winterizing... ?

[randomjeeper]

long time no post! so this will be my first winter out here without my jeep (where is my 4wd :??? in the snow and ice. there are a few questions i had.
1) do cars need to be winterized? my car has been in california for the past 5 years and i was under the impression i should change out my cold weather naive fluids, but i called a place for an estimate and the guy told me cars don't really need to be winterized?
2) anyone recommend (or warn me about) a repair shop in chicago, il? i just moved so i don't really know where to take my car and am looking for someplace honest, etc. i've looked on yelp but figured i'd see if anyone here had any experiences or knew anyone?
3) yes, i know, i should just buy a jeep but unfortunately that's not an option right now

 

[JohnnyO]

*Edit*
Oops, at first I thought you meant what to do so store a car for the winter.

No, you don't need to do anything special other than normal maintenance. Change the oil if it's time, check the filters, strength of the antifreeze, all the fluid levels, spark plugs if it's time. Chicago being Chicago (i.e. frigid and snow) I would replace the blue washer fluid with de-icer fluid and put on winter wiper blades. Check the air in the tires frequently because cold temps reduce the air pressure. Just keep them at the normal psi. Batteries are on borrowed time after they're 4 years old. I like the mud & snow floor mats to keep snow, and later water, off the carpet. Carpet gets soaked from the snow off your shoes, it stays wet, and over a few years it will rust out your floorpan.
If you want to spend real money but get around better and safer, buy a set of Bridgestone Blizzak snow tires and get all four. My wife is not a gearhead but I put a set of them on her Taurus a couple years ago and she freely admits the thing will climb a ski jump. It's not just traction to get going, the stopping and steering in snow and ice are incredibly better.

 

[randomjeeper]

Awesome - thanks for the advice!

 

[yo momma yj]

>1) do cars need to be winterized? my car has been in california for the past 5 years and i was under the impression i should change out my cold weather naive fluids, but i called a place for an estimate and the guy told me cars don't really need to be winterized?

pull the tongue out of that expert and squeeze it with vice grips.

in addition to the already stated,

it will save some hard luck stories later if you take the time now in the warm weather to clean your battery terminals, lube the door locks, insure 5w30 for cold starts, get the -20 windshield fluid and get the 0 degree stuff out, and grease your emergency brake cables.

don't use the emergency brake if wet below freezing. and expect door gaskets to stick if not lubed now and then...
one feels silly trying to melt a frozen door lock in a blizzard only to find the emergency brake won't release.

also, since that car hasn't seen a good freeze for awhile, I'd slip some dry gas in the tank to insure no water... some cold weather guys insist on keeping the tank full, the theory is keep humidity from condensing on tank innards by monopolizing the volume with a non-condensable.

 

[randomjeeper]

Thanks for the advice ! Looks like I just got myself a weekend project...

 

[JohnnyO]

Again, the main thing is just keep up on your regular maintenance. Things that aren't problems at 70* can become problems when it's 0*. The only things I do differently are winter wiper blades and deicing washer fluid. I prefer liquid graphite over WD-40 in the door locks. Rain-X on the glass can make it easier to scrape the ice off but again, that's something I use all year anyway. You can put it on your headlights and taillights also so they stay a little cleaner and people can see you better in bad weather. Rain-X makes some anti-fog stuff to put on the inside of your windshield but I've never tried it.