Winter !

[RocketmanX]

Not quite sure how cold your winters are there but we see around 10 to 30 F below as a wind chill (on the worst days- normal is around 20-30 with a windchill of 0) here in winter and sometimes lower. (Lake Michigan gives us a lot of bad winter storms here) Didn't see mention of this and in these kinds of temps it's imperitave to have your oil changed as well to lighter weight for the cold winter weather. Normally a 40 wt. is used here in summer and a 30 in winter. This lets the oil pump easier through the oil galleys in the cold temps when the oil thickens up. It makes those cold starts easier on your motor since the oil actually starts ppumping to those crucial parts right away.

Another little trick is to run a little hotter burning plug in winter. It helps the engine fire easier saving the battery and helps the engine warm up quicker. If you've never had to start a car that's been out in temps of 0 degrees before you have no idea what acar with a poor fire in the cylinder is like. It is almost always going to flood and the nyour stuck with a dead battery since the fuel will never dry from the cylinders at below freezing.

Diesels (which I drive) are a whole 'nother ball of wax

[5lab]

turns out we were both right mate -

my car didnt increase the throttle when i applied the choke, however when i took the lid off and had a prod today, it turns out that it was meant to, it had just been badly adjusted.. so now i've adjusted it correctly and will find out tomorrow am whether or not it will start from cold easier

[J4MES]

yes, yes... Holy Thread Revival etc.

Dug up from 2003, for 2008, the original and best...

/drum roll

Zak's Winter Driving Thread [TM]

QFT tbh

now re-read and inwardly digest

[Zak33]

Somewhere else I wrote the following..but it's worth having here:

Find an old washing up liquid bottle. Fill it with water. Leave it INDOORS by the front or back door for when you leave in the morning.

Warm your car up, as normal, sat still, until you'e safe to drive off and off you go....

then...later on...when the salt has smeared your windscreen, and the squirters on your bonnet have frozen up and you can't see anything...wind down your drivers window, hold your bottle out of the window and squeeze the room temperature water onto the screen while you use your wipers

This has saved me endless hours of driving with smeared salt laden screens

Repeat the next morning DONT leave it in the car, it'll freeze up overnight.

[joshwa]

CLEAN YOUR WINDSCREEN inside and out...I sit in hundreds of cars...every week......people seem to think they only need to use "The Force" and not actually see.....CLEAN THE INSIDE.

Some of my friends cars are like that - does my flippin' nut in!!

Doh - just realised this threads from 2003

[chrestomanci]

then...later on...when the salt has smeared your windscreen, and the squirters on your bonnet have frozen up and you can't see anything...wind down your drivers window, hold your bottle out of the window and squeeze the room temperature water onto the screen while you use your wipers

Alternatively, when you are de-icing in the morning, spray a bit of de-icer onto the jets to melt the drop of ice that forms on them, and put a strong enough solution in your washer bottle that it does not freaze up later in your journey.