While you might be one of those people who falls in love with the charms of winter, it’s safe to say that your car doesn’t fall into this category.
This is a time which is problematic to say the least for a vehicle and is one of the most popular seasons for which owners report problems to services like Omega Auto Care.
It’s here when small problems can turn into big ones, and low-cost solutions can turn expensive. Of course, if you know what sort of problems you are looking out for it can be a huge help, as we take a look at some of the common ones in-detail through this page.
Lower tire pressure correlates to lower temperatures
Here’s a fact for the day; for every 10F that the temperature drops, your tire pressure will decrease 1 PSI. Ultimately, particularly when the sub-freezing temperatures emerge, it means you are much more susceptible to a flat tire.
Fortunately, this is one of the easier solutions to look out for. Regular checks of your tires will suffice, while some modern vehicles may even automatically alert you to the problem.
The dead battery
If you are driving a new car, the chances of your battery being impacted by the low temperatures is unlikely. For everyone else, winter is the season where we can just ask a little too much from our vehicle’s battery.
Most of us will turn to everything from the heating, to heated seats to even the lights on much more frequent occasions during these months. All of this puts additional strain on the battery and there’s a much higher chance of it requiring replacement.
In the worst case scenarios, your car might not start. If this is the case, you might be able to gradually get it going by turning off all electrics – at least giving you the chance to nip to the auto shop and purchase a new battery.
Fluid problems
In truth, if you use the correct concentrations of fluids in your car, you shouldn’t experience this problem. Plenty of people do though, which is why it’s made its way onto this list.
When the temperatures drop, there can be instances where the fluids under your hood start to freeze. It’s usually the likes of antifreeze and screen wash which fall into this category and it can be easily avoided by making sure the liquids are able to cope with the lower temperatures. You’ll see if this is the case by looking at the packaging for both liquids when you purchase them.
Inefficient spark plugs
This final point is an interesting one – as it all arrives as we try and overcompensate for those sub-zero temperatures. Most people will quickly ramp up the heating as they get into their car, and it’s for good reason.
The problem is when this heating is turned up but the car is not in motion. Engines aren’t designed to stand still for long periods, and leaving the car running like this can cause build-up on the spark plugs. Over time, this can make them much less efficient.
