If a decision has been made to store the vehicle, the necessary preparatory operations should be carried out:
1. The car must be washed thoroughly. The layer of dirt contains a large amount of moisture, and in some places this moisture almost never dries, creating ideal conditions for the development of corrosion. To wash the car, you need to choose a dry and preferably warm day, because before preserving the car, it must not only be completely washed, but also thoroughly dried. Automotive stores sell a large number of preservatives for the body, each of which comes with instructions for use.
2. It is also necessary to preserve the engine. Simply leaving it for several months can lead to disastrous results. With the sharp fluctuations in temperature and humidity typical of our climate, moisture condenses in the engine cylinders, which leads to corrosion of the cylinder surface with the corresponding consequences. In this regard, the engine requires additional lubrication to protect it from environmental influences. To do this, you need to unscrew the spark plugs (in gasoline engines) or glow plugs (in diesel engines), pour about 20 cm³ of engine oil into each cylinder of a warmed-up engine (preferably also warmed up), then turn the crankshaft 15-20 revolutions.
3. The openings of the air filter and muffler must be plugged, for example with an oiled cloth, to prevent moist air from entering the engine.
4. It is recommended to fill the fuel tank to the top - this will help prevent corrosion in the tank. In addition, it is necessary to plug not only the plug, but also the ventilation hole.
5. The car should be placed on stands so that the wheels barely touch the ground - this way, the tires, which are in one position during long-term parking of the car, will not acquire residual deformation.
6. If the car is in a garage, it is not recommended to cover it with a tarpaulin - moisture can accumulate under it, which can contribute to the development of corrosion of the body. If it is not possible to store the car in a garage, to protect it from precipitation, the car must be covered with a tarpaulin, having previously placed wooden blocks under it at certain distances so that the tarpaulin does not directly touch the surface of the body.
If a decision has been made to continue operating the vehicle, it is also necessary to prepare for winter and adhere to certain rules for storing and using the vehicle
1. First of all, you need to "change" your car's tires. Driving a car with summer tires in winter is an unjustified risk (according to statistics, after the first snowfall, the number of road accidents increases sixfold due to the fact that most car owners simply do not have time to change their tires).
2. Car washing in winter should be done at specially designated stations. Washing the car yourself, firstly, can lead to freezing of the car locks and handles, which will make it difficult to get into the car; secondly, the door seals may freeze, which can lead to them being completely torn out of the body when the doors are opened; thirdly, when washing a car in freezing temperatures, the paintwork of the car may be damaged, leading to the formation of microcracks that are not visible to the naked eye, which in the future are quite capable of developing into serious defects and contributing to the corrosion of the body. The opinion that a car does not need to be washed at all in winter is wrong. Dirt and snow that accumulate on the car body, especially in combination with reagents used on the roads to melt ice, significantly contribute to the occurrence of corrosion of the body. It is recommended not only to thoroughly wash the car periodically, but also to cover the paintwork with wax, and lubricate the door locks with a special silicone grease.
3. Starting a car engine in winter deserves special attention. At negative ambient temperatures, starting the engine is primarily prevented by heavily thickened engine oil in the crankcase, bearings and on the inner walls of the engine. Most of the starter's power is spent on overcoming the resistance of the engine parts by the thickened oil. In addition, it is at this moment that a significant part of the total engine life is spent, because the parts rub absolutely without lubrication. In addition to thickened oil, starting the engine is prevented by a decrease in the power developed by the starter, due to the fact that the frozen battery is unable to supply sufficient current. The next reason is insufficient evaporation of the fuel and, as a result, the impossibility of creating a high-quality fuel-air mixture. In diesel engines, the situation is further complicated by the fact that the paraffin contained in diesel fuel settles on the walls of the fuel lines, which leads to difficulty in supplying fuel to the engine.
Modern car engines are equipped with everything necessary to ensure a confident engine start at an ambient temperature of minus fifteen degrees. Diesel engines even have a special engine preheating system. However, even after the engine has started, it is not recommended to start driving immediately. It is necessary to let the engine warm up sufficiently, this will significantly extend the service life of not only the engine itself, but also the transmission, since after warming up all the parts will be lubricated properly, and there will be no resistance to rotation due to thickening of the lubricant.
At temperatures below minus twenty degrees, additional measures must be taken to ensure that the engine starts. On these days, you should try not to cool the engine for more than 4-5 hours, and remove the battery from the car and take it indoors - thanks to this, when starting the engine, it will work completely. If the battery is still on the car, before starting the engine, in order to protect the battery plates from damage due to high current, it is necessary to warm up the electrolyte by turning on the headlights for 10-15 seconds. Turning on the battery with cold electrolyte immediately at full power significantly reduces its service life.
Some car owners believe that starting the engine can be made easier by diluting the thickened oil in the engine crankcase with gasoline. This practice is fraught with the fact that at one fine moment the engine may simply seize, and the costs of its major repairs are unlikely to cover the possible costs associated with starting the engine with thickened oil. If the car is operated in a climate zone where severe frosts are predictable and long-lasting, it is recommended to replace the engine oil with winter oil with low viscosity in advance. Recommendations for choosing oil viscosity are given in the corresponding section of this manual.
4. To open a frozen car lock, it is recommended to use specially designed aerosols or glycerin. In addition, a key heated with a regular lighter can help. In order not to burn yourself or damage the key, you must be careful.
5. In winter, it is not recommended to put the car on the parking brake - after a long period of parking, the brake pads may freeze and the car simply will not be able to move. It is recommended to put the car either in reverse or in first gear.
6. It should be remembered that when driving a car in winter, it is necessary to maintain a large distance. No slippage or sudden braking is allowed - all movements must be smooth and precise. You should be especially careful when driving behind trucks or buses - due to their greater mass, they have a higher coefficient of adhesion of the wheels to the road, compared to cars, which means that the behavior of vehicles on the same road surface can differ significantly.
7. It is recommended to have additional equipment in the vehicle for use in severe weather conditions: anti-skid chains, towing cables, flashlight, sand bag, shovel, jumper cables for starting the engine from an external power source, glass scraper, work gloves, ground mat, etc.