Winter Car Maintenance Checklist for Moncton Drivers

Are winter tires required in New Brunswick?

No. New Brunswick doesn't require winter tires on regular passenger vehicles. The Department of Public Safety has recommended them for years but stopped short of putting them in the Motor Vehicle Act. What the province does say, on its own winter driving page, is to install four snow tires and not depend on all-seasons. We agree. All-season rubber goes hard in the cold, and you feel it the first time you brake for the light at the bottom of a Wheeler Boulevard off-ramp and the car keeps going.

Studded tires are legal in New Brunswick between October 15 and May 1. Outside those dates, they come off. Studs earn their keep on glare ice near the freezing mark, which we get plenty of. For most people driving between Dieppe, Moncton and Riverview on plowed streets, a good studless winter tire is enough. If you live on a hilly back road outside town or commute to Shediac at 6 am, studs start to make more sense.

Two things people skip. Put winter tires on all four wheels, not just the front two; mixing them makes the back end want to pass the front on a slushy curve. And check pressure when the tires are cold, using the number on the driver's door jamb. Pressure drops as the temperature drops, so tires that were fine in September are often low by November. Transport Canada wants at least 4 mm of tread left on a winter tire.

• Winter tires: recommended by the province, not required by law
• Studded tires: allowed October 15 to May 1
• Four matching winter tires, never two
• Check pressure cold, at least once a month through winter

Test the battery before the first cold snap

A battery that starts the car fine on a mild October morning can leave you stranded the first -20 °C night. CAA's figures put a battery at about 35 per cent less strength at 0 °C and about 60 per cent less at -18 °C, while a cold engine can need up to twice the current to turn over. Weak batteries don't fail in fall. They fail the first cold morning you're late.

The warning signs are slow and subtle: a lazier crank (rur... rur... rur) than last winter, headlights that dim when you crank, a click and then nothing. If your battery is three years old or more, assume it's on the list. CAA puts average battery life at three to five years, and modern cars with a lot of electronics wear them toward the short end.

A voltmeter reading alone can fool you. A battery can show a healthy voltage at rest and still fold under load. What you want is a proper load or conductance test, a look at the terminals for that white-green crust, and a check that the alternator is charging. If the battery passes but the charging system is weak, a new battery just dies more slowly.

One more Moncton-specific pattern: short trips. If the car's whole winter is Dieppe to Champlain Place and back with the heated seats, rear defrost and blower on high, the alternator never gets a chance to catch up. That battery goes into January half-charged. A longer highway drive once a week helps more than people think.

Does my block heater work, and when should I plug it in?

Find out now, not in January. Many cars sold in the Maritimes have a block heater, with a plug tucked behind the grille or hanging near the bumper. Plug it in for a minute and listen near the engine. On most cars you'll hear a faint tick or sizzle as the element heats the coolant. Silence usually means a dead element, a broken cord or a tripped outlet.

Look at the cord itself. They get pinched in the hood, chewed, dragged through slush and cracked by the cold. A cracked cord plugged into the house is a problem you don't want. Use an extension cord rated for outdoor use, and remember that outdoor outlets with a reset button trip when they get wet.

You don't need to leave it plugged in all night. Natural Resources Canada says two hours is plenty, and suggests an outdoor timer set to come on two hours before you leave. Their numbers say a block heater can improve overall fuel economy by as much as 10 per cent at -20 °C. It's also easier on the starter, the battery and you.

Coolant, oil, washer fluid, wipers and lights

Coolant protects the engine from freezing, and its strength fades over the years or after someone tops it up with plain water. A quick test with a hydrometer or refractometer tells you what temperature it's good to. While you're there, squeeze the radiator hoses (soft and spongy or cracked means replace) and look at the belts. Don't mix coolant types; use what the owner's manual calls for.

If the oil change is due in the next month or so, do it before the cold arrives and use the viscosity in your owner's manual. The first number (the 0 in 0W-20) is the cold rating, and a lower number flows faster on a frozen morning.

Washer fluid is where people get caught. The blue summer stuff freezes in the lines and nozzles the first cold night, right when the 18-wheelers on the Trans-Canada start throwing salt brine at your windshield. Transport Canada says to use winter fluid in the -40 °C range and carry a spare jug. If the reservoir is full of summer fluid, run it down before topping up so you're not left with a weak mix.

Replace wiper blades that streak or chatter. Winter blades with a rubber boot keep ice from packing into the frame. And don't use the wipers as an ice scraper; it tears the edge off the blade and is hard on the wiper motor. Last, walk around the car with the lights on. Burnt bulbs, foggy yellowed headlights and lights aimed at the treetops all cost you a lot of visibility on a dark 5 pm drive in December.

What should be in a winter car emergency kit?

Pack for being stuck for a few hours, not a few minutes. The Trans-Canada across the Tantramar Marsh toward Sackville and Route 15 to Shediac both get blowing snow off open ground, and the plow may be a while. The list below comes from the Government of New Brunswick and Transport Canada, with our notes. Keep the gas tank at least half full too; the province recommends it because it cuts down on moisture in the fuel system and adds a bit of weight. Call 511 or check 511.gnb.ca before a long drive.

• Warm blanket, extra clothes, a hat, mitts and real boots (not the shoes you wore to the office)
• Small shovel, ice scraper and snow brush
• Long booster cables, so you can reach from a car parked nose-to-tail
• Sand or kitty litter for traction, and traction mats if you have them
• Flashlight with fresh batteries, flares or a reflective vest
• First aid kit, snacks and water, and a phone charging cable
• Spare jug of -40 washer fluid
• Candle in a deep can with matches, and a tow rope

When to get your car ready for winter

Mid-October to early November is the sweet spot. It's cold enough that you're thinking about it and warm enough that nobody has to lie on a frozen driveway. Leave it until the first snowfall and you'll be competing with everyone else who left it until the first snowfall.

Tire swaps need a tire shop. We don't mount or balance tires at OnCall, so book that separately and book it early. Everything else on this list, we can do where your car is parked: battery and charging system test, block heater check, oil service, coolant and fluid checks, wipers and bulbs. If you're in Moncton, Dieppe, Riverview or Shediac, send us the vehicle, what you want checked and your postal code, or call or text (506) 871-0669. We'll confirm what's involved and the price before anyone drives out.