SPRINGFIELD, Mass. (WGGB/WSHM) -- After weeks of snowfall and salty roads, and more snow on the way Tuesday night, that salt keeping you safe on the road could be damaging your vehicles.

Western Mass is getting answers on how to protect your car from costly salt damage this winter. Joe Bednarz, owner of Chuck’s Autobody, tells us salt damage can cost you thousands to repair.

“It gets in and it starts all to rust. Any little bare piece of metal or... It just attacks it. It’s just like a cancer. And once it gets in there, if you don’t cut it all out and repair it properly, it’s gonna spread,” he explains. Bednarz then continues to say, “The only thing you can do is hit the car wash once in a while with the undercarriage spray. It’s all the salt off the underside of the car.”

Without a fresh car wash throughout the winter, you’re looking at major signs of corrosion in spots like your brakes and gas lines, “It can start rotting away. All your undercarriage. On cars that still have frames, like the trucks and stuff, the frames will start rotting away. The outer body panels, you’ll see, like, there’ll be a little hole started. And you figure it’s just a little hole. But the insides are all gone already.”

According to Bednarz, you’re better off taking care of these problems early on, “Well, the quicker you get to it, the better. You see a small spot, go to your body shop and take a look at it.”

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