Prevent Winter Car Starting Problems

When you own a car and don't have a garage to store it in, the winter time can be a stressful season. Due to the cold weather, ice, and other precipitation you may experience more starting problems than usual, especially in an older car. This is could be because the parts of the car freeze and may stop moving, or certain fluids can freeze inside of the lines. There are a number of tools and methods you can use to avoid winter car starting problems.

Winterize Your Car

Get your car winterized before the cold weather starts moving in. This includes getting an oil change and switching to a thinner high quality engine oil (5W instead of 10W) and replenishing all of your fluids, especially your coolants which will help prevent your engine from rusting and corroding. The ideal ratio of coolant-to-water for the wintertime is 60-40. Buy a coolant that meets this requirement.

A car might not start in the winter due to a frozen fuel line. According to Prestone auto products company in this case you should consider adding a fuel-deicer to your tank (see "How to Protect Your Car Inside and Out This Winter" under "References").

New Battery

Getting a new battery is another part of winterizing your car. If your car starting problems are due mostly to your battery, buy a brand new more powerful battery for your car in the winter. Look at the cold cranking amps (CCA) when making your choice. CCA is a rating given to determine how well the battery cranks even in cold weather, so the higher the better. Look for a car battery that has between 450 to 800 cranking amps.

Get a Car Cover

Many winter starting problems are simply due to the fact that your car is exposed directly to the cold weather. Blanket it with a thick, protective, outdoor car cover to prevent ice and snow from sitting directly on your hood and freezing up your car parts. These range in price from about $100 to $600 depending on the brand and the size of your vehicle, but it is worth the investment when you don't have a covered garage for your car in the wintertime.

General Maintenance Activities

Many winter car starting issues are the result of leaving thick layers of snow sitting on the hood of the car for long periods of time, so be sure to remove snow from on top of and around your car as soon as it finishes falling. Start your car up at least once a day in the winter, even if you don't have to use it that day, to keep the parts moving.