"Winterizing" a car?

Question

I have lived in the mid-south all of my life, and while it gets cold and sometimes snows here, its never been below double digits in my lifetime. However at the end of October I am moving up north to south central Michigan, and I KNOW it will be cold up there! Is there anything I need to do to ensure my car can make it through the winter? It will be parked outside daily. (no garage)
Someone mentioned I'd need an antifreeze that could withstand even colder temperatures....but is there anything else?
Much appreciated!!

Answer 1

A few things I check here in Colorado:

Coolant level and mix. The standard 50/50 mixture works well in all but the coldest temps, if you need to top it off, use straight antifreeze to give it a little extra protection.

Check your charging and starting systems (auto parts stores will do this for free).

During my fall oil change, I switch to a slightly thinner oil, such as 5W-30 instead of 10W-30. This will help the car start easier and provide quicker oil flow when the weather is cold and the oil thickens up.

Refill your wiper fluid reservoir with winter washer fluid. Most places sell a 'summer blend' during the warmer months that will freeze at 32 degrees. Winter blend will not freeze even down to about -20 degrees. Better yet, get one with a deicing additive, which will quickly remove winter frost. Prestone makes an excellent deicing washer fluid.

This is also a good time to switch to winter wiper blades. The difference is that winter blades have a rubber sheath encasing the frame of the blade. This prevents snow from jamming inside the frame and 'bowing' the blade out, which will cause it to lose contact with the windshield. One thing to note is that because of the sheath, the blade cannot flex as much as a regular blade. This will result in a small corner in the lower right hand side of the windshield not being cleaned. It will not affect your vision and is completely normal.

Check to ensure your tires have adequate tread. An easy way to do this is with a penny. With the penny upside down, place it in one of the grooves between the tread blocks. If you can see the top of Abraham Lincoln's head, the tires should be replaced, with all-season tires, or snow tires, if you can afford it. I do not recommend studded tires, as they tear up the roads when snow is not present, not to mention hurting your car's ability to stop or turn in dry conditions. A better alternative is a set of tire chains. There are excellent chains which simply slip on without having to raise the vehicle or drive it onto the chains. Purchase a set (I recommend Laclede, about 70 bucks a set), and practice putting them on a couple of times in your garage before you actually need them. That way, when you do need to put them on, you'll spend about five to ten minutes and be on your way.

If you have an electrical outlet nearby the car's parking spot, a block heater will keep your engine warm overnight, making it easy to start, not to mention providing nice, warm, toasty air from the heater as soon as the engine starts. Usually I recommend this to people who live in very, very cold climates, like northern Minnesota.

Keep at least a half-tank of fuel in your car at all times. Running slow in winter conditions can use a lot of fuel, which can leave you starnded if you use it all before you reach your destination.

Check that your rear defroster works properly.

A set of the proper supplies is good insurance in the unlikely event you are caught in some horrific bizzard and are stuck for some time:

-A few blankets (running your car's heater when stuck in snow can cause carbon monoxide poisoning from exhaust accumulating in the car).

-A set of triangle reflectors or road flares.

-Water, either for consumption or refilling the radiator.

-Sand bags for traction (I use a bag of kitty litter, to spread under the tires for traction to help me get unstuck).

-Radio and flashlight, both with fresh batteries.

-Jumper cables.

-Snow brush (I keep a brush with a long handle, as well as a stubby one with the brass blade, this will chip off the most stubborn ice without scratching your windshield).

If you have a cell phone, keep an in-car charger in your car.

And as advice to someone new to winter driving from someone who has done it all his life: take it slow. Accellerate, turn, and stop very gently. Drive like you have eggs under your feet, and apply very little pressure to avoid 'breaking the shells'.

Answer 2

There's a few things.

In Michigan there are three winter temperatures, cold, freezing cold and damn it's cold.

Do be sure your coolant is proper for the damn cold weather. I use Mercedes Benz coolant myself and I drive an old Chevy. It doesn't settle out of solution and clog up the radiator.

You will need a motor oil that has a wide temperature range. Your car's owner's manuel will come in handy here. For some cars 10-40 is good enough, others require the first number to be a 5.

If you drive an automatic, don't worry about the fluid. It's thin enough and won't freeze.

The rear-end is another matter. It only takes 3 quarts of a good quality multi-viscostity gear oil to make this good for a decade.

Be sure you have some tires with good aggressive tread. If you plan on traveling rural areas, buy snow tires, but try not to use studs unless you absolutely have to.

They salt the roads up there, so you might want to have your car undercoated. It'll get you another 3 years before you can see the road through the floorboards.

That's all I can think of.

Good luck

Answer 3

A coolant solution of 50% antifreeze and 50% water will give your engine protection to roughly 40 below, which should be sufficient. Manufacturers don't recommend a stronger mixture, but you could probably get away with a 60/40 mix. And try to park where the wind isn't blowing directly at the front of your car. Any amount of shelter will cut down on the wind chill, which can really stiffen the oil in the crankcase.

Answer 4

First thing would be to get the cooling system flushed and refilled with the proper blend of antifreeze and water. Have them replace your radiator and heater hoses while they are at it. That way you KNOW that you won't have a frozen block. If the car will be outside all the time, invest in a block heater. In Michigan, they will know exactly what this is: a little heater element installed in place of a freeze plug on your block. You can plug it in and keep the block warm enough to start more easily.

Another thing would be to go ahead and replace the battery; get one with a high level of cold cranking amps. Check your cables at this time as well; weak cables and weak battery will result in a no-start on a cold winter morning.

Look at installing "winter" wiper blades; they are designed not to clog up with snow and ice during snowstorms.

Finally, look at all-season radials with mud and snow ratings. The Blizzak brand is an aggressive snow rated tire that does well in cold climates.

Answer 5

Honestly, there isn't much you have to do. Regular motor oil and antifreeze works okay, just make sure it they are at the proper level. Make sure your battery isn't too old, because sometimes old batteries go dead in cold weather.

You don't need special oil, snow tires, studded tires, tire chains, a block heater, etc. I've lived in Michigan all my life and don't know anyone that ever uses snow tires (except when I was a kid), studded tires, tire chains, or block heaters.

Answer 6

You'll need a different type of oil that can withstand colder tempratures (Synthetic oil also works, but costs more). You'll also need either snow tires or all-weather tires and possibly chains. Check that all of your fluids are topped off. You may also want an engine block heater to help with cold starts. Check the fluid level in your battery, I'd even suggest completely replacing the battery before your move.
Hope this helps!

Answer 7

Give Harry the best answer. I couldn't have said it better myself, although Pilgrim was almost as good and apparently the quickest draw in this case. I lived in western NY for most of my life and have been a mechanic almost as long. Both of them obviously know what they are talking about, so I wont repeat it here. The thing about the block heaters throughout all replies is good, though you can get them for in the engine or to attach to the lower radiator hose. The latter is cheaper to buy and install and works just as well.

Answer 8

I'm in Central M.I. don't hit the panic button just yet, you need motor oil that is at the manufactures specs anti freeze that's a max of minus 19 below 0 (rarely gets that low) studded snow tires are Illegal, Keep your gas level above half full at all times keep tire pressure at rated pressure and you will be just fine. and also have a fairly newer battery no big deal I promise.

Answer 9

Best thing to do is just pull into a garage and ask them to completely winterize your car. Check with your neighbors or call the Better Business Bureau in your area who can reccomend you for a good place to take your car.

Answer 10

I found a site that should help you. Good luck.
http://www.ehow.com/how_7412_winterize-car.html
Make sure your battery has enough cold cranking amps.
Make sure your antifreeze is up to par. You can buy an antifreeze tester at most auto stores or wal mart. They are cheap and simple to use and read.
Get a nice windshield scraper to clean your windows.
Studded snow tires are great to have.
If your vehichle is a diesel, get an additive to make sure the fuel doesn't gel up.
They make windshield washer fluid to help melt ice off of your windshield, It's also nice to have. Remember to allow extra time in the mornings to warm up your car. Trust me it helps so that you are not driving in a cold car with the windows fogging up. Also if the roads are snow packed you'll want to travel at a much slower speed so the extra time will help with that to.
I have had to use a lock deicer to get ice out of my door locks before, nice to have but you might not need it.
An emergency kit with a blanket, jumper cables, cones, flashlight, ect... is extremely handy. Good luck.
Give it time and you'll get used to it. Although my aunt moved from Texas here to Utah, and you can catch her in a coat in the spring and part of summer. She has also been here for five years. Again allow extra time to warm up that motor and its fluids (oil). Allow for longer driving time on snowy days. The roads usually get pretty slick. Good luck, I hope everything goes well. Oh and carry a cell phone just in case.