5 Ways Cold Weather Affects Your Car

As the temperatures drop and winter approaches, we’re usually thinking about the holidays and how to keep our homes warm, but the cold weather also affects our vehicles. If a car isn’t ready for freezing temperatures and snow, it can lead to problems that complicate your holiday season. Here are five ways that cold weather affects your car and what you can do about it.

Stress on the Battery
It’s always a good idea to have your car battery and engine checked at the very beginning of the cold season. Low temperatures make it harder for the engine to start, requiring more current from your battery. As temperatures drop, the battery becomes less effective. An already weak or old battery can lead to lots of false starts during cold mornings. Car service centers offer free and quick battery tests. If your battery needs to be replaced, you’ll want to take care of that before it gets too cold.

Frozen Windshield
It can be very tempting to just start up your windshield wipers first thing on a cold morning when you’re in a hurry, but if there is ice or frost on the window, you can easily damage your wipers. Always let the frost melt from a warmed car and window defroster before turning on your wipers. If your wipers are old, it’s a good idea to replace them before the winter season starts.

Not all windshield wiper fluid is created equal. Be sure to fill your reservoir with a de-icer fluid that will help melt the ice on your windshield and won’t freeze in the lines. Also, make sure you have a good snow brush and ice scraper so you can scrape off the thicker pieces of ice before turning on your wipers.

Deflated Tires
Tire pressure tends to lower as the temperatures drop. Invest in a tire pressure checker to keep in your glove box and check your tires regularly. Deflated tires can cause lots of different problems like poor traction, susceptibility to damage, and alignment issues. Have your tires checked by a mechanic before the weather gets cold to make sure they are in good shape and ready for winter roads. If you live in a particularly snowy area where the roads aren’t often cleared, you’ll want to consider winter tire options.

Weak Spark Plugs
Cold weather can make it harder for spark plugs to create a spark, especially if they are already old and weak. Have your spark plugs checked and replaced as you’re having other parts of your car checked and serviced in preparation for winter.

Corroded Undercarriage
As the roads are covered in snow and ice, salt trucks come and spread road salt across the streets. This can help break down the ice on the roads and provide better traction for vehicles, but it’s also very hard on the underside of your car. Taking your vehicle through the car-wash periodically throughout the winter season will help get rid of any salt that’s hiding in the crevices under your car and corroding its metal.

Head to Warren Midtown Motors Inc. for service and preparation for winter by our service department. While you’re here, check out our selection of new vehicles.