IMPORTANT NOTICE!
Bonfe Mechanical and Bonfe Collision are now together at our 380 West 7th Street location…one convenient location for all of your mechanical and collision repair needs!

651-222-4458

Hours: Monday-Friday 7am – 5pm

Things you should not do to your Car in the Cold Weather

by | Jan 20, 2022 | Winter car care, Winter care, Winter driving, wiper visibility

Sometimes you can get so proactive with winterizing your car that it leads to faults that result in more damages and costly repairs. Below, the article will discuss some of the common mistakes that people make during the winters. Knowing about them can save you plenty of trouble and uncertainty.

Dealing with Ice

If you find your windshield to be frozen up, do not use hot boiling water as a solution to melt the ice. This is because the extreme hot temperature of the hot water can lead to cracking of the windshield. This will lead to costly repairs and replacements since they are very expensive.

In the instance of a frozen windshield, a better idea would be to have patience. If you have a defrost feature in your car, then you can use that to help with defrosting the ice on the windshield. Wait for the car’s heat to warm the ice.

Once it does, you can simply pick the pieces of the ice off the windshield by using a snow scraper. When using a snow scraper, or even a brush, make sure that are extra careful so that you do not damage the windshield glass.

Windshield Wipers

Another thing to keep in mind is defrosting windshield wipers. If they are frozen to the core, do not turn them to clear them off. When you do that, you put your windshield wipers at high risk of damage which becomes a pain.

Not only that, it can also burn out your windshield driver motor. New windshield wiper motors can be costly to replace. Therefore, make sure to hire technicians that can inspect and repair your windshield motors so you do not have to replace them.

Similar to the windshield, scraping ice from the wipers will require you to use an ice scraper. Addressing the wipers is important as they are sole contributors to your visibility on the road, especially during the instance of rain or snow.

Not Checking Tire Pressure

Winter is a time when you have to check your tires more often. If you are not checking the tires often, then you are doing a disservice to public safety. In winters, the tire pressure goes down because the cold air has less pressure than the hot air. This is why you should always check your tires first thing in the morning when the car is cold.

Without the right traction and visibility, you can put yourself in plenty of risk of being stranded in the snow due to an accident or car crash. Another important thing that you need to focus on is the car’s battery health, along with important winter safety kits and resources.