Despite being light and fluffy, snow can wreak havoc on your car if you do not have a garage which can cost you hundreds of dollars in repairs. In some cases, icy snow may scratch or even break your windshield. And destroy other car components that may require replacement.
Keep reading to learn how to keep your car warm without a garage.
How can I protect my car without a garage?
Here are some tips to help protect your car without a garage;
1) Set Up a Car Tent
One of the fastest and easiest ways to protect your car without a garage or carport is to ‘build’ yourself a temporary carport with a car tent. These tents are like the tents you’d see at festivals and farmer’s markets, either with just a roof or closed with panels on three sides.
Car tents can easily be set up in your driveway to create a temporary canvas-and-pole shelter for your car. As long as the tent is properly staked or bolted town, it will provide all the protection from snow, UV rays and hail storms that your vehicle needs.
Choose the right car tent for your vehicle based on the size of your driveway and how you plan to anchor the legs. You may also need a larger car tent for larger vehicles or longer vehicles.
2) Wax Your Car
Intermediate layers of wax seal in your paint make the car shine and form a protective barrier between your car and the outside world. In addition, wax reduces weather damage, can protect the paint from UV fading, and can help to repel hail, tree seeds, and other debris that might damage your car in the surrounding elements.
Waxing your car is a fun way to spend a weekend afternoon and was once considered a normal part of car ownership.
3) Build a Car Port
If you own the house, you can build a carport over the driveway. Many homes feature built-on carports added over the driveway during the reign of one of the previous homeowners. It’s a practical decision for any property with a driveway but doesn’t have a garage.
Building your carport usually involves building vertical posts on one or both sides of the driveway and then erecting a roof. You can choose to extend your home’s roof system or add a simple aluminum roof for a quick and efficient home carport solution.
4) Throw Over a Drop Cloth
You can throw a drop cloth over your car with good ties or low wind to protect it from weather-based paint damage and heat-based interior damage. In addition, a drop cloth can reduce the amount of sunlight your car absorbs by acting as a full-vehicle sun shield.
It is also a physical barrier between wind, debris, icy weather, and other hazards that might endanger your paint job as the car sits in your driveway. Drop cloths can be plain canvas, or you can buy a custom car cover.
5) Trim Back Your Parking Foliage
If there are trees over your driveway, trim them back. Shade is good for the car but dropping tree seeds, sap, and bird droppings are not great for your car. Less foliage is better for protecting your car’s paint and maintenance in the long term. So trim back any tree branches and overhanging foliage above your outdoor car.
For small branches, you can use hedge trimmers and a ladder. However, suppose you have an arboreal giant reaching long limbs over your driveway. In that case, you may need a professional landscaping team and chainsaws to safely bring the limb down and clear your driveway’s overhead space without crushing your vehicle or you.
6) Use Interior Sun Shields
Don’t forget to protect the interior. Just throwing up a sunshade in the windshield and a few screens in the side windows can significantly reduce the damage done by sunshine to your seats, interior plastic, and electric components. It can get hot inside a car with or without a garage, and many car owners will tell you that sun shades make that all-important difference.
7) Apply Paint Protection Film
You can also apply paint protection film to the outside of your vehicle. The paint protection film is a clear polymer layer that provides a virtually invisible, protective high-gloss coating. It protects your vehicle from the wear of daily driving while keeping it looking great. In addition, a paint-protected car without a garage will last longer and protect your car’s exterior from hail, tree sap, and other outdoor hazards.
How do I keep snow from sticking to my car?
Here are some tips to help prevent snow from sticking to your car when it’s left outside in a snowstorm;
- Apply silicone-based lubricant to the door locks to prevent the locks from freezing in snowy weather. Silicone-based lubricants are hydrophobic, which means they repel water.
- Use trash bags on a windshield to protect it from snow. Secure the bags down with painter’s tape if you are expecting windy weather or static cling film for non-windy snow weather.
- Use a canvas windshield cover that protects the glass.
- Use zip-lock bags to protect the side view mirrors, and cover them before the snow hits. Place the bags over the side view mirrors and then close the backs around them.
- Place socks over your windshield wipers and pop them up. This will help prevent them from freezing.
- Put plastic bags over mirrors and use rubber bands to secure them into place.
- Spray a little cooking oil on rubber seals. This will help prevent them from sealing doors shut.
- Apply ice prevention spray on windows. You can find this product at auto specialty stores.
- Cover your windows. A piece of cardboard, towel, or folded sheet can help prevent ice from forming on your windshield.
What is the easiest way to remove snow from a car?
Follow these steps to remove snow from your car;
- Start by checking to see if the tailpipe is clogged with snow. Snow covering your tailpipe could lead to carbon monoxide buildup in your car.
- Then turn on the car and run the defroster for five minutes or more to warm up the car and start the melting process.
- Clear snow from the roof, hood, and trunk lid while waiting.
- Use a snow brush with plastic bristles or a broom to clear windows, followed by a light scrape with an ice scraper as needed for fluffy snow.
- For heavy snow, use a push broom.
- Next, clear the side windows and rear windows. Do the windshield last to give the defroster more time to start melting the ice.
- Also, clear your exterior mirrors, headlights, taillights, and turn signals.
- Clear off and dry your wiper blades and make sure your wiper fluid nozzles are clear.
- You can also start your car remotely to aid the snow melting process way before you need the car.
To remove the frost from your windows;
Use the smooth side of a plastic ice scraper to clear frost. If it’s an especially light coating and you don’t have a scraper, a plastic card from your wallet or an old, unusable CD can serve in a pinch. Use vertical strokes and gently push the accumulation down and off the car.
To get ice off the windshield;
Use the ridged side of a plastic ice scraper to get ice off the windshield. Make vertical slashes down the window, and then scrape across the window surface to break the ice into smaller chunks.
Use your air conditioner to remove fog from your windows and windshield. And use a soft microfiber cloth to remove stubborn fog spots.
Notes:
- Never pour hot water on a car covered in ice. The rapid temperature change can cause the glass to crack or shatter. And the puddle it leaves behind can lead someone to suffer a nasty spill.
- If your wipers are more than six months old and are not clearing the windows properly, it’s time to replace them.
- Do not use a screwdriver, metal key, or another sharp item to chip ice away. These can scratch or shatter the glass.
- Turn on your front and rear defrosters as soon as you start clearing. If you have a push start, now is the time to take advantage of it.
- Give yourself more time than you think. This can be a tough job, and you may need a break or two after scraping away at ice for a long period.
- Don’t pull on frozen windshield wipers. This could ruin them. Instead, use an ice scraper to chip away at the ice and give the car defroster time to do its job.
- Do not use a snow shovel on your car. Shovels and other brushes not marketed for safe use on cars can leave behind scratches.
- Start from the top. Clear snow from the roof and work your way down—clearing the top part of the car later could undo the work you did on the bottom half of the car. And you can’t drive around with a roof full of snow anyhow.
- Consider using a deicing spray. Commercial-grade sprays can make the job faster and easier.
- Blow through a straw to let your breath melt a frozen lock. Another option is to apply a bit of hand sanitizer to your key and the door lock.
- Of course, the best way to deal with winter is to park your car in a garage or carport. If that’s not possible, try taking these steps beforehand.
Should I wipe the snow off my car?
Yes. You should wipe the snow off your car, especially if you plan to drive on public roads. The snow that’s piled up on the roof of your car can pose a danger to other drivers if it happens to fly off. Leaving snow or ice on top of your vehicle is extremely dangerous to other drivers on the road.
Additionally, the snow piled on your vehicle can also cause a mini blizzard and near whiteout conditions to drivers traveling behind you on the road. It is also illegal to drive with snow on your car. Police are permitted to penalize snow-covered and frosted-glass vehicles. They range from verbal or written warnings to major fines and even demerit points. They will also make you clear your vehicle off before allowing you to proceed down the road.
You may incur car repair expenses when the snow and slush slide forward down the windshield during braking. The snow can mangle wiper blades, and arms and damage the linkage and motor. This can also happen to the rear wiper when the snow slides off the rear of your vehicle.
The snow can also prevent the wipers from completing their sweep cycle, leading to overheated motors, stripped arm fasteners, and broken linkages. The snow can also damage the roof racks, decorative trim, and the vehicle HVAC system. In addition, falling snow can be drawn into the HVAC system. Melting snow can waterlog a cabin air filter or cause problems with heater control doors and linkages.
Lastly, the snow may reduce the visibility on the road. As a result, it risks being dislodged during transit, potentially can cause property damage to other vehicles and even injuring other motorists or pedestrians.
How to park cars in the driveway for snow
Here are some tips for parking like a pro and protect your car from snow and ice;
- Park at the end of your driveway to reduce snow removal.
- Avoid parking under trees which could drop leaves, sticks, and other debris onto your car and damage it.
- Park your car facing east so the rising sun can help melt the snow and ice.