New England Winter for a Desert Volvo? Topic is solved

viper69 · Post by **viper69** » 20 Nov 2018, 02:53

My Volvo has lived all its life in the dry desert.

Well it’s moving to New England.

What sort of, if any, weather treatment to minimize rust should it get? I don’t want my car to rust away simply because we moved to New England!

Anything else I should look into for protecting it against winter, be it tires etc etc.

Thanks!

Post by **Rattnalle** » 20 Nov 2018, 02:57

They're well protected against rust from the factory so unless the desert has blown the original treatment away it should be fine.

Get proper winter tyres. Treat all rubber seals so they don't get stuck when it freezes. Check antifreeze and make sure you've got wiper fluid that won't freeze.

Post by **abscate** » 20 Nov 2018, 05:09

You want four snow tires, not " all season " tires. Four or 4, not 2 unless you can buy 2 and get 2 free

Rust protection on these cars is phenomenal. But, if you are the kind of person who washes brake dust off your wheels, You won't like your first New England winter.

WhatAmIDoing · Post by **WhatAmIDoing** » 20 Nov 2018, 08:01

Only rust spots on my Volvo are from rock chips. She lived in New England most her life before I got her and she's still mint. Doesn't hurt to crawl under once and a while and treat spots for rust, if you can find any. These cars aren't rust buckets.

As mentioned above, get an antifreeze tester and make sure you're at 50/50. Run out the wiper fluid and replace with -15 or better rated fluid. Get yourself a spare fuel pump relay and keep it in the glove box, plus a jumper wire if that one fails. Spraying the door seals and key hole with Teflon will keep them from freezing. Buy a snow brush and ice scraper to keep in the back seat (not the trunk).

I run snow tires on the front and all seasons on the back. On a FWD car, the snow tires on the front will give better traction. On the back they allegedly prevent sliding, but I've never noticed enough of a difference between snows and all seasons on the back to get me to install 4 snows again.

viper69 · Post by **viper69** » 20 Nov 2018, 08:10

Thanks on tires. Maybe I’ll get studded tires.

Brake rust off my wheels?? We haven’t lived in the Northeast in over 15 yr.

viper69 · Post by **viper69** » 20 Nov 2018, 08:18

Rattnalle wrote: ↑20 Nov 2018, 02:57 They're well protected against rust from the factory so unless the desert has blown the original treatment away it should be fine.

Get proper winter tyres. Treat all rubber seals so they don't get stuck when it freezes. Check antifreeze and make sure you've got wiper fluid that won't freeze.

My vehicle is a 1995. The information I found on the internet indicated only cars after 2006 were made better to minimize rusting, not sure how true this is??

I remember the 80s and seeing rust buckets all over the place. So I’m a bit worried.

The only rubber seals that pop into mind are the rubber gaskets that cover the metal door hinges. Some of those are cracked due to age/heat use etc.

I didn’t think of wiper fluid, and forgot about antifreeze. I’m pretty sure I’m at 50/50, I’ve used it before, but I’ll check again with a tester.

It’s been so long since I’ve been living out here. Ugh.

Post by **Rattnalle** » 20 Nov 2018, 08:22

WhatAmIDoing wrote: ↑20 Nov 2018, 08:01 I run snow tires on the front and all seasons on the back. On a FWD car, the snow tires on the front will give better traction. On the back they allegedly prevent sliding, but I've never noticed enough of a difference between snows and all seasons on the back to get me to install 4 snows again.

Basic road safety 101 is keep the best tyres in the rear so the car doesn't unexpectedly oversteer, especially if braking hard.

Each to his or her own but it's really terrible and dangerous advice to give someone else.

viper69 · Post by **viper69** » 20 Nov 2018, 08:24

WhatAmIDoing wrote: ↑20 Nov 2018, 08:01 Only rust spots on my Volvo are from rock chips. She lived in New England most her life before I got her and she's still mint. Doesn't hurt to crawl under once and a while and treat spots for rust, if you can find any. These cars aren't rust buckets.

As mentioned above, get an antifreeze tester and make sure you're at 50/50. Run out the wiper fluid and replace with -15 or better rated fluid. Get yourself a spare fuel pump relay and keep it in the glove box, plus a jumper wire if that one fails. Spraying the door seals and key hole with Teflon will keep them from freezing. Buy a snow brush and ice scraper to keep in the back seat (not the trunk).

I run snow tires on the front and all seasons on the back. On a FWD car, the snow tires on the front will give better traction. On the back they allegedly prevent sliding, but I've never noticed enough of a difference between snows and all seasons on the back to get me to install 4 snows again.

Curious, why should I get a spare fuel pump relay?

Didn’t know the Teflon info!

Post by **Rattnalle** » 20 Nov 2018, 08:25

viper69 wrote: ↑20 Nov 2018, 08:18
Rattnalle wrote: ↑20 Nov 2018, 02:57 They're well protected against rust from the factory so unless the desert has blown the original treatment away it should be fine.

Get proper winter tyres. Treat all rubber seals so they don't get stuck when it freezes. Check antifreeze and make sure you've got wiper fluid that won't freeze.
My vehicle is a 1995. The information I found on the internet indicated only cars after 2006 were made better to minimize rusting, not sure how true this is??

I remember the 80s and seeing rust buckets all over the place. So I’m a bit worried.

The only rubber seals that pop into mind are the rubber gaskets that cover the metal door hinges. Some of those are cracked due to age/heat use etc.

I didn’t think of wiper fluid, and forgot about antifreeze. I’m pretty sure I’m at 50/50, I’ve used it before, but I’ll check again with a tester.

It’s been so long since I’ve been living out here. Ugh.

If anything they started getting worse again by 2006. Early 2000s were unparalleled but the P80s from the 90s really aren't bad either when it comes to rust protection. Not comparable to the 80s cars.

You've got rubber seals around every door for example. Along the edge. It's nice to be able to open the doors

And don't use anything with Teflon/PTFE, it's just unnecessary and bad for the environment. There are plenty of rubber seal treatments available or just use silicone spray carefully (it's what most of those treatments are mostly).

WhatAmIDoing · Post by **WhatAmIDoing** » 20 Nov 2018, 09:18

Rattnalle wrote: ↑20 Nov 2018, 08:22 Basic road safety 101 is keep the best tyres in the rear so the car doesn't unexpectedly oversteer, especially if braking hard.

Each to his or her own but it's really terrible and dangerous advice to give someone else.

As I said, I have never had a problem nor noticed a difference. Terrible and dangerous advice would be telling him to leave half worn summer tires on. Also, you should never brake hard on winter roads ever, even with 4 new snow tires. Only brake gently when the wheels are straight.

viper69 wrote: ↑20 Nov 2018, 08:24 Curious, why should I get a spare fuel pump relay?

Didn’t know the Teflon info!

They are known to fail in the cold and leave you stranded. Get a spare, know how to change it, and then you won't be stranded when it happens.

Whether you use Teflon or some kind of silicone spray, just make sure the bottle says rubber and plastic safe. And apply carefully so you only get it on the seals, and wipe up any overspray.