Are winter road treatments ruining your car?

MOUNT JOY, Pa. (WHTM) – Gary Shatz has a floor full of rusted fuel lines and corroded brake lines.

Shatz, the owner of Shatz Garage, says most of the damage was caused by the materials PennDOT and municipalities use to pre-treat roads ahead of winter storms.

"It does some major damage at a very fast rate," Shatz said.

Shatz says damage to brake lines is very dangerous.

"It's a huge risk," he said. "It's a complete brake failure. You have no breaks. If it gives up that bad, you can't pump them up."

Shatz says he's seeing rust and corrosion in cars old and new. He says the repairs can be expensive, sometimes climbing into the thousands.

To prevent rust, he suggests a trip to the car wash after a snowstorm.

"Some of the car washes have that nice feature; as you are entering an automatic car wash, they wash or spray underneath the vehicle," Shatz said. "Try and get your car over that as long as you possibly can."

PennDOT officials say the mixes they use are federally regulated, but they also suggest washing your car after a snowstorm.