DRIVERS have been given an urgent warning over rinsing grit off their cars in winter as doing it wrong could cost them hundreds.
Expert mechanic Scotty Kilmer took to TikTok to reveal the exact time you should wash your motor down in cold weather.
scottykilmerusScotty Kilmer urged drivers to rinse grit from their cars during the winter[/caption]
With the Met Office warning of freezing temperatures and up to two inches on snow, grit vans will be out in force to salt Britain’s roads.
The grit is vital for preventing routes from icing up but can also be damaging to your car once the weather turns again.
Scotty advised: “You need to rinse the salt off your car when they throw it on the road to melt ice.
“But you need to do it when the Sun’s shining and it’s warming up outside.
“When it melts, get the old pressure washer.”
He explained that this is vital because when the ice on your car starts to melt, the resulting water mixes with the salt and forms an acidic solution.
This can eat away at your paintwork and the metal bodywork of your motor, causing scratching and rust.
Scotty particularly urged drivers to wash under their cars thoroughly to prevent any damage to important components like the differential or the axles.
Failing to do so could see the repair bills mount up, with simple paint resprays costing hundreds of pounds.
Severe rust and corrosion could lead to parts needing to be replaced at great cost to drivers.
Alternatively, Scotty recommended taking the vehicle to a “touchless” car wash machine which will rinse it all the way round and dry it using heat lamps.
According to data firm Nimble Fins, the average automatic car wash costs £6.30 so it’s definitely a bargain compared to the cost of potential salt damage.
It comes after a driver revealed a “fantastic” 30p hack for de-icing windscreens as the mercury plunges.
Meanwhile, an expert from the AA explained which items all drivers should keep in their cars to combat snowy conditions.