Plug in your cars?

romarie · January 2011

So how many of you have to plug in your vehicles when it gets cold?

I find it humorous that my husband's truck is only 3 years old or so and if it gets below 0 he has to plug it in. It's 34 below zero today up here and mine started right up without plugging it in. I have never had to with my 10 year old POS grand prix. The one I totaled, had to be plugged in all the time though.

anitalynn · January 2011

Does he drive a diesel truck? You should/have to plug diesel in.

romarie · January 2011

yeah, his is diesel. And you have to plug it in or it gets all gummed up. My Dad has a newer truck also (gas) and he has to plug his in also.

Janell's Nest · January 2011

DH has a '99 3/4 ton Diesel Dodge and he's never had to plug that thing in. There's only been one morning where it didn't pop right off in the 4 years he's owned it...and it's got over 200,000 miles on it...

jennyk213 · January 2011

I don't and wouldn't even know how to. Do cars automatically come with a hookup to plug them in?

In my teens, I had a 1984 (yes, I'm old) Chevy Cavalier. Whenever it got this cold, I'd put blankets and cardboard boxes over the hood to keep it warm. On the extra frosty days, I'd get up at 3 a.m. so I could let it run for a while. It seemed like there were a lot more of these cold days back then!

anitalynn · January 2011

romarie:
yeah, his is diesel. And you have to plug it in or it gets all gummed up. My Dad has a newer truck also (gas) and he has to plug his in also.

So it's not a matter of his truck's age, but it's the fuel used in it. Diesel gets gummy, which doesn't spark when you try and turn the car over. No spark = no combustion = car isn't going to run. If you keep the engine warm, the diesel doesn't get gummy, so you won't have problems starting.

I've never had to plug in my unleaded/regular gasoline cars, but the diesel cars in our family (not mine personally, but BIL, uncle etc) have always had to plug theirs in during the winter. If they didn't plug the car in, they had to let it run for a really long time before driving.

purplecrayon · January 2011

jennyk213:

I don't and wouldn't even know how to. Do cars automatically come with a hookup to plug them in?

This.

I have a 2003 Civic. I don't even know if it has a plug-in option.

JosiePosy · January 2011

I had a block heater on my old Ford. My Honda doesn't have one.

pourroni · January 2011

Nope, but I have a 2007 unleaded gas car--it has an internal block heater that doesn't have to be plugged in.

But exactly what Anita said-even with winter diesel it will gum up and won't start if it's not plugged in.

so_not_boring · January 2011

I had a block heater in my first car, when I lived in Fargo. I drove a Chevy Corsica that used regular unleaded gas... Most cars (back then anyway) had block heaters installed in them. Nighttime temps in the 10s-20s below zero were common, not "events" like they are here in the metro. If you parked outside and you wanted your car to start in the morning, you had one.

brifox711 · January 2011

I had a 98 Ford Contour that I plugged in when it got really cold. It was awesome and I never had problems starting it, and it warmed up very fast after I started it! I don't think it is an option for every car, but I don't know why certain ones have it, and others don't.....

ercsa29 · January 2011

Our 2008 gas CRV needs a block heater because it won't start. I just haven't made an appointment to get one installed. The 2010 diesel Jetta doesn't need to be plugged in, per the dealer's instruction. We will be getting a block heater and plugging it in though.

megandscott07 · January 2011

This post seriously confuses me. You can plug in a car? Never heard of such a thing. Huh?

Plug in your cars?

Re: Plug in your cars?

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