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As frigid temperatures move in, AAA recommends drivers check their cars

Mass. — Arctic air is moving into the air as we speak. Not only do we have to make sure we bundle up if we have to go outside, but we also need to make sure our car is ready to handle the extreme cold.

When it gets this cold, you never want to have your car close to empty because condensation can build up inside. AAA recommends keeping your tank half full during the winter months. Here are some other good tips AAA wants drivers to remember so they don’t get stranded in the cold:

  • Check on your battery: Starting an engine in cold temperatures can take up to twice as much current under normal conditions. The average battery lasts four to five years.
  • Check your tire pressure: Air pressure will drop 1 psi for every 10 degree drop in temperature once it dips below 40 degrees. Driving on tires that aren’t properly inflated wastes gas.
  • Check your fluids. Antifreeze should be at a 50/50 ratio with water. Also make sure you have enough wiper fluid.

And for people who have electric vehicles, AAA says make sure you can charge it as much as you can.

“Electric vehicles, when it’s cold out they lose about half their percentage of battery so if you’re going to go for long trips you need to stop and definitely charge them back up,” said Chris Oldham, a Battery Technician with AAA.

“We have had this incredibly warm January, so a lot of people haven’t had trouble starting their cars and they may have trouble Friday and Saturday,” said Mary McGuire, AAA Spokesperson. “You have to remember that your battery, when it’s freezing, loses a third of its power and when its below zero it loses more than half its power.”

If your car is a 2007 model or older, AAA says you don’t need to let it sit and warm up a while. It only takes an engine 30 seconds to be ready to go. If you just let it sit and warm up, it wastes gas.

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