. The Wrangler had a soft top and the automatic car washes were not an option. I used the manual car washes with the hand sprayer. I would wear rain pants and a rain coat so I could get on my knees to get he salt out of all of the undercarriage crevices and engine compartment. The salt gets everywhere. I also had a hot water faucet in my garage so I was able to do an undercarriage rinse at home too in the driveway - even when it was 10 degrees. As long as I pulled the vehicle in the garage after. I would also undercoat and spray paint the undercarriage components in the spring and summer time. Doing this was hard work but my undercarriages stayed rust free. I would worry that the automatic car washes with the undercarriage rinse would not get into all of the crevices.

 

[Wark]

I live in upstate NY and salt is used on the roads perpetually in winter and own a MIC 2.0 hard top. I subscribe to an automatic car wash, and I park outside, primarily.

I've noticed there is some seal degradation over time in the top, and this is winter #3 .

I think there are three reasons for this -- 1. car wash pressure wash, 2. natural seal wear over time, and 3. freeze/thaw damage.

1. Car wash pressure/ distance to the vehicle.
The applied pressure for the car wash is different at each wash station. A hand wash at a station will be higher than at home, but you can compensate for that naturally by changing the distance of the wand to the vehicle. In a station you cannot change that, it is what it is. At one station I got a leak by above the front passenger window (relatively minor). I switched wash stations to one with greater distance/ lower pressure after leak-by.

2. seal wear
Seal wear happens over time due to high/low temperature and wear from use. Year #3 and the seals are starting to get a bit more rough.

3. Freeze/ thaw
I park outside and in my opinion the freeze/thaw will do more damage to the seals than the force from the pressure wash. With temperatures less than 32F for most of the next two months, it's difficult to dry the seals before the water freezes. Water that is sprayed and next to the seals, when it freezes it expands and does minor damage to the seal. Over time, it resolves as wear.

Other notes: I switch to a rag top in the summer, so the top only sees fall to spring usage, and doesn't see the summer heat. I recondition the top and seals and bag the top for summer. I fluid film the undercarriage of the vehicle and my wash station does not do underspray.

I expect someone will offer seal replacement kits at some point and I'll have to reinstall the seals.

 

[Swacer]

Getting back on topic from my initial post , can the MIC top handle the water and blow dryer pressures from a touch-free car wash?

The water pressure hasn't caused any issues with ours after 2 years. As for the blow dryer, we just leave the car sitting while the dryer runs (its at the end of the bay so we aren't being hit by it) and then drive out after it stopped. Not worth the FAFO.

 

[FJ 432]

Entering my 3rd year with no protection applied except wax on painted panels. Washed when weather permits but I'm no zealot with detailing practices.

No issues with the MIC top.

 

[PWillette]

I'm getting ready to give this stuff a try on my vehicles and boat motor flushing.

https://saltsgone.com

 

[williamshafer]

I use 'touch' car wash frequently. I treat the MIC with 303 graphene coating and treat the rubber seals with a treatment as well. I don't have any issues. I'm not too picky about the top though as long as it's functional and not leaking.

 

[KosmicKid]

Used the touchless car washes for 3 years with no issues.
I've found the ones at Kings (at least in the Springs) have the least amount of pressure but still get the job done.
And the $6 wash is cheaper than going to the self service..

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