No Undercoat and No block heater... Am I going to be OK?

[Eibbus]

Hey guys, last winter i had access to free underground parking downtown ( oh sweeeeet! ) but unfortunately my office has moved to just outside of inglewood, and the subaru will be out side for the winter.

The car came up from the states and doesnt have an undercoat or a block heater.

Am I gonna be alright?
Recommendations?

[krazykhoja]

I'd recommend getting a block heater put in...that's what I did with my CRV last year...especially if you are parking outside at home...but even at work I'd suggest plugging the car in for the day...when it gets to be -30 or colder a block heater will really help.

Just my $0.02

[nobb]

Thats got me thinking too. In the daytime, I dont have anywhere to plug my block heater in. This is a good thread on the issue:

http://forums.beyond.ca/showthread.php?s=&threadid=205906&perpage=20&highlight=&pagenumber=1

So in summary, I guess having a block heater would be best to reduce wear and tear in the long term. If not, then have a strong battery, run synthetic, and drive gently before it hits operating temperature.

[ExtraSlow]

Having a block heater is better, but . . . lots of people don't have anywhere to plug the car in.

use a good 5WXX or 0WXX oil, and make sure you have a strong battery as it takes a bit more energy to turn over a cold engine.

[Casa]

Originally posted by ExtraSlow
Having a block heater is better, but . . . lots of people don't have anywhere to plug the car in.

use a good 5WXX or 0WXX oil, and make sure you have a strong battery as it takes a bit more energy to turn over a cold engine.

solid advice.
i've never needed a block heater i just do the above.

[Kloubek]

Am I missing something? What diff does an undercoat make in the winter?

[Supa Dexta]

Thats when it's needed most. Not so much here, but even keeping water off helps. Any coating on metal is going to help it.

[nobb]

Protects the bottom from rust. I did it on my car mainly to reduce road noise.

[Kloubek]

No no. I know what undercoat DOES, but many cars don't have it up here anyway. So I was just wondering why the OP figured he HAD to have it....

[Super_Geo]

Yeah, really depends on what kind of oil you use...

You do most of the damage to your engine when the oil is cold and really viscous and eventually starts to gel and harden if it gets cold enough. If it starts to harden the additives in the oil will begin to break down.

Synthetics stay less viscous at lower temperatures. and in general the lower first number (the 5 in 5W30) the lower the ambient temperature it can handle.

http://www.aa1car.com/library/oil_chart.jpg

All a block heater does is keep your oil warm... so if you have an old mineral based oil then you should get a block heater, if you just put in 0W30 synthetic I wouldn't worry about it.

[Projek01]

i have also wondered if a oil pan heater would work better than a block heater. it would take a huge amount of heat for the block heater to radiate enough heat to the bottom of the engine. my car is also from the states and i did ok when it was -40 out last year with some synthetic oil. oh yeah, have you checked your rad fluid? the guy in the states put in a lot of water in the rad. i am so lucky it didnt blow last winter. it started easier than my dads 4runner with a block heater plugged in.

[HiSpec]

but you can't put in 0W30, when your engine specifics 5W30 right?

[ShermanEF9]

No you can.. they just recommend that. i use 0W40 for winter in my civic.

[ryanallan]

sure you can

[nobb]

Originally posted by ShermanEF9
No you can.. they just recommend that. i use 0W40 for winter in my civic.

Reference? Surely the manufacturer recommends it for a reason...

[Supa Dexta]

They say that for a general population of say -10 weather. That covers vancouver island to nookatoyuktukaluk... So you have to decide whats best based on your own weather.. within reason.

[HiSpec]

^

in that case, I will give an attempt to use 0W30 this winter in my civic

[Eibbus]

Thanks for the info in this thread. +1 for beyond =)

[BlackArcher101]

Originally posted by Kloubek
No no. I know what undercoat DOES, but many cars don't have it up here anyway. So I was just wondering why the OP figured he HAD to have it....

Many cars don't have undercoating? ORLY?

Odds are, if the car was sold in Canada, it has undercoating. Whether it be a good paint or wax sealant or sprayed on something or rather.

[Cooked Rice]

Undercoating is a good idea. Or you can get a rust check application but it's more messy as it doesn't dry, and you have to get it done once a year for best results. Dirt, sand, and debris will also stick on rust check. It costs $100-some for rust check. I suggest just getting it undercoated.

[a social dsease]

I have a battery heater, just a big blanket thing you wrap the battery in, plug it in and it warms the battery. The thing is, I never used it once last winter! My car always seemed to start fine, and I'd always keep it uner 2500rpm until I reached normal temperature. I think you'll be fine, it really only goes below -30C a couple nights a year. And you mentioned this is at work, so you'll be leaving at 4-5pm, the warmest time of the day.

[em2ab]

I've had my car since 2005 here in Calgary and never once plugged it in, it's fine. I got a remote start that cranks it once and if it doesn't start, it'll stop for a second then try again. It doesn't just keep turning it over like a wild man. So the car's always on for 10 minutes before I get in it anyway, I've never even owned a snow brush.....ever. :nut: And the rust isn't an issue, I got a big rock chip on my hood 2 years ago and for a year afterwards it was just a silver mark on my hood. It went though a full summer/winter and stayed silver with zero rust.....the air is just too dry here. But once I took it out east, it was orange before I even got to Atlanta. Rusted instantly.

[Supa Dexta]

I was at the junk yard today and noticed an inline coolant heater on one car, but it was in the upper rad hose. I know I normally see them in the lower rad hose.. What would be the difference? Anything noticeable? I've never used one myself.. I have to get a block heater put in the truck though.