Winterizing

[waf102]

Winter is here (rats!)

My Ls-400 will have to endure this winter outdoors. I live in Central PA and was wondering what preperations or things any of you folks do to lessen the imapct of leaving your car out in the wintery weather.

Details: It will be outside, no chance of finding a place to store it. It will NOT be used daily. 2 or 3 trips on weekends and once during the week. I makea trip to visit home about once every 4-6 weeks. That trip is about 180 miles one-way.

I did recently put in Mobil1 Synthetic. Fluids check out.

Should I consider a car cover? Factoring snow and ice can that damage the finish?

My father suggests starting it daily, or at the very least every other day. I think he worrys about the battery (he's been bugging me about disabling the security system...he believes it will run down the battery.)

Given how much I drive it, how often should I go out and turn it over? I'm concerned about how hard on the engine starting it up when its 20 or 30 degrees (F) is...

When the weather is really bad I'm just not driving it. I will leave it parked...mostly afraid of the idiots out there running into me.

Any products I should condsider, or practices I should adopt?

I like taking care of my stuff...the more I do the longer it lasts and the better it performs.

It wouldn't break my heart if I never had to buy another car. :D

[dcfish]

Winter is here (rats!)

My Ls-400 will have to endure this winter outdoors. I live in Central PA and was wondering what preperations or things any of you folks do to lessen the imapct of leaving your car out in the wintery weather.

Details: It will be outside, no chance of finding a place to store it. It will NOT be used daily. 2 or 3 trips on weekends and once during the week. I makea trip to visit home about once every 4-6 weeks. That trip is about 180 miles one-way.

I did recently put in Mobil1 Synthetic. Fluids check out.

Should I consider a car cover? Factoring snow and ice can that damage the finish?

My father suggests starting it daily, or at the very least every other day. I think he worrys about the battery (he's been bugging me about disabling the security system...he believes it will run down the battery.)

Given how much I drive it, how often should I go out and turn it over? I'm concerned about how hard on the engine starting it up when its 20 or 30 degrees (F) is...

When the weather is really bad I'm just not driving it. I will leave it parked...mostly afraid of the idiots out there running into me.

Any products I should condsider, or practices I should adopt?

I like taking care of my stuff...the more I do the longer it lasts and the better it performs.

It wouldn't break my heart if I never had to buy another car. :D

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A cover is good and bad, Where are you going to store it when you take the car out for a drive? It is imparitive that you keep the contact surfaces of the cover clean [ don't set it on the ground ] Yes, I would turn it over at least everyother day and let it warm up to operating temp.[ you might as well drive it around the block a few times rather than just let it idle ] Get snow tires, Jumper cables so you can help others, Plenty of washer fluid, If your not going to cover it I would suggest a good wash and wax, Rain-x the glass then enjoy the ride.

[dpallenman]

Winter is here (rats!)

My Ls-400 will have to endure this winter outdoors. I live in Central PA and was wondering what preperations or things any of you folks do to lessen the imapct of leaving your car out in the wintery weather.

Details: It will be outside, no chance of finding a place to store it. It will NOT be used daily. 2 or 3 trips on weekends and once during the week. I makea trip to visit home about once every 4-6 weeks. That trip is about 180 miles one-way.

I did recently put in Mobil1 Synthetic. Fluids check out.

Should I consider a car cover? Factoring snow and ice can that damage the finish?

My father suggests starting it daily, or at the very least every other day. I think he worrys about the battery (he's been bugging me about disabling the security system...he believes it will run down the battery.)

Given how much I drive it, how often should I go out and turn it over? I'm concerned about how hard on the engine starting it up when its 20 or 30 degrees (F) is...

When the weather is really bad I'm just not driving it. I will leave it parked...mostly afraid of the idiots out there running into me.

Any products I should condsider, or practices I should adopt?

I like taking care of my stuff...the more I do the longer it lasts and the better it performs.

It wouldn't break my heart if I never had to buy another car. :D

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Do not go out and start it and let it idle. Not only are you cycling the battery and starter unecessarily, your engine oil will become contaminated quicker and will do more damage than good to your engine. This action is very tough on a car. I live in Canada, and see people doing this kind of thing all the time. It is simply wrong. Remember this simple rule: if you start it, drive it.

It sounds like the car will see some duty each and every week, which is good. If you are worried about battery issues, buy a small battery charger (trickle charger) and use it to keep the battery "warm" during periods of inactivity.

As for the car cover idea, it's a good one. Be sure to buy a good quality outdoor-type cover that breathes. Just be careful putting it on and off when the car is dirty; you don't want to scratch the car unnecessarily.

[nc211]

I have heard that letting your car just sit there while idling can actually accelerate your cataletic converter to fail sooner.

[ArmyofOne]

Winter is here (rats!)

My Ls-400 will have to endure this winter outdoors. I live in Central PA and was wondering what preperations or things any of you folks do to lessen the imapct of leaving your car out in the wintery weather.

Details: It will be outside, no chance of finding a place to store it. It will NOT be used daily. 2 or 3 trips on weekends and once during the week. I makea trip to visit home about once every 4-6 weeks. That trip is about 180 miles one-way.

I did recently put in Mobil1 Synthetic. Fluids check out.

Should I consider a car cover? Factoring snow and ice can that damage the finish?

My father suggests starting it daily, or at the very least every other day. I think he worrys about the battery (he's been bugging me about disabling the security system...he believes it will run down the battery.)

Given how much I drive it, how often should I go out and turn it over? I'm concerned about how hard on the engine starting it up when its 20 or 30 degrees (F) is...

When the weather is really bad I'm just not driving it. I will leave it parked...mostly afraid of the idiots out there running into me.

Any products I should condsider, or practices I should adopt?

I like taking care of my stuff...the more I do the longer it lasts and the better it performs.

It wouldn't break my heart if I never had to buy another car. :D

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do not use a car cover! it will FrEEZE to the paint!

[SRK]

Good advice so far. Just start it and drive it. If the synthetic is 5W-30 you are in good shape, and with a good mix of Toyota red coolant, the car will never even know it is cold out. Only you will. Drive it normally.

So no brief starts, no cover, no worries.

[monarch]

Any car can be kept in tip top mechanical shape by simply driving it several miles once every 2 weeks. Try to drive it at least 8 miles before parking it again and try to drive it when the temperature is above 35 degrees F so that the air conditioning compressor can be run and exercised.

Merely idling the motor before storage is a bad thing to do because then water will be trapped in the exhaust pipes during storage and will rot the system out. Moisture will also accumulate in the motor oil and corrode internal engine parts.

If you use a car cover, get a good, waterproof one like the $59 ones sold at Walmart. The better car cover won't stick to the car too badly especially if you keep the car surfaces waxed and use RainX on the windshield.

[ArmyofOne]

Any car can be kept in tip top mechanical shape by simply driving it several miles once every 2 weeks.  Try to drive it at least 8 miles before parking it again and try to drive it when the temperature is above 35 degrees F so that the air conditioning compressor can be run and exercised.

Merely idling the motor before storage is a bad thing to do because then water will be trapped in the exhaust pipes during storage and will rot the system out. Moisture will also accumulate in the motor oil and corrode internal engine parts.

If you use a car cover, get a good, waterproof one like the $59 ones sold at Walmart.  The better car cover won't stick to the car too badly especially if you keep the car surfaces waxed and use RainX on the windshield.

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no, in these kind of teperatures, it will stick, i know. trust me on this one, it doesnt matter. anyone on here can vouch for the fact that i wax my car more than twice a month, irregardless of weather conditions, and i can say that i bought a cover, for the nights here, and it froze to my paint in one night. and it pulled the paint up, i had to have it touched up.

the cover was 89.95. DO NOT PUT A COVER ON A VEHCILE ON COLD WEATHER,. i cant stress that enough.

and there is no need to run the a/c. the a/c compressor runs when the defrostters are on, it works to remove condensation from the air so that it can defrost.

to wax your car in the cold, pull into a coin op car wash with closing doors amd close the doors alomost all the way. take a blow drie and an extension cord with you, borrow one of their outlets, heat up the area you want to wax slightly, so that its about 65 degrees, and apply some all weather wax, its not the bes stuff inthe world, but it is better than nothing in a salty winter. you can buy these waxes at autozone, they will say on the back of the can, you can use it in temps as low as 35 degrees. if you cant find it, Meguiars paste wax will work too. anyways, heat the paenl up, apply the wax as normal and run the blow dry over it at a diestance of 6-12 inches, taking care not to "bake" the waxinto the paint. then wipe with a microfiber towel.

its better than nothing. i do this every other weekend during the winters here. because there is more salt than snow on the roads in the state of NY. everywhere you go, a cloud of white dust follows you.

[monarch]

no, in these kind of teperatures, it will stick, i know.  trust me on this one, it doesnt matter. i can say that i bought a cover, for the nights here, and it froze to my paint in one night. and it pulled the paint up, i had to have it touched up.

and there is no need to run the a/c.  the a/c compressor runs when the defrostters are on, it works to remove condensation from the air so that it can defrost.

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With regard to the car cover, my buddy in Lake Tahoe says the genuine Lexus car cover he uses has a fleece underside that helps prevent sticking. And the car cover I got at Walmart that's made of a semi-waterproof material made by Dupont doesn't stick much to my car in freezing weather. BUT, out here in the West our humidity is lower and we have sunshine on most winter days. Out your way where its cloudier and more humid I concede even the best car cover might have problems sticking to the car overnight.

With regard to the air conditioner I agree the AC compressor will run when the windshield defroster setting is selected, but this is only true when the outside temperature is above freezing.

I would imagine most of your winter mornings in New York are below freezing. Sometimes even below zero if you are located in the interior of New York State !!

[Dust]

so for defrosting/defogging when the temperate is lets say below 30 degress, should you should turn off your AC? Because the AC turns on automatically when you press the front and back defroster.

What about fluries of snow, should the AC also work at maximum temperature to keep the heat if the snow is coming down and it is below 30 degress outside? to still collect condensation and moisture from air?

[dfkd]

The A/C comes on to activate the condenser to dry the air out so that any frost on the inside of the car glass can be removed. Adding humidity to a frosty inside window doesnt help the situation.

So even if it is freezing below 0, the A/C system will come on not to cool the car, but to activate the condenser which will dry the air so the defroster can remove condesation inside the car.

The a/c system has to be activated with the defroster for it to do it's job.

[Dust]

Yeah that's what I thought. Thanks for the backup! :)

I also know that freezing point is obviously below 0, I was just assuming the coldest weather which is a *BLEEP*ing ice bucket here is 14-16 or 30 on the average cold day, in Brooklyn NY at least =)

[dfkd]

When i said 0 i means celsius. so that would be below 32 far.

[ArmyofOne]

no, in these kind of teperatures, it will stick, i know.  trust me on this one, it doesnt matter. i can say that i bought a cover, for the nights here, and it froze to my paint in one night. and it pulled the paint up, i had to have it touched up.

and there is no need to run the a/c.  the a/c compressor runs when the defrostters are on, it works to remove condensation from the air so that it can defrost.

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With regard to the car cover, my buddy in Lake Tahoe says the genuine Lexus car cover he uses has a fleece underside that helps prevent sticking. And the car cover I got at Walmart that's made of a semi-waterproof material made by Dupont doesn't stick much to my car in freezing weather. BUT, out here in the West our humidity is lower and we have sunshine on most winter days. Out your way where its cloudier and more humid I concede even the best car cover might have problems sticking to the car overnight.

With regard to the air conditioner I agree the AC compressor will run when the windshield defroster setting is selected, but this is only true when the outside temperature is above freezing.

I would imagine most of your winter mornings in New York are below freezing. Sometimes even below zero if you are located in the interior of New York State !!

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you are close monarch, but like has been said above, in order for the defroster to do its job, the A/c system has to be activated, no matter what temperature. that is why if your a/c system is inop, your defroster is not as effective.

about the cover, granted, the best covers have the flesse underside, they are good for not scratchingt he car, but once the cover hadheres to your paint, even when heated up, it will not release, at this point the damage si already done, all you can do is yank real hard, and hope you have a good coat of wax. Im on the northerin side of NY state, by the St Lawrence river (30 miles s. of the canadian border.) so yes,its cold here :) .

[SRK]

The A/C comes on to activate the condenser to dry the air out so that any frost on the inside of the car glass can be removed. Adding humidity to a frosty inside window doesnt help the situation.

So even if it is freezing below 0, the A/C system will come on not to cool the car, but to activate the condenser which will dry the air so the defroster can remove condesation inside the car

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To be specific, it is the evaporator that removes the moisture from the air, and it is the condensor that returns the warm refrigerant to a cool liquid. The evaporator is in the heater box, the condensor is in front of the radiator.

Below a certain temperature the AC will not engage anyways, and that is because the humidity at temperatures below freezing is nearly zero. I do not know what temperature Toyota sets to do this.

[waf102]

This is great thanks for all the info. These boards and you folks are such a great resource.

I do need a slight clarification. To reiterate, I use my car 2 or 3 times on weekend (1-3 stops on each trip) and drive atleast 10 miles on each trip.

During the week I drive it on average once. So...I may leave my car sit for 2-4 days between starts (during the week).

My concern is how much "wear and tear" I put on the engine by letting it sit that long in the cold weather. I know that "theoretically" starting the engine is the time that there is the least amount of lubrication (oil) in the engine and may be the hardest on the engine.

Does enough of the oil (Mobil1 synthetic, 5w-30) drain out of the engine in cold weather over that many days to be "bad" for the engine.

I guess there isn't much I can do otherwise, but I am just generally curious about it...

-Bill B)

[monarch]

Below a certain temperature the AC will not engage  I do not know what temperature Toyota sets to do this.

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I remember reading in a Toyota manual that's its somewhere between 0 - 4 degrees Celsius (32-40 degrees F)

[nc211]

It's not so much the problem of the oil draining itself down out of the engine during that time, as it is the oil being able to be dispensed when you start it cold...that's where synthetics come in to save the day as they'll maintain more of thier "liquid" state during those hard freezes than normal oil...making it easier for the oil pump to get the oil back into the engine much quicker. This is not theory, this is fact proven by commercial vehicle usage in Alaska way back in the day. It is my opinion that if you're going to drive the car at least once every week, and you said that you do, then don't worry about it. Just give it enough time to warm up before you start driving, like maybe to the first tick on the guage. I would suggest however that you have your engine coolant flushed and replaced now and do a drain n' fill on the transmission.

One of the reasons why Subaru engines last for so darn long is because of the "boxer" piston arraingement. They're actually horizontal and basically sit in the oil.

This is great thanks for all the info. These boards and you folks are such a great resource.

I do need a slight clarification. To reiterate, I use my car 2 or 3 times on weekend (1-3 stops on each trip) and drive atleast 10 miles on each trip.

During the week I drive it on average once. So...I may leave my car sit for 2-4 days between starts (during the week).

My concern is how much "wear and tear" I put on the engine by letting it sit that long in the cold weather. I know that "theoretically" starting the engine is the time that there is the least amount of lubrication (oil) in the engine and may be the hardest on the engine.

Does enough of the oil (Mobil1 synthetic, 5w-30) drain out of the engine in cold weather over that many days to be "bad" for the engine.

I guess there isn't much I can do otherwise, but I am just generally curious about it...

-Bill B)

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