COLD WEATHER CAR DRIVING TIPS

Winter in California is a lot easier on your vehicle than winter in most other states.  In the Bay Area, freezing temperatures are rate. However, that is not to say that moderate Bay Area winters don’t negatively affect various aspects of our vehicles and their performance.  Both internally and externally, winter can create issues for your car, truck, van or SUV.  

Your Wiper Blades

Have you ever had frost and ice on your windshield and instead of clearing it manually, you just jump in your vehicle, turn on the engine, and start the windshield wipers.  This is the fastest way to damage your wiper blades. Damaged wiper blades result in reduced visibility while driving.  Snow, ice and frost tear the rubber part of the blades, and cold temperatures can make the blades brittle and more likely to break.  To prevent these problems, start your car and your windshield defroster, then manually remove the ice from your windshield with a scraper. 

Your Tires

When the temperature dips, air in your tires contracts. This leads to a decrease in the amount of pressure you have in your tires.  Lower tire pressure may result in decreased traction and even contribute to tire failure.  So, when the thermometer starts to drop, remember to check your tire pressure. Simply adding air can help prevent winter tire issues.   

Your Battery

Cold temperatures can cause major issues for your vehicle’s battery.  Lower temperatures cause the chemical process inside your battery to slow, which in turn reduces your battery’s ability to hold a charge.  And, if you have an older battery, failure in cold weather is even more of a risk because older batteries already have a diminished ability to retain a charge.  To avoid being stuck with a dead battery in the middle of winter, have your battery checked in late autumn before the temperatures get significantly colder. If you’re heading to the snow country for some skiing, make sure your battery is functioning properly. This is especially true if your battery is more than three years old. If in doubt, or if your battery is not functioning efficiently, replacing it a better option than getting stranded in the cold.

Your Fluids

Oil, transmission fluid, antifreeze. These are the liquids your vehicle uses to lubricate and protect its engine. But when the temperatures drop, these liquids lose their ability to flow easily so they can lubricate and protect your entire engine.  These days, most car have additives to prevent them from freezing, but the cold still thickens them. And depending on how cold the temperature gets, it becomes difficult for your engine to circulate these fluids efficiently.  Step one to prevent problems due to fluid issues is to make sure your fluids are at the correct level, and that you’ve changed your oil and filter according to maintenance schedules. Then avoid jack-rabbit starts by warming your car up for about 30 seconds before you take off. 

  

Idling Your Car

Most people believe that it’s a good practice to let your vehicle idle (run in neutral) on cold days. However, idling your car for 4 or 5 minutes or longer is not beneficial. The main reason to idle a car is to circulate the engine oil. Experts recommend that after letting your car idle up to 30 second, there are no additional benefits to letting your engine idle any longer. The best way to bring your engine up to operating temperature is to actually drive your car slowly. By driving your car, the engine and all its components (brakes, transmission, etc.) will warm up faster, which allows your car to run more efficiently.

Additionally, idling for long periods of time can reduce engine performance. With today’s cars, electronic fuel injection regulates how much fuel your engine needs to run efficiently. When your car engine is cold, the fuel injectors send more fuel through the system. As the engine warms, it needs less fuel to run efficiently. Therefore, the longer you let a cold engine idle, the more you increase the chance of fuel residue build up. Fuel residue build up can lead to poor engine performance and a reduction in mileage. What’s more, you waste more fuel.

And finally, excessive idling releases more unburned hydrocarbons which means more pollutants are being released into the environment. That’s because the engine is cold and it’s not running efficiently. And if your garage is attached to your home, this also presents the risk of carbon monoxide and other dangerous gases to enter your living area.