Preparing your car for winter is necessary to keep things running properly, and it involves more than just plugging it in and hoping for the best.

“Check the battery condition and anti-freeze strength, and make sure the block heater is functioning properly and the engine is in good condition, the spark plugs, and the general maintenance of the engine is in good condition,” said Chad Garling, owner and operator of Hillview Service Ltd. “Checking there are no leaks or anything, as leaks tend to get worse in the cold.”

He said the newer vehicles don’t require specific oil changes for winter.

“Vehicles are generally set up for one specific oil nowadays,” he said. “The older vehicles, we always change to a lighter grade in the winter time, but nowadays, most of the engines don’t recommend changing the oil viscosity for the winter.”

In fact, newer vehicles may not even include an old standby for winter - block heaters.

“If the battery is in good condition, it’s not an issue,” said Garling. “Some of the vehicles nowadays, they don’t have provisions for a block heater. The fuel-injection systems are good enough now, they’ll start anyway. That’s not necessarily great for things, but there are some vehicles that don’t have block heaters available anymore.”

He said block heaters are most likely to not be found in the new imported vehicles.

He added the classic cars are best kept in storage, so as not to be damaged throughout winter driving conditions, as cold is hard on the materials and salt or stones cause damage to paint.