How to keep your car running in Sask. winters

It seems to happen every winter. You jump into your car on a cold day and turn the key, but it just won’t start.

It’s never a fun experience, but thankfully there are some simple ways to help keep your car running all winter long in Saskatchewan.

James Lewko, general manager for Driven Automotive Repair in Regina, said there are many steps a vehicle owner can take to keep their car safe in the winter, but the most important is to remember to plug in your car’s block heater.

Lewko said some models of Volkswagen and BMW cars don’t come with block heaters, and because of that it’s crucial to use synthetic oil in those vehicles.

He suggested following the manufacturer’s maintenance schedule to keep your car in its best condition during the winter months.

“If it says to do spark plugs at a certain mileage, make sure that you do that,” he said, adding that regular oil changes are another important part of keeping a vehicle operating smoothly during the winter.

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With the amount of ethanol in fuel, he said moisture can get into the tank when it’s cold, and keeping a full tank of gas in your vehicle helps reduce the buildup of moisture. He recommended using a fuel dryer, which helps remove the molecules of water that condensate inside a vehicle’s gas tank. Gas-line antifreeze is another option, he added.

Most of the calls the shop receives during extremely cold weather are battery related, he said.

“Extreme heat and extreme cold are what kill batteries,” Lewko explained.

Lewko said the life expectancy of a battery normally ranges from five to seven years, but with many new electronics in recent vehicles the typical life expectancy of a battery has dropped to around four to six years.

Vehicle owners can be proactive by changing their car batteries after five years, he said, even if it appears to be working well during the summer.

Lewko said newer technology in vehicles has created more challenges in extremely cold weather, and although many of the models aim to reduce their carbon footprint, they don’t tailor their designs to Canadian weather.

His company has an electric vehicle that can’t start because the battery is too cold, he explained, so the only option is to leave it plugged in and to hope it warms up.

“It’s not really, in my opinion, moving forward, especially in our environment,” he said.

Finally, he said all vehicle owners should keep a set of jumper cables on hand just in case.