How Antifreeze Works

Series Summary

Winters can be hard on your car and even cause damage if it’s not adequately prepared for the cold, rain or snow. Winterizing your car is easier than you think and is an important part of preparing for freezing temperatures. Most people think that topping off the antifreeze is enough preparation for cold weather, but people can take many more steps to get their car ready. In this free car maintenance video, a professional auto mechanic will demonstrate how to prepare a car for winter, beginning with supplies that need to be purchased, including antifreeze, wiper fluid and wiper blades. Learn about the importance of changing oil and keeping a full tank of gas during the winter. Maintaining proper tire pressure is also an important maintenance step, as is warming up a car before driving it. Watch these videos and find out how to keep an automobile safe and in top running condition during the long and treacherous winter driving season. Don't get caught stranded in freezing temperatures!

Video Transcript

"In winterizing your car, coolant protection is the number one thing you want to be concerned about. Protecting your car with antifreeze will raise the boiling point and it will also lower the freezing point in your cooling system. The freezing point is very important in your winter months. A fifty, fifty mix of a good quality antifreeze should bring your freezing point down to minus thirty four degrees. Also, antifreeze protection will keep your engine block from rust or scaling as they call it, sending small particles into your radiator which will clog it up. Rust can also damage your water pump causing it to leak over a period of time. Antifreeze is one of your cheapest ways of protecting your cooling system."