If you live in an area that sees a lot of regular snowfall—like the OnAllCylinders home office located on the edge of the Lake Erie snow belt—then you already know the havoc that wintery weather can cause on your morning drive.
And if your vehicle is parked outside overnight, it usually adds another wrinkle to your daily commute routine.
We’ve already written a handful of articles on the topic of winter driving and winter vehicle maintenance. You can check those out here:
- How to Get Your Ride Ready for Winter Driving
- Get Ready for Winter Driving with These Helpful Tips
- Are Winter Tires Worth It?
- 9 Ways to Prepare for Winter Driving
- 7 Tips for Safe Driving on Snow or Ice
That said, one of the topics we haven’t really covered much is daily-driven vehicles parked outside. And that’s a really important subject, as many of us don’t have the luxury of a garage, which makes that morning grind into the office or jobsite just that much more of a hassle.
So, here are five tips that can help make your snow-covered commute a bit less of a headache.
***
5 Winter Storage Tips for Vehicles Parked in the Snow
***
1. Invest in a Windshield Snow Cover
A good windshield snow cover does a few things. For starters, it makes it easy to whisk away any snow that’s collected on your windshield overnight. So sure, it eliminates the hassle of brushing off any accumulated snow, but it also mitigates frost—which means no tedious scraping either.
The often-overlooked benefit though, is that it can increase the life of your windshield wipers, since you’re don’t have to use them in conjunction with your washer fluid to help remove any stubborn ice bits.
Yet, what really makes us smile here, is that a small investment in a cover like this can give you back several precious minutes before you begin your commute—so you might even be able to hit the snooze button one more time.
***
2. Hit Your Lock & Latch Mechanisms with WD-40
Fun Fact: Did you know the “WD” stands for “Water Displacement”? That’s a fancy way of saying that ice won’t build up on spots where you’ve sprayed it. In other words, a quick shot of WD-40 into your lock mechanisms and door latches can save you a ton of headaches when it comes to opening your doors. In our experience, a single quick spray will easily last a full season.
Don’t forget about your hood latch either—waking up to a sluggish, dead battery is miserable enough, without having to wrestle with a frozen hood latch to get your battery jumped.
***
3. Toss a Child’s Snow Shovel in Your Trunk
It goes without saying that you should always have a good snow brush and ice scraper handy, but if you park your car or truck outside overnight, toss a child-size snow shovel back there too.
Why? Well, it’ll help you dig out of any snow that’s piled up fore or aft of your vehicle and—this is especially true for street-parked cars and trucks—it can help you knock down any of the rutted snow heaps caused by plows and other vehicles. Most importantly, it can help you dig a path out of your new parking spot when you get back home.
A snow shovel made for a toddler’s hands is not only affordable, it’s delightfully compact for a hatchback or small trunk—and surprisingly durable enough to handle some rigorous snow removal jobs.
***
4. Park on Flat, Even Surfaces & Monitor Your Tire PSI
This, of course, is entirely dependent on where you can find a parking spot—but when possible, avoid parking in divots and natural ruts. Not only can a deep rut make it difficult for you to rock out of when leaving the spot, water can accumulate in the recess and freeze to your tires.
Cold air is also dense air, which means the PSI in your tires can drop as the temperature dips too. Parking in deep pockets of snow can exacerbate this affect as well. Obviously monitoring your tire pressure is always important, but it’s particularly vital in cold-weather climates where the overnight temperature plummets—it could drop your PSI by several pounds and create an unsafe driving situation for your vehicle, regardless of the road conditions.
***
5. Clean Snow Away from Your Cabin Air Intake
On many modern vehicles, cabin air is drawn in from somewhere near the bottom of the windshield. (In the picture above of an old Nissan Sentra, note the intake vent circled in red.) While that’s an effective spot to pull in air on a good day, it can get clogged when the vehicle is parked outside during a snowstorm.
This effectively disables the vehicle’s ability to draw in air from the outside. While that outside air might be colder, it’s also dry—unlike the stagnant air that’s been caught in your vehicle all night, thanks to poor circulation and slush-filled floor mats. Long story short, if your cabin air intake port is clogged, it means your windows will stay fogged up longer—and that’s not good.
Make sure to figure out where your cabin air intake vent is, and clear it out when you’re brushing snow off your vehicle. It’s always good practice to clear away all the snow packed onto the bottom of your windshield—there’s often a plastic cowl or cladding there, which is usually where the intake is located.
You may also want to read this: What is a Cabin Air Filter & When Should You Check Yours
***
Bonus Tip: Pack a Jump Starter Box
Tossing a jump starter box in your vehicle is a good idea no matter what the weather is. They’re small, easy to hook up, and allow you to jumpstart a vehicle by yourself—which is particularly handy if you’re stuck with a dead battery in the morning and don’t have a lot of folks in your Rolodex to call for help.
As an added benefit, many jump starter boxes also serve as portable power stations, so you’re able to charge-up your phone or power other small electrical devices in an emergency.
***
Any more tips you’d like to share with your cold climate neighbors? Let us hear about them in the comments section below.
Comments