Car In The Garage In Winter: Good Or Bad?

During the long winter months, we’d all prefer starting a warm car and heading out without having to brush the snow off of it; that’s why many houses are built with an attached garage. However, are we actually harming our vehicle by parking it in the garage every day?

A car that’s comfortably stored in the garage will obviously be sheltered from the foul weather we’re used to putting up with during the winter season. The problem is when we get home, especially in the middle of a storm when our vehicle is covered in snow and ice, and we park it directly in the garage. The snow will melt, of course, and the warmer temperature combined with humidity and salt residue will inevitably accelerate oxidation. That means rust.

Those of us who wear eyeglasses know what happens when we step inside after being in the cold for a while; condensation immediately fogs up our lenses, and that same phenomenon happens on various mechanical components of our car. Some of them are prone to rust, such as the exhaust system and the radiator. In addition, the vehicle's rubber seals could deteriorate more quickly with the high temperature shifts.

On the other hand, there are advantages to leaving the car in the garage. The essential fluids like the engine oil will be thinner, which lubricates internal parts more quickly at start-up, and there is no need to brush any snow or scrape the ice off the vehicle, which means less chance of damaging the paint job and the windshield wipers.

There are as many advantages as disadvantages when it comes to parking a car in the garage every day in winter. We recommend not heating the garage too much; an ambient temperature about five degrees Celsius will suffice in wintertime. In addition, making sure the area is well ventilated will allow our vehicle to dry up more quickly and reduce humidity.

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