Winterize Your Classic Car or Daily Driver

Here in the United States, Thanksgiving has recently passed, so it’s officially Holiday Season 2025. Here on Long Island, we’re expecting a particularly cold winter with plenty of cold and snow. 

Here are some very import

ant tips for your classic car, as well as your daily driver. Before you think, “This doesn’t apply to my baby. I keep her locked up in the garage all winter,” understand that most of these tips are even more important for cars that will be stagnant for the winter.

Oil — Check the oil level & make sure it has been changed recently. Consider changing to a thinner viscosity oil for winter, particularly on an older engine. In cold weather, a thinner oil is better able to flow during cold starts, but may have insufficient viscosity when the weather heats up. No matter how many miles you put on your car, you should always change the oil at least twice every year for this reason. 

Why is this important on a garaged vintage car? In order to keep the circulation going and prevent bigger future problems, you should start your car once every week or two and, if possible, take it for a ride. Unless you’ve recently had an engine rebuild, your engine may be too weak to push heavy oil to the top and be counter-productive to your goal of keeping your car from having further problems.

Heating — Check it and make sure it's working correctly. It’s recommended that you get a cooling system and  heater flush, along with a new thermostat for winter. If your cabin isn’t heating properly, there’s a good chance that you have blockages in your heater — and your radiator

Anti-Freeze/Coolant — Check the level and condition. When was the last time your cooling system was completely reverse-flushed, pressure-tested & refilled? If you are unsure of the strength of your coolant, stop by Acme Radiator here in Islip Terrace and we’ll be happy to check it for you! Let us help you get that peace-of-mind now, before the temperatures drop below freezing.

Why is this important on a garaged classic car? Expansion and contraction. Keeping anti-freeze in your car will help to prevent the water in it from turning to ice when it gets really cold. When it turns to ice, the risk of massive radiator and heater leaks increases exponentially. Fresh anti-freeze also prevents corrosion, which is one of the cooling system’s biggest enemies! Please change your coolant at regular intervals, as recommended by your engine manufacturer. This is important because the rust and corrosion inhibitors built into your car’s anti-freeze break down over time, even in long-life anti-freeze formulas!

Unless you plan to tow your car to us in the spring and get a complete (and pricey) overhaul of your cooling system, then you should get the preventive maintenance that it needs.

Tires — Make sure all tires (including spares) have the proper pressure and a safe amount of tread. Also check for dry rot between the tire treads.  In the past three decades, the manufacture of tires has moved from countries like the USA, Germany and Japan to places like India and China and the subsequent result is that the rubber used on modern tires does not last as long as it did years ago.

Why is this important on a garage-kept antique car? Dry rot. Frankly, the only way to prevent dry rot is to drive your vehicle regularly, but if you’re keeping it in the garage for the winter, this isn’t possible. Moreover, you don’t want to drive on old, dry rotted tires. Dry rot is particularly dangerous on cars that have been in storage for a while. Even if the tires look good, they can still be problematic. Old tires get very hard. They don't flex and they lose their grip, particularly when going around turns.

Other rubber parts — Belts, cooling hoses, brake hoses and motor mounts are all made of rubber, just like tires. Just like tires, they tend to dry rot over time. Don’t cause a situation for yourself by allowing a rubber hose to break and create a serious overheating issue!

Filters — When you change your oil filter, check your fuel filter, air filter, transmission filter and cabin air filter.

Fluids — Make sure that they’re all full and filled with the correct fluids. There are different grades of brake fluid, power steering fluid, transmission fluid, motor oil and anti-freeze. Don’t use water in your windshield washer system.

Gasoline — Gas freezes! No matter what quality of gas you’re putting in your car, it contains water. With the extreme weather conditions that we’ve been experiencing lately. It’s in your best interest to add dry-gas to your fuel system. This can be found at any parts store. It’s simple to use (seriously, you just pour it into your gas tank). Follow the instructions on the bottle to determine how often you should do this.

Here at Classic Radiators and Heaters, we get gas tanks from all over the country that have been in parked cars for decades and all of them need a complete restoration. Why? They were ignored, and that’s all that it takes to destroy a gas tank.

Battery — Batteries are much more likely to fail in the winter than during nicer weather. It takes a lot more amperage to start a car when the weather is cold, so if your battery is borderline in the relative warmth of October, you’re going to be stranded somewhere by January and, as we all know, this only happens at the most inconvenient time! Most batteries are good for only three to five years and new batteries only come with a warranty of two years. Wherever you take your baby to get winterized, have your battery and charging system tested, as well! And remember: The best thing that you can do to protect it is to drive it as often as possible! This is what every vehicle was meant to do when it was built. Keep it rolling!