As rain, snow and ice storms visited the Northwest, the Oregon Dept. of Transportation website cautioned motorists that the chemicals ODOT spreads to restore traction on ice and snow-covered roads can damage vehicle finishes. The best precaution, ODOT advises, is regular washing.
To help disseminate this important message, Kaady Car Washes ran a series of full-page ads (shown below) in early and mid-January in the Oregonian newspaper.
Along with backing ODOT's recommendation, the ads warned of the effect of sand and gravel laid down to improve winter driving safety, and later thrown up by passing cars and trucks. To minimize the damage done when vehicles are struck by this debris, the ad urged motorists to "...touch up chips in paint before rust sets in, and fill in windshield dings before they widen into nasty cracks."