{"id":1477,"date":"2020-01-15T13:41:07","date_gmt":"2020-01-15T19:41:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.carwise.com\/blog\/?p=1477"},"modified":"2020-01-15T13:41:07","modified_gmt":"2020-01-15T19:41:07","slug":"how-can-subzero-temperatures-damage-my-car","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.carwise.com\/blog\/2020\/01\/15\/how-can-subzero-temperatures-damage-my-car\/","title":{"rendered":"How Can Subzero Temperatures Damage My Car?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Roughly two-thirds of all Americans live in cold weather states where below-zero temperatures are possible during winter. Areas of the U.S. like the Upper Midwest and Northeast are notorious for subzero temperatures and teeth-rattling windchills. Not only are those frigid conditions hard on drivers, they can also have a devasting effect on a vehicle\u2019s performance and appearance. Fortunately, it is possible to protect your ride by better understanding how subzero temperatures affect it in the first place. 
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Bitter Cold Targets these Car Areas <\/strong>     
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Your car\u2019s engine, electrical system and fluids can all stop performing optimally once the mercury dips below zero degrees Fahrenheit. In a nutshell, these are some vehicle areas that are vulnerable to bitter cold: 
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Your Car Tires<\/strong>
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For every 10 degrees the temperature drops, your tires lose 1 PSI of pressure. If you don\u2019t check them regularly, your tires can get underinflated and cause poor handling issues- not to mention that the tread will wear out faster.  
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The Vehicles Battery<\/strong>
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Your battery\u2019s electrical output can diminish by up to 50% once temps drop below zero. The older your battery, the greater the odds that it won\u2019t turn over one bitterly cold morning when you\u2019re already in a hurry. To ensure cold weather starts, keep all connections clean, tight and corrosion free. If your battery is over 3 years old, it\u2019s probably time to replace it. 
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Oil For Your Car<\/strong>
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The colder it is, the thicker your oil becomes. As temperatures near -20 F, engine oil can get so thick that the oil pump struggles just to circulate it. Drivers in subzero climates should switch to a low-viscosity oil in the late fall based on manufacturer recommendations found in the owner\u2019s manual. 
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Your Cars Fuel Line<\/strong>
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Gasoline itself will not freeze until temperatures reach -100 degrees F. However, any moisture trapped in your fuel tank can ice up and clog your fuel line when it\u2019s 32 degrees or colder. One of the simplest ways to prevent that from occurring is keeping your gas tank at least half full all winter long. And, on frigid days your gas mileage will drop because the engine is running less efficiently.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The Cars Exhaust System<\/strong>
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When taking repeated short trips in extremely cold weather, your car\u2019s engine typically doesn\u2019t have enough time to warm up sufficiently and burn off water vapor. As a result, engine sludge can accumulate, pass through the exhaust system and cause it to prematurely rust.  
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The Vehicles Engine Block<\/strong>
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If your antifreeze is old, it may not protect the engine\u2019s components from freezing like it should. This can cause cracking to the engine block, resulting in very costly damage. Always make sure that your engine has plenty of antifreeze\/coolant in it by checking the overflow reservoir, and that it still offers protection down to -40 degrees F. 
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Your Cars Windshield<\/strong>
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Never pour hot water on your windshield to melt ice because the glass could crack. Blasting hot air from your defroster on a frozen windshield can also crack it, so de-ice yours instead with a commercially available deicer that\u2019s specifically designed for auto glass. Ordinary rubbing alcohol is another safe deicing option. Subzero temperatures can also cause rubber windshield wiper blades to get brittle, crack and tear. 
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LCD Display Screens For your Vehicle
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If your vehicle has a liquid crystal display (LCD) screen, it may get a little sluggish when your ride\u2019s been sitting outside in extreme cold for a while. That\u2019s because the molecules inside the liquid crystals slow down significantly when exposed to subzero temps. Unfortunately, other than installing an engine-block heater there\u2019s not much you can do to speed up the screen until your engine warms up.   
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These Car Repair Shops Have the Cure for Winter Car Accidents <\/strong>
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If your ride\u2019s been dinged up due to a wintertime accident, promptly take it to one of the 19,000+ auto body and glass repair shops featured in the nationwide Carwise referral network. All collision repair shops listed on Carwise are I-CAR and ASE certified, which means they have the highly trained technicians, driver-trusted services and high-tech equipment to repair your vehicle promptly and reliably. Most speak directly with insurance companies, so you don\u2019t have to, and warranty their repair outcomes to put your mind at ease.<\/p>\n\n\n\n


Search your zip code now for a customer-reviewed auto body or glass repair shop nearby: www.carwise.com<\/a>.  <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":1479,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1477","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-car-care-tips"],"yoast_head":"\nHow Can Subzero Temperatures Damage My Car? - Auto Body Shop Blog - Carwise.com<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.carwise.com\/blog\/2020\/01\/15\/how-can-subzero-temperatures-damage-my-car\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"How Can Subzero Temperatures Damage My Car? - Auto Body Shop Blog - Carwise.com\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Roughly two-thirds of all Americans live in cold weather states where below-zero temperatures are possible during winter. 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