Vermont's highway brine: is it eating up cars, trucks?

Ask auto repairman Don Thibeault, owner of Junction Auto in New Haven, about what the State of Vermont is doing to autos and trucks, thanks to its application of brine—a recent replacement for traditional road salt—on regional roadways. Many states, like Vermont, are using low cost brine to stretch budgets. "Brine—it's nasty stuff," Thibeault said. "Salt was bad enough. Rain rinsed it away, but this new mixture, which includes corrosive chemicals, clings to the underbodies of cars. I see good cars with no suspensions left due to corrosion." Thibeault said he started seeing problems five years ago when vehicles operated by his New York customers began showing up with corroded underbodies. New York was using road brine before Vermont. "I sell and repair Subarus," he said. "It isn't just Subarus. I see other makes, including pickups. It's the same story." Not everyone in the local auto repair industry agree with Thibeault. Steve Deupoise, owner of County Tire Center, Inc. of Middlebury, said, "I don't see the problem." Jim Davignon, Jr., owner of Weybridge Garage, said, "Well, I can't say for sure. I haven't noticed a difference, but I am not positive. Brine hasn't been used long enough here to see any of this. But I will say it sure makes a mess and is terrible when it comes to keeping your car clean." Davignon said he viewed a television program on the Discovery Channel that compared road salt and brine and ultimately disproved claims of accelerated corrosion. Despite the opinions of local auto technicians and T.V. shows, Germany's Volkswagen Corporation found highway brine mixtures are indeed a corrosive brew. A 2008 technical study conducted by V.W. in Europe discovered that brine mixtures accelerate the corrosion of vehicles compared to traditional salt. The study found that underbody warranty claims of V.W. owners in Austria rose dramatically where brine was used. Environmental writer Eric Leech of Discovery Online writes about transporation and cars. Leech noted that when you combine salt and brine, you have a mixture which melts snow with better efficiency. The mixture uses less salt which pleases environmental groups. On two related blogs, Leech noted that highway brines have three facets: the good, the bad, and the ugly. The good: "If you wet the salt with a chemical such as brine, it sticks to the roadway better, allowing more of it to do its job without getting blown around," Leech posted. "It melts the salt, which then allows heat to be given off quicker, which further speeds the process of melting the snow and ice. Sounds pretty good doesn't it? The bad: "While it is claimed that the brine/salt mixture is actually more environmentally friendly, because it allows the road crews to use less salt, there is still the fact that brine itself is a chemical derived from oil and gas and not quite like spreading daisy petals over the asphalt," according to Leech. The ugly: "With the economy the way it is, the motor industry is naturally upset with the thought of multiple issues from customers with premature corrosion-caused suspension and body damage. So, the question remains, should the mixture be used for the safety of the driver or discontinued for the safety of the environment?" according to Leech. Vermont highway officials appear happy with the brine mixture it uses on area roadways, but car owners may be getting wise to suggested corrosion problems. Thibeault noted that the brine problems, at least as it relates to the underbodies of cars and trucks in Vermont, may be worst than the old road salt problems. "I see cars that are only eight to ten years old that are unsafe for the road," he said. "That's crazy. Who can afford to buy a new car replacement every couple of years? "A recent news article I read said that VTrans is happy about its new solution to clear the roads, but it seems we're slowly killing the average consumer with car repairs. Something has to give. This stuff is too corrosive. Even in the summer, brine remains on the roads. There's a windshield smear factor. You have to scrub hard with Windex to remove it," he added. Thibeault said that while undercoating helps, he has seen vehicles exposed to brine mixtures that have suspensions and engine cross members fall apart—even in just one season of winter driving. "This is way worst than before," he said. "One winter and they're in bad condition." Thibeault believes VTrans officials will not agree with what he claims to see everyday in his garage. "I think it's going to take the public to get attention," he mused. "I had a 2004 car with the front engine cross members ready to drop. And I know the owner takes good care of his car. I've never seen this kind of accelerated corrosion. Someone will be hurt and they'll end up blaming the inspection stations. "Believe me, a car can look beautiful now but in three months—it's full of holes." Editor's update: This newspaper does not have an opinion regarding the brine issue. It was reported after two readers, independent of each other, brought it to our attention. While VTrans officials did not respond to our inquiries by deadline time when this story was published in mid December 2011, later communications with the agency indicated that VTrans officials strongly discount claims of vehicle corrosion as being caused by brine. VTrans officials consulted chemists and other experts; they claim there is no evidence of a brine problem and that there is much "misinformation" reported in the news media. Since this story appeared, an anonymous source told this newspaper that an anti-corrosion compound, formerly used in auto manufacturing, was banned in the United States in 2007. As a result, the reader posits, there might be a misplaced link between brine and vehicle rust. Who knows? This information has not been confirmed by this newspaper at this time but merits investigation.

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Vermont's highway brine: is it eating up cars, trucks?

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