Things to consider when warming up your car in winter
Drivers often make four main mistakes when warming up their car in winter. According to automotive experts, improper warming of the car can lead to potential damage. Here are the tips from specialists at the “Za Rulyom” magazine on this matter.
- Warming the car incorrectly in cold weather increases the risk of damaging the battery. Therefore, it is recommended to heat the battery quickly. To do this, it’s useful to turn on electrical devices like the radio or high beams for a short period of time.
- If your battery is old, it’s best to remove it at night and bring it into a warm place. Additionally, if you properly warm up the car in the evening, the battery will be able to handle one night of cold weather. However, avoid keeping electrical devices like the defroster or other gadgets turned on.
If the battery doesn’t start, you can try jump-starting it with jumper cables. If you don’t have another car to connect to, you can push-start a manual transmission vehicle. - In winter, the buildup of frost on the spark plugs can cause engine problems. In this case, the best solution is to remove the spark plugs, warm them up, and then reattach them.
- Thickened oil can also obstruct engine start, especially if it hasn’t been changed for a long time.
Experts recommend not running the starter for more than 10 seconds if the engine doesn’t start. After three to four attempts, let the starter rest for a minute before trying again.
