Comments on: 9 Ways to Winterize Your Car

By: Jay Wesley

Jay Wesley — Sun, 12 Dec 2010 00:32:49 +0000

Dave F November 18, 2010 at 5:36 pm
Consider cleaning and lubricating all the door seals. I clean them with a good window cleaning solution, then spray silicone lubricant on a paper towel and wipe down the seals and mating metal surfaces.

Nothing worse than being frozen out of your car after an overnight freeze.

I like to use alittle “Royal Crown” Hair pomade on my door seals, keeps em’ looking dapper! Lol

Also a squirt of WD-40, or PB blaster in your door locks will keep them working good, and help keep them from freezing.

By: Gallett291

Gallett291 — Sat, 11 Dec 2010 00:31:40 +0000

Along the same lines as treatments for the undercarriage, treat your alloy rims if you have them. The easiest way is to put a bit of non-stick spray (like PAM) on a rag, then wipe down the rims. Keeps the salt that gets kicked up from doing much, and keeps your wheels looking nice.

By: sm4k

sm4k — Fri, 19 Nov 2010 02:38:04 +0000

You might double-check with your owners manual about the anti-freeze dilution as well. My car (2000 Toyota Celica) has always had Toyota Pink in it, and that comes premixed, so it does NOT get diluted.

Good list, but make sure you do you homework, readers, and investigate how these items affect your specific vehile.

By: Dave F

Dave F — Thu, 18 Nov 2010 22:36:00 +0000

Consider cleaning and lubricating all the door seals. I clean them with a good window cleaning solution, then spray silicone lubricant on a paper towel and wipe down the seals and mating metal surfaces.

Nothing worse than being frozen out of your car after an overnight freeze.

By: RobH1981

RobH1981 — Thu, 18 Nov 2010 16:56:19 +0000

You can head off most engine-related starting issues with a block heater. Most dealerships will install one for less than $200. External tank engine heaters will warm up the heater core, so you get warm air from the vents right away.

You have to be able to plug the heater into a wall socket. A lamp timer set to about an hour before you leave works well.

The downside to block heaters is that they may allow you to leave home, only to be stranded at work later on . . . .

By: Native Son

Native Son — Thu, 18 Nov 2010 14:27:42 +0000

Oddly you apparently forgot one item. If you don’t have snow tires, but get up into snow country (quite common in CA), you need two more things to winterize the ride…the correct tire chains (note: some cars can only use cable type chains) and cash for the “chain apes”…the guys who professionally install & remove tire chains at chain controls.
A couple of friends who ski also recommend a “pee bottle”…very handy when you’re stuck in the line when the state troopers are convoying vehicles through a snowstorm.

By: ZZ

ZZ — Thu, 18 Nov 2010 08:58:30 +0000

A couple of additional items you may want to consider:

1) Winterizing treatments if you are in an area that “salts” the roads. There are several companies out there (and you should do your research) that do treatments that essentially put a water repelling lubricant in your car body and undercarriage in an effort to keep the salty-water from making contact with the metal and keep moisture out of existing rust thereby slowing down the oxidation process. Each year newer anti-icing chemicals are used on the roads and over the last ten years they have gradually gotten more and more corrosive, so this is probably a real important thing for the life of your car.

2) Consider N2 for your tires. While regular Air does contain 78% Nitrogen Gas, the remaining 22% can cause you problems. Water Vapor, Oxygen, and Oxygen radicals are all reactive (the later most of all) and can cause a number of issues with rims, valves and potentially even seals. Nitrogen is significantly less reactive. Pure Nitrogen also tends to react significantly less with temperature helping the contact patch on your tire remain uniform in varying temperatures. There has also been some talk about the O2 and other trace gases forming structures that more easily pass through the rubber, so you may not need to refill your tires as often. The price is not necessarily that bad either, if you like the piece of mind. For me it’s a single 80 dollar charge when I purchase new tires that allow me to go back and fill with nitrogen for the life of the tires. Of course if I do need an emergency fill I can still use air and go back for a free nitrogen replacement at my convenience. Regardless of what you fill with remember that you should be checking your pressures at least once a month.

By: Brickheadbs

Brickheadbs — Thu, 18 Nov 2010 03:10:10 +0000

I highly recommend using synthetic motor oil. It doesn’t get much thicker (more viscous) as it gets cold, especially below 0°F. You can tell the difference when you start the motor on a -10°F morning. Plus, synthetic has other advantages…I’ll leave it up to you to research that.

By: Thomas

Thomas — Wed, 17 Nov 2010 22:33:28 +0000

Some of this seems like overkill to be honest. However I tend to do my yearly service in november. Lubricating everything, changing gear oils. Especially important if you drive an automatic.

Jeff: 4wd will help you stop if you don’t stand on the brakes like a student driver but instead use your gears and some of that driving experience;)

By: dagwud

dagwud — Wed, 17 Nov 2010 20:33:14 +0000

I had a Ford Bronco that actually stopped better with 4-wheel drive engaged. That was probably because I only had anti-lock brakes on the rear wheels. Front wheels would lock and slide in the snowy Minnesota winters.

That said, I also saw a lot of SUVs in ditches in the winter. Compact cars, not so much.