The dark mornings ahead are soon to involve scraping windows and cold steering wheels.
With that in mind, the North Shore News compiled some tips from local automotive experts on how to keep your car running well for those chilly commutes or mountain adventures.
As many early risers need a few minutes to warm up in the morning before taking off, so do engines that have been sitting in frigid conditions overnight, according to Ryan Elm, service manager at Derosa Automotive.
He says that while a car sits, all of the oils and fluids that coat the engine drip off and settle at the bottom.
“When you first start your car, those first few seconds, the oil has to be pumped back up to the top of your engine and get to all those parts that need lubrication,” says Elm. “If you get in the habit of starting your car before you scrape your windshield or start putting the kids in the car, it gives it that time to … make sure the liquids are all flowing where they need to be.”
While the car is warming up, Elm recommends taking that time to scrape your windshield instead of stressing your windshield wiper motor. If there is a layer of ice formed on the glass, the wiper blades can carry it across the windshield causing scratches and damage to both the rubber on the wipers and to the glass.
He says that investing in a longer arm windshield scraper will save you money in the long run and keep your windshield and wipers in good shape.
Visibility issues during this wet and dark season have caused ICBC and the RCMP to ask the public, drivers and pedestrians to be cautious on the roads and Elm says that foggy headlights can hinder the light your car emits onto the road.
“What happens when you’re bombing around on the highway all the time is essentially your plastic headlights kind of get sandblasted over a longer period of time,” he says, recommending a headlight polish when this happens.
“Basically, a cream and a buffer and some good ol’ fashioned elbow grease, you can actually buff the polish of your headlight assembly back to clear view.”
As for the inner workings of the car, Elm advises not to underestimate the importance of testing the pH and temperature protection levels of antifreeze.
Antifreeze is measured in both Protective Temperature Rating and it’s pH balance. New antifreeze should read -40/-30 with a balanced pH of seven, according to Elm.
“You don’t want it to be either getting to too high of a temperature where it can’t protect into negative temperatures and you don’t want the acidity to be off balance because then it can start to deteriorate parts of the engine,” he says.
For advice on keeping your wheels on the road, Brian Wilson at Integra Tire had a wealth of knowledge to share on what rubber suits North Vancouver’s winter conditions best.
A common misconception is assuming all-season tires are just that, according to Wilson, who says they’re really only safe for three of the four seasons.
“Certainly, by the time you’re hitting the freezing point, summer and all-season tires are not going to be safe or perform properly simply because the rubber compounds are not designed to stay supple and pliable in cold weather,” he says.
“They actually become harder, kind of like a hockey puck. They don’t give you the grip on ice and cold wet roads that would be desirable and your braking distances are affected.”
For a proper winter tire that will hold true on trips along the Sea to Sky Highway, the Coquihalla or through slick mountain passes, Wilson says to look for the three-peak mountain and snowflake symbol on the sidewall of a tire.
However, one word of caution from the road rubber retailer is to be wary of tires marked with the “M+S” symbol, meaning mud and snow.
“M+S is another way of saying all-season ... so I would never want to be up in the mountains in the snow with a tire like that,” he says.
For those not wanting two sets of tires for the driving they do, all-weather tires are a compromise Wilson would approve of. As for cable chains for winter roads, he dubs those a “stop gap” and a real hassle to install.
“By the time you’ve realized that you should have your chains on you’re usually already in trouble. Picture yourself in conditions where you’re thinking I better put the chains on ... getting out of the car into the slush and muck and trying to fit these things on around your tires,” he says. “But even when you get them on, if you happen to not fit them exactly correctly you can end up doing damage to the car because they can come off and damage the body or the inner fender.”
Tune ups at this time of year are beneficial for diagnosing problems that need to be fixed immediately, but Wilson also says they can help with knowing what to expect from your car performance wise, calling it preventative maintenance. Even if the upgrades aren’t required immediately, knowing what level your car is performing at is advantageous during wet and cold driving conditions.
“Having a great shop you can rely on and getting mechanically ready before the first freeze is a great first step for getting ready this winter,” says Elm. “The rest of the winter is on us drivers to remember to give that extra little space in front of us and know that it will take an extra 10 minutes to get there.”
