There is much to love about winter. Snowfall is truly a sight to behold. You have one more reason to laze around on weekends, and enjoy warm beverages, however, for car owners, dipping mercury can open a pandora’s box of troubles. As temperature falls, cars often develop serious issues. Sub zero temperatures impact all the parts of a car. Failure to address these issues in a timely fashion can impact your car’s health, resulting in a sharp rise in maintenance bills. To help ensure that your car is up and running in winter, the post lists some common winter issues to watch out for. Take a look.
1. Low tire pressure
In cold weather, car tires can lose up to 2 pounds per square inch for every drop below 32 degrees. Improper tire pressure, apart from resulting in deflation can be a potent safety threat and is a common cause of blowouts. Get a pressure gauge to check your tire pressure regularly. If you do not use a pressure gauge, get the tires checked at your local service station regularly.
2. Thickening car fluids
Car fluids thicken in cold weather, often resulting in performance issues. When the fluids thicken too much, internal seals can get damaged. To avoid this problem, after starting your car, leave it idle for 15 minutes to warm up the engine. If this does not help, you may have to replace your car’s fluids.
3. Dead battery
Sub zero temperatures can pull out voltage from a car’s battery. Lead batteries are designed to work in even temperatures and often lose 20 percent or more of their efficiency in cold weather. To address this problem, park your car in a covered garage. If you do not have an indoor garage, consider buying a new battery with high cold cranking amps, as they are designed to perform better in low temperatures.
4. Frozen wipers
It is common for windshield wipers to freeze in extreme cold weather. To avoid this problem, replace traditional wipers with hingeless winter wiper blades that are devoid of any metal points, and do not allow snow or ice to accumulate on them. Before getting on the road, clean your windshield to get rid of accumulated ice and snow. To protect the car from the elements, park it in an indoor garage.
Wrap up
These are some common car problems to watch out for in winter. When buying a used car from a car auction website or a salvage car auction site, remember to check the vehicle thoroughly. Proper and timely maintenance is a must and will help avoid future car issues.
