# Winterizing vehicle in Southern Alberta



## atrp2biz (Sep 22, 2010)

So I'm new to Southern Alberta (from the GTA). I previously had no concerns about not having a block heater, oil pan heater or battery blanket.

For all you car junkies on this forum, do I need any of these for winter? Is an oil pan heater necessary if you're on synthetic oil? There's lot of info out there on this, but I haven't been able to nail down an action plan (if any) to prepare for the winter.

Any thoughts?

NB: The vehicle is parked outside in the evenings.


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## Sampson (Apr 3, 2009)

just get the block heater and you'll be fine. plug the car in over night if it gets below -15C or so ambient. and snow tires if you don't already have them.

No need for oil pan heater or blanket. Well, maybe a emergency blanket in your trunk but that should be enough.


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## the-royal-mail (Dec 11, 2009)

Don't use the pink summer wiper fluid. Only use the -40 blue stuff. Sampson pretty well covered the rest, a block heater is a must, along with ensuring your dwelling has a place to plug in the car. You'll need a couple of extension cords. I also agree with the winter tire suggestion, winter wipers are another good idea long with a snow shovel and kitty litter in the car. And avoid rear wheel drive unless you want to kill your gas mileage by adding all sorts of weight to the trunk. Also get a remote start if you'll be parking outside and leave the heater on HIGH before leaving the car. Try to park close to your window so you can start the car from inside.


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## brad (May 22, 2009)

I know the argument for a block heater is that it reduces wear and tear on the engine, but I don't know if anyone has actually done controlled studies on the practical effect of using one vs. not using one over a car's lifetime. I've parked my cars outdoors for 30 years and never had a block heater; in the hills of Vermont we often had temps down to -37C and usually at least a full week or two where the temp never got above -18C. My Honda Civic did fine for more than 400,000 km with no block heater and some pretty gruesome winters. 

Modern cars are also designed to run from a cold start with no warmup; all the mechanics I've talked to who worked on my cars said no warmup was necessary, which was corroborated by the owner's manual. 

I do of course use snow tires and I like using winter wipers, but no block heater for me. Then again I don't live where the prairie winds blow; if I did that might change my mind.


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## m3s (Apr 3, 2010)

Besides what has been mentioned, get your rad fluid tested to make sure it won't freeze... If you start your car with a remote like TRM, don't forget to carry gloves and winter clothes so you don't freeze to death if anything happens


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## m3s (Apr 3, 2010)

brad said:


> I've parked my cars outdoors for 30 years and never had a block heater; in the hills of Vermont we often had temps down to -37C and usually at least a full week or two where the temp never got above -18C. My Honda Civic did fine for more than 400,000 km with no block heater and some pretty gruesome winters.


Eh I;m not sure Montreal and Vermont are very cold compared to the Saguenay or the Prairies. If you don't believe me, then why do those 2 places always have plugs in the parking lots at work? It was common to have people late for work or hitching rides when their block heaters didn't get plugged in. It didn't matter what battery you bought, it was probably dead in a few years. Batteries drain and oil thickens in extreme cold


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## NorthernRaven (Aug 4, 2010)

brad said:


> ...in the hills of Vermont we often had temps down to -37C and usually at least a full week or two where the temp never got above -18C. My Honda Civic did fine for more than 400,000 km with no block heater and some pretty gruesome winters.


I grew up in the Arctic, with temps down to -45C and usually a full week or two where the temp never got much above -40C. Block heaters are _de rigueur_, although the beastly engine in our old 1974 Dodge Monaco wagon was rather more primitive than a modern Civic...  
At least one apartment complex had the electrical plugin on your outside parking spot controlled by a switch in your unit, so you could leave it plugged in and just switch on the current before you went to bed. Haven't seen a lot of that in Nova Scotia!


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## Sampson (Apr 3, 2009)

brad said:


> I don't know if anyone has actually done controlled studies on the practical effect of using one vs. not using one


brad, you are one tough critic. No one would do this study, a consumer advocate maybe?

I agree new cars with very efficient thermostats are wonderful at raising the temperature quickly, but truthfully, when its -30C ambient out, its not the car I'm worried about. I like my toasty heated seats, and enjoy that it is quicker to warm up the engine, then transfer the heat into the cabin for me.

In addition to raven's suggestion, an outdoor timer from crappy tire can be an alternative.


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## andrewf (Mar 1, 2010)

Block heaters are hardly expensive.


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## brad (May 22, 2009)

NorthernRaven said:


> I grew up in the Arctic, with temps down to -45C and usually a full week or two where the temp never got much above -40C.


Yeah, I knew I'd get flak for that!  I keep forgetting that "cold" by my standards is t-shirt weather for those in central and northern Canada.

I have friends who live above the Arctic Circle in Alaska; they take their car batteries inside at night and of course they use block heaters. I guess I just don't think block heaters are quite as necessary as some people think -- I've seen people who plug in their cars as soon as it gets below freezing.

A block heater isn't actually an option for me anyway, as I have no driveway and the parking rules require me to park on the side of the street opposite my house.


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## m3s (Apr 3, 2010)

brad said:


> I guess I just don't think block heaters are quite as necessary as some people think -- I've seen people who plug in their cars as soon as it gets below freezing.


That is true. I always waited until the car had to crank for 5 seconds or so lol, usually because I don't watch the weather forecast. It certainly took more that -1 to need it, and if it only hits -40 on the odd night you're probably fine.


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## Eder (Feb 16, 2011)

I did get by in my younger broke days using a trouble light pushed against the engine block since it had no block heater.

Crankshafts rotating 15x/second don't like -40 lubricant 1st thing in the morning.

Now if we could figure out ways to keep our tires warm so its not like we're driving the railroad tracks for a few miles in the morning!


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## Potato (Apr 3, 2009)

Block heaters also help improve fuel efficiency for the first few minutes of a drive, since the engine isn't working as hard to get up to operating temp.


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## hystat (Jun 18, 2010)

OP is using synthetic oil... finally an application where that will be a big help. for most cars and climates it is a waste, but on the coldest western winter mornings it will make starting much easier for the starter and battery...especially after a few days of a car sitting inactive in the deep cold.


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## crazyjackcsa (Aug 8, 2010)

Something else to think about, which way you park at night: About once a winter I'll park the "wrong way" and a stiff wind will blow a drift of snow up and under the hood, and park it in the engine bay. That's hard on just about everything. 

You haven't mentioned how old your vehicle is. It's true a brand new car should be fine, you start adding a few years though... and hello block heater. Keeps things...not so much warm... but not cold. it helps on start up, warm oil, warm block, saves a weaker battery.


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## jagger (Jan 12, 2011)

I've lived in the Great White North, so I can give you a few suggestions...

Use a block heater, there cheap usually around 30-40 bucks, plus an hour's worth labor to install. Use synthetic motor oil, it will flow faster in sub-zero temperatures. Synthetics also make the motor smoother and more responsive. In fact, I can't go back to conventional after using synthetic. Plus the cost is about the same, since you can go 10k kms on a single oil change, some people go up to 15k kms.

Get a crowbar type tool as well for opening doors. Sometimes water will seep into the edges of doors and freeze overnight. This will freeze your doors shut, pulling on the door handle won't help, plastic handles can break easily. This is very rare, but it happened to to me once or twice every winter. I literally couldn't open doors by pulling on the handles.

You can easily avoid some of these problems by obtaining covered parking.


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## crazyjackcsa (Aug 8, 2010)

Easy fix for the door is to grease or otherwise oil the weather stripping.


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## atrp2biz (Sep 22, 2010)

Thanks all. Good discussion.

I'm leaning towards the block heater (albeit costing $260 installed). Already have winter tires (not on yet!). Will definitely use an outdoor timer.

I have a 2006 Hyundai Sonata with 114K km on it. I recently flushed the coolant and upped the concentration a bit to 55/45. Haven't put synthetic oil in yet, but will do so on my next oil change. 5W-20 is the recommended oil and should be light enough to handle the cold without additional intervention.


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## andrewf (Mar 1, 2010)

Uhhhh... oil + rubber/plastic is a bad mix. It's a good way to destroy your weather stripping.


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## praire_guy (Sep 8, 2011)

While a block heater is not absolutely needed, for the cost of it just do it. 

Synthetic oil does make a difference. 

Also I recommend a battery blanket. 20 bucks from Canadian tire, easy to install. 

The colder it gets, the less "juice" a battery has, and more "juice " is need to turn over an engine. 

An alternative to a battery blanket is a trickle charger. Not the cheap kind. (these will boil the battery) get a smart charger like battery minder. 

Winter tires? Absolutely 100 % yes. They make a huge difference. 

I live in Manitoba and we can get real cold.


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## GoGoGo (Sep 8, 2011)

Sampson said:


> brad, you are one tough critic. No one would do this study, a consumer advocate maybe?
> 
> I agree new cars with very efficient thermostats are wonderful at raising the temperature quickly, but truthfully, when its -30C ambient out, its not the car I'm worried about. I like my toasty heated seats, and enjoy that it is quicker to warm up the engine, then transfer the heat into the cabin for me.


not to mention that the windows will be so frosted up at that temperature that you can't safely see out of them. That was always my main concern when warming up the car. 

(then I moved to Vancouver and sold my car, so I don't have to think about it anymore!)


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