20 Winter Car Care Tips

When I was a kid I absolutely loved the snow and winter. Who didn’t, right?  Your parents, that’s who. Don’t get me wrong, I still like some things about winter – sledding, snowball fights, building snowmen, – you snow, all the fun stuff.  Things I don’t like about winter? Cold cars buried in snow with frozen windshield wipers and locks, to name a few. I never had to deal with those things when I was a kid. It was nice. Seriously, clearing snow and ice off of your windshield in the winter sucks.  Have no fear, for here is an impressive list of 20 winter car care tips that will help save you from some of the frustrations brought by old man winter each year.

Winter Care Care Tips to Keep Your Car Doors and Locks from Freezing

Have you ever gone to get in your car in the winter and your doors won’t open? No matter how hard you try, that sucker is frozen shut. Nice right? Anyone who drives a vehicle in New York, Massachusetts or Connecticut has probably experienced this at least once. A great way to combat a frozen car door is to spray the rubber strip/seal around your doors with some cooking spray. Frozen locks are another common problem that winter presents to vehicles in colder climates. One way get around a frozen car door lock is to hear your key with a lighter, and then gently push it into the lock.  The heat from the key should melt the frozen mechanisms inside the lock enough for you to turn the key. Another quick fix to a frozen door lock is hand sanitizer. Apply it to the key and/or lock and the alcohol present in the hand sanitize will aid in melting any ice in the lock cylinder.

Next up, WD-40. This is a penetrating oil and water displacement spray that is another great tool in the fight again frozen locks. You can use this in a preventive fashion by spraying it on your keys and inside your door locks to keep ice from forming.  WD-40 is something that you should always have on hand – right next to your duct tape. If you don’t have WD-40 or duct tape in your house, stop reading awesome post on winter car care tips and go buy some right now. You aren’t really going to accomplish anything in life if you don’t have WD40 and duct tape.

My apologies, I digress.

Keep Your Windshield Clear Spraying Shaving Cream On It

Wait, what? Spray shaving cream on my windshield to keep it clear? Yes, that is what I said. Shaving cream will prevent fog and moisture from building up on the inside of your windows. You are going to wipe it off of course. Just use some shaving cream to clean the inside of your vehicle’s windows and wipe it away with a clean dry cloth. Spray and wipe, that’s it!

Cat litter will also help in combating moisture inside your car. Take one of those socks that you are never going to find the match to (it’s gone, face it), then fill it with cat litter and leave it in your car. The cat litter will then absorb any moisture in the cabin and will also help to absorb odors. It’s a dual purpose solution – BONUS!

Tricks for Clearing Snow and Ice from Your Vehicles Windshield

So foggy windows are one thing. Waking up in the morning and having to chip away on an inch of ice on your windshield and mirrors is another. Here are a several time saving tricks that you will help you in your efforts on those extra special days.

• A dry cloth with rubbing alcohol will help ice melt faster if it has already formed on your windows.
• To prevent ice from building up, mix three parts vinegar to one part water and spray it on the outside of your windows.
• Can’t find that ice scraper? Try using a plastic credit card or a hard spatula – nothing metal, it will scratch!
• To keep moisture and ice from forming on your outside mirrors, place large Ziploc bags over them and seal them up as much as possible.
• Point your windshield wipers straight up to keep them from sticking to the glass.
• Use a broom to clear away light snow. It is much more efficient that those dinky brushes they put on the end of an ice scraper.
• Cover each of your wipers with a sock to prevent ice and snow buildup.
• Let the sun help you by parking your vehicle facing east. The warmth of the rising sun will get the job started for your and help save some time in the morning.
• Stop snow from building up on your shovel by spraying it with nonstick cooking spray.
• Keep an old area rug or a large piece of cardboard in your trunk. You can use either to cover your entire windshield, just be sure to tuck it under your wipers (wrapped in socks) so it doesn’t blow away.

Keep Your Tires Rolling in the Snow

Tires tread is the most important factor when it comes to confident handling on snowy roads. Visually inspect your tires and make sure they have a safe tread depth. You can do this by sticking a penny in different grooves of your tires tread with President Lincoln’s head facing down. If part of his head is always covered then you are safe with about 2/32″ of tread depth remaining

Cat litter can be a life saver if your tires get stuck in the snow. Get some extra traction by sprinkling it under your tires to get you going again.

You know those socks I keep mentioning? Well here they are again. Keep an extra pair inside your vehicle at all times. You can slide one over each shoe to give you better traction when your are outside shoveling or pushing.

That big piece of cardboard I mentioned earlier to keep your windshield clear can also be used here as well.  Tear it in half and it to help get more traction when you are stuck in slush.

In Conclusion

Winter can be a problem for many reasons but hopefully this post will help save you some time and stress this winter.  Let us know of any other help winter car care tips that you can think of as well.  Thanks for reading!

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