December brings winter to many parts of the world, the Pacific Northwest included and so this month s tech tips will center on the winterizing process for vehicles in general. First of all, make sure that the radiator in your car is protected by the appropriate level of anti-freeze. Even the racecar sitting under the tarp in the unheated garage should have a small amount of antifreeze added to the cooling system just in case. If you are planning a trip away from home for an extended period of time, even a heated garage could become the victim of a power outage and temperatures could drop below freezing. Another concern is the racecar sitting under the tarp alongside the garage or under a flat roofed shelter.
Snow weighs a lot and large amounts can accumulate on a flat roof.
Boaters in the Seattle area discovered how this can lead to extensive damage when the flat roofed structures covering their moored boats collapsed under the weight of wet snow dropped by a sudden winter storm. Picture the site of your racecar or RV suddenly hit by a ton of wet snow. Not a pretty picture. Modern tow rigs and daily drivers with their computerized and fuel injected engines often lull us into a false sense of security that if ignored will strand us during the winter months. The modern vehicle relies heavily upon electronics for all that is good and this places a heavy strain on the main power unit in the vehicle.