Need advice on winter car care

[Skunkwourk]

Alright so I moved from CA to NY and shipped my car over. I have no idea what to expect this winter, and I have no idea how to deal with snow. Im sure CA winters are nothing compared to a NY fall. So here are a few questions and any advice is appreciated.

1) People tell me the salt will get rid of the snow on the roads but that it will harm the undercarriage. What can I do about that?

2) Can I still wash my car or will my doors just freeze shut?

3) Do I need to get a shovel? or something to chip the ice off the windshield?

4) How often should I be doing any of the things I asked about? Every 2 weeks?

5) I also have leather seats, do I need to use leather lotion on them a lot?

 

[boomerang]

Originally posted by: Eghck
Alright so I moved from CA to NY and shipped my car over. I have no idea what to expect this winter, and I have no idea how to deal with snow. Im sure CA winters are nothing more than a NY fall. So here are a few questions and any advice is appreciated.

1) People tell me the salt will get rid of the snow on the roads but that it will harm the undercarriage. What can I do about that?
Nothing really. Some car washes offer an underbody wash but I question the usefulness. Modern cars will hold up just fine. They won't last as long as they do in CA, but just how long do you plan to own it?

2) Can I still wash my car or will my doors just freeze shut?
I get mine washed and park it overnight in the garage. If it's 5 above and you get the car washed and park it outside, expect the possibility that the doors will freeze shut. Use common sense.

3) Do I need to get a shovel? or something to chip the ice off the windshield?
Shovel? I've never needed one. For ice buy an ice scraper. A plastic one with a long handle works just fine.

4) How often should I be doing any of the things I asked about? Every 2 weeks?
Ummm, wash as desired, scrape when necessary.

5) I also have leather seats, do I need to use leather lotion on them a lot?
Leather seats will hold up just fine. Save your ministrations for nice weather.

If your car is front wheel drive, driving in the snow will be easier than you imagined. You should adapt pretty quickly. The thing to remember is that it's usually easy to get the car moving, but when stopping, you absolutely have to allow more distance. Ditto when driving in traffic. Tailgating can lead to disaster in the snow.

Rear wheel drive is a tougher learning curve. Find a snow filled parking lot and try to get the hang of it. You'll do fine.

Tires are important. The majority of cars come with all-season tires. They work great in the snow. If you're running low on tread, expect to have problems.

Lastly, (unless I edit yet again) one of the "tricks" to driving in snow is to drive smoothly. Sudden acceleration, sudden stops and rapid steering motions are not the hot setup. Smooth is good.

 

[Tarrant64]

Originally posted by: boomerang

Originally posted by: Eghck
Alright so I moved from CA to NY and shipped my car over. I have no idea what to expect this winter, and I have no idea how to deal with snow. Im sure CA winters are nothing more than a NY fall. So here are a few questions and any advice is appreciated.

1) People tell me the salt will get rid of the snow on the roads but that it will harm the undercarriage. What can I do about that?
Nothing really. Some car washes offer an underbody wash but I question the usefulness. Modern cars will hold up just fine. They won't last as long as they do in CA, but just how long do you plan to own it?

2) Can I still wash my car or will my doors just freeze shut?
I get mine washed and park it overnight in the garage. If it's 5 above and you get the car washed and park it outside, expect the possibility that the doors will freeze shut. Use common sense.

3) Do I need to get a shovel? or something to chip the ice off the windshield?
Buy an ice scraper.

4) How often should I be doing any of the things I asked about? Every 2 weeks?
Ummm, wash as desired, scrape when necessary.

5) I also have leather seats, do I need to use leather lotion on them a lot?
Leather seats will hold up just fine. Save your ministrations for nice weather.

If your car is front wheel drive, driving in the snow will be easier than you imagined. You should adapt pretty quickly. The thing to remember is that it's usually easy to get the car moving, but when stopping, you absolutely have to allow more distance. Ditto when driving in traffic. Tailgating can lead to disaster in the snow.

Rear wheel drive is a tougher learning curve. Find a snow filled parking lot and try to get the hang of it. You'll do fine.

Nothing like seeing a RW Mustang struggling up a small hill. Eventually they got the point and gave up trying.

Winter isn't too bad in NY. I've only been there 2x when it was Winter, but it wasn't so bad. I'm in Nebraska, and I can't say we get the worst weather, but I can tell you it just plain sucks sometimes.

Watch out for black ice. If it's wet and very cold, expect it to be a little bit slippery. Nothing like putting on the brakes and nothing happening while 10ft behind a car. Don't come into corners too fast too.

Like boomerang said, take your time and you'll be fine. It's not so much the car maintenance you'll have to worry about, but the actual driving of the car. A dirty undercarriage isn't going to mean anything if you can't get to where you need to in bad weather.

 

[SketchMaster]

Originally posted by: boomerang
If your car is front wheel drive, driving in the snow will be easier than you imagined. You should adapt pretty quickly. The thing to remember is that it's usually easy to get the car moving, but when stopping, you absolutely have to allow more distance. Ditto when driving in traffic. Tailgating can lead to disaster in the snow.

...

Lastly, (unless I edit yet again) one of the "tricks" to driving in snow is to drive smoothly. Sudden acceleration, sudden stops and rapid steering motions are not the hot setup. Smooth is good.

Those are the most important things to remember when driving in the snow. Stay at least three car lengths behind the car in front of you to prevent rear-ending them, NEVER tailgate in snow no matter how slow they are going, and even a car with ABS will skid a great distance in the snow.

If you have never been taught how to threshold break then I would recommend you find a driving school that has a skid pad they can teach you on, the classes might cost a bit but it's well worth the investment when a 18 wheeler is jackknifing in front of you on the highway.

 

[Skunkwourk]

Thanks for the driving tips.

Boomerang, Its a 00 Lexus Es300 (dressed up Camry if you will). So far its been pretty reliable and I've kept it in pretty good condition so Id like to keep it as long as long as I can.

Its also front wheel drive, so I'll keep all of your driving tips in mind.

Sketchmaster I'll look into threshold braking since I've never heard of it.

 

[Zenmervolt]

Originally posted by: Tarrant64
Nothing like seeing a RW Mustang struggling up a small hill. Eventually they got the point and gave up trying.

Meh, I had no problems when I had the Mustang last winter when people in SUVs were getting stuck around here. It's all in the driver.

ZV

 

[JulesMaximus]

Originally posted by: Eghck
Thanks for the driving tips.

Boomerang, Its a 00 Lexus Es300 (dressed up Camry if you will). So far its been pretty reliable and I've kept it in pretty good condition so Id like to keep it as long as long as I can.

Its also front wheel drive, so I'll keep all of your driving tips in mind.

Sketchmaster I'll look into threshold braking since I've never heard of it.

Put some decent snow tires on it in the winter and you'll have no trouble at all with driving in the snow.

One other thing I would do is make sure you have decent wipers and that your washers work. Also, you will need an ice scraper.

One preventative maintenance item I'd do is have your cooling system flushed and make sure it is filled with the correct mixture of coolant for cold climates. I'd also check your battery. I'd be willing to bet that a battery that's been used for many years in SoCal will not start your car on the first really cold morning in upstate NY.

If your car has beige interior I'd get some aftermarket, slush catching floor mats to keep your carpets looking as good as possible.

You will be able to wash your car but you won't be able to do it yourself in your driveway during the winter.

What part of NY? I grew up there and drove in snow for many winters.

 

[Skunkwourk]

Originally posted by: JulesMaximus

Originally posted by: Eghck
Thanks for the driving tips.

Boomerang, Its a 00 Lexus Es300 (dressed up Camry if you will). So far its been pretty reliable and I've kept it in pretty good condition so Id like to keep it as long as long as I can.

Its also front wheel drive, so I'll keep all of your driving tips in mind.

Sketchmaster I'll look into threshold braking since I've never heard of it.

Put some decent snow tires on it in the winter and you'll have no trouble at all with driving in the snow.

One other thing I would do is make sure you have decent wipers and that your washers work. Also, you will need an ice scraper.

One preventative maintenance item I'd do is have your cooling system flushed and make sure it is filled with the correct mixture of coolant for cold climates. I'd also check your battery. I'd be willing to bet that a battery that's been used for many years in SoCal will not start your car on the first really cold morning in upstate NY.

If your car has beige interior I'd get some aftermarket, slush catching floor mats to keep your carpets looking as good as possible.

You will be able to wash your car but you won't be able to do it yourself in your driveway during the winter.

What part of NY? I grew up there and drove in snow for many winters.

Well Im due for a timing belt change soon so I'll ask about the fluids when I get that done, and the battery I have was from Sears maybe 1.5 years ago. I also had all season tires put on before I shipped the car.

Im upstate in Syracuse, and will be here for at least 3 years.

 

[JulesMaximus]

Originally posted by: Eghck

Originally posted by: JulesMaximus

Originally posted by: Eghck
Thanks for the driving tips.

Boomerang, Its a 00 Lexus Es300 (dressed up Camry if you will). So far its been pretty reliable and I've kept it in pretty good condition so Id like to keep it as long as long as I can.

Its also front wheel drive, so I'll keep all of your driving tips in mind.

Sketchmaster I'll look into threshold braking since I've never heard of it.

Put some decent snow tires on it in the winter and you'll have no trouble at all with driving in the snow.

One other thing I would do is make sure you have decent wipers and that your washers work. Also, you will need an ice scraper.

One preventative maintenance item I'd do is have your cooling system flushed and make sure it is filled with the correct mixture of coolant for cold climates. I'd also check your battery. I'd be willing to bet that a battery that's been used for many years in SoCal will not start your car on the first really cold morning in upstate NY.

If your car has beige interior I'd get some aftermarket, slush catching floor mats to keep your carpets looking as good as possible.

You will be able to wash your car but you won't be able to do it yourself in your driveway during the winter.

What part of NY? I grew up there and drove in snow for many winters.

Well Im due for a timing belt change soon so I'll ask about the fluids when I get that done, and the battery I have was from Sears maybe 1.5 years ago. I also had all season tires put on before I shipped the car.

Im upstate in Syracuse, and will be here for at least 3 years.

I used to live in Rochester. Snow tires would be best. All seasons would probably be okay though.

 

[desy]

All season tires aren't winter tires, period.
Definately get your coolant checked, its a super easy test and any quick lube place can do it, you can have real engine problems if it isn't up to stuff.
Do you have a block heater? probably not, I'd look into that.
Spray or wipe your rubber seals around the doors with silicone spray and it does wonders
Don't ever put the pressure wash directly on the locks as these will commonly freeze the insides.

Winter driving is a skill easily picked up, just go slow with plenty of time to stop! rear end collisions are common in winter cause people just don't stop in time