GREEN BAY, WI (WTAQ) – Auto shops are staying busy as frigid temperatures are having an impact on vehicles.
It was a moment of uncertainty for many as they went to start their cars this morning.
The lucky ones went on their merry way, while the less fortunate took a detour to the local service center.
Downtown Auto Service in Green Bay was busy Wednesday morning.
“Batteries and fuel are the two major things that we see,” explains auto technician Aaron Schmitt.
He says car batteries typically have a life of three to five years before they need to be swapped out, but temperatures this extreme can cause almost any to have problems.
Schmitt says ideally, car owners have had their batteries already checked earlier in the winter or fall, because once it gets to them they’re limited in options.
It’s a good idea to keep your vehicle running as often as possible to limit the effect of the cold, but even that is far from a surefire solution.
“There’s not a whole lot you can do,” says Schmitt. “If you can run the vehicle periodically throughout the day you’re most likely going to keep it warm enough where it’s not going to fail on you.”
Swapping a battery can be a pricey endeavor, but auto technicians say it’s well worth the price in order to have some peace of mind.
“Price of batteries is an interesting topic,” explains Schmitt. “Because you can get some fairly inexpensive batteries, but the specifications on those batteries won’t usually hold up in weather like this.”
Behind a bad battery, the other main culprit has been fuel.
“Any moisture in the fuel that turns to ice at this point,” he says. “Then you have iced up fuel lines and fuels not getting to the engine.”
While another common problem in cold weather is something that a lot of drivers might not have on their radar.
“Flat tires,” explains Schmitt. “The rubber shrinks and then if you had a leak prior, that leak turns into a major leak and you end up with a flat tire.”
He says if you’re stopping to fuel up sometime this week it’s a good idea to take the extra time and add some air to your tires to avoid a potentially costly problem.
