Kept doing the same thing with my truck for years, just topped off the oil and ignored the leak until a buddy made me actually look under it. Funny how we get used to a thing being a certain way just because it's always been that way. No clue on the winter sand question but I'm curious too since ours freezes up here.

Learned that lesson the hard way with some cheap primer from a flea market. Took me a whole afternoon to sand it all off and start over. Now I just stick with the brand I know, even if it costs more upfront.

Did you torque that fitting proper after the tape cleanup, or just wing it?