Getting your car ready for winter in London Ontario

Yes its that season again and we are seeing here at Ricky Ratchets the snow tires getting mounted and winter rims purchased for snow only use (usually a black non decorative rim ). The need and demand for snow tires has increased considerably in the last 5 years as the weather seems to be much worse than it was years before but not this December 2011 surprisingly . When I was a kid ( 1978 ) I remember winters that resemble what we have more recently seen and remember my Dads service station showroom full of snow tires and snow banks 6 feet high on either side of my driveway at home . When I was a teen ager working in the shop here at 140 Clarke road I observed the lack of peoples desire for snow tires as they laughed at the winters we had been having and had simply relied on their all season tires -quite honestly it was hard to argue as ” all season ” had a ring to it which appeared to mean all seasons including winter . Winter has laughed back now and the movement to improve winter driving and handling safely has been noted . This brings me to a list of things that people used to do and I find are neglected until a problem reveals itself . The first thing I have noticed the new car owner seems to neglect during winter preparation is a coolant flush and thermostats . The car owner drives car into this season and turns on the heater and if the warm air flows they think all is well but heed my warning as its not . We are seeing cars and trucks pull in with limited heat thus not clearing windshields and really uncomfortable for occupants . So why and what should they do about this and furthermore what are the long term costly effects vehicle owners should expect? The answer is routine thermostats ( by the way we used to see people come in for summer and winter thermostats seasonally but that isn’t necessary any more as just a new one at least once every three years will do) . Part two is a coolant flush to remove acidic coolant and get fresh clean coolant into block . The long term effect of not flushing is a crusty buildup in block clogging passages and reducing heat flow to interior as well as reducing the cooling ability that is necessary to areas internally where coolant used to flow and cant now due to restrictions. Ultimately we have seen cylinder heads and intake manifolds rotted as well as gaskets destroyed leading to labour intensive repairs, water pumps fins rotted off causing overheats amongst other preventable damages . in conclusion I suggest a winter preparation not just snows but congrats to those who have just done snows as it is a great safety decision.