I’m Driving To Mont-tremblant… What Do I Do If My Car Doesn’t Start In The Morning Because Of A Cold Engine?
by James on Jul.06, 2009, under Mont Tremblant
Hi, I’m going to be driving from philly to mont-tremblant with a bunch of friends. Three of the cars are SUVs and the other car is a honda civic which were worried about. Does anyone know if places in Canada generally have emergency services that can heat a cold engine block if need be? Its gonna be extremely cold.
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July 6th, 2009 on 10:31 pm
Mont tremblant is a very touristy town, so many people speak English.
As for the extreme cold coming up, yeah, you could very well have some trouble since it’s going to be in the -30s (Celsius). If you have access to an outside plug, you can plug your block heater in overnight. If not, don’t worry about emergency services. We have tons. Local garages, I think everyone carries jumper cables, CAA quebec, etc…Keep the CAA Quebec number handy should your car need assistance along a highway. (You don’t need to be a member for their services)
July 7th, 2009 on 12:20 am
If you don’t have a winter thermostat, the heater won’t provide as much heat as you’re used to. You should also consider synthetic oil because it doesn’t congeal in really cold weather. At the very least change to 5W30 don’t try to use 10W30 oil – that alone could easily make the difference in very cold weather. It’ll also be much easier to start and easier on the engine too.
If you’re still worried about the car starting (after getting the proper oil), put a blanket or a small tarp over the hood hanging down to the ground and leave a 100 watt trouble light on under the engine block overnight. That’ll almost always be enough heat to keep the block from actually freezing..
Make sure you have a blanket each, a charged cell phone, a shovel and extra windshield washer fluid (new wiper blades might be wise too).
Bon voyage!
July 7th, 2009 on 3:04 am
As long as your engine is protected with anti-freeze and your battery is in good shape you’ll be fine. It won’t be that cold but I guess as compared to Philly it could be. Make sure you have a 50/50 mixture of antifreeze and water in your radiator. Take booster cables in the event your battery dies on you but don’t be afraid of your engine block freezing. That’s what the anti-freeze is for. Have fun. Parlez vous Francais?
July 7th, 2009 on 6:18 am
We are pretty civilized here. We have excellent roadside emergency services. CAA is the same as AAA. Almost everyone knows how to use booster cables and they are usually happy to help.
It is not mandatory for tourists to have snow tires but it is highly recommended!