PLYMOUTH, Minn. — Some of the most-Googled questions right now have to do with caring for cars in this cold.
We asked Imola Motorsports in Plymouth, why were so many cars stalled along the side of the road? What do you do if this happens? How do you get it started again?
"Getting stranded on the side of the road on a morning like this morning can happen for a number of reasons," said Imola mechanic Fred Snyder. "The condition of the battery, the condition of the coolant. If you end up on the side of the road, probably you're going to have to call a tow truck. Probably a jump start isn't going to fix it."
What if your car doesn't start in your driveway or even in your garage?
Snyder suggested, "You can try jump starting it if you think the culprit is just the battery. What used to be a giant jump pack that we would use to start a car has turned into this little lithium ion guy. And this will start a big diesel truck."
He continued, "If you've got an unheated garage, you can also try warming it up. I mean, if you can just warm it up 20 or 30 degrees with a space heater, you'll have a lot better chance of getting it started."
Next, maybe a light came on your dash for low tire pressure.
"You make sure you don't have a flat. If the pressure has gone down a few PSIs that's not an emergency. That's something you can take care of next time you stop for gasoline," said Snyder.
Snyder says on a -30 degree morning here in Minnesota, if you've got a good battery, if you've got the right coolant and oil in the car, it should start.