Winter inevitably rears its ugly head in Canada, and in many parts of the country it lasts six months or more. Life doesn’t stop when the snow flies, so it pays to be prepared for winter driving. In this article, we’ve laid out the most important steps to prepare your vehicle for winter before the first flakes hit the ground. We’ve also highlighted a couple of tips for making sure you’re ready to hit the road safely each time you head out in winter conditions.
How to Prepare Your Car for Winter in Canada
- Before Winter Starts
- Change to Winter Tires
- Get Your Oil Changed
- Check All Your Lights
- Check Your Battery
- Fill Your Windshield Washer Fluid
- Top Up Your Engine Coolant
- Change Your Windshield Wipers
- Clean the Inside of Your Car’s Windows
- Install Winter Floor Mats
- Pull Together an Emergency Kit
- Before Each Winter Drive
- Clear the Snow Off Your Car
- Have Some De-icer Handy
Before Winter Starts
Change to Winter Tires
Great news, Canada: roughly 80% of us now make the annual switch to winter tires ahead of the colder months. This means we’ve successfully communicated that winter tires make a huge difference for cold-weather driving safety. Winter tires are mandatory in Quebec and on mountain roads in British Columbia, but they’re important just about everywhere else, too.
Winter tires don’t just improve grip on snow and ice. Any time the outdoor temperature is 7 degrees Celsius or lower, the optimized rubber compound in winter tires helps to improve a car’s connection with the road. Time your tire change with this temperature shift in your area, which falls sometime in October or November for most of Canada, and don’t forget to change back to summer or all-season tires in the spring to avoid premature wear on your winter tires in warmer temperatures.
Your tire change professional should take care of most of the key maintenance points for you before mounting your tires, such as checking the tread depth, tire wear, and pressures. If this information isn’t offered, ask about the condition of your tires whenever they go on and off your vehicle. Keep in mind that tire pressures are affected by temperature, so you should check them yourself whenever there are severe cold snaps, especially if the car doesn’t have tire pressure monitoring or your winter rims don’t have sensors.
Get Your Oil Changed
For optimal engine performance, it’s important to get regular oil changes according to the manufacturer’s recommended interval, which you can find in your car’s owner’s manual. Regardless of the suggested interval, though, it’s a good idea to time an oil change to coincide with your winter tire swap. Oil becomes more viscous in lower temperatures, so old oil and frigid conditions can be an awful combination for your engine. Synthetic oil is recommended for winter as it performs better in cold temperatures.
Check All Your Lights
We see more darkness than daylight through the winter months in most of Canada, so making sure your lights are ready for optimal visibility is very important. Before winter hits, do a walkaround of your vehicle to ensure all the lights and signals are working properly, and make any necessary repairs before the nights get longer.
Check Your Battery
Winter is rough on car batteries. If the temperature reaches -15 degrees Celsius, a fully charged battery can only transfer roughly half as much electricity as it does in warmer temperatures. On top of that, an engine needs more power to start when it’s chilly out.
Block heaters are the solution in many parts of Canada where temperatures this low are the norm. Even if your area doesn’t really call for that, you’ll still benefit from having the battery cables and terminals checked for cracks or corrosion before winter starts. If you decide to do this yourself, check your owner’s manual for advice, and wear protective equipment such as goggles and gloves to make sure you’re doing it safely.
Fill Your Windshield Washer Fluid
Not all windshield washer fluid is created equal. There’s a summer formulation for removing bugs and grime, and there’s a winter version that uses antifreeze to melt snow and ice. Some products are designed to work well in all seasons. Either way, you’ll want to be sure your car’s wiper fluid reservoir is filled with wiper fluid that contains antifreeze before winter starts.
Top Up Your Engine Coolant
Your car’s radiator is also filled with a water and antifreeze mixture called engine coolant, and despite the name, you’ll need to top this up before winter starts. Here, the mix of antifreeze and water should be roughly 50/50, but in even colder conditions some cars call for a different ratio. Check your owner’s manual to find the right mix for your vehicle. You can also check the ratio of the mixture currently in your car with an inexpensive tester from an auto parts store.
This is an easy job that you can do yourself without unscrewing the radiator cap. You’ll find a plastic coolant reservoir on the engine with a line indicating how full it is. Simply add fluid to that reservoir to top it up. While you’re in there, check the cooling and heating system hoses for cracks or leaks. They should be pliable but still firm when you squeeze them. If any feel brittle, it’s time to get them replaced.
Change Your Windshield Wipers
Your car needs a new set of windshield wipers at least once a year. The rubber strip on the wiper blade becomes broken, pitted, and stiffer over time. This makes your wipers less effective, and winter is the worst time of year to deal with decreased visibility. New blades typically cost about $20 each, so this is a quick and easy job you can do on your own.
Before you buy new windshield wipers, you’ll need to confirm what length of blades you’ll need. If your car has two wipers, they’ll often be different sizes. You’ll usually find a guidebook or tablet next to the windshield wiper displays in automotive stores, which you can use to look up your car’s blade sizes by make and model year. The next thing you need to know is that not all cars take the same type of wiper blades. When changing the blades on your car for the first time, check the owner’s manual for guidance and take a look at the connector yourself so you know what to shop for.
Clean the Inside of Your Car’s Windows
You’ll need to keep the outside of your car’s windows clear all winter long—more on that shortly—but taking the time to clean the glass inside your car before winter hits is just as critical. The cold moisture in winter air clings to any stuck-on dirt and grime, which contributes to condensation build-up. Clean windows will help the defroster do its job more effectively as your car warms up.
The same glass cleaner you use in your home and a microfibre cloth will do the trick, but you’ll get better results from a streak-free automotive glass cleaner, which you can also buy from an auto parts store. Don’t forget to clean your mirrors while you’re at it.
Install Winter Floor Mats
The salt and snow that your boots track into the car will do a number on the upholstery. Not only does protecting the floors help your carpet last longer, but it will also help your car retain more value when you sell it. These factors make a good quality set of winter floor mats a solid investment in Canada.
Be sure to buy mats that are compatible with your car’s mat securing system so they don’t slide around, particularly in the driver’s footwell where a loose mat could get in the way of the pedals. You can leave these in year-round if you wish, but a simple hose-down before storing them away from sunlight for the summer will help them last.
Pull Together an Emergency Kit
This step is often overlooked when getting a car ready for winter. It’s extremely important, though, especially if you ever leave the city during the colder months. An emergency kit isn’t just a fallback. If you end up stranded in a snowstorm due to a collision or severe weather, it can save your life.
For winter, your emergency kit should include:
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a first aid kit
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a good snow brush with an attached ice scraper
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an extra bottle of windshield washer fluid
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a crank flashlight (skip the battery-powered type, as they don’t last long in the cold)
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flares or safety triangles
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jumper cables and/or a battery booster pack
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a small tool kit with screwdrivers and pliers
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a coffee can, tealights, and a lighter to create a portable heater
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a folding shovel for digging out of ditches, ideally with some sand or kitty litter for added traction
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bottled water and non-perishable food such as granola bars or nuts
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extra blankets, hats, and gloves or mittens, to help you stay warm in an emergency
Before Each Winter Drive
Clear the Snow Off Your Car
We’ve all seen that driver rolling around with a huge pile of snow on the roof of their car and a tiny porthole cleared on the windshield. It’s funny to look at, but no laughing matter. Not clearing your car properly after a snowfall is incredibly dangerous, not only for you but for the drivers around you. It severely limits your visibility, and the snow blowing off your roof can affect other drivers. And if it freezes and turns into chunks of ice that can fly off onto other cars, things get even worse.
Before you get going after a snowfall, take the time to completely clear all the snow off your windows, side mirrors, and the headlights and taillights for your safety. You’ll also want to clear the snow off your hood to avoid giving yourself a white-out, and clear as much as possible off your roof so you don’t do the same to others.
Have Some De-icer Handy
It doesn’t take much ice for your car’s locks or door handles to freeze shut in the winter. This can be especially problematic with the recessed door handles that are becoming more common on EVs and luxury vehicles: you may not be able to pry these open at all when they’re covered with a sheet of ice. Keep some lock de-icer handy for these situations. It’s very affordable and available in most automotive and hardware stores. Remember to store it near places where you park, but not inside the vehicle—it won’t do you any good in the car if you can’t open the doors to begin with.
