During winter, it’s normal to experience heavy snowfall. You wake and stare through the window in the morning only to see everything white, fun to look at.
Not until the tough white blanket of snow covers your car, and you’ll have to dig it out. To help you, this article will discuss simple methods how to protect your car from snow without a garage.
As a new car owner, you’ll have to take time to invest in a garage. Yes, a garage is safe for your car. But not all people will afford this luxury.
Many people park their cars around the homestead, and during the winter season, they spend thirty minutes to one hour digging their cars out of snow when they need to leave. Not fun at all.
In another case, you may have travelled during the winter season. For this reason, you park your car outside the guest rooms or on a friend’s homestead only to find a blanket of snow covering it.
Thankfully, there are methods you can use to protect your car. Some are helpful for home parking, while others are beneficial even when away from home.
ow to Protect Your Car from Snow without a Garage
There are several damages snow may bring to your car, adding extra expenses on repair. Check several are outlined below;
- Ice causes windshield cracks if it falls on your car.
- It freezes the engine causing starting problems in the morning.
- It causes the rubber wiper blades to wear out easily
- It kills the car battery when inside chemicals debilitate and fails to produce enough current to start the engine.
- Snow carries grime, chemicals, and dirt which may corrode metals and destroy your car’s paint job.
- Snow moisture may corrode the wiring circuits and destroy switches.
- It freezes the gas tank and the pipes. When fuel passes through them and is injected into the engine, it causes severe damages.
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Ways to Protect Your Car from Snow without a Garage
1. Invest in Windshield Snow Cover
Windshield covers are placed on the rear and front windshields as barriers between the snow and the glasses.
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By laying them on the windshield, they cover and protect any ice that may scratch the glasses or fall on them leading to cracks.
Luckily, you’ll remove the covers in the morning and have your clear windshields. The advantage of the windshield covers is they can be rolled and stored in the trunk every time you need to travel with them.
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2. Buy a Full Car Cover
A full car cover protects the whole car, including the tires, from snow. Most covers are waterproof and have a glove-like fit to hold the car fully. For this reason, the wind cannot blow them away.
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Thankfully, they are made with a soft texture on the inside that protects your car paint.
However, it can be bulkier than the windscreen cover to store in the truck due to its size. But if you roll it well and carry it while traveling, it can fully protect your car overnight.
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3. A Car Shelter
Although you cannot carry a car shelter while traveling, it’s best used as a temporary garage around the homestead.
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It is installed in a spacious area where you can park your car overnight and find it in the morning without snow build-up.
Luckily, once installed, you don’t have to cover the car every evening. Further, these shelters can be fixed permanently to be used as party tents during summer.
4. Protect the Paint Job
Because snow comes with some dirt and chemicals that may destroy your car paint job, it’s a good action to wax your car.
Waxing is effective if you have chosen to use the windshield cover method. Additionally, it protects your paint from harmful salts on the road.
Waxing with a quick coat car wax spray is a simple practice you can do before the cold season starts.
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Other Methods to Cope with the Snow without Car Covers
If you don’t have access to the above items to protect your car, there are simple practices you can carry out to be safe;
- Raise the Car Wipers– after parking your car, raise the wipers from the windshield. It protects them from wearing out due to snow build-up on the windshield.
To be safe, invest in heated windshield wipers that effectively remove snow.
- Check Your Door Rubber Seals– Snow can drip inside the car in case of loose door rubber seals. Ensure your car is well closed before parking it overnight.
- Choose a Safe Parking Area– parking a car under a tree or near a building is risky. If the frozen snow falls off the tree or the building roof, it may break your windshield or the roof. Park your car in an open area
- Carry out Simple Maintenance– First, ensure the car fluids are at the manufacturer’s recommended levels. Invest in an antifreeze coolant for better engine performance.
Second, have a portable power station or a backup car battery to jumpstart the car because you may find the battery is low every morning.
- The Gas Method– Ensure your gas tank is three-quarters full before parking the car. It prevents the tank and the gas pipes from freezing, which may cause engine problems if injected into the combustion chambers.
- Have a snow brush– A snow brush is best in cleaning the car during the morning after an overnight snowfall. It’s soft to protect the car paint and the glasses.
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FAQs on Car Protection
What is Under Body Protection?
Underbody protection is the coating of the car underbody parts like the chassis and the gas tank that are prone to corrosion.
Does Undercoating Protect From Salt?
Undercoating protects the car’s underbody parts from corrosive salt on the road. Especially on the fuel tank, it plays a great role in protecting the gas from spilling out of rust.
Which is the Best Anti-corrosion Spray?
There are various brands of anti-corrosion spray in the market. Some of them are the WD-40 grease and the CRC anti-corrosion spray.
Although they don’t protect a car from snow, they will protect it against corrosion by salt.