With advancements in cars, MTN's Donna Kelley learned something new about head bolts or block heathers.
“With advancement in technology, block heaters are kind of a think of the past. With synthetic oil that tends to flow through the engine quicker it tends to heat up a lot faster so block heaters are not necessarily needed,” says Ressler Toyota Service Advisor Trista Bates.
Is there a temperature where you shouldn’t be cranking on the starter?
“I would say when you get to about -50 degrees is probably about when it’s a good idea to leave your vehicle”
Bates says the most important part of the vehicle is probably the battery.
“You want to make sure coming into these winter months that your battery is good. Here at Ressler Toyota Service, we can test your battery complimentary,” says Bates.
With the cold weather, your vehicle's battery is vulnerable.
“Temperature is going to be the killer. Once temperature has depleted that battery amperage to such a level of degree there’s no recovery. A lot of times it kills the battery completely," says Toyota Service Manager Matthew Thompson.
What about anti-freeze?
"Anti-freeze is typically rated for -34 degrees,” says Bates.
If your car doesn’t crank over after a couple of times what should you do?
“You can try a couple of times, sometimes it takes it takes a little bit in the wintertime if your battery is a little bit weak or just really cold. It could take a few seconds for the engine to crank over," says Bates.
It is also important to let your car warm up until the gauges show you the fluids are warmed up.
