How can you protect your vehicle during the winter? The ultimate way would be to keep it in a heated garage and not drive it in the extreme cold. Not practical for those of us who do not have a money tree to harvest on a daily basis. The next best thing is to protect it as best possible. Keep the oil changed as per the manufactures Severe weather requirements of 3500 miles; Make sure the cooling system is protected with the recommended concentration of antifreeze; Minimize short trips and keep your vehicle clean so as to minimize the salt from the roads rotting your vehicles body away. Have your vehicle checked for problems prior to the winter weather and over the course of the winter by a service station you can trust.
Check out our winter coupons and Happy motoring, Wayne Morris
31-Oct-09
Old Man Winter
Winter in the Northeast is tough on vehicles. The temperature may vary as much as forty to fifty degrees in a twenty four hour period. Starting your vehicle in extremely cold temperatures is the worst thing you can do to your engine. How can you use your vehicle if you do not start it though? Engines are designed to run at certain temperatures and when they are cold, the metal components cannot operate at their peak performance. The oil is thick in cold weather and it takes a short while to get it to where it needs to be. A lot of condensation also gets into the engine oil due to warming up and cooling off. The cooling system also needs to be kept from freezing up. Your starter and battery are also operating at much less than peak conditions.