Chipmunk101

Hello
I am having a second recce next week in Calgary and am spend some time in the hills.
What is the deal with plugging in the hire car?
When and where do I have to plug in the car?
Do you have to plug in every time you stop the engine ? E.g. if I was just popping out to the shop?

MarkG

Basically it just helps the engine start if it's got really cold (below -20 or so); so no need to bother for short stops, but if you're leaving the car out overnight in really cold weather it's not a bad idea to plug it in. Odds are it will still start OK without the extra heating, but it will start easier if it has been plugged in.

I do remember watching a documentary some years ago about people driving across Russia in temperatures down to -60C or below, and they did have a problem where one of the cars stopped overnight (they left them running 24 hours a day) and couldn't be started in the morning. But you're not likely to find temperatures that low in most of Canada.

Mrs Muesli

It's a block heater that makes starting the engine from overnight stone cold that much easier. We have ours on a timer in the garage - it comes on around midnight, switches off around 7.30am before I leave for work. I remember my hubby using a sump heater - don't know if they're avaliable here - in really cold English weather

Chipmunk101

Thanks for the info
The car will be in the hotel heated car park over night so it looks like I will not have to plug the car in to the grid.

Steve_P

You could save some money on electricity if you set the timer for about two hours (approx 5:00am) before you need to start the car. That's all it needs.

Most block heaters are installed in a frost plug close to the bottom of the block and warm the coolant.

Come on, you really don't expect anyone in Canada to believe that it gets cold enough in the UK to need a block heater.

Bill_S

mandymoochops

budge up!

Steve_P

Iain is away on some nice warm island this is a non-starter.

mandymoochops

Aaaaah block heated the natural way

Steve_P

Nah...it won't start 'cause it wasn't plugged in.

MarkG

You might think differently if you'd ever owned a British car from the 60s or 70s... they need all the help they can get to start on a good day .

SAW 04

Sorry, the cars in the garage or just the block heater timer?

If the car is in the garage what are you using a block heater for?

MarkG

Unless the garage is heated, the temperature will eventually equalise with the outside no matter how good the insulation may be.

Steve_P

Our garage is a separate building and is not insulated.

It does manage to stay a few degrees warmer than the outside air temp even on the coldest days but even that is only two or three degrees.

Block heater still required.

MB-Realtor

WE have lived in Winnipeg for nearly ten years, our cars do not go in a garage, we don't use the block heaters and the only problem we have had is with my daughters brand new Mini, it wont start in the cold, despite synthetic oil etc etc. BMW have loaned her a brand new 3 series for 4 weeks now as they can't sort out the problem. May be they will let her keep the 3