Living in Canada and cold weather is sometimes a challenge at the best of times. Here are some useful winter weather car hacks that might be helpful.
Use a leaf blower! If you have a leaf blower from the fall season, maybe keep it out and accessible in the winter months too! It’s easier and safer for the paint on your car than a brush or scraper too! and only takes a few minutes so you’ll be driving in no time. We recommend the cordless type for this!
Stop Squeaky Belts. Extreme cold can cause power steering and other belts to just not grip as well as in the warmer months. By applying a belt dressing you can assure a better grip and stop those annoying and potentially unsafe belt squeaks. Slipping power steering belts can cause a loss of control besides being annoying. If you don’t know how to apply a belt dressing, take the vehicle to a local shop and have them apply it, get a friend to help, or watch a DIY YouTube video. Hopefully, the squeaks stay away after this!
Wax Headlights. By simply applying a thin coat of car wax to your headlights you can reduce fog and cloudiness, and fresh snow slides right off! The last thing you want to have in cold winter months is less visible headlights. Headlights that are fogged can impair vision by up to 50%. Do some research on the best methods for glass and plastic lenses.
Silicone Spray Doors. Cold can sometimes cause doors to freeze shut. Spaying a small amount on the weather stripping around the doors can prevent the doors from freezing shut. It can also reduce buildup around wheel wells if applied to inner fender wells.
WD-40 in the Keyhole. The only thing worse than doors that are frozen shut is a keyhole that won’t work. Although many cars have a remote keyless fob, some still may require the key to open the door. Squirting a small amount of WD-40 in the keyhole will prevent the locks from freezing right up and preventing you from braking a key off or breaking the lock mechanism.
Air Out Your Car. To prevent ice buildup on the windshield try airing out your car when parking it for the night. After heating your car and driving the interior of your vehicle is warmer than the outside air. After parking the vehicle condensation can build up due to humidity inside the vehicle. Letting some cool air back in the car can help prevent frost buildup.
Use Floormats for Traction. It’s never fun to get stuck in the snow. Having good quality rubber floor mats can not only keep snow and moisture on the carpet but can also be very useful in getting unstuck. By placing the floormat under the spinning stuck wheel you can sometimes create enough traction to get out of the situation. Just don’t forget to pick it up and drive off without it!
Kitty Litter in Trunk. Another good thing to keep in the truck is kitty litter. It is very gritty and can be thrown underneath a spinning stuck wheel to create enough traction to get moving again. We recommend a new Kitty liter for this use.
Pop-up Windshield Wipers. By popping up your windshield wipers you can prevent ice from forming on them as new snow falls and freezes to your windshield. It will improve the life of your wiper blades as well, and make cleaning and clearing off the windshield a lot quicker and easier. Just remember to put them back in place before driving off!
Car Cover at Night. The use of a car cover that does not absorb or let moisture through can save a lot of time. Simply remove and shake off the excess snow. Keep the cover in the trunk of the rear storage of the vehicle for quick application when needed. If there is a lot of snow you may need to push it off before removing the cover.
Credit Card Ice Scraper. In case you get caught off-guard and don’t have a snowbrush or an ice scraper with you, an old plastic credit car works quite nicely on frozen windows and side mirrors. Just be careful not to push too hard and snap it in half, there are better ways to deal with your debt.
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