Winter road salt doesn’t stop at the chassis

Why your paintwork and upper bodywork need attention too (and the simple routine that helps)

You already know what winter roads do to a vehicle. The gritters come out, the temperature drops, and suddenly everything is coated in a fine mix of salt spray, road film and whatever the car in front has thrown up at you.

Most of the conversation around winter protection focuses on the underside — and rightly so. The underbody is full of exposed metal, fixings and seams, and it’s constantly blasted by salt and water.

But here’s the bit that often gets missed:

Winter salt doesn’t just attack underneath. It gets all over your paintwork too.

And if you’ve taken the time to protect your underbody, it makes sense to keep the top half of the vehicle in good shape as well.

The real problem with winter salt (and why it sticks around)

After a winter drive, your car might look “just dirty”… but that grime is usually made up of:

• salt spray

• gritty road dirt

• oily traffic film

• damp, sticky winter muck

This mix clings to the paint and, if left to build up, can start causing problems in places you don’t always see straight away — like panel gaps, trim edges, around badges and along lower doors.

We’re not saying your car is going to dissolve overnight.
But we are saying that winter build-up is one of the quickest ways to dull paintwork and accelerate wear over the season.

What winter road film can do to paintwork over time

Left sitting on the vehicle, salty winter grime can:

1) Dull the finish

That “always slightly flat” look many cars get in winter isn’t just bad lighting — it’s often a layer of traffic film and contamination clinging to the surface.

2) Build up where you don’t want it

Salt and grime love collecting around:

• trims and seals

• badges

• panel gaps

• mirror bases

• door shuts

• lower edges and seams

It’s not glamorous, but it matters — these are the areas that become harder to clean properly once grime has baked on.

3) Make stone chips worse

A stone chip on a clean panel is annoying. A stone chip that stays damp and salty for weeks can be something else entirely.

Even if the rest of your paintwork is sound, winter conditions can speed up corrosion around exposed areas.

4) Encourage swirl marks

We’ve all done it: quick wipe with a cloth, maybe a brush to clear frost, and job done.

The issue is winter dirt is gritty.
If you wipe it off dry, you’re essentially dragging fine abrasives over the paint — which is how swirl marks appear.

“But it’ll be dirty again tomorrow…” (we get it)

This is the big reason people stop washing their vehicle in winter.

And to be fair, if you’re commuting daily, it will get dirty again quickly.

But winter cleaning isn’t about keeping it spotless — it’s about not letting salt and grime sit there for weeks.

Even a simple rinse to remove the worst is doing your paintwork a favour.

Think of it as basic maintenance, not perfection.

The winter wash routine that actually makes sense

You don’t need a full detail every weekend.
You just need a routine that’s:

• quick enough to do when it’s cold

• safe on paintwork

• effective against winter grime

That’s why we always come back to the same two-step combo:

Step 1: Snow Foam (to remove the worst safely)

Snow foam is your “do the heavy lifting first” stage.

It clings to the surface, softens the salty grime, and helps lift the heavier dirt so you can rinse it away before you touch the paintwork.

Why that matters:
Less rubbing = less scratching.

It also helps clean out the areas that salt hides in — trims, badges, panel gaps — without you having to scrub at them.

Step 2: Ceramic Shampoo (to clean and leave protection behind)

A good ceramic shampoo does two useful jobs at once:

• it cleans off remaining winter road film

• it leaves behind a slick protective layer on the paintwork

That layer helps water bead and sheet away more easily, and makes road film less likely to cling next time.

In plain terms:
your car stays cleaner for longer, and the next wash is easier.

No drama. Just practical.

A quick winter routine you can actually stick to

If you’re short on time (and most of us are), this is a solid approach:

1. Rinse the vehicle (especially lower doors, arches and rear end)

2. Snow foam → leave it a moment → rinse off

3. Wash with ceramic shampoo

4. Final rinse and you’re done

Even doing this occasionally through winter makes a noticeable difference by spring.

If you’ve protected the underbody, don’t forget the upper bodywork

Underbody protection is one of the smartest things you can do for a vehicle long-term — particularly in the UK, where winter roads are salty, wet, and hard on metal.

But your paintwork is still facing the same conditions, every day:

• salty spray thrown up by tyres

• wet grit along the lower panels

• constant damp sitting in seams and gaps

That’s why we created Lanoguard Upper Body products — to complement what you’ve already done underneath and keep the whole vehicle protected top to bottom.

And importantly:

✅ They’re made to work safely with Lanoguard Underbody Protection
✅ They won’t strip or interfere with your existing underbody treatment

The bottom line

Winter grime is unavoidable.
But letting salt and road film sit on your paintwork for weeks at a time doesn’t do it any favours.

A simple, sensible wash routine — snow foam first, ceramic shampoo after — helps you:

• keep paintwork looking better through winter

• reduce the risk of swirl marks

• stop build-up in awkward areas

• make spring cleaning far less painful

And if you’ve already protected your underbody, protecting the upper bodywork too is just finishing the job properly.

Want to protect your upper bodywork this winter?

Explore Lanoguard Upper Body Protection here:
https://www.lanoguard.co.uk/pages/upperbody