drive in Fort McMurray

coolguy

While 14 billion dollars American auto bailout collapsed last Thursday, there is no any good news for automotive industry in 2008 Christmas holiday season. However, people’s lives rely on cars, especially over here in Fort McMurray. Without vehicles, I cannot imagine how to survive at -35C. I just summarize a few personnel experiences related to vehicle maintenance and safety as follows, and hope everybody can go through this harsh winter smoothly.

) t9 ~- N  @  @9 x, N/ C1.        Synthetic engine oil is critical, especially for older cars using 10W-30 grade. Synthetic oil has better performance to cold start at extremely low temperature.
2.        Snow tire is recommended, but new all-season tire is still OK here. The key is to control your speed and keep the space. Don’t trust the advertisement on TV since no any tire can stop your car on the ice with 80 km/h speed. Tire pressure should be set around the specified number, which can be got from tire itself or suppliers. Either of too high or too low will lose tire stability.
4 P- c# u% \8 @% u8 `8 F( H, a* j3.        Spare coolant and windshield washer fluid should be kept in the vehicle all the time.
4.        Coolant should not freeze at -40C. Check coolant blending ratio from service manual if you change it yourself.
) \, u" r6 C3 [7 ?5.        Block heater should be plugged in at -25C or lower, especially for those who are not sure what his coolant freezing point is. However, it is not recommended to plug in all the time at warmer temperature because the seal will be damaged by the heat and coolant leak repair will cost you a lot of money and time.
- v% R" Q( Y' T6.        All windows must be well cleaned before driving including side mirrors.
7.        Gentle acceleration will save your money, transmission and power train gears, etc.
4 h& ~8 v7 F* k  T) D2 }8.        Do not drive if it is not necessary.
7 s. ~/ _" W' D5 a9 B5 S
1 Y. C9 I$ Y' G$ J. Z  kI have to type English because I don’t have handy Chinese wording system in my computer. Hope this post can provide a little helps.

" t+ v6 g" c; D0 O2 aPlease share your experiences or comments with us!!!

天气不错

非常好的经验！！另外：
$ H4 [+ o* J9 K6 ]* V7 X尽量远些跟着前面的车！！
每次加完油后一定要把加油的小门擦净，避免冻僵，下次打不开！
; P: T  b2 h$ T0 n; X! }* g6 @尽量在天暖时加油，哪怕只需要半箱油。
想起来再补充。。。。

MrElectrician

The temperature of Fort McMurray may be down to -40 C for a week. It will be better if you buy -45 C and -50 C windshield water ( available in homehardware).  The engine oil shall be 5W-30 or lower level, I do not think 10W-30 is good for winter.

wolfgan

让车充分热以后在开，对车对人都好！！

sunrisek

不要开太快。

coolguy

Yes, windshield water freezing point is important during this weekend.

UncleSam

Thanks for sharing.

coolguy

No problem. Welcome more comments and experiences.
8 g" M( o# r: r% X/ \
The vehicle price is really low right now, some brand new small economy car is just $9,999. If you have a lot of cash on hand, it is good time to get a good deal, but need to watch the bailout result for GM,Ford and Chrysler. The warranty will void if they go bankrupt.

coolguy

The following winter tipps are copied from public newspaper.
7 h% G* s% K; [. K. M1 `, ?  W
6 z; Z0 @9 n( ~( V. ~* ]8 J, d1. Check road conditions before you leave at www.ama.ab.ca/RoadReports.
# y- C4 F. j5 b; R$ G1 i) ^- ?, J1 v9 ^2. Give yourself plenty of time to get to your destination
, p3 n  q) e4 }3 ^3 J- j+ ]! i3. Never drink and drive – there are always alternative forms of transportation to ensure you get home safe
4. Make sure you have a full tank of gas and windshield washer fluid
$ `8 {, ^$ p4 A, r/ Z# C2 @Bring plenty of warm clothes including hats, mittens, boots and a winter jacket in case your vehicle breaks down.
5. Be patient – getting to you destination safe is more important than being on time.
2 V* R0 w- R. i, t  @8 R* O
December is Impaired Driving month in Alberta and extra awareness is needed to prevent any unnecessary incidents from happening this holiday season. Your family, friends and community will be very grateful if you make the right decision and look for alternative transportation if you want to drink. Alternative ways to get home safe are:
Ask a friend or family member to pick you up
Use a local taxi service United Taxi (780-743-1234), Sun Taxi (780-743-5050) or Access Taxi (780-743-3333).
; ~, K) Z- K5 L* i# ]Call Keys Please at 1-866-586-Keys (5397) and you can pay to have a professional, qualified driver drive you home in your own vehicle.

  `- y; V; N& R, Q- ?/ |6 C. PMerry Christmas to everybody in Fort McMurray!!!

dododo

http://www.chinese-tools.com/tools/ime.html
在线中文输入网页。