Tips for keeping your car running on a cold day
COLUMBUS (WCMH) — With winter officially in central Ohio, it’s time to make sure cars are prepared for the cold temperatures.
At Tom and Jerry’s Auto Service, they recommend general maintenance to get your vehicle ready for winter.
Things like oil changes, checking tire pressure and your windshield wipers becomes even more important.
There are also quite a few myths out there on preparing your car for the cold, one of them is keeping your gas tank full to prevent the line from freezing.
“Gas doesn’t freeze. Water freezes. If you have water in the line, it don’t make any difference if you have a lot of gas or no gas,” said Jerry Schwan, president of Tom and Jerry’s Auto Service.
Schwan said the biggest thing to watch out for is condensation that can freeze in your gas line.
One thing that is true is the importance of warming your car up before driving it. Schwan says it doesn’t hurt to give your car a few minutes before you begin driving it, but you don’t want to leave your car running without being in the vehicle.
“Why push it too hard?” said Schwan. “Just be a little nice, I mean you don’t put your coat on and run out and see how fast you can shovel snow or do anything, right?”
The mechanics at Tom and Jerry’s Auto Service also said there is no need to start your car if it sat idle during a cold day, you only need to keep it maintained.
“If you’re going out to start the car because you’re worried about it, it means the car’s not in top running condition,” said Schwan.