Washing the right bits

With spring in full swing, it's amusing to sit in line at the local jetwash and watch lazy owner after lazy owner failing to clean the only part of their car that really matters after a winter of salty roads : the underside. Sure people will clean the paint and windows and everything that is visible without bending over. They'll use calcium-free water for the rinse, and spend 30 minutes with a chamois cleaning every last water drop away. Meanwhile, the salt is slowly feasting on all the metal underneath. It takes so little time to do this job properly. Bend over, poke the jetwash wand underneath your car, pointing upwards, and spray the underside with clean water. Doesn't need wax, doesn't need soap, nothing special, just water. It takes an extra minute. Do it on either side, from the front and the back and your car will last a lot longer.