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Snow covered car heater not working

Frigid Weather and Your Vehicle

A huge portion of the country was affected by the coldest temperatures seen in a generation this week. Those arctic temps are receding, but that doesn’t mean we’ve seen the end of frigid weather. There are obvious ways that cold weather can affect you, but you may not be thinking of how it can affect your vehicle. Here are a few tips for making sure cold weather doesn’t ruin your commute. Get these done before you’re on the side of the road searching for “car heater not working”.

Clear Your View

One of the first things to understand is that even if it’s not snowing when the temperature drops, you can wind up with ice on your windshield. On these frigid days, make sure you’re ready to leave the house a few minutes early. That will give you plenty of time to make sure your windshield is clear of ice, snow, or frost. You should always have an ice scraper in your car during the winter, your windshield washer fluid should be full, and you can even invest in covers for your windshield if you know it’s going to snow. A tarp can be placed over your windshield during a snowstorm and simply pulled away, removing the snow in one motion. Also, don’t forget to check your sun visor. Roadside Winter snow can reflect sunlight into your eyes, making it difficult to drive.

Open the Doors

Cold can also create problems with your car doors. Your vehicle doors can wind up frozen shut. The locks in older cars may become stuck during cold days. Your doors may also get frozen over, and if the door is not sealed perfectly, water can get into the space and freeze there as well. Again, give yourself some extra time to deal with these problems. If your door locks are sticking, try using the key instead of a key fab to unlock them. Just be careful not to break the key in the door. If your car door is frozen shut, some hot water can help melt the ice and allow you to open it. You may want to try other doors if this isn’t helping and see if you can get into the car that way. Once in the car turn on the heater, this will also help if your car window is frozen. If your car heater is not working, you can buy de-icer spray at your local hardware store.

Turn on the Heat

The great thing about your car is that you can start it and it will help you deal with these problems. You can turn up the heat and let the car run to help melt snow, ice, and frost which may be making things difficult. But you’ll need to make sure that your heater and defrost vents are working properly. Never leave the car running in a garage, and make sure the snow is not blocking the tailpipe.

Fix Your Heater

Is your car heater not working properly? If so, you need to get it repaired. Luckily, My Auto Store can help you find used parts that will help you save money with these repairs. Contact us today and let us know how we can help! And don’t forget to check out more Winter car tips from My Auto Store.

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