So I just moved up to northern Illinois and we've got a lot of snow and freezing temperatures which of course means a good bit of salt on the roads. I have a 98 civic and would like to safe guard my car against rust damage from the salt. A local mechanic advised me to wash off what salt I can by hand and have my undercarriage flushed every week by a car wash. Is this good advice? Should I also get my car waxed when I go to the car wash?

 

ok their should be some sort of rubber molding in the 1/4 panels remove it asap it will start rusting eventually once u remove it use ur fingers n check to see for dirt or salt stuck between the cracks and remove scrub or wash it off ect once that is all set an done go buy some body shop undercoating and spray the crap out of all the possible rust areas and like the mechanic said once a weeks get a the underside of the car wash and u dont have to wax it itlll just be a waste of $ if its constantly snowing.

 

Where are the 1/4 panels?

 

they should be right on the lip of the rear wheel wells just above your rear wheels on the lip of the car.