old man winter & you.
First off, let me apologize for not writing an article for a fairly long time. I recently got married and well, let’s be honest, anyone who’s married knows how taxing it can be, especially when it was decided, planned and executed in under four weeks. Now let us get down to business. Winter. It’s here and gauging from the last massive snowfall, it’s here with a vengeance. So in order to help out my fellow motorists, I will be presenting a winter care article so that you can use to help make old man winter just a tad bit more bearable.
Before we begin, everyone can use a little guidance when driving in winter. No matter how long you have been driving or how good you think you are, you need to be careful and drive according to the road conditions. This however does not mean you become panic stricken and drive like you have the reflexes of a dead person. Know your car. That is the one thing that I cannot stress enough. Only you and you alone know if something is going to go wrong or already has, so pay attention to the way it drives and if there are any peculiar noises, these can be an early warning system to help prevent you from being stuck or SOL. Secondly, if a warning sign does come on, please don’t ignore it. The engineer who put it there did so for good reason, so heed its’ warning.
Now below I am going to give you a short but crucial list of things you should either have in your car, or be doing for your car to ensure that you have a safe and relatively comfortable winter.
tires
Yes tires. I know this is a question that I personally get asked all the time, and I only have one answer: if you can afford winter tires, buy them! The reason why I say this is because winter tires are designed to be functional in the cold. They are made of a softer compound and as a result when the temperature drops, they are still effective. All-Season tires are not bad as they will get the job done, and if you buy a good brand they will probably fair well. But make no mistake, they are not a substitute for Snow/Ice Tyres. In addition, buy steel winter rims as using your exiting rim for both sets causes wear and tear on the tyre, and may not last as long as they would on a dedicated set of rims (typically 3-4 seasons).
roadside assistance
Be it CAA or assistance you get from the dealership, it’s a massive help when you need it. And for $105/yr (CAA), it’s very reasonable. However, you should always have the following items in your car as roadside assistance tends to take forever when there is a severe storm.
- Jumper Cable – They are an essential part of your own roadside assistance. They are inexpensive and you are more likely to find someone to give you a ‘boost’ (when your battery is dead) than you are to have a tow truck show up on time. Also, a special note when picking up jumper cables, don’t go for something gimmicky like a battery charger that you need to plug into your cigarette lighter and expect that your battery is charged. You need to get a low gauge cable to transfer maximum power from one battery to another, so pick accordingly (advise on minimum gauge).
- Safety Kit – Now these are good to have, however, unless you are driving in remote areas where there won’t be many other cars, I don’t see the practical use for them. They do come with some basics like a small meal (granola bar), matches, fire sticks, blanket, gloves, hazard cone etc. and typically cost anywhere from $30 – $60 depending on the kit, so if you want that extra comfort feeling, then they are a good purchase.
- Extra Fluids – Depending on the age of your car, you may need to keep extra fluids such as power steering, oil, brake fluid etc. However, if your car is in this condition, I would suggest finding a replacement soon as this is not a reliable car for winter driving. The fluid which you must keep an extra jug of is windshield fluid, as that is something you will go through very quickly and prevents a dirty windshield in which you can’t see out of. Though the better practice is simply to check all your fluids before you set off for the day, rather than having to keep extra bottles.
car wash
Now this one may seem kind of pointless -seeing as you clean your car and within a few hours it will most likely be covered in salt and snow- but hear me out. The benefit of washing your car during winter is that it does not allow the salt and snow from building up and causing rust on your car. It also allows you to inspect your car for any new scratches and damages which may not have been visible while it was covered in dirt. Now clearly, refrain from washing your car when the temperature is very low, as this will cause freezing and bring with it jammed locks, doors and even the windows from rolling down.
warm up the car
You know when you are heading out and you see people sitting in the car, not going anywhere but they don’t seem to have any real reason for not doing so. Well, they most likely are waiting for the car to warm up. Now you may say this is obvious as one would want heat in the car before setting off, but the other reason, and equally as important, is that it is not a good idea to drive the car when the engine is cold. The oil in your car is what keeps all the internal parts well lubricated and working properly. Now when it’s really cold, say -5 and lower (without windchill), the oil may not be very fluid and as a result, if you start driving, all those internal parts are not being lubricated and protected from all that friction. If you car has a oil temp gauge, a good point to set off is when the needle is a little above absolute zero and if you don’t look for the ‘white’ smoke from your tail pipes to die down, that is also a good indication.
Hopefully, with these basic tips and guidelines you are able to have a safer and more enjoyable winter driving experience than most. And as always, please feel free to drop me a line or ask any questions, and I will do my best to answer them to the best of my abilities.
Freshly.Educated.Men 
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