#winter
14 posts in Car Diagnostics blog about "winter" — OBD-II diagnostics, DTC codes, repair. ← All posts
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Heated seats: why they stop working and what to do
The heating element breaks from flexing rather than from age. The causes, the repair, and why not to ignore it.
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Mirrors: heating, folding, and adjustment that stopped working
A door mirror contains three separate mechanisms that fail differently. How to separate motor, heater, and wiring.
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Heated rear window: why it stops working and what you can fix yourself
One broken element disables a whole stripe, and that is a DIY repair. Testing, repair, and what never to do to the glass.
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Road salt and corrosion protection: winter work that saves spring bills
Salt works all winter and the result shows a year later. What genuinely protects, and when washing does harm.
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Frozen shut: glass, doors, locks, and handbrake — doing it right
Half of all winter damage is done by the owner in the first five minutes. What not to do with ice.
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An emergency kit: what to carry so you do not depend on strangers
A kit in the boot is not for repairing the car but for waiting safely for help. What works and what rides along for nothing.
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Frost and starting: what to do when the car will not start in winter
The procedure in frost differs from the summer one. How not to destroy the starter and battery with the first few attempts.
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Winter tyres: when to switch and why temperature matters more than snow
The trigger is not the first snow but a steady 7 °C. Why summer rubber hardens, how ageing destroys grip, and what the electronics can and cannot do.
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Will not start in the cold: five causes in the order you should check them
Frost does not create new faults — it finishes off the ones already marginal. Diagnosis by symptom: does not crank, cranks without catching, catches then stalls. Each leads somewhere different.
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How to jump-start a car properly: the sequence that saves both cars' electronics
On a modern car, jump-starting incorrectly costs more than a new battery. The connection order, why the last clamp does not go where you think, and when you must not jump-start at all.
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What to check after winter: seven things salt and frost damaged
Winter does not break a car immediately — it leaves damage that surfaces in spring and summer. What suffered over the season, and what is cheaper to find in March than in July.
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Do you need to warm the engine up? What live data says instead of opinions
The warm-up argument has run for decades on conviction alone. But the control module shows exactly what happens on a cold engine — and that settles most of both sides' arguments.
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Heater blowing cold: seven causes in order of cost — from free to expensive
In winter this is not a comfort question but a visibility one — a fogged, iced windscreen. The causes in ascending order of cost, and a ten-minute check through live data.
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Preparing a car for winter: what to check over OBD and what by hand
Winter does not break cars — it exposes what was already broken. A weak battery, slow warm-up, and a small vacuum leak are invisible in summer and become a morning call-out in the cold.