The salt brine used by crews throughout the state is critical to keeping our roadways safe during winter weather, but without proper care that salt, combined with snow and ice, could mean trouble for your car.
"I pushed the brake all the way to the floor and nothing happened." Christine Lowthert says.
A scary ride home for Christine Lowthert, showed her just how damaging winter weather can be on your vehicle.
"They're so rotted and cracked and chipped that when you push the brake the fluid was going right to the pavement underneath the car...nothing was going to the brakes," Lowthert says.
While Lowthert made it home safely that day, her car wasn't so lucky.
Corrosion from salt, snow and ice caused all four brake lines to snap, a common problem during the winter.
"Usually during the heavy snows are when the problems will start to come out," Doug Peterson of Reliable Tire says.
Doug Peterson of Reliable Tire in Altoona says the same products we count on to keep our roadways safe, can be crippling to our cars.
"The salt and things from the road can create a lot of corrosion," Peterson says.
And most of the damage is in the areas people tend not to check.
"Sometimes people just want to run them through a car wash or hose off just the general outside of the car but you really need to focus on getting into the wheel wells and the undercarriage," Peterson says.
That simple step could not only keep you safe, but save some money on repairs.
"It can range anywhere from $100 to several hundred dollars depends on how much damage gets done," Peterson says.
"I pushed the brake all the way to the floor and nothing happened." Christine Lowthert says.
A scary ride home for Christine Lowthert, showed her just how damaging winter weather can be on your vehicle.
"They're so rotted and cracked and chipped that when you push the brake the fluid was going right to the pavement underneath the car...nothing was going to the brakes," Lowthert says.
While Lowthert made it home safely that day, her car wasn't so lucky.
Corrosion from salt, snow and ice caused all four brake lines to snap, a common problem during the winter.
"Usually during the heavy snows are when the problems will start to come out," Doug Peterson of Reliable Tire says.
Doug Peterson of Reliable Tire in Altoona says the same products we count on to keep our roadways safe, can be crippling to our cars.
"The salt and things from the road can create a lot of corrosion," Peterson says.
And most of the damage is in the areas people tend not to check.
"Sometimes people just want to run them through a car wash or hose off just the general outside of the car but you really need to focus on getting into the wheel wells and the undercarriage," Peterson says.
That simple step could not only keep you safe, but save some money on repairs.
"It can range anywhere from $100 to several hundred dollars depends on how much damage gets done," Peterson says.
