Homemade ways for winter driving. Effective, but is it safe for the car?
In winter, drivers have a hard time. The car is very easy to immobilize at low temperatures. Fortunately, many problems can be solved with home remedies.
You leave the house in the morning, insert the key into the lock and try to turn it. However, the cartridge does not respond. Most likely it is frozen and needs to be warmed up so that you can get into the car. How to do it? There are many ways. The most popular is to put a small amount of de-icer inside. Such drugs, however, are not indifferent to the mechanism and too frequent introduction of them into the shutter accelerates its wear. In severe frosts, it is also not recommended to pour hot water on the handles, because this only helps for a while. The water left in the castle will freeze in a few hours.
“A simple but effective solution is to put a heating pad or foil bag of hot water on the door and handle,” says Stanisław Plonka, a mechanic from Rzeszów. Some drivers also use the cigarette lighter method of heating the metal part of the key. This solution is also effective, but a bit risky. Cause? Fire can damage the plastic cover of the key, so handle it very carefully. “If the car is close to a garage or a window, you can use an extension cord to bring electricity to it and try to heat the lock, for example, with a hair dryer,” says S. Plonka.
The dryer is also useful for opening doors that are frozen to studs or seals. Most often this happens after washing the car at low temperatures. If the door handle and lock work, but the driver still cannot open the door, he should not forcefully pull on the door. This may damage the seals. At home, you can use a hair dryer and try warming up the seals with a jet of warm air. Hot water is a last resort. First, for the same reasons as for lightning. Secondly, frosted windows and varnish can crack under the influence of sudden changes in temperature. Especially if the car was previously repaired by a painter and there is putty under the paint.
- The door will not freeze if the driver wipes the seals with a special silicone-based product. But it can be replaced with other specifics. Remember that it must be a fatty substance. For example, vaseline, says Stanislav Plonka.
Take care of your fuel
At low temperatures, water formed from steam and deposited in the tank and fuel lines can cause problems with engine starting and operation. Therefore, when refueling a car, it is worth adding an additive to gasoline. “Because even the best gasoline can contain a small amount of water in winter. The concentrator will handle this and it will prevent ice blockages in the fuel lines preventing the engine from starting and running,” says the mechanic.
With diesel engines, the problem is somewhat different. Paraffin crystals form in diesel fuel. A depressant will help here, a slightly different remedy that helps fight nasal congestion. When it is very cold, it can be used as a preventive measure, explains S. Plonka.
Water accumulation can also be prevented by filling it with more fuel. In winter, the tank should be at least half full. Thanks to this, we will also eliminate the risk of fuel pump jamming. - In newer cars, it is lubricated. If we work on standby all the time, the pump is affected and can wear out, explains S. Plonka.
