The state Department of Transporation has spread more than 15,000 tons of salt and sprayed 699,000 gallons of brine on South Carolina roads so far. But all the salt can do a lot of damage to your car.

Mechanics tell us it can corrode brake lines, fuel lines, brake calipers and brake slides as well as any other metals on the car.

They say most of the corrosion happens underneath the car, so you may not see it.

Although some of us live close to the beach, mechanics say the road salt is much worse than the salt air.

"The salt you have coming off the road will affect it a lot faster than the salt air does. Salt air may be a little bit slower corrosion period on it. But the salt on the roads being, because its wet and everything, will cause faster corrosion," Don Scalzott, Automotive Shop Manager, told NewsChannel 15.

Scalzott says the best way to prevent the rust and rot is to clean your car, including underneath, as soon as the roads are dry.