Winter survival tips

 

 Fall keeps stretching and filling our days with sunny skies and warm weather, while spring does the same to put a premature end to winter. Amidst all this, however, is a unique mix of climate conditions that significantly affects our daily habits. More than anywhere else in the world, the cold season in Canada poses serious challenges that drivers must deal with.

Once again, the editorial team at Auto123.com presents its annual Winter Guide. Here you'll find advice on everything from winter tires to rustproofing treatments, from emergency kits to cooling system maintenance, not to mention visibility and driving techniques. Our journalists will provide you with useful tips and information, whether you drive a regular vehicle, a convertible, a hybrid, a motorcycle or even an all-electric car.

So winter's coming back, eh? That's cool. Canadians are a tough bunch, defying snowstorms and black ice. Other than orange cones, we fear nothing!

Winter Survival Tips

The Greatest Automotive Flops of the Last 25 Years

Chevrolet SSR (2003–06)

It’s a convertible. It’s a pickup. It’s a car. It’s yet another example of how the American people refuse to pay for anything even remotely corporate where hot-rod culture is concerned. Yep, that’s right: It’s the Chevrolet SSR, and we can hear you yawning already.

You would think that GM executives would have taken a lesson from the much-maligned Plymouth Prowler, an awkward-looking, underpowered, and overpriced factory hot rod that failed miserably following a relatively short production life. The SSR—an awkward-looking, underpowered, and overpriced factory hot rod that arrived just one year after the Prowler’s death—also failed miserably and in short order. What on earth prompted the General to retread such potentially floppy ground, and so soon? Was it something in Detroit’s water?

To GM’s credit, the company at least attempted to right a few of the Prowler’s wrongs. The SSR may have been built on the same platform as the Chevrolet TrailBlazer, but a 300-hp, 5.3-liter V-8 lived between the truck’s deep-draw fenders, not a puny V-6. After customers and journalists complained of sluggish performance, the 4700-pound, $40,000-plus SSR was gifted with a 390-hp, 6.0-liter V-8 and an optional six-speed manual. It wasn’t enough, however, to overpower the uncustom convertible truck rod’s inherent dorkiness. Few cried when the SSR was axed.

Does Brake Fluid Need to Be Changed?

Articles by our car-care experts at Cars.com

 Changing brake fluid can be a slippery subject. Some manufacturers include it in their maintenance schedules and others don't.

Mercedes-Benz, for example, says brake fluid should be replaced every two years or 20,000 miles, and Volkswagen says that should be done on most of its models every two years regardless of mileage. Subaru recommends fresh brake fluid every 30,000 miles.

On the other hand, most Chevrolets can go 150,000 miles or 10 years, according to Chevy's maintenance schedule, and many Ford, Chrysler and Toyota vehicles don't list brake fluid as a regular maintenance item.
Check your car's owner's manual to see what the manufacturer recommends. You might also want to discuss the slippery subject of brake fluid with a trusted mechanic if the manufacturer doesn't give any guidance. Don't be surprised if a mechanic suggests replacing the brake fluid periodically, because mechanics probably have seen what can happen if you don't.
What can happen? Even though brake fluid dwells in a sealed system it still can absorb moisture over time, and that can lead to corrosion in the brake system. Moisture also lowers the boiling temperature of brake fluid, and that can reduce braking effectiveness in repeated hard stops.
If the manufacturer lists a 10-year interval or none at all for replacing brake fluid, how often should you have it done?
Every two or three years is probably too often, though if it helps you sleep at night, then go for it. Just be aware that some service shops, especially those that make their living by replacing fluids, might try to scare you with dire warnings that disaster is imminent unless you flush all your vehicle's fluids long before it is necessary.
Unless the manufacturer calls for it sooner, we would wait four or five years and have it done at the same time as other brake work, such as replacing pads or rotors. Replacing brake fluid is cheaper than replacing brake lines or a master cylinder that has corroded, so don't automatically dismiss the recommendation of a mechanic as just salesmanship.
And no matter who suggests fresh brake fluid, make sure they're replacing it with the type that is called for by the vehicle manufacturer. Some vehicles require DOT 3 fluid, others a different variety, such as DOT 5, so consult your owner's manual before you give the go ahead.
 

The Greatest Automotive Flops of the Last 25 Years

GMC Envoy XUV (2003–05)

On paper, the plan was ingenious: Build a retractable roof and a movable, watertight partition into the back half of an SUV. One minute, you have lockable, covered cargo space; the next, you’re hauling Christmas trees and grandfather clocks and hosing out the back half of the car. Makes sense, right?

Still, the General missed the boat on this one. The pickup-slash-SUV concept was sound—witness the success of the Chevrolet Avalanche—but for the Envoy XUV, the devil lay in the details. Strike one: The XUV was made by slicing and dicing an extended-wheelbase GMC Envoy, which is basically just a Chevrolet TrailBlazer, a.k.a. “The Mid-Size SUV That Time Forgot.” (Heavy, bumbling chassis? Check. Fisher-Price interior and the fuel mileage of a 747? Check.) Strike two: Whereas the Envoy was merely unattractive, the XUV was hideous. Strike three: Impracticality. Even with folding seats, an open roof, and a lay-down tailgate, the XUV couldn’t haul much more than an ordinary Envoy could. Thankfully, it was more expensive.

Oh, wait. That’s not good.

How Long Does a Car Battery in a New Car Last?

Though battery problems are often associated with cold weather, Consumer Reports magazine says heat is a bigger enemy of car batteries and will take a bigger toll on performance and reserve capacity. The magazine recommends that vehicle owners in hotter parts of the country have their car battery tested after two years of ownership and then every year after. Those who live in colder areas can wait four years to test performance and capacity, and then every year after.
"Heat kills batteries," according to John Banta, a Consumer Reports project leader and part of the team that tests batteries for the magazine. "Many times in cold climates your battery fails to start your car on a below-freezing day. The reason this happens is that the heat of the past summers has weakened your battery. When you use it in the cold, the starter requires more electrical current to turn over the cold engine with its thickened oil."
Testing a battery's performance and reserve (or amp-hour) capacity is not just a matter of seeing whether it will hold a charge (or checking the electric eye found on some batteries to see if it is green), so testing is best done by an auto technician.

The Greatest Automotive Flops of the Last 25 Years Lincoln Blackwood (2001–02)

Bad cars come and go, but flops are forever. 

 Psst—hey, pal! Yeah, you! You wanna buy a truck, right? Tell you what I’m gonna do: Hows about we find you a special truck, one just for you and your refined tastes, see? You like luxury? We got luxury: This beauty may look like a crew-cab F-150, but it’s a Lincoln, and it drives like one, sure as I’m standin’ here. You look like a Lincoln kind of guy, you know that? You know Tony Soprano was a Lincoln guy? You want a cigar? I got some Cubans in my coat. Hold on.

Check out the cargo box: It’s lined in carpet and gen-yoo-wine stainless steel. That’s stainless —means it can’t be stained. You can’t carry nuthin’ heavy or dirty in it without uglying it up, but it makes for a nice trunk, see? And that bed cover? It’s power-operated! Opens to a 45-degree angle, it does! That’s real, honest-to-God imitation African wenge wood on the sides of the bed, there—them Lincoln folks photographed it and reproduced it in vinyl and everything, and I got a cousin Sal over in Jersey who says it don’t fade fer nuthin’, not even when you get some blood on it. Only 3000 of these dealies were made this year, and it only costs $52,000, and it only comes in black, and…

What? Why you walkin’ away? Was it somethin’ I said? I thought we had a deal! You want I should show you the LED lights in the trunk? 

 

 

How Often Should You Change the Engine Air Filter?

Vehicle maintenance schedules vary on how often the air filter should be changed. On most Chevrolet engines, for example, the recommended interval is every 45,000 miles, but Ford says it should be done every 30,000 miles on many of its engines. Hyundai also says every 30,000 miles but shortens it to 15,000 for "severe" driving conditions, which includes heavy traffic in hot weather and frequent driving on unpaved roads or dusty conditions.
You might be able to tell by looking when a filter needs replacing, such as finding black areas on the section through which outside air enters. Air filters on most engines are fairly easy to access, and you can check the location in your owner's manual if you need help.
If you can't tell by looking, but it's been more than three years or 30,000 miles, you probably should get a new one (especially if you can save money by doing it yourself). However, you should be leery if every time you get an oil change the repair shop says you also need a new air filter. We would expect most drivers can go more than a year, at least, and probably more than two years.
A clogged air filter won't significantly affect fuel economy, according to a 2009 study conducted for the U.S. Department of Energy, but it can hurt acceleration by 6% to 11%. Acceleration is harder to measure than fuel economy, so you may not notice a gradual performance loss. For that reason, it's a good idea to periodically visually check the engine air filter.

Articles by our car-care experts at Cars.com