Winter prep?

I would like to know about this as well. It has already been to 30's (F) here in Ann Arbor. :blink:

 

Hoestly, while salt can lead to rust and problems, odds are you won't have to worry about them. I've never done anything special to a car before winter and they've all held up just fine. My previous car was a '97 Sunfire, and it ran like it did the day i got it (used). And on top of that, most of it's life was spent in Cleveland, which loves its salt more than any city i've seen (it helps perhaps that we mine it all from lake erie).

Many of the other problems they post are something to keep in mind, definately, but i wouldn't go so far as to actually go out of my way to check anything.

He says check the windshield wipers... well duh, you'll know if they're going bad (and IMO it's better to replace them in the spring than winter, as they get torn up the most during the winter).

Washing fluid booster? whats that? It's nice to have some antifreeze stuff in the fluid to help melt the ice, but this booster "to deal with salt" sounds like a gimick to me...

The battery - yes, it doesn't opperate as efficiently during the winter. Do if you're having problems already with it, then replace it. if not, then don't. The big problem with the prius is that without using the battery to crank the engine, it can be very difficult to tell when it's going bad. but generally the worst that will happen is you come out of the store and the car doesn't start... you go wait inside till you can find a jump. I've never been in a situation where i stop the car and turn it off in the middle of nowhere in the middle of winter... just doesn't make much sense.

"Have the cooling system checked" - Well, when you have your regularly schedules maintenance, that should be on the checklist, one would think... Anything beyond that is really just overkill. of course, if you change your own oil and such, then you should be checking this yourself anyways.

Change the oil - What planet is this guy from? "Most manufacturers recommend an oil change every 5,000 to 15,000 miles or once a year, whichever comes first." Most cars/manufacturers recomend every 3k miles/3 months... the Prius going up to 5k/6 months was a nice surprise when i bought the car. Change the oil when it's time to change the oil... no sense in wasting money.

Worn tires - Yes, when they wear, replace them. seems like common sense to me, as does most of the article.

In general, it doesn't sound like he really had much to offer to the point of the article. The things discussed are generally, every day, common sense items that don't require any special action on anyone's part. If something is wearing, replace it. if something isn't working right, fix it. duh. The most i got out of the article is: cold weather effects batteries (well, i already knew that), and ice is slippery, so don't use bald tires (already knew that too).

What could be much more valuable would be winter safety tips. An article about what "winter gear" you should stick in your back seat would be nice (a blanket, for example). Basically just emergency stuff if the car breaks down and you have to wait for a tow truck in the cold.

So in short, don't panic, don't worry. pay attention to your car and what's going on around you, and take corrective action when needed. there isn't any real need to be examining things or replacing things *only* because it's getting cold out.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(luna @ Oct 1 2006, 06:29 PM) [snapback]326576[/snapback]</div>

That article seemed a little over the top to me. I usually like to wax the car for winter, and do any "close to" maintenance before it gets too cold, as I usually do it myself, and a 70 degree driveway is so much nicer than a 35 degree one, so I may change oil or rotate tires in November instead of January if it's somewhat close. I also like to run a can of de-icer through the fuel system to remvoe water before any freezing weather, I learned that one the hard way after leaving Raleigh on a nice 50 degree day, and arriving up north to -10 one Christmas, but your climate may vary, and I'm very skeptical of any additives with a Prius given the "fuel bladder". I don't know what it would cost to get a damage one replaced, but I'm pretty sure I don't want to know, either.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(luna @ Oct 1 2006, 03:29 PM) [snapback]326576[/snapback]</div>

Given that Autopia hosts one of the big three detailing forums, that was a pretty weak article when it came to paint protection. If you're really interested in maintaining that "showcar" appearance through winter, go to detailcity.com (or autopia or roadfly) and do a search for "winter combo" in the LSP (Last Step Product) forums.

http://www.detailcity.org/forums/lsps-last...ighlight=winter