Winter Morning Car PreparationTips

It is early morning, still dark outside, and you go out to turn on the car and get any snow off the windshield. You discover, to your chagrin, that your door lock is frozen. In some cases, you can not get the key into the lock at all. Sometimes the key will go in only half way, or all the way in, but the key will not turn. Store purchased de-icer is one solution to this dilemma. Or, use the old fashioned method: Hold the key with a thick gloved hand or vise grips and use a cigarette lighter to heat the key. It may take a few attempts, but you can thaw a frozen door lock this way.

Do not be tempted to use hot water to thaw out a door lock. Short term, it may work, if you are able to somehow get the hot water into the lock mechanism. However, you have also just executed a sure-fire guarantee that the lock will freeze solid at a later time. Water added to a mechanism in freezing temperatures is a formula for trouble. And please, please tell me that you know that hot water poured over an icy window is just about guaranteed to crack your windshield.

OK, now you are in your snow-covered car. There was an episode of freezing rain prior to the overnight snowfall. Unbeknownst to you, your windshield wipers are in fact frozen to the windshield. To remove the snow, you start the car and turn on your wipers. You may have just successfully stripped the wiper motor post connection to the wiper. When the ice encrusted wipers finally thaw, they may just not wipe. Always make sure that your wipers are not frozen to the windshield before you turn them on! Replace worn wiper blades before winter sets in, too.

Ice scrapers come in all shapes and sizes. Many businesses give scrapers as free advertising. However, these give-aways tend to be small and not very substantial. The large, long scrapers complete with a brush on one end are a much better tool for scraping ice from vehicle windows. True, these units are a little pricy, up to $8.00 or more. But these scrapers give you good leverage, and make quick work of that frustrating ice and snow clinging to your windshield. Some people put a blanket or tarp over the windshield at night. If you can secure it sufficiently, this may work with a light frost, but with a heavy snow or snow and ice mixture, that cover becomes very heavy to peel off the next morning.

And speaking of scraping windows, it is most important to clean your windshield completely. Too often it is tempting to clean "just enough" ice off a windshield so you can "see enough to drive". Window surface area is designed into automotive design for a reason: Safe visibility while driving. By the way, don't forget your side and rear windows as well. And do I have to remind you to clean your rearview mirrors? Consider yourself reminded.

For you home brew type folks, there is a recipe for a so-called ice preventer. A mixture of water and vinegar in equal parts does help restrict the buildup of ice on vehicle windows. You can apply this as a spray on all window and exterior mirrors at night. I have had some success with this method, but severe icing and snow build up can still occur.

By far the best method is to put your car in the garage. This works if A) You have a garage, and B) If you do, there is actually room in said garage for your car. Even if you start the day with a snow free car, you still have to put up with whatever accumulation of winter precipitation the day deals during your time at that pesky job. Refer to the tips, above for when it's quitting time.