MARQUETTE -- We're used to keeping the outside of our vehicles clean, just maybe not as much when the weather turns colder.

But road salt is a corrosive material.  And with the abundance of it that’s used in the Upper Peninsula to keep the roads clear, your car could be taking a beating, even though you might not realize it.

"As soon as you see signs of rust, take it to a repair facility to have it estimated," says Dylan Mckerchie, estimator at Classic Auto Collision in Marquette.  "The reason for that is many times, rust starts in the back side and works its way to the front, so by the time you see it, it actually could be worse than what you see in front of you."

So how do you keep your vehicle from rusting, whether it's the under carriage or the body?  Easy...maintenance.

"If you keep up with it, it helps with your resell if you ever want to sell it," says detail manager Gary Maki.  "Waxing it once a month helps; just try to keep it up."

While it may seem frivolous to get your car washed during the winter months, auto detail experts recommend getting it washed at least once a week.  They say it will save you time and money in the long run.

The inside of your car needs care, too.

I was surprised to hear that if you allow snow to build-up in your driver and passenger foot wells, once it melts, it will seep into the bottom of your car, which means, more rust.

"If we allow the vehicle to be exposed to a lot of salt for a long period of time, it's going to shorten its service life.  It's going to make it harder to work on when it needs to be serviced," Mckerchie adds.

As soon as you see any signs of rust, you should take your car to a repair facility to get an estimate for the repairs.

It’s also recommended that you get your car thoroughly detailed twice a year.