Name: Park Your Car Facing East in Winter, and You'll Never Be Late
Uploaded: 2020-03-06T20:34:13.000Z
Duration: 7 min 59 s
Description: Thousands of YouTube videos with English-Chinese subtitles! Now you can learn to understand native speakers, expand your vocabulary, and improve your pronunciation...

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Winter is coming, and it's time to prepare yourself AND your car for this tricky season.

Adverbs of degree

If you're lucky enough to live in the south where your wipers never get frozen to the

But being not that lucky, I sometimes have to spend hours digging my car out of snow!

Well, it’s good I have some useful tricks in stock.

- To check how well your car tires are prepared for the winter season, you can use a simple

Put the coin between your fingers and push it head down into the tread, one tire at a

Then, depending on how much of the coin is still showing, you can figure out if it's

For example, if the tread reaches the head of George Washington, there's still a lot

of it left on the tire, and you're good to go.

But if there is some space left between the tread and the head, it's probably high time

- Try to check the pressure in your tires every now and then, especially before the

If the tires aren't inflated well enough, you'll waste more fuel for each mile you travel.

Plus, low pressure in the tires during the winter will make it more difficult to control

The tires won't last as long as they otherwise could either.

And it will also reduce traction, which is particularly dangerous when the roads are

- Every time you drive somewhere in winter, make sure that your car is filled up on gas.

Many people believe that they have to do it because, otherwise, their gasoline will freeze.

Well, the truth is that gasoline can't freeze, but not having enough fuel in the tank can

For example, when your gas tank is almost empty, some condensation may form inside and,

And one morning, your car just won't start!

Another great reason for keeping your tank full in the winter is that its heavier weight

increases your car's traction, which is particularly useful on slippery days!

- Let's say, you ended up in a snowbank on your way to work, it’s not your day, and

you're not sure that your boss will appreciate this excuse.

And if there are no other drivers around to help you, you'll have to deal with the situation

First, remove the snow that's blocking your car.

(That's when that shovel you've had in your trunk for ages will come in handy!)

After that, make sure that no important car parts, like exhaust pipes, headlights, or

Put something that can improve traction under the tires.

The most effective solution will be sand, salt, and cat litter (if you happen to have

Make sure you have the lowest gear possible - the lower it is, the more traction your

If you have this option, turn on the 4-wheel drive.

While keeping the wheels straight, start to rock your car forward and backward, just a

That's how your vehicle will build momentum and gain more and more traction.

It will do nothing but dig you even deeper into the snowbank.

- Make sure you know how to recognize black ice and when you should be particularly careful

Black ice gets formed when the temperature drops down to 32 degrees F and below, and

When the water coming from the sky touches the ground, it turns into a thin layer of

Black ice can also form because of a slight difference in temperatures.

For example, in the evening, the temperature is above freezing, and the snow starts melting.

That's why when you go out in the morning, you find out that the melted snow has frozen

- But (surprise-surprise!) black ice isn't actually black.

It got such a nickname because when a thin layer of clear ice appears on the road, it

And if you know that the conditions have been favorable for black ice to appear, be extra

Drive more slowly than usual, don't make sharp turns, and try to spot areas that look as

If the temperature is below freezing, it can't be water - most likely, it's black ice.

- If you didn't manage to identify black ice in time and hit a patch of it, do NOT slam

Try to stay calm (I know, I know!) and slow down naturally by taking your foot off the

It will be great if you manage to find a non-icy patch of the road or a spot covered with snow.

Driving over those places will help you to get additional traction, and your car will

And if you've completely lost control of your car, carefully pump the brakes and steer in

Don't panic, sooner or later you'll reach some solid ground and regain control of the

- Not to waste tons of time in the morning trying to defrost and warm up your car, try

Make sure that you leave your car with its front facing the east.

This way, the rising sun will warm your vehicle, melting all the frost and ice from the windshield

This method might turn out useless when the day is cloudy and there is no sun, or if you

drive to work so early that the sun hasn't risen yet.

In this case, you'll have to use other defrosting solutions I'll tell you about a bit later.

Also, this recommendation won't be super-useful if you park your car in a garage, I guess.

Well, good for you, a person who doesn't know the struggles of the overnight frost.

- So, let's say that the day is cloudy, and the sun hasn't helped you in the hard task

You can use a scraper, but it needs plenty of muscle, your hands freeze, and, honestly,

the whole process might be not worth the effort.

But there's an effective solution that can help you to deal with this nasty frost in

Mix two-thirds of isopropyl with one-third of water and pour this liquid into a spray