Solution to treat roads may damage car

WINDSOR, Conn. (WTNH) -- State crews have been busy all week spraying the roads in an effort to keep them safe but did you know the "liquid magnesium chloride" in that spray can do a lot of damage to you car?

"I hate the snow. I can't wait for fishing season," said Angelo Crespo of Bloomfield.

"I think we should be done by now. This is the last of it, in my opinion. Hopefully," said Pablo Sanchez of Bloomfield.

Just when you thought old man winter was going quietly into the night, he lashes out with another storm.

The wind swirls and whips snow in all directions making it hard for drivers to see.

"I'm getting my gas and then I'm going home to take it easy, put my feet up," said Crespo.

With the temperatures hovering in the low 30's, the wet streets can ice over, especially in the late hours so DOT was out treating the roads. They use liquid magnesium in tanks on the back of the trucks, which spray the salt as it is spread on the roads.

It works well on the roads but also goes to work on your car.

"The break systems themselves, the calipers, the hydrolics parts are adversly affected by the road wash," said Jack Lyons of Lyons Service Center in West Hartford.

Lyons say while the liquid magnesium is good for the roads it's not good for your car which may look fine on the outside until you look underneath and see that the rust is eating it up.

"It could be a major problem, a safety issue so we always watch for these when we service the vehicles to warn the customers if it's getting to an advanced stage but the big thing, the break and fuel lines," said Lyons.

News 8 always has your back and this is what you need to know about getting the magnesium off your car. The regular spray in a car wash won't do it. You have to go to a place that has under carriage jets that will wash and dilute the salt and magnesium to help stop the rusting process.

"I think it's getting a little more advanced because of the type of chemicals they are using but it also has a better effects upon the roads and makes them safer for us to use so if you have to wash your car once a month, that's a darn good idea to make the roads safe," said Lyons.