With the winter season in full swing, keeping warm is an utmost priority. One thing which is particularly a concern to anyone who own a vehicle in a city which receives significant snow is ensuring the proper upkeep of it. While most places and homes provide undercover parking, it is never a guarantee. If you need to keep your car parked outside for a significant amount of time during a hard snow season, you may be worried about its effects on your car. According to Eye Witness News, this trick may ensure that your vehicle remains optimized for winter driving.
This tip is essential for your vehicle in winter
Speaking to Eye Witness News, William Peterson, the owner of Southeast Auto Service, shared advice on what you must do for your vehicle on very cold days. According to him, you must run your car and keep the engine on for an extended period of time in order to reduce the strain on your engine.
“Either leave your car alone and don’t drive it, instead of taking short trips like most people in the Twin Cities, in the metro area and the greater you know, in the greater Metro. If you’re in a suburb or something, that’s different, people tend to average a 20-mile trip anytime they get in their car. In town, people tend to average under four miles. That’s hard on a car, and it takes a lot out of the battery,” says Peterson. If you are going to driving shorter distances, he recommends that you have it run for an additional 30 to 60 minutes to ensure that damage does not incur on the engine.
“Start it and run it for half an hour to an hour each of the cold days. Just let it run. Turn your accessories off, let it run if you can,” Peterson says.
You must protect your battery in the cold weather
The danger with cold weather, is that your battery is consistently at risk of losing charge. Cold temperatures can reduce your car’s battery capacity by as much as 50%. The battery is also put under increased strain to run, as in cold weather, your car oil is thickened. When this happens, the engine needs more power from the battery to start. Because your battery is now working harder, it drains faster.
“The negative effect is very hard on the engine because it never actually gets warmed up enough, and the oil can only protect so much. When it’s that cold out, the oil is always cold. It will never protect 100% of the other side of it. The battery will always be losing a charge as you’re running shortcuts and not running it and warming it up, that you will always be taking power away from your battery. So, at a point in time, it’ll come where you don’t have enough to get started, especially when it’s really cold,” says Peterson to Eye Witness News.
Know your state laws, and choose the right winter vehicle
While Peterson’s advice is sound, beware if you live in the state of New York. Leaving your car unattended while the ignition is still running in order to heat up the engine is actually illegal under state law. In addition to this illegality, you also cannot drive your car in New York with snow on the roof as it is a safety hazard to surrounding vehicles on the road.
Because winter puts an increased strain on your vehicle engine, it is important that you purchase a car which has been manufactured specifically to handle colder weather. While the majority of cars can handle a variety of weather conditions, some vehicles are better equipped than others to handle the extreme cold weather.
