Monthly Archives: February 2021

Two Car Heating Problems That Could Leave You Cold

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The recent cold snap has everyone thinking about the importance of being prepared for winter driving. Making sure your car’s heating system is functioning properly is essential – particularly if you are preparing for a long car trip. 

Vehicles in Snow

In this post, we will focus on recognizing two common car heating problems that can be avoided.

Understanding the Heater Function

Your car heating system depends on its heater core. The heater core serves as a heat exchanger, distributing heat into the cabin of the car. The car’s engine provides the original source for this heat, which increases as the engine operates.

Heat is transferred from the engine to the heater core through a liquid called coolant. Coolant pumps through the engine to cool it to protect it from overheating, and also recycles the heat it removes by sending it into the radiator and circulating it to the heater core.

Common Car Heating Problems

In the event of car heating problems, one of two issues is typically to blame:

  1. The coolant is not properly flowing through the heater core
  2. The air from the blower motor is not being directed through the heater core

Coolant flow issues can often be attributed to a plugged heater core. Air flow problems could be due to a malfunctioning, or stuck blend door. These doors are the flaps inside the ducts that open and close to allow heat or stop heat from coming through the vents into the passenger compartment.

If you notice any car heating problems or a heating irregularities, be sure to have your car checked out as soon as possible by your trusted auto technician. Getting the problem fixed will assure you don’t get stuck in the cold.

Feeling Salty? Protect Your Car from Salt on Roads

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Salt on roads plays a key role in making winter driving safer by preventing accidents due to lost traction on slippery snow and ice. Salt lowers the freezing/melting point of water, making it a fast and inexpensive way to melt snow and ice on the road. The problem with salt on roads is that it is a highly corrosive element, which can be highly damaging to your vehicle.

Snowy Street Salt on Roads

Exposure to salt on roads throughout the winter is very hard on the metal components of your car. Most vehicles have an exposed underbody, so a great deal of salt damage occurs underneath the car, where it goes visually undetected. Rust on essential parts of your vehicle can leave you with huge problems ranging from brake system leaks to frame damage. While your rubber tires will suffer little or no damage from salt, your wheels are highly vulnerable, since the metal areas of your car are most at risk for  damage from salt on roads.

The good news is that the coatings and paint finishes used in today’s automotive manufacturing do a much better job of protecting vehicles against salt damage. The process of salt leading to corrosion and rust takes awhile, you fortunately have time to undo salt damage potential.

The best way to protect your car from road salt corrosion is to take it to the car wash for regular washings during the winter months. How frequently your car should be washed will depend on how much salt and road sludge you drive through on a regular basis. If you have really expensive wheels, consider swapping them out in the winter months, since salt is especially damaging to chrome.

Waxing seasonally will make your washes more effective and provide additional protection for your vehicle.