Hi Guys,

Was just wondering whether you lot do an extra service over winter to prepare the car for the plummet in temp.

If so, might be a daft question but is there anything you would do different with it being winter? Different Oil etc?

Any advice would be great, cheers.

The Norwegian approach:
- All locks and moving metal greased with industry grease.
- All keyholes loaded with WD40.
- All rubber surrounds lubed with Silicone.
- Washer fluid refilled with -20°C grade.
- New oil and filter.
- One overnight fullcharge of the battery.
- All door handles sprayed with WD40.
- Small shovel in the boot.

Here in Austria, winter tyres are a must so that is looked at as well.
Antifreeze, it is recommended not to dilute with water, so it can handle -30 to -40°C.
The oil must also be able to handle the colder temps, just make sure what the oils' limits are.
Ice scraper and a brush to clear the windscreen and the car of ice and snow are an absolute necessity.

I asked this question a while ago.

Interesting thread, check it out.
https://www.fiatforum.com/leisure-lounge/252429-winter-necessities.html

Been given one of these by my neighbours son(truck driver). Brilliant heater for these cold mornings but make sure you have a good fully charged battery.
http://www2.conrad-uk.com/goto.php?artikel=853580

So no need for different oil in the winter then or anything?

Whats the best Oil for the JTD? Gonna give it a service anyway.

Oakley28 said:

So no need for different oil in the winter then or anything?

Whats the best Oil for the JTD? Gonna give it a service anyway.

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Someone forgive me if I am wrong but the oil you must use for winter must have a W grade for eg 5w/40, the lower the number is to 0 then the colder the temperature the oil can withstand and obviously the more expensive it is the lower the number.

found this link for this info

http://www.upmpg.com/tech_articles/motoroil_viscosity/

You obviously do not have to take my advice but I know if you are using the wrong oil in winter, you do so at your own risk.

There are plenty of products out there, Fiat does recommend Selenia (according to the handbook) and according to Selenia the only oil to use for the JTD is this...

http://www.shop4parts.co.uk/?name=store&op=Details&ProdID=1008&sku=3165

It does seem sufficient for all year round use and especially in winter.

Stealth123 said:

... Antifreeze, it is recommended not to dilute with water, so it can handle -30 to -40°C...

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i take it you can get premix antifreeze over there... ive never seen premix on the shelves in the UK although i must say i have never looked.

Ethylene Glycol and Water singularly both freeze but mixing them lowers the freeze point. EG freezes at -13°C (9°F) for the best protection it should be 70/30 mix with distilled water this in theory gives protection down to 50°C (-60°F)... now for the science bit... iirc EG plays with the hydrogen bonds and inhibits ice crystal formation when mixed with water.

each antifreeze product is different in terms of what mix should be used with water but you certainly shouldn't rely on concentrated antifreeze to protect your engine just the same as you shouldn't rely on water alone. use distilled water to reduce scaling in the coolant galleries caused when the engine gets upto temp. although the antifreeze will have corrosion inhibitors in, scaling inhibitors i think is a little more difficult from a physics point of view

well regarding anti freeze i just put some meths into it. my next door neighbor told me about it and he is 90 years old ha ha.

well winter in my stilo is a nightmare as it gets so cold.
listen to this

doors freeze = cannot open both doors, cannot open the handles, only way in = through the boot

it is one hell of a job and a real pain. i have solved the problem now buy getting a full car cover from argos. and what a big change that made.

so instead of using heavy duty grease cant you use vaseline
and what kind of silicon, as i dont know how that would help the rubbers around the doors?

Chris017 said:

so instead of using heavy duty grease cant you use vaseline and what kind of silicon, as i dont know how that would help the rubbers around the doors?

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Vaseline will probably do the trick. It's a petroeum product with paraffin and mineral oils but can also be used for other things than the car.

The silicone is liquid (with a sponge to rub it out) and prevents the rubber from icing to the bodywork.

http://www.torshovbil.no/sider/vare?varenr=115020147

ha ha ha im not going to comment on here what else vaseline is good for ha ha

i have never seen that silicon liquid stuff before. will have a look for it weekend.
so just buy rubbing that on the black rubber between the doors it will help me to oppen the doors when its like -10

so as in vaseline for the locks, where do i put it? on the inside of the lock behind the door card or on the lock itself?

when it has been really cold, for some reason when i try to open the door handle is wont move and when i can get it to open it comes out but wont go back in as if it has snapped the lock off. but with abit of hot water it goes back to normal, BUT then the water ices over and its even worse the next day.

so who could i provent this???

I've always left my oil changes to spring, old oil is thiner for cold temps, and new oil is thicker for warm summers, Just some thing i've always done :shrug:

GrandeGuy said:

I've always left my oil changes to spring, old oil is thiner for cold temps, and new oil is thicker for warm summers, Just some thing i've always done :shrug:

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Don't understand that logic at all. With colder starts in winter, I would want fresh oil in at Autumn to help minimise engine wear through the cold season. And in any case, even if oil does get thinner with age (not heard that before) viscosity is only one aspect of oil's protection...

So what Oil should I be going for in the Winter times? Gonna get it a full service as it is due. Any recommendations on tyres too for the JTD?

Chris017 said:

i have never seen that silicon liquid stuff before. will have a look for it weekend. so just buy rubbing that on the black rubber between the doors it will help me to oppen the doors when its like -10

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Yup. Pretty common over here. I've got it in the car all winter long, and apply it when I am waiting for the wife or kids or whatever once a month or so. The doors don't stick, simple as that. The consistence is somewhat oily (transparent), but dries quickly and adds protection to the rubber, like a thin soft skin. It is still waterproof.

Chris017 said:

so as in vaseline for the locks, where do i put it? on the inside of the lock behind the door card or on the lock itself?

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You can smash it into the lock from the outside (best from inside aswell to get to the moving parts there) flip the lock with a screwdriver, open / close etc. to lube it completely.

Chris017 said:

when it has been really cold, for some reason when i try to open the door handle is wont move and when i can get it to open it comes out but wont go back in as if it has snapped the lock off. but with abit of hot water it goes back to normal, BUT then the water ices over and its even worse the next day.
so who could i provent this???

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Your water trick is like pissing yourself to keep warm. :yuck: Stupid approach... Haha.

This is WD40 all over. Open / close and spray the moving parts. Looks nasty during winter when it drips down the bodywork - but it works.

cheers for that i will 100% try it. i will put lots of vaseline in the locks today now and spray some wd40 in the door handle uswell. dont think iv ever put any grease on any of my car locks before.
dont think we will have any snow in the uk this year anyway but no doubt we will have hard frost, and even then the car door wont open. but doesnt help that the car is kept close to the river opposite the house.